Andrew Glaze, Alabama’s 95-Year-Old Poet Laureate, Has Died

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2015/08/MG_2741.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1920;s:6:"height";i:1435;s:4:"file";s:19:"2015/08/MG_2741.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:13:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-336x251.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:251;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-771x576.jpg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:576;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-768x574.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:574;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:21:"MG_2741-1536x1148.jpg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:1148;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:17:"MG_2741-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-416x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:416;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-355x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:355;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-600x600.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:19:"MG_2741-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Gina Yu
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:5770711;s:14:"optimized_size";i:328622;s:7:"percent";d:94.310000000000002;}s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:47:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/08/MG_2741.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:5550606;s:14:"optimized_size";i:174046;s:7:"percent";d:96.859999999999999;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:5:"large";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:55:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/08/MG_2741-771x576.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:112100;s:14:"optimized_size";i:74255;s:7:"percent";d:33.759999999999998;}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:53:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/08/MG_2741-80x80.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:4307;s:14:"optimized_size";i:4202;s:7:"percent";d:2.4399999999999999;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:55:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/08/MG_2741-600x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:59763;s:14:"optimized_size";i:43787;s:7:"percent";d:26.73;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:55:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/08/MG_2741-416x311.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:43935;s:14:"optimized_size";i:32332;s:7:"percent";d:26.41;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1637557535 
1454940956

According to his family, Andrew Glaze died on Sunday. The novelist, playwright and poet was currently serving as Poet Laureate of Alabama. Glaze has been called “an essential poet for more than sixty years.”

Glaze was born in Nashville, but grew up in Birmingham. Through his life, Glaze was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and praised by numerous literary magazines and personalities, like poet Robert Frost. In 2015, he was inducted into the Alabama Writers’ Hall of Fame and published his latest collection of poetry, “Overheard in a Drug Store.”

Glaze had a long and full career. He up in Birmingham before attending Harvard University and serving in the air force during World War II. Glaze came back to Birmingham where he wrote for the Birmingham Post-Herald during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement before moving to New York City. Those years as a reporter inspired his epic poem I am the Jefferson County Courthouse. Here’s Glaze reading from it shortly after it’s publication in 1981.

Andy Glaze spent more than 30 years living in New York City.

“He travelled in a close knit circle of poets that included writer Norman Rosten, Oscar Williams, William Packard, and John Ciardi,” said his daughter, Elizabeth Glaze.

He returned to Alabama in 2002. Glaze always said his life growing up in the South was always an important part of his work.

Glaze’s four-year term as Poet Laureate of Alabama was set to end in 2017. Talking to WBHM in August of 2015, Glaze said he still loved poetry, and was sometimes surprised by the feelings hearing his old poems stirred.

Listen to WBHM’s August 2015 profile of Andrew Glaze:

 

Trump names former Florida AG Pam Bondi as his new pick for U.S. attorney general

After former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from consideration, President-elect Donald Trump named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general.

Police report gives details, timeline of the sexual assault claim against Pete Hegseth

The woman who accused then-Fox News host of sexual assault in 2017 said that she "remembered saying 'no' a lot," according to a police report. Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of Defense.

Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes

Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.

In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence

As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.

What is the ICC and can it really arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu?

The ICC also issued warrants for Yoav Gallant, former Israeli defense minister, and Hamas leader Muhammad Deif. But it doesn't have an enforcement mechanism and relies on states to make the arrests.

Former Brazilian president indicted over alleged coup plot

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro and several others have been charged with attempting to overthrow incoming government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022.

More Arts and Culture Coverage