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
        )

)
1649572152 
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:

 

Judge finds Newsmax aired false and defamatory claims about voting-tech company

A Delaware judge finds the right-wing network aired false and defamatory statements about Dominion Voting Systems' role in the 2020 presidential election. A jury trial is slated for late April.

10 emerging writers win Whiting Awards

The awards, which come with a $50K purse, have helped launch the writing careers of many now well-known authors, including Colson Whitehead, Ocean Vuong, Alice McDermott and Jia Tolentino.

Alabama approves regulations on pharmacy benefit managers in order to help small pharmacies

The Alabama House backed the proposal that will require pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse independent pharmacists at least at the state Medicaid rate for prescription drugs. The bill now goes to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey.

20 musicians who should get to go to space before Katy Perry

On April 14, Blue Origin plans to launch a space flight with a crew that includes the singer behind the 2010 hit "Firework." But we can think of many other artists who deserve to be among the stars.

Attorney representing a student protester detained by federal immigration agents

Amir Makled sat down with All Things Considered host Juana Summers to describe his experience and what it could mean for other attorneys who are going against the wishes of the Trump administration.

European Union approves new retaliatory tariffs on the U.S.

All but one of the 27 EU member countries voted to impose tariffs on specific U.S. products. The vote came before President Trump announced a 90-day pause on U.S. tariffs on goods from most countries.

More Arts and Culture Coverage