Wild berry picker, occasional belter of Motown hits, writer of articles, editor and publishing geek, poet, bedtime fairy storyteller.
James Tate’s extraordinary poetry and person were life-altering forces for many people, myself included.
I came to UMass in 2000 to study with Jim (and with Dara Wier and Peter Gizzi) in the MFA program, a nervous, hopeful 20-something. Jim was a serious, devoted…