In Memoriam: Reginald Shepherd, 1963-2008

A giant in the poetry world has passed. Reginald died Wednesday after a battle with cancer. I didn't always agree with Reginald and we sparred several times on the Harriet blog and at his own blog over poetics. Nevertheless,  he was a great poet and he will be missed. I'm glad I got to meet and hear him in Atlanta last year during AWP. We both shared a love of Kate Bush's music and his essay about her will appear in Diva Complex, an anthology coming next year from University of Wisconsin Press, along side mine on Jeanne Moreau.  While other bloggers have posted poems, I'd like to post this line from his blog manifesto Why I Write revised, because I think it sums up Reginald, his life and his unforgettable work:

And never to forget beauty, however strange or difficult.