Remembering Rane Arroyo

As many in the literary community learned during the past weekend and into the beginning of this week through a series of Internet messages and emails, Rane Arroyo died on May 7 from a brain hemorrhage at the age of 55. Arroyo published ten collections of poetry. In addition to his fine poems, he was the author of seven plays and a book of short stories.

I was pleased to initially engage in a correspondence with Arroyo about five years ago when he submitted his poetry to Valparaiso Poetry Review. Moreover, on a couple of occasions, when I had questions or criticisms about aspects of particular decisions or directions taken by the Association for Writers and Writing Programs, for which he served as a board member, Rane sent me friendly emails or informative notes through Facebook acknowledging my concerns, which he sought to allay, as well as explaining his understanding of the situations under discussion.

I had known that Rane recently received the honor of being named a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Toledo, where he had been teaching for more than a dozen years. Indeed, Rane was to begin his appointment to the position in the upcoming fall semester, and like everyone else, I was shocked to hear over the weekend about the news of his untimely death. Furthermore, I was saddened to realize his distinctive poetic voice would be silenced.

An article containing additional details about Rane Arroyo, his life and career, now appears in the Toledo Free Press. Also, readers will find an example of his poetry, “Surviving Utah,” in the Fall/Winter 2006-2007 issue (Volume VIII, Number 1) of Valparaiso Poetry Review.