Gerald William Barrax (June 21, 1933 – December 7, 2019) was an American poet and educator. His poems appeared in numerous anthologies and journals. He was recognized by several awards, including the Raleigh Medal of Arts for "Extraordinary Achievement in the Arts" in 1993, the Sam Regan Award for contribution to the fine arts in North Carolina in 1991, and the 1983 Callaloo Creative Writing Award for Nonfiction Prose.Pettis, Joyce (1997). "An Interview with Gerald Barrax" Barrax served as a Professor of English and creative writing at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

Biography

Barrax was born in Attalla, Alabama, on June 21, 1933. Barrax spent his early years in the rural South before moving with his family to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

in 1944. Barrax began to write poetry when he was 18. Barrax was introduced to poetry by his then peer Ellen. The two would often exchange poetry and read it to each other. After graduating in 1951 Barrax went to work for one year at the U.S. Steel Company in Homestead to fund his college education. During his time at the Mill Barrax would meet a former ex-convict named Eddie. Eddie introduced Barrax to a book titled 'This is my Beloved" by Walter Benton. Barrax would take inspiration from Benton's work in his own poems. Barrax then went to college for one year but had to unroll because he run out of money. He then joined the Air Force in order to get the GI Bill to finance the rest of his higher education. In 1954 Barrax was stationed in Greenville, South Carolina at Donaldson Air Force Base in 1954. While there Barrax came across "Poets' Handbook" by Clement Wood. This handbook helped Barrax discover meter, scansion, assonance, and much more. Barrax earned a bachelor's degree at Duquesne University, and a master's degree in English from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

in 1969. After the completion of his master's program, Barrax moved to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, where he joined the faculty of

in 1970.Brosseau, Carli. "Poet, Retired Professor Hit, Killed While Crossing Street" The (Raleigh) News & Observer, Dec. 8, 2019 In a 2009 documentary produced by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Barrax said that he was the first black teacher at

. He retired from teaching in 1997. In 2009, Barrax was awarded the North Carolina Award for Literature. Barrax was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle on December 7, 2019, in southeast

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

. He was 86 at the time of his death. The driver allegedly did not yield to Barrax in a pedestrian crosswalk, fatally hitting him. Barrax died after he was rushed for treatment to WakeMed Hospital after suffering critical injuries.Charles, Alfred. "Gerald Barrax, acclaimed poet, teacher, NC State professor, dies after being struck by vehicle."

Works

Barrax published these books of poetry: * 1970: ''Another Kind of Rain'',Barnes&Noble, Booksearch * 1980: ''An Audience of One : Poems'' * 1987: ''The Deaths of Animals and Lesser Gods, Vol. 4'' * 1992: ''Leaning against the Sun,'' nominated for both the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

and the National Book Award. * 1998: ''From a Person Sitting in Darkness : New and Selected Poems''

References

External links

Barnes&NobleAn Interview with Gerald BarraxThe Southern Cross
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrax, Gerald 1933 births 2019 deaths North Carolina State University faculty Poets from Alabama University of Pittsburgh alumni People from Etowah County, Alabama Writers from Pittsburgh Duquesne University alumni Road incident deaths in North Carolina Poets from Pennsylvania American male poets 20th-century American poets 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American male writers Pedestrian road incident deaths