Paul Gruchow (May 23, 1947 – February 22, 2004) was an American author, editor, and conservationist from

Montevideo, Minnesota Montevideo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,398 at the 2020 census. The area around Montevideo was populated by Native Americans and fur traders during the first half of ...

. A student of poet

John Berryman John Allyn McAlpin Berryman (born John Allyn Smith, Jr.; October 25, 1914 – January 7, 1972) was an American poet and scholar. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and is considered a key figure in th ...

, he is well known for his strong support of rural communities, as expressed in his first book, "Journal of a Prairie Year" published by

University of Minnesota Press The University of Minnesota Press is a university press that is part of the University of Minnesota. It had annual revenues of just over $8 million in fiscal year 2018. Founded in 1925, the University of Minnesota Press is best known for its book ...

. His essays in ''Grass Roots: The Universe of Home,'' document his ideas with stories of growing up in rural Chippewa County

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Career

Gruchow was editor and co-owner of the highly respected Worthington Daily Globe in Worthington during the late 1970s and 1980s. When the newspaper was sold, he moved to Northfield, Minnesota, where he was an instructor at St. Olaf, Northfield, Minnesota and Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. His essays appeared in Minnesota Monthly Magazine (published by Minnesota Public Radio), the Utne Reader, and book reviews in the Hungry Mind Review. In addition to Journal of a Prairie year, Gruchow's books include '' Discovering the Universe of Home'' and ''Boundary Waters: The Grace of the Wild''; "the Necessity of Empty Places", St. Martin's Press, "Worlds Within Worlds", Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and "Images of Home" with photographer Jim Brandenburg, by the Blandin Foundation of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. A travel essay from "Empty Places" appeared in the Sunday NY Times. He wrote occasionally for ''

The Utne Reader ''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne''; , ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...

,'' and the '' Hungry Mind Review''.

Death and legacy

Gruchow died by suicide on February 22, 2004, in

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, soon after completing the first draft of a book about depression. In memory of his literary contributions, an annual Paul Gruchow Essay Contest is conducted by Writers Rising Up to Defend Place, Natural Habitat and Wetlands through the

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is a horticultural garden and arboretum located about west of Chanhassen, Minnesota at 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, Minnesota. It is part of the Department of Horticultural Science in the College of Food, ...

. In 2007 a collection entitled ''The Grace of Grass and Water: Writing in Honor of Paul Gruchow'' was published by the Ice Cube Press. ''Letters to a Young Madman: A Memoir'', Gruchow's seventh and final book was released in September 2012 by Levins Publishing in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Books

* ''Boundary Waters: The Grace of the Wild'' * ''Grass Roots: The Universe of Home'' * ''Journal of a Prairie Year'' * ''The Necessity of Empty Places'' * ''Travels in Canoe Country'' * ''Letters to a Young Madman: A Memoir''

References

External links

Minnesota Authors Biography Project

Paul Gruchow May 23, 1947 – February 22, 2004

The Paul Gruchow Foundation

Empty Places: Remembering Paul Gruchow, A chronicle of a death foretold Minnesota Monthly, November 1, 2004

Minnesota Progressive Project: Remembering Paul Gruchow

"Prairie tribute: Paul Gruchow's voice echoes in essays"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruchow, Paul 1947 births 2004 suicides 2004 deaths People from Montevideo, Minnesota People from Worthington, Minnesota People from Northfield, Minnesota Editors of Minnesota newspapers Writers from Minnesota Suicides in Minnesota St. Olaf College faculty