Dorothea "Dottie" Grossman (1937–2012) was an American poet active in Los Angeles, where she lived for more than 30 years.[2] Grossman wrote short, often epigrammatic works, such as her series of "Henny Youngman poems," which imagined mundane and humorous glimpses of the Jewish comedian Henny Youngman.[3] Grossman's poems have been published in four books as well as multiple poetry journals and magazines.[2]

Dorothea Grossman
BornDorothea Gloria Dwartzin[1]
1937[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States[1]
DiedMay 6, 2012 (aged 74–75)[1]
Los Angeles, California, United States[1]
OccupationPoet
LanguageEnglish
Alma materTemple University
SpouseRichard Grossman

Biography

edit

Grossman was born in Philadelphia[1] and attended Temple University, where she studied with Gerald Stern.[4]

Grossman read her work regularly throughout the Los Angeles area, and was noted for her collaborations with trombonist Michael Vlatkovich and other musicians. She and Vlatkovitch released a CD entitled Call and Response in 2003.[2]

Grossman was married to avant-garde pianist Richard Grossman until his death in 1992.[1] She frequently addressed her husband in the first person in her poems, and cited his music as well as a wide variety of other musical genres ranging from improvisational jazz to Top 40 radio as major inspirations in her work.[4]

In 2010, Grossman won the J. Howard and Barbara M. J. Wood Prize, awarded by Poetry magazine.[2]

Grossman died in West Los Angeles on May 6, 2012.[1]

Selected works

edit
  • Cuttings (Tango Books, 1988)
  • Poems from Cave 17: Selected Poems 1989-1996 (self-published, 1996)
  • Museum of Rain (Take Out Press, 2001)
  • The Fun of Speaking English (Coffeetown Press, 2012)

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Anonymous (2012-06-28). "Poet and performer Dottie Grossman dies". The Argonaut. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d "Dorothea Grossman". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  3. ^ Boncek, Barbara. "Poems From Cave 17: Selected Poems 1989–1996". Frigate: The Transverse Review of Books. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Nichols, Travis. "In It for the Kicks: A Conversation with Dorothea Grossman". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved March 9, 2014.