Russell Thorburn papers

Russell Thorburn grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, attending Holy Name Elementary and Brother Rice High School. He moved to Marquette in 1974 and enjoyed spending much of his time reading with former NMU professors John VandeZande and Phil Legler at a local bookstore, playing music, and living with his girlfriend. In 1982, Thorburn married Emily Wood, and they have three sons: Gabriel, the oldest, has been the assistant editor for Warner Brothers; Christopher, and Michael. In 1985, Thorburn received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northern Michigan University. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University in 1988. Thorburn works as an adjunct associate professor of English at Northern Michigan University. Over the years, he received numerous grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs to support his writing. As a poet in residence for Upper Peninsula public schools, Thorburn has taught poetry workshops and inspired students to write creatively. Thorburn served as artist-in-residence at the Mojave National Preserve in the winter of 2013. He has also been featured in the NMU Alumni publication, Northern Horizons, and is a nominee for UP Poet Laureate.

Russell Thorburn is an established poet. Between 1993 and 1996 he taught at Marquette Branch Prison. During the mid-1990s, his poems would appear regularly in The Quarterly, a New York City-based magazine run by Gordon Lish. He co-authored two books with Robert Bixby, "The Company of Widows (1991)" and "Henry Zender: Poems (1996)". In 1999, Russell’s first book, "Approximate Desire: Poems," was published by Western Michigan University’s New Issues Press with the help of David Dodd Lee and Herb Scott. In that same year, he also received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship to write a book of poems. After receiving the Central Upper Peninsula Planning and Development (CUPPAD) Art Minigrant in 2001, Thorburn began writing two radio plays: "The Playback" and "Happy Birthday, James Joyce." Patrick Lynch, a local musician, provided original music for both plays. "Happy Birthday, James Joyce" aired four times on WNMU-FM. Both plays were performed Off-Broadway in 2002. Thorburn also wrote "Growing up Irish." Other published books include: "The Weight of Umber and Sienna: Poems (2001)," "Father, Tell Me I Have Not Aged: Poems (2006)," "The Drunken Piano: Poetry by Russell Thorburn (2009)," "The Whole Tree as Told to the Backyard: Poems (2009)," and "Misfit Hearts (2012)." Thorburn was also the editor for anthologies of teen poetry: "Wheat Field with Poems and Crows (2004)," "Pencils on Fire (2005)," and "Word River (2006)."