E-Mail: DavidLHarrison1@att.net
Welcome to my page. I’m David Harrison. In 1982, Drury President John Moore created the post of Poet Laureate and appointed me to become the first poet to fill the position. I’m honored to say that so far, I’m the only poet who has held the title. In July 2023, Missouri Governor Mike Parsons appointed me to a two-year term as Missouri Poet Laureate. I am grateful to Drury for creating this special page that gives me a chance to greet visitors, provide information about me, and explain what I try to accomplish as Poet Laureate for Drury and the state of Missouri.
I was born in Springfield on March 13, 1937. I attended Oak Grove Elementary School, Jarrett Middle School, and Central High School. In high school, I met and fell in love with Sandy Kennon. We were married in 1959, the same year I graduated from Drury with a major in biology and a minor in geology. I went on to earn a master’s degree in parasitology at Emory University in Atlanta. Sandy and I have two grown children: a daughter named Robin Williams and a son named Jeff Harrison.
In a writing course that I took at Drury during my senior year, Professor Clark Graham liked my work and urged me to consider becoming a writer. I’m leaving out the years of struggle that followed before my first book was published ten years later, a picture book that set my compass as a children’s writer. At this point in my life, I can look back with pride at 23 books of poetry, 43 books of fiction, 23 books of nonfiction, and 18 books for classroom teachers. The year of 2024 will see the publication of three more titles.
I have a website that provides information about my professional career (http://davidlharrison.com) and a daily blog at http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com where I keep readers up to date on my life as a writer. On campus, the bookstore has or can get copies of my 2022 book, This Life: An Autobiography. It should also be available in Olin Library.
What does a poet laureate do? Here at Drury, I’ve had numerous occasions to contribute to campus activities — spoken to groups of students and faculty; co-authored a book about writing with Dr. Lauren Edmondson, a professor in the School of Education; presented to elementary, middle, and high school students visiting campus — but I also seek opportunities to represent my Alma Mater in positive ways with connections to literacy in general and poetry in particular.
State Poets Laureate are asked to write a poem about Missouri. I read mine for the first time in public in Stone Chapel during Drury’s 150th anniversary celebration. I also write and host Poetry from Daily Life, a weekly poetry column in Springfield News-Leader that features guest poets from across the nation and other countries. The column is carried in several other papers in Missouri and other states.
Thank you for visiting my site. I try to keep it updated, so come back again.
— David
