The Illiterate

William Meredith was an influential poet, teacher, and editor. After his career in the military, he taught at Connecticut College for nearly 30 years. He made friends with, and aided, a variety of writers who were at differing stages of their careers. As Janet Gezari noted at a memorial to Meredith, “several of his more celebrated contemporaries—Robert Penn Warren, John Berryman, and Robert Lowell—relied on his responses to their poems and drafts of poems” (See: Further Reading & Resources). However, he was also noted for his kindness to those starting out in their careers, including such writers as Blanche McCrary Boyd, Julia Alvarez, and Michael Collier. Critically, his work is renowned for its straightforward diction and precise adherence to strict rhyme schemes and form. Although he could not initially discuss his life as a gay man early in his career, he later became well known for being openly gay. His appointment as Poet Laureate Consultant to the Library of Congress is considered a significant milestone in the history of LGBTQ+ poetry. Meredith is also known as someone who worked effectively to regain his language skills, while managing excessive aphasia after a stroke.