Rex McGuinn (1951-2002)

Barbara HobsonRex McGuinn was a member of the Lamont Poetry Committee for nine years and the committee's head from 1988 to 1994. During his involvement, poets as distinguished and diverse as Joseph Brodsky, Amy Clampitt, Allen Ginsberg, Maxine Kumin and Derek Walcott were brought to Exeter to meet with students and read their work. A poet himself, Mr. McGuinn was an enthusiastic and influential teacher of poetry. He believed that poetry could teach a new way of seeing; to this end, he taught poetry extensively, in all of his classes, at every level, reaching hundreds of Exeter students. Perhaps most important, however, was his encouragement of student poets, particularly promising younger students still learning their craft. In the spirit of such encouragement, and in memory of his dedicated work with the Lamont Poetry Program, the Lamont Younger Poets Prize commemorates Rex McGuinn.

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