I remember fondly the words, the pictures, the touching, the warmth of hand and voice as my mother read to me.
[2]Dethlefsen was aware of his poetic inclinations as a teenager but has later remarked that, “I wish that when I was in 7th or in 8th grade, a man would have gotten up in front of our class and read a poem that I understood and said ‘it’s really ok to do this.’ I think it would have added 10 years to my writing career.
He completed his undergraduate degree in Secondary Education at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, where he had initially thought he would attend on a football scholarship, but was injured before graduating from high school.
[4] Dethlefsen credits at least two writers for his success in poetry: John Judson, an instructor at UW–La Crosse, and David Steingass, artist-in-residence in Wisconsin schools.
During his time there, he held regular poetry readings that included open mic sessions.
[5] Since retiring, Dethlefsen has increased his attention to his writing and also stays active with a variety of artistic ventures.
He sings and plays bass guitar with musician Bill Orth as the Obvious Dog, and recorded a CD with Wisconsin Poet Cathryn Cofell.
[6] Executive Order 404, given by Governor Thompson, created the Commission in on July 31, 2000, to recommend candidates for the Poet Laureate of Wisconsin.
I buy cheap spiral notebooks and use purple ink from my Waterman fountain pen.
There’s something very important about that feel, the scratchiness, of the process for me.”[2]Poetry Collections Poems in Journals, Anthologies, and on the Radio https://web.archive.org/web/20110911080200/http://www.brucedethlefsen.com/pubs.html Dethlefsen resides in Westfield, Wisconsin with longtime love and partner, Sue Allen.