Michael Blanchard

Michael Blanchard (Col ’73 L/M) has published Naming the Silence: New & Selected Poems. The new collection is a sampling of poetry written and published by Mr. Blanchard over five decades. While a student at the University, he was an Echols Scholar, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and twice won the University Union Fine Arts Award for Poetry. He also earned a master’s degree from Indiana University and completed additional graduate study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He taught literature and creative writing at Troy University, where he served as editor of the university’s literary magazine and was presented the Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and the University of Louisiana. For over 20 years, he has also been an advocate for compassionate care of the dying through his work with hospice organizations in Louisiana and North Carolina. Now retired, he lives and writes in Lafayette, Louisiana.