Thomas James

by George Dance Thomas James (1946-1974) was an American poet.

Life
James was born Thomas Edward Bojeski in Joliet, Illinois. He authored one collection of poetry, Letters to a Stranger. In addition, his poetry appeared in anthologies and publications that included North American Review, Poetry, and Poetry Northwest.

He committed suicide in 1974.

Writing
Edward Hirsch on Letters to a Stranger: "The voice in these poems — painfully lonely and filled with longing, estranged and religious — has stayed with me for more than twenty years. It deserves to be remembered.”

Recognition
He won the Theodore Roethke Prize in 1969.

Publications

 * ''Letters to a Stranger. 1973.
 * expanded edition (edited by Lucie Brock-Broido). St. Paul, MN: Graywolf Press, 2008.