PAUL R. OTREMBA
1978-2019
Paul R. Otremba, 40, passed away at 11:45pm on Monday, June 24, 2019 at his home in Houston, following a 2017 diagnosis of gastric cancer.
The author of three poetry collections (The Currency, Pax Americana, and Levee), Paul was Assistant Professor in Creative Writing at Rice University. Paul published poetry widely in places such as the Kenyon Review, New England Review, Southwest Review, Witness, The Washington Post, among many others. In recognition of his poetry, he received scholarships and fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, a Barthelme Memorial Fellowship, a Krakow Poetry Seminar Fellowship, and a prize from the Academy of American Poets. His final collection, Levee (forthcoming in September 2019), confronts ecology, politics, and illness, in what Paul described to Rick Barot in the New England Review as “what is owed, what is gathered, what is a flood of indignation, anger, and grief.”
His life transformed the lives of those around him, as have his illness and death.
His students, colleagues, and friends poured out their love and grief online, sharing poems and memories of him. “Paul burned with poetry, and you could see it in his eyes that were both icy blue and fiery at the same time,” commented friend and poet C. Dale Young. Former student C. Sinclaire Brown wrote, “Paul Otremba was my undergrad thesis advisor and one of the greatest professors I ever had. He’s the reason
I’m a poet now.” Paul was known for his penetrating insight, keen sense of social injustice, unparalleled generosity, and impish sense of humor. He took inspiration from John Keats, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the paintings of Caravaggio, Ice Cube, and many other sources in which he and his readers found joy and meaning.
A masterful cook, Paul also wrote about food and published other essays and criticism in Tikkun, The Houston Chronicle, Spoon Magazine, and in the anthology American Poets in the 21st Century: The New Poetics. His last collection, Levee, written following his diagnosis, is alive to the pains, anger, beauty, and joy of earthly existence, to the possibility of living as people, as species, as a planet, in the presence of death. He reminds us of our obligations as witnesses to reality: “You must work to make the experience, like someone works to make your experience.”
He is survived by his wife Holly Holmes, his parents Ronald and Diane, his siblings Matthew and Kate Otremba, Sara and Scott Mismash, Joseph and Stacy Otremba, Michael and Lydia Otremba, Bethany and Jonathon Heinrich, and Mary Otremba, and his nieces and nephews Danny, Nico, Micah, Adelynn, and Henry, and his cats Spanky and his beloved Musetta. Ardent fans of opera, the visual arts, and the Houston Texans, Paul and Holly frequently attended and supported cultural events. They also loved dining together around the world at Alinea, Noma, and El Tiempo.
Paul was born and raised in the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Paul’s education took him from studying English and Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, to an MFA from the University of Maryland, to a PhD in Literature & Creative Writing at the University of Houston. Prior and in addition to his appointment at Rice, Paul taught at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, and in the Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers. Paul leaves friends and students throughout the country. Paul died as he lived, surrounded by his devoted family and friends.
A memorial service will be held on July 5 at 1pm at the Rice University Memorial Chapel. Tributes may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center or another organization supporting social justice in Paul’s honor.