Michael Dennis Browne, poet and librettist who lived in Minneapolis, Minn., and was one of the founders of the Loft Literary Center, died March 29. He was 85. The Pioneer Press reported that Browne, who was born in England, won two Minnesota Book Awards for poetry for You Won't Remember This and Selected Poems, 1965-1995. He was professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, where he taught for 39 years.
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The Loft Literary Center posted on social media: "We are saddened to hear of the passing of Michael Dennis Brown. He was an incredible poet and one of the Loft’s founders. Thank you, Michael, for your lifelong dedication to the literary arts."
Patricia Hampl, a poet and memoirist who was one of Browne's colleagues at the university, told the Pioneer Press: "He was a wonderful colleague. It is no wonder he became a beloved poet, so 'there' for the students. When you teach that long it's easy to do it by rote. He never fell into that, always being available to students and always alive to poetry. I'm not surprised he had such a success as a librettist. He was a very musical poet; he had a strong lyric sensibility, such a sense of language and musicality."
Hampl added that Browne "took a kind of delight in being a Midwesterner," and loved the work of Minnesota poet James Wright, also a member of the university's faculty.
Poet Dave Bengtson said Browne changed his life and became a good friend, the Pioneer Press noted. Bengtson was teaching at Long Prairie high school when he took a poetry workshop where "this guy with a British accent gets up and reads a poem about Robert Bly," he recalled. "I was blown away by how brilliant he was, his memorization, quoting and quoting from all kinds of poems. I knew nothing about how to write poetry. When I met with him alone I remember being encouraged."
Browne visited Bengtson's high school classrooms from 1980 to 2001. "The kids loved him. His poems were so accessible for them. Sometimes he'd go into the elementary classes with poems he'd written for children... it was amazing to watch how those kids were being transformed even by a few moments of his poetry," Bengtson said.
Craig Hella Johnson, founder and artistic director of the Conspirare choral ensemble, collaborated with Browne on several projects, including the oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard. Johnson posted on Facebook: "My dear friend and soul brother, creative partner and inspiration--Michael Dennis Browne--died this morning. I feel deep grief and sadness to lose him, but I also feel and carry profound gratitude both for his friendship and partnership and also for the boundless ways he made our world and our hearts larger through his extraordinary creative gifts as a writer and tender of souls."
As a librettist, Browne also collaborated for many years with the late Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus, the Pioneer Press wrote. Their post-Holocaust oratorio, "To Be Certain of the Dawn," was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in music. Browne also wrote the libretti for the church opera "The Three Hermits," which included "Pilgrims' Hymn," sung at the funerals of Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. Their song "The Road Home" was sung at President Jimmy Carter's funeral.
Although Browne was known for his poetry and lyrics, his daughter, Mary Sylvestre, recalled him writing little rhymes and "silly stuff in a good way" when he was home. "He had this funny little phrase 'not famous but famous-ish.' He was aware of recognition but not egotistical about it. He lived a full and beautiful life, helping through words and teaching. He really felt he had done his work in a positive way and his work carries on in his words and music. He was fulfilled."