Terence Winch

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Terence Winch in 2026 Terence Winch 1100090.jpg
Terence Winch in 2026

Terence Patrick Winch is an Irish-American poet, writer, and musician.

Contents

Biography

Winch was born in New York City on November 1, 1945. He grew up in an Irish neighborhood in the Bronx, the child of Irish immigrants. He graduated from Fordham University. [1]

In 1971, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he became involved with the Mass Transit readings in Dupont Circle. [2] He published the first issue of Mass Transit magazine and co-founded Some of Us Press with Michael Lally and others. [3] [4]

His writing, which shows New York School and other influences, has been widely published and anthologized. Primarily a poet, he has published fiction and non-fiction as well. He was the subject of a profile on National Public Radio's All Things Considered in 1986, and has been featured a number of times on The Writer's Almanac radio program. [5]

From 1975 to 1981, he was a regular book reviewer for The Washington Post and has also been a contributor to The Village Voice, The Washingtonian, The Dictionary of Irish Literature, The Oxford Companion to American Poetry, and other publications. In 1992, Winch was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in poetry. He has won the American Book Award, [6] the Columbia Book Award, [2] a Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Writing, [7] and multiple grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Maryland State Arts Council. Winch worked for the Smithsonian Institution for 24 years, for most of that time as Head of Publications at the National Museum of the American Indian.

Terence Winch has also played Irish traditional music from childhood, and co-founded the band Celtic Thunder in 1977, [8] writing much of the band's material for its four albums. His best-known composition is "When New York Was Irish," which has been covered by many other artists. [9]

Writing

Winch has published ten books of poems, two story collections, and a young adult novel:

Discography

As performer, composer:

As producer:

References

  1. Now, Fordham (2017-03-22). "Seven Questions with Terence Winch: Musician, Songwriter, Poet, Author". Fordham Now. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  2. 1 2 "Terence Winch". The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  3. "Terence Winch | Washington DC Poetry Readings". www.dcpoetry.com. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  4. Moretti, Annalisa (2019-06-06). "Offbeat, Irreverent, and DIY: The Poetry of Mass Transit – Boston College Libraries News". Boston College Libraries. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  5. Media, American Public (2011-04-16). "The Writer's Almanac: Terence Winch". Calendar. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  6. "TERENCE WINCH". authormark.com. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  7. "Terence Winch". Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  8. Fenyvesi, Charles (1982-12-05). "Chapters In Washington's Book of Writers". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  9. Farrar, Carolyn (March 22, 2017). "Seven Questions with Terence Winch: Musician, Songwriter, Poet, Author". Fordham News. Fordham University . Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  10. Gabbert, Elisa (2025-10-03). "'Best American Poetry' Is Ending. Our Columnist Looks Back". The New York Times. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  11. "Anne Harding Woodworth on Terence Winch – Innisfree Poetry Journal". Innisfree Poetry Journal. Retrieved 2026-01-10.