Ida Fasel says she writes with "feeling, clarity and a love of words."
Ida Fasel loves written works. She reads them in French, German, Italian and Spanish. But writing poetry is her first love.
Fasel, PhD English ’63, has published numerous academic articles and chapters on subjects ranging from Milton (her specialty) to translations of French poetry. She’s received a number of awards for her poetry, and two of her six poetry collections have been Colorado Book Awards finalists.
“I trust that I am not sticky sweet, but that I write with feeling, clarity and a love of words,” says Fasel, who taught college English in Connecticut, Oklahoma and Texas.
Fasel began concentrating on her own poetry after retiring from the University of Colorado at Denver in 1977, where she is an English professor emerita. Her most recent poetry collection, Leafy as a Locust Tree, was released in February 2005.
When describing her poetry, Fasel quotes W.B. Yeats, saying that it is “of what is past, or passing, or to come.”
Fasel, who is in her 90s but prefers not to give her exact age, finds time for other things, too. “I have many loves and interests, including the ballet and playing the piano. I am also an original Trekkie,” she says proudly.
“My life has been a fairy tale,” she says. “I’m pleased with what I’ve done, but there’s more to do. I’m always learning and reading.”