My story is a majestic narrative
that will force you to love me, people of our land.
I have been so long engaged in struggle and survival,
but now I am the author of my destiny.
My mythic history is now seen as the singular element
that breathes spirit and meaning into my extraordinary saga.
I have reclaimed my natural authority as the true center for the
great American narrative. Peopleheed my dramatic and dynamic voice!
I deliver the goods, but my goods are cultural, aesthetic, spiritual.
My task is to honor the multidimentionality of my unique American story.
I am practically an institution because my life today is full
of ecletic vitality and reverence for the wisdom and knowledge of the past.
No one can see into the future, but when I think of the past I remember
that my grandfather really rocked. My grandmothers died before I was born.
I believe that life infuses all sides of my story, including the inner life.
This makes me special. That’s what I claim.
My goal is to be a transformative force in all our lives.
The work is not simple or easy. The challenges are not for the timid.
This momentous aspiration requires patiences, passion, and dedication.
So much depends on your help. Do not put me on hold.
Terence Winch has published ten books of poems, the most recent being It Is As If Desire (Hanging Loose, 2024) and That Ship Has Sailed (Pitt Poetry Series, 2023). Winner of an American Book Award and the Columbia Book Award, he has also published two story collections and a novel. He is the guest editor for Best American Poetry 2025 and the editor of the Best American Poetry blog’s “Pick of the Week” feature. Winch is the recipient of an NEA poetry fellowship, a Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Writing, and multiple grants from DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities and the Maryland State Arts Council. Also a musician and songwriter, he co-founded the original Celtic Thunder, the traditional Irish music group.