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Biography · Literature

Michael S. Harper

1938–2016

United States

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Biography

Michael Steven Harper (March 18, 1938 – May 7, 2016) was an American poet and English professor at Brown University, who was the Poet Laureate of Rhode Island from 1988 to 1993. His poetry was influenced by jazz and history. Among the influences which shaped his writing, he said that the most important lesson he learned from musicians was phrasing, the authenticity of phrasing, and the transcendence and spiritual mastery.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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