Timothy Murphy (poet)

Timothy Murphy (born 1951) is an American poet known for his formal verse, often employing traditional forms such as sonnets, villanelles, and blank verse. He is particularly noted for his engagement with rural themes, drawing heavily on his experiences as a farmer and rancher in North Dakota and later in western Iowa. Murphy's poetry often explores themes of agriculture, nature, loss, mortality, and the changing landscape of the American Midwest.

His work is characterized by its technical skill, sharp imagery, and unflinching depiction of rural life, encompassing both its beauty and its hardships. He frequently incorporates colloquial language and a direct, unadorned style into his formally structured poems.

Murphy is the author of several collections of poetry, including The Deed of Gift (1984), Favouring Fields (1991), Set the Ploughshare Deep (2000), Very Far North (2002), Hunter's Log (2005), and Mortality, with Dinner (2023). His work has been recognized with various awards, including the Poetry Society of America's Robert Frost Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry. He has also received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.