Emmett Jarrett (1939-2010) was born in Alexandria, Louisiana on February 21, 1939. He attended local public schools and after flunking out of Florida State University served in the U.S. Army from 1959-1962. He worked his way through Columbia University discovering his vocation as a poet and wrote his honors thesis on “William Carlos Williams American Meter.” He taught English in Crete from 1966-67, wrote a study guide to Shakespeare’s Hamlet and continued writing poetry. On his return to the United States in 1967 he helped found Hanging Loose Press, published several books of poetry including Greek Feet, God’s Body and 4-Telling with Marge Piercy, Dick Lourie and Bob Hershon and in 1969 was included in the anthologies 31 New American Poets and New Directions 21. During this time he taught in the Humanities Department of St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn, New York. After “meeting Jesus on the Taconic State Parkway,” he attended the General Theological Seminary in New York City and was ordained deacon and priest by Bishop Sherman of Long Island in 1976. He served his curacy at St. Stephen’s, Westminster, London while working on a doctorate at Kings College on “The Theology of William Blake.” Later he served Episcopal churches as rector of St. John’s, Bowdoin Street, Boston, Church of the Ascension, Silver Spring, Maryland and St. Michael and All Angels, Stone Mountain, Georgia.
