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Ohio State Poet Laureate David Citino Remembered in Televison Broadcast
Ohio State Poet Laureate David Citino Remembered in Televison Broadcast
David Citino, Ohio State’s poet laureate and author of a dozen books, passed away in October of 2005, leaving behind a legacy of poetry and generosity that won’t be forgotten by those who knew him. Citino was remembered recently in “Artzine: Remembering David Citino,” a thirty-minute documentary on Citino’s life and art. The show will re-air on Monday, January 15, at 4:30 a.m. on WOSU Channel 34 Columbus.
The documentary features audio and video clips of Citino reading from his own work, as well as interviews with him, his wife, friends, and colleagues. The portrait that emerges from these interviews is of a man who put the happiness of others above all else.
“It was never about David,” one colleague said. “It was all about you. And when you meet that kind of person it serves to make you more generous.”
Citino, who grew up in Marion, Ohio, was considered truly an “Ohio poet.” He was named Ohio State poet laureate in 2002, and wrote poems to mark special university events. Citino read a poem for more than 30,000 people at Woody Hayes Memorial Service in the Ohio State Stadium.
Mary Citino remembers her husband’s commitment to his art, and later, his commitment to family. He used to block out hours of solitude for his writing. “That lasted until 1971,” she said, “when our first child was born.”
After that Citino wrote in between the tasks that came with raising a growing family, a way of working that become integral to his life as a poet. In an interview, Citino described himself as “an artist who wan[ed] to work in this world.”