Jack Ridl born on April the 10th of 1944, is an American poet, and was a professor of English at Hope College,
Life and career
Ridl's father, Charles "Buzz" Ridl, coached basketball at Westminster College, Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh. Ridl graduated from Westminster College, Pennsylvania with a BA and M.Ed., in 1970. He lives in Laketown Township, Michigan, with his wife, Julie.
His work has appeared in LIT, The Georgia Review, FIELD, Poetry, Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, Gulf Coast, The Denver Quarterly, Chelsea, Free Lunch, The Journal, Passages North, Dunes Review, and Poetry East. Hope College has named its Visiting Writers Series for him.
2013 ForeWord Reviews' INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award for Practicing to Walk Like a Heron—Winner of the Gold Medal in the category of Poetry (Adult Nonfiction)2007 Society of Midland Authors Award for Broken Symmetry in the category of Poetry2002 Say-the-Word Poetry Award from The Ellipse Art Center in Arlington, Virginia, for "The Dry Wallers Listen to Sinatra While They Work", chosen by David St. John2001 Chapbook Award from The Center for Book Arts in New York City, for Against Elegies, selected by Sharon Dolin and Billy Collins1996, The Carnegie Foundation named him Michigan Professor of the Year.The same ghost: poems. Dawn Valley Press. 1984. ISBN 978-0-936014-13-5. After School, Samisdat (1987)Be tween. Dawn Valley Press. 1988. ISBN 978-0-936014-18-0. Against Elegies, The Center for Book Arts, (2001)Broken Symmetry. Wayne State University Press. 2006. ISBN 978-0-8143-3322-8. Losing Season. CavanKerry Press. 2009. ISBN 978-1-933880-15-0. Practicing to Walk Like a Heron. Wayne State University Press. 2013. ISBN 978-0-8143-3539-0.Peter J. Schakel; Jack Ridl (1996). Approaching Poetry: Perspectives and Responses. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-13281-1. Peter Schakel; Jack Ridl (2004). Approaching Literature in the 21st Century: Fiction, Poetry, Drama. Bedford/St. Martin's. ISBN 978-0-312-40756-8. Peter Schakel; Jack Ridl, eds. (2002). 250 Poems: A Portable Anthology. Bedford/St. Martin's. ISBN 978-0-312-46616-9. (2nd edition 2008)Janet E. Gardner; Beverly Lawn; Jack Ridl; Peter Schakel, eds. (2004). Literature: A Portable Anthology. Bedford/St. Martin's. ISBN 978-0-312-46186-7. (2nd edition 2008)Michael Delp; Conrad Hilberry; Herbert Scott, eds. (1988). "A Father". Contemporary Michigan poetry: poems from the third coast. Photographer Michael Delp. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-1924-6. Michael Delp; Conrad Hilberry; Josie Kearns, eds. (2000). "I Am Wearing Your Shirt". New poems from the third coast: contemporary Michigan poetry. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-2797-5. 
