In 1958, Knute Skinner, a Ph.D. candidate at Iowa University, made an impulsive decision to leave for the Canary Islands and spend the rest of his life there writing poetry. His travels took him to Ireland, Denmark, England, Spain, Italy, and France. Along the way, his adventures involved diverting men and romantic women, and all the time he was experimenting with his art. Help Me to a Getaway, a memoir of his two-year sojourn, describes a Europe that no longer exists and tells a story which was not at all what the author expected.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Knute Skinner has had a home in Ireland since 1964. He has taught at the University of Iowa and at Western Washington University, where he was a Professor of English. Retired from teaching, he lives in Killaspuglonane, County Clare with his spouse, Edna Faye Kiel. His most recent book of poetry, Fifty Years: Poems 1957-2007, collects fifty years of published work, beginning with poems which first saw serial publication in 1957 and continuing through thirteen books.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Knute Skinner has had a home in Ireland since 1964. He has taught at the University of Iowa and at Western Washington University, where he was a Professor of English. Retired from teaching, he lives in Killaspuglonane, County Clare with his spouse, Edna Faye Kiel. His most recent book of poetry, Fifty Years: Poems 1957-2007, collects fifty years of published work, beginning with poems which first saw serial publication in 1957 and continuing through thirteen books.