Theodore Enslin

Theodore Enslin (1925-2011) was an American poet, playwright, and composer who specialized in writing long form avant-garde poetry. A prolific poet, Enslin was inspired by the Black Mountain School and the Objectivists. He was first published by the editor and poet Cid Corman, and subsequently published many poems and books. Enslin inspired Virgilio to dedicate his whole life to being a poet, eschewing a full-time job and focusing solely on his art.

The letter pictured below is the first Enslin sent to Virgilio in their extensive correspondence, where he discourages Virgilio from writing haiku. Enslin doubted that haiku could be properly written in English, and instead encouraged Virgilio to write free verse, although Virgilio never became successful at writing non-haiku poetry.