Larry D. Thomas

Larry D. Thomas (born 1947) is an American poet. He was the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate, and in 2009 was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.

Early life and education
Thomas was born in Haskell, Texas in 1947. He attended the University of Houston, where he earned a Bachelor's in English in 1970.

Early career
While earning his degree Thomas worked as a social services caseworker. He was drafted into the Navy after graduation. His orders had placed him in Norfolk, Virginia, where he worked as a prison counselor for the naval base. Thomas continued to work in the prison system after his discharge, working in the adult probation field in Houston, Texas.

Writing career
Thomas began writing while he was in the service and continued writing after he retired in 1998. His first collection of poetry, The Lighthouse Keeper, was published in January 2001 through Timberline Press. That same year he published Amazing Grace through the Texas Review Press. The collection won several prizes, which included the 2003 Western Heritage Wrangler Award. Thomas would receive the award a second time in 2015 for The Goatherd and has since won other awards.

In April 2007 Thomas was appointed by the Texas Legislature as the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate and in 2009, was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.

Awards

 * 2001: Texas Review Poetry Prize
 * 2003 and 2015: Western Heritage Wrangler Award
 * 2004: Texas Review Poetry Prize (for Where Skulls Speak Wind)
 * 2004: Violet Crown Book Award
 * 2008: Texas Poet Laureate (appointed in 2007)
 * 2009: Texas Institute of Letters