Leslie Norris was a birdwatcher, with a special fondness for hawks. He studied them, put them in his poems, drew inspiration from them. But then Norris himself was something of a rare bird. He was a non-LDS poet from Wales who taught at Brigham Young University, where business degrees are championed over poetry. He made the school his home.
Norris died last Thursday in Provo at age 85. Always the gentleman, he didn't crow about his accomplishments. So few came to realize the treasure in their midst. BYU knew, of course. And so did the Utah literary community. But for others, learning that Norris was on the short list to become Poet Laureate of England, or that he was an international literary celebrity whose soft, authentic voice was the envy of writers like James Dickey, will probably come as news.
After reading a poem at the dedication of the Dylan Thomas memorial in Westminster Abby and a teaching stint in England, Norris and his wife Kitty came to America in 1971. They took an immediate liking to the West, perhaps because it had the harsh and lovely feel of Wales.
In 1983 Norris began teaching occasional poetry courses at BYU. It seemed like an odd match, but Norris once explained that being an instructor in British private schools had given him a taste for decorum and modesty in students. BYU felt a lot like home. During his decades at the Y., Norris was a triple threat — a superb poet, excellent fiction writer and a master teacher. He was also an enthralling storyteller and had a professional's timing for punchlines. One of his favorite stories was of the day he was hired to be the poet in residence at a prestigious British boy's school. The headmaster took him aside and said, "Mr. Norris, there is a lot of poetry being written by the boys at this school. I want you to put a stop to it!"
Norris didn't, of course. And the more than 20 books he himself published over the decades will forever hum with the voice of a writer who was not only gifted and wise, but decent. Leslie Norris is gone. Thankfully, "Hudson's Geese," "Billy Rose," "Christmas in Utah" and dozens of other memorable poems are not.