Murray State professor Bob Lochte has two of his short poems included in the annual literary edition of Kentucky Monthly magazine. The feature, “Penned—The 5th Annual Writer’s Showcase,” is in the November issue.
All of the winners are Kentucky authors who submitted stories, essays and poems for review by the editors. Lochte’s winning verses are both haiku.
“People who know me probably don’t think of me as a man of few words,” Lochte said. “I started trying to write haiki about a year ago and have more than 75 poems so far. By chance, I saw the contest notice online and sent in three. Two of them were chosen.”
Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry. Each poem is three lines of five, seven and five syllables. “I figured if I could master a short literary form, I could become a whiz at Twitter,” Lochte explained.
Lochte has been a member of the Murray State faculty since 1988. He is currently professor and chairman of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Bowdin College in Brunswick, Maine, his master’s from Columbia College in Los Angeles and his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
At Murray State, he has served as director of graduate studies for the JMC Department and director of the MSU TV studios.
His media experience includes serving as co-owner, general manager and program director of WETO TV39 in Greenville, Tenn., and WMGI FM in Pulaski, Tenn., producer/director of WTCI TV45 in Chattanooga, Tenn., and supervisor of television operations at the Beverly Hills, Calif., United School District.
Among his publications is a book on Murray’s inventor, Nathan B. Stubblefield. He served as producer/writer/host of “The Eisenhower Hour,” a weekly radio program devoted to American popular music and culture of the 1950s.
