Louis Martinelli
Dreaming with Open Eyes
Poems for Vincent Van Gogh
Louis Martinelli, poet, playwright, essayist and educator, is a graduate of St. Mary’s University and The University of Cincinnati, where he developed innovative educational programs, including a medical ethics curriculum.
Louis has been a Writer in Residence in many Midwestern communities and organizations, including The Mayo Clinic and The Northfield Arts Guild, where he was commissioned to write a series of dramatic monologues about mother-child bonding and loss. The most widely produced of these, Wild Iris, has been performed in theatres, medical centers, and conferences in the United States and Europe. His play, Take My Hand, won a National Endowment for The Arts outstanding achievement award.
In 2001, Martinelli was nominated for a MacArthur Foundation Award for his work in helping create sustainable communities.
He is literary executor of environmental writer Paul Gruchow’s estate as well as founder and director of The Paul Gruchow Foundation.