M.F.A. student Tor Strand has a deep connection with nature that he uses to express himself in his poetry.
Tor Strand
By Quinn Keller, CLA Student Writer - January 15, 2025
Graduate student, Tor Strand, has been chasing his lifetime passion for poetry. Ever since Strand’s writing career began as a senior in high school, he’s been unwavering as to his preferred writing form. Growing up in Anchorage, Alaska, and spending the past ten years in Oregon, “the landscapes are always on my mind,” said Strand. As a result, much of his poetry alludes to scenes of nature – more specifically, “human politics, and asking about how people interact with nature.”
During his undergraduate studies at Linfield College, Strand’s writing interests turned to poetry. It was his mentor Joe Wilkins, professor of English and environmental studies at Linfield, that introduced him to more contemporary, environmental-focused, poets like Theodore Roethke, Natalie Diaz, and Charlies Wright. Strand’s senior thesis called, “The Role of Light in Creating Space,” was inspired by the coastlines of Norway, where his father’s family is originally from.
After graduating from Linfield, Strand spent five years in the wine industry before coming to the College of Liberal Arts. “Being in the heart of Oregon wine country, I took a writing class my senior year that blended writing and winemaking. We visited local vineyards, met the winemakers, and were asked to write about the experience. During that class, he met his future employer and mentor, Remy Drabkin of Remy Wines, whom he contacted after graduating. Although pursuing an M.F.A. was always on Strand’s mind after Linfield, he is still drawn to the artistry of winemaking. “I was connected to the vivid scenes of the grapes coming in, getting processed, and eventually, often after several years, being poured into a glass .” Strand said that increasingly, he’s been writing about the hard work that goes into creating, and sharing something such as a bottle of wine. “All those memories and people are there.”
Before attending OSU, Strand was also a part of a writing residency in the Rogue River of southwestern Oregon. The Boyden Wilderness Writing Residency, run by PEN America, is where Strand spent the summer of 2023, writing in an isolated backcountry environment. Strand said that, being in a rural area, “the days are longer than when you’re living somewhere more populated. I loved all the time I had to get stuff done.” Other than a few visitors here and there, Strand was entirely solo during his writing experience. The diversity of flora and fauna stuck with him and continued to inspire his writing. While attending his residency, Strand received the news that he would be one of four poets accepted into the School of Writing, Literature, and Film’s M.F.A. poetry program. “After I learned that, I was excited to use the writing I’d done at the rogue residency as a jumpstart into the program. It helped bring my mindset into one of confidence and creativity.”
Currently, Strand is in year two of the graduate program. While drafting his thesis, he also teaches English Composition (WR 121) and Introduction to Poetry Writing (WR 241). After he graduates, Strand said that he plans to apply to more writing residencies and teaching positions. “I’ll do whatever I can to continue having time and space to write poems, and I enjoy teaching as well. The most satisfying thing about teaching is seeing students work together. I often try to open the class up for discussion so everyone is learning from each other.”
Strand plans to publish a full collection of poetry, incorporating older writings into new discoveries “As one of my writing mentors once said,writing poetry is like deconstructing a car for its parts. Sometimes when I’m stuck, I’ll go looking through my parts to see what may work in a new poem. Occasionally, the combination of something old and new creates tension in its juxtaposition . Weirdly, after ten years of writing, it feels like I’m just getting started.”