Bly, Carol April 16, 1930-December 21, 2007 Carol Bly, noted Minnesota writer, teacher and ethicist, died Dec. 21 from complications from ovarian cancer. A native of Duluth, Carol attended elementary schools in Duluth and North Carolina, further studied at Abbott Academy, Andover, MA, and graduated from Wellesley College in 1951. She was married in 1955 to Robert Bly and resided with him on a farm near Madison, MN for 25 years, until 1980, and participated with him in many literary initiatives. Carol taught at the University of Minnesota, Hamline University, Carleton College and Northland College, Ashland, WI, among other places. She wrote several volumes of essays, including "Letters From the Country." Her short stories have appeared in collections ("My Lord Bag of Rice" and "The Tomcat's Wife") and have been published in The New Yorker, The Idaho Review and other literary publications. A 1989 feature film, "Rachel River" was based on three of her short stories. A novel titled SHELTER HALF will be published by Holy Cow Press of Duluth early in 2008. In addition, she wrote several books on creative writing, including "The Passionate, Accurate Short Story." In recent years she and Cynthia Loveland of Minneapolis created customized crossword puzzles and published several books through Bly and Loveland Press. For the past 27 years, Carol divided her time between her home in St. Paul and her lake place near Sturgeon Lake, MN. Her wit, literary skills, integrity, character, kindness and imagination won her a large following and many friends. Carol is survived by two daughters and two sons: Mary Bly (Alessandro Vettori) and Bridget Bly (Benjamin Bly), both of Summit, N.J., and Noah Bly of Minneapolis and Micah Bly (Chiemi Onikura) of St. Paul; two brothers, John W. McLean of Tucson, AZ, and Malcolm McLean of St. Paul; eight grandchildren, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. A memorial service is planned for early 2008. Her family thanks Cynthia Loveland, the HealthEast Hospice Program, and the Pillars Hospice Home for exceptional kindness and care. Memorial gifts may be made to the Carol Bly Fund at the Loft Literary Center, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, or donor's choice.
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.
Carol was a wonderfully gracious hostess to this one-time foreign graduate student (visiting with daughter Bridget) during a cold Minnesota Christmas vacation. She was a remarkable, independent, and intelligent woman who made a strong impression on me. Godspeed.
Robert Robinson
September 08, 2008 | Honolulu, HI
Carol was my teacher at the University of Iowa in the early 1990s and we remained friends, calling or writing every so often to talk about teaching, writing and politics. She was a wonderful human being who left us many wonderful essays, stories, books and memories.
Ned Stuckey-French
June 23, 2008 | Tallahassee, FL
I had a brief correspondence with Carol Bly in late August 2007 after I wrote to ask if she'd review my memoir of growing up on a Minnesota farm in the 1940s and '50s. She graciously declined for a good reason: "I realize my task, more and more, is to support those American writers who are wrestling with 21st-century griefs and national shame." We exchanged a few more emails and got to know each other a little. I've always respected her as a writer and will miss her presence in the world,...
Ross Klatte
April 12, 2008 | Nelson, BC
Carol was my teacher at "Writing Essays in the Forest," part of the Split Rock Literary program. I remember how she sat in her little cabin, typing on a manual typewriter after collecting our essays during the dinner hour. She wrote long critique's about each essay. She started and ended with what she liked about our essay. I describe her as an "encourager,","inspiration model," and the best writing teacher an inexperienced writer could learn from in Minnesota. I honor her for her writing...
Lois M Anderson
February 17, 2008 | Shoreview,, MN
I remember sharing stories with Carol as I helped with their mailings at the post office. I told her about the sure sign of rain was when the dogs are carryiing sticks, and she commissioned Vince Cook to paint a picture of this. I had this picture hanging in the post office for years. She was a pleasure to talk to.
Sam Skoien
Sam Skoien
January 16, 2008 | Madison, MN
Oh, Carol. What a wonderful, fiercely kind, brave and sweet human being. All heartfelt sorrow for family and everyone who knew her.
Mike Leonard - Maguire
December 31, 2007 | Portland, OR
December 31, 2007
Dear Family and Friends of Carol--
In the 90s I took a class through Split Rock at the Cloquet Forestry Center with Carol--it was on ethics and writing. It was full of excellent information. There was never any fluff to her workshop. Carol was very ambitious and hard-working and expected the same from all the participants. I recieved excellent information on prose writing--especially helpful was her ability in helping a writer home in on issues that matter to both the writer and the...
Charmaine Donovan
December 27, 2007 | Brainerd, MN
I am so sorry to hear that Carol has passed. She would not want us to be sad but remember her and cherish all the wonderful times we shared. Memories started flooding my mind of many of the times our families shared together. Some memories of Carol are:
Sailing on Kabekona Lake and the Sunfish "turtling"
The time our family vistied the farm house in Madison
The summer the horses were up north and riding them for hours
Carol wearing a white blouse
Ann Osmonson
December 27, 2007 | Coon Rapids, MN
