Joseph Enzweiler
Joseph Enzweiler (October 21, 1950 – April 16, 2011) was an American poet who lived in Fairbanks, Alaska. Born in Cincinnati and raised in Madeira, Ohio, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Xavier University in 1973 and a Master of Science in Physics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1981. He moved to Fairbanks, built his own cabin, and supported himself as a stonemason and carpenter so he could devote time to writing.
Enzweiler published six books of poetry and a memoir about Alaska, including Home Country, Stonework of the Sky, A Curb in Eden, A Curb in Eden: New Version, The Man Who Ordered Perch, and A Winter on Earth. He also finished the memoir We All Worship Something, about his time in Fairbanks during the pipeline boom. His work appeared in outlets such as The Writer’s Almanac and Verse Daily and often touched on family, friendship, and life in Alaska.
He led writing workshops at local venues like the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Midnight Sun Visiting Writer series, the Fairbanks Arts Association Reading series, and the Alaska Adult Learning Program. He was active in the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative and gave live radio interviews around Cincinnati. He was married to Dr. Karen Grossweiner. In 2009, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he died on April 16, 2011.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 10:41 (CET).