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Colleen McElroy, poet and UW’s first full-time Black female faculty member, dies

Colleen J. McElroy, a nationally known poet and the first Black woman to serve as a full-time faculty member at the University of Washington, died of natural causes Dec. 12. She was 88. McElroy was a prolific writer and dominant force in the American poetry world. As a professor, she helped hundreds of students hone their voice, shepherding future generations of writers and artists.

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