It is one thing to decry the rat race...that is the good and honorable work of moralists. It is quite another thing to quit the rat race, to drop out, to refuse to run any further--that is the work of the individualist. It is offensive because it is impolite it makes the rebuke personal the individualist calls not his or her behavior into question, but mine.

Paul Gruchow

Paul Gruchow (1947-2004) was an author, editor, and conservationist from Montevideo, Minnesota. A student of poet John Berryman, he is well-known for his strong support of a rural way of life, as is evident in his compilation of essays, Grass Roots: The Universe of Home, which documents his ideas coupled with stories of growing up in rural Minnesota. Gruchow committed suicide on February 22, 2004 in Duluth, Minnesota, soon after completing the first draft of a book about depression. In memory of Paul's literary contributions, there is an annual Paul Gruchow Essay Contest held every spring sponsored by Writers Rising Up to Defend Place, Natural Habitat and Wetlands and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

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