A former Denver poet laureate and award-winning author died Monday. Chris Ransick was 57. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year. One of his friends told the Denver Post, Ransick was "just a real mensch"-- Yiddish for a good guy. We spoke with Ransick several times over the years. He reflected on one his works, "Poem For A Cold Walk Home," set in winter. He also shared a cherished moment from his childhood in New York. Ransick talked about the power of words and his love of writing. Ransick taught English and Creative Writing for more than two decades in Colorado and was Denver's Poet Laureate from 2006 to 2010. He won a Colorado Book Award for Poetry for his first book, "Never Summer," published in 2002. His wife Shannon and his children, Sean and Kelsey, were by his side when he died.
