William Stafford
“It could happen any time, tornado, earthquake, Armageddon. It could happen. Or sunshine, love, salvation. It could, you know. That’s why we wake and look out — no guarantees in this life. But some bonuses, like morning, like right now, like noon, like evening.” Yes, by William Stafford, from The Way It Is.
William Stafford (1914-1993) was a pacifist during WWII. He also was a poet who only became published later in his life. For many years, he taught at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. He became Poet Laureate of the United States in l970 and Poet Laureate of Oregon in l975. A “laureate” is a person who has received great honor for their scholarship.
Read more about the poet here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-e-stafford. Examples of his poetry can be found here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-e-stafford.
Lewis & Clark College
The William Stafford Archives are housed at the Aubrey R. Watzek Library at Lewis & Clark College. The library, located at 615 S. Palatine Hill Road, exhibits the writing process Stafford used as he composed his poetry.
Honoring the 100 years since his birth, Lewis & Clark College joined with Oregon libraries celebrating William Stafford’s Centennial with readings, lectures, and exhibits all over the state of Oregon during 2014.
The Aubrey R. Watzek Library is the first stop on our Oregon Author Adventures Trail.
Rebecca Blake Beech
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