Remembering William Stafford, A 'Poet Of Personal Integrity'
This year marks the centennial of the birth of William Stafford, a much beloved poet and lifelong pacifist who taught at Lewis and Clark College in Portland for nearly 40 years. To celebrate the occasion, Graywolf Press has released a collection of his poems titled, "Ask Me: 100 Essential Poems."
While serving in a civilian work camp during World War II, Stafford developed the habit of getting up before dawn to write. He found a particular kind of liberty in this practice, as evidenced in his poems "Any Morning" and "Freedom."
Elizabeth Austen talks with Ross Reynolds about why "A Ritual to Read to Each Other" and "You Reading This, Be Ready" are two of her "essential" Stafford poems.
Elliott Bay Books will host a reading from Ask Me: 100 Essential Poems on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7:00 p.m. Local poets, including Washington State Poet Laureate Kathleen Flenniken, Gary Lemons, Rebecca Hoogs, Elizabeth Austen and David Wheeler, will read.
Web Extra
Elizabeth Austen reads Stafford's "Freedom" and "Any Morning."
Audio for Stafford's reading of "A Ritual to Read to Each Other" was provided courtesy of Kim Stafford, Paul Merchant and the William Stafford Archive. "Any Morning, "Freedom," "You Reading This, Be Ready" and "A Ritual to Read to Each Other" originally from "The Way It Is: New and Selected Poems." Used by permission of The Permissions Company, Inc. on behalf of the William Stafford Family Trust.
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Elizabeth Austen
Producer
Former Washington State Poet Laureate Elizabeth Austen has been interviewing poets and producing poetry segments for KUOW since 2001. She began as an intern while in graduate school for an MFA in creative writing (poetry) at Antioch University, Los Angeles. Once she discovered the joy of blending her early background as an actor and director (Book–It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Festival) with her passion for poetry as a spoken art form, she was hooked. She's been producing poetry for radio audiences ever since. Her collection, "Every Dress a Decision" (Blue Begonia Press, 2011), was a finalist for the 2012 Washington State Book Award in poetry. She is also the author of two poetry chapbooks, "The Girl Who Goes Alone" (Floating Bridge Press, 2010) and "Where Currents Meet," winner of the Toadlily Press Chapbook Award and part of the quartet "Sightline," published in 2010. Elizabeth's poems have been featured on Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac and online at Verse Daily, the Bellingham Review and DMQ Review. You'll find Elizabeth's poems in anthologies including "What to Read in the Rain" and "Poets Against the War" and in literary journals. She's performed at venues including Poets House in New York City, The Loft in Minneapolis, the Austin ArtSpark Festival, and locally at the Richard Hugo House Literary Series, Bumbershoot, and the Seattle and Skagit River Poetry Festivals. An audio CD, "skin prayers," featuring 26 original poems recorded with a live audience in the KUOW studios, is available on her website, www.elizabethausten.org. Elizabeth was the 2007 Roadshow poet, bringing poetry to underserved rural communities in Washington state under the auspices of the Washington State Arts Commission, Humanities Washington, and the Washington Poets Association. She is committed to fostering a broader understanding and appreciation of the literary arts in general and poetry in particular. She teaches frequently at Richard Hugo House, a literary arts center in Seattle, and she has been a visiting artist for western Washington school districts and colleges.
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