Thursday, July 10, 2008

Willam Stafford article in The Oregonian


I'm a longtime fan of William Stafford, American poet. His habit of writing every morning inspired me to try to do the same many years ago. I am still an inconstant holder of this habit.

There is a wonderful article on him, entitled Oregon poet William Stafford is hugely popular -- 15 years after his death at The Oregonian, from which I quote a middle paragraph:

'In the [CO]camp, Stafford began a lifelong habit of getting up early to write, responding to the persistent scratching of what Portland poet Judith Barrington calls "the little daily dog eager to be let out." The routine was get up, go for a walk, then write until his wife arose. When his daughter Barbara was young, she decided to get up early and keep her father company. Stafford never let on that she was interrupting him but kept getting up earlier and earlier until she stopped.'

Read the entire article at http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1215226518277170.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

In you're interested in reading and hearing William Stafford, try http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/224

No comments: