Jan
31
6:30 PM18:30

Stafford Celebration – Paulina Springs Books, Sisters, Oregon

Join us in celebration of poet William Stafford, who would have been 110 this January. Stafford spent much of his life in Oregon and taught at Lewis and Clark College for over thirty years. His first major collection of poems, Traveling Through the Dark, published when Stafford was forty-eight, won the National Book Award in 1963. He went on to publish more than sixty-five volumes of poetry and prose. Stafford served as Oregon Poet Laureate and as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position that is now known as Poet Laureate. He is beloved around these parts and around the world!

We will be celebrating by sharing our favorite William Stafford poems! Bring a poem or two to share - they can be Stafford poems or your own. We will put out a sign up sheet at 6 pm. The bookstore is located at 252 West Hood Avenue, Sisters, Oregon.

 
View Event →
Jan
27
2:00 PM14:00

Stafford Celebration – First Crossing, Los Pietros Public Service Camp, Santa Barbara, California

Since 2007, Paul J. Willis has hosted the Los Prietos Stafford Readings, an annual community reading of the poems of William Stafford at the First Crossing Day Use Area on Paradise Road in Los Padres National Forest. This is the former site of the Los Prietos Civilian Public Service Camp, where Stafford served as a conscientious objector during World War II.

FEATURED READER IS CATHERINE ABBEY HODGES

The reading takes place in an outdoor picnic area at 2:00 pm on the last Saturday of January. There are usually one or two featured readers, but anyone in attendance is also welcome to read a Stafford poem aloud.

The First Crossing Day Use Area does not have an address, but it is almost directly across the road from the Los Prietos Boys Camp, 3900 Paradise Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. (In case of rain, meet a mile down the road at the Los Prietos Ranger Station, 3505 Paradise Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.)

In 2012, with the permission of the United States Forest Service, the following interpretive display was erected on the site:

 
View Event →
Stafford Birthday Celebration - Lake Oswego Library, Lake Oswego, Oregon
Jan
21
3:00 PM15:00

Stafford Birthday Celebration - Lake Oswego Library, Lake Oswego, Oregon

The Lake Oswego Public Library and Friends of William Stafford present an evening of poetry in honor of William Stafford at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21 at the library. Featured readers are Jim Shugrue, Lisa Steinman and Armin Tolentino.

Each year the Lake Oswego Public Library and the Friends of William Stafford celebrate the birthday of William Stafford. Born in Kansas in 1914, William Stafford later moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon and taught English literature at Lewis and Clark College. Stafford published numerous volumes of poetry and prose during his lifetime including Traveling Through the Dark, for which he won the National Book Award in 1963. The library is located at 706 4th St, Lake Oswego, OR 97034.

 
View Event →
Stafford Birthday Celebration – Newport Library – Newport, Oregon
Jan
20
4:00 PM16:00

Stafford Birthday Celebration – Newport Library – Newport, Oregon

A Friends of William Stafford birthday celebration takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Newport Public Library, 35 NW Nye St.

Titled “Every War Has Two Losers,” this free event features a short documentary on the fabled American poet, whose pacifism and works explore humankind’s relationship with nature. Stafford found great notoriety through and after his death at age 79 in Lake Oswego in 1993. Also scheduled for inclusion in the celebration are a talk by Eugene poet Ingrid Wendt, who was mentored by Stafford, and audience member readings.

Attendees are invited to bring with them copy of a favorite Stafford poem to share as well as a second poem, composed by the attendee or someone else. The library is located at 35 NW Nye St., Newport, Oregon.

 
View Event →
Stafford Birthday Celebration – Oregon City Library – Oregon City, Oregon
Jan
17
5:00 PM17:00

Stafford Birthday Celebration – Oregon City Library – Oregon City, Oregon

Please join us for a celebration of William Stafford and his poetry. We are honored to have special featured readers presenting Stafford’s Poetry.  There will also be an open mic for members of the audience to share some of their own favorite William Stafford poems, as time allows.

This is a hybrid event with in-person (Library Community Room) and online participation options. To participatie in either option you will need to register HERE before the event. There are 22 in-person seats available for this event. The library is located at 606 John Adams Street, Oregon City Oregon.

 
View Event →
Stafford Birthday Celebration – Confluence Art, Twisp, Washington
Jan
14
2:00 PM14:00

Stafford Birthday Celebration – Confluence Art, Twisp, Washington

Confluence Poets and The Confluence: Art in Twisp Present 

Poetry! An annual birthday celebration of the life and work of William Stafford At The Confluence: Art in Twisp Sunday January 14th at 2 pm

Celebrate the life and work of William Stafford at the eighth-annual William Stafford Birthday Poetry Reading on Sunday, January 14 th at 2 pm at The Confluence in Twisp. Featured readers include members of the Confluence Poets. The reading is hosted by Confluence Poets co-founder Cindy Williams Gutiérrez who has a long history with the Friends of William Stafford and has participated in this commemorative literary event in Oregon and Washington for over 15 years.

To honor Stafford’s lifelong work as a pacifist, middle schoolers from Liberty Bell High School and Paschal Sherman Indian School will read their own epistolary poems written to a stranger or enemy. Bring your favorite Stafford poem or story to share! Free admission. The gallery address is 104 Glover Street South, Twisp, Washington.

 
View Event →
Jan
11
7:00 PM19:00

Stafford Celebration – Hannon Library, Ashland, Oregon

The 29th annual event will feature multiple poets, including special guest Joan Peterson

The Friends of the Hannon Library will host the 29th William Stafford Poetry Celebration from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, at Southern Oregon University’s Hannon Library, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, in the Meese Room, organizers have announced.

Poet Joan Peterson will be the special guest poet, with additional poetry from Barret O’Brian, Steve Dieffenbacher, Alma Rosa Alvarez, and Dave Moodie. In-person attendees will also be invited to read their favorite William Stafford poem.

The event is free and open to the public. A Zoom link will also be available on the Friends of the Hannon Library website, hanlib.sou.edu/friends/lectureseries.html.

Stafford, a nationally renowned Oregon poet who served as the Oregon Poet Laureate from 1975 to 1990, died in 1993. His collection “Traveling Through the Dark” won the 1963 National Book Award for Poetry. In 1970, he was named Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, an honor now known as the U.S. Poet Laureate. In 1992, he won the Western States Book Award for lifetime achievement in poetry.

Light refreshments will be served, and complimentary parking is available in parking lots 21 and 22. Metered parking is also available in lots 1, 12, 29, 36, 37, and 41.

Anyone needing disability accommodations can contact SOU’s Disability Resources Office at 541-552-6213.

For more information, email libraryevents@sou.edu or call 541-552-6816.

 
View Event →