Poet Stafford Celebrated on N. Oregon Coast

Published 08/27/2014

(Tillamook, Oregon) – Poet William Stafford is always a favorite theme of celebration on the Oregon coast, and another such event is coming to Tillamook on September 20. Celebrate the centennial of William Stafford’s birth by doing some creative writing in a workshop offered by the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum and led by Oregon Poet Laureate Emerita, Paulann Petersen on Saturday, September 20.(Above: Tillamook Pioneer Museum).

The workshop runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Tillamook Main Library meeting rooms. In addition, Ms. Petersen will be doing a Stafford-themed poetry reading that evening at 7 p.m. at the Pioneer Museum. The Poetry Reading will be free and open to the public, courtesy of the TCPM’s Daisy Fund.

The most encouraging of teachers, William Stafford (1914-1993) urged us to use writing as a vehicle for exploration and inquiry. During this workshop, participants will use some Stafford poems as springboards for generating their own poems or short prose pieces. The goal will be to have each of the participants end the day together with an outpouring of new work. Paulann will also be reading some of her own poems at 7 p.m. that evening at the Pioneer Museum.

The Poetry Workshop is designed for writers of all levels of experience and beginners are welcome, but space is limited to 15 participants. The workshop fee will be $5 per person and should be paid to the Pioneer Museum before September 17 to hold a space. Each workshop participant should bring a notebook or journal, preferably a large one (not diary size), because Ms. Petersen is encouraging participants to write copiously, not easily done with a small journal or notebook. Lunch will be on your own.

Paulann Petersen, Oregon Poet Laureate Emerita, has six full-length books of poetry, most recently Understory, from Lost Horse Press in 2013. Her poems have appeared in many journals and anthologies, including Poetry, The New Republic, Prairie Schooner, Willow Springs, Calyx, and the Internet’s Poetry Daily. She was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and the recipient of the 2006 Holbrook Award from Oregon Literary Arts.

For more information or to register, please call the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum at 503-842-4553.

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