Sisters to celebrate poet's birthday

Paulina Springs Books in Sisters will host a celebration honoring the life and work of the late William Stafford, Oregon's most famous poet, on Friday, January 18, at 6:30 p.m.

Oregon writers will read a Stafford poem, as well as one of their own pieces written in the spirit of Stafford's works. Members of the audience are invited to read a favorite Stafford poem or share a personal anecdote.

Featured writers are: Kit Stafford, Jerrold Ramsey, Lorna Cahall, and Marean Jordan. The event is presented in conjunction with Friends of William Stafford. In keeping with the tradition of William Stafford birthday parties, the event is free.

William Stafford was born on January 17, 1914. A favorite professor at Lewis & Clark College, where he taught for 30 years, he remains one of America's most celebrated poets. Known for his encouragement of other writers and for his advocacy of free expression in writing and speech, Stafford is the author of more than 50 books and a recipient of the National Book Award. He died in August 1993.

Kit Stafford is an artist, dancer, educator and poet. She is a teaching artist with the Americana Project at Sisters Middle School, who is especially known for her creativity and use of "found objects." She is an integral part of My Own Two Hands and the Sisters Folk Festival. Kit also leads Arts Discovery, funded by her own efforts, which is a class for under-served and disadvantaged youth. She teaches the kids how to be leaders in their own lives. And of course, she is William Stafford's daughter.

Jarold Ramsey grew up on a ranch north of Madras, earned degrees at the universities of Oregon and Washington, and for more than 30 years was a member of the English faculty at the University of Rochester in New York State, where he was a director of the Plutzik Poetry Series.

He and wife Dorothy moved back to the family ranch in 2000, In addition to scholarly books and essays on American Indian literature, Central Oregon history, Oregon folklore, Irish literature, modern American poetry, Jarold is the author of six books of poetry, including "Love In An Earthquake," "Hand-Shadows," "The Bones of the Heart," and "Thinking Like A Canyon: New and Selected Poems 1973-2010." He's received numerous writing fellowships and awards.

Lorna Cahall studied ancient history and art history at Saint John's College and the University of Maryland. She worked for 15 years as a member of the British Open University Humanities faculty at the University of Maryland. She has written "The Actor King," an adventure set in ancient Alexandria. After she left the University of Maryland, she taught many workshops on the Labyrinth, the Goddess, and Woman's Studies. Her latest publication is "Late in the Hammock of Night," a collection of poems that explore the unity of nature, dream and memory. Lorna currently lives in Bend, Oregon with her husband Dick, daughter Lisa, grandson Everest and two cats.

Marean Jordan taught writing and literature and worked with teachers on curriculum development and adolescent literacy before moving from Berkeley to Sisters. She lives in Sisters, where she writes poetry and songs, finding inspiration in the Northwest's mountains, rivers, and high desert.

Representing the board of directors of the Friends of William Stafford will be Dennis and Helen Schmidling of Sisters. Dennis is the chair of the board, and Helen serves as membership chair. Anyone who is interested in becoming a Friend of William Stafford may do so at the event, or by going to the website, http://www.williamstafford.org. Free refreshments will be provided, and commemorative broadside prints will be available for purchase, to benefit FWS.