Annual Poetry Reading Honors Stafford

Paul Willis, professor of English at Westmont and former poet laureate of Santa Barbara, hosts a poetry reading to honor the life and work of William Stafford (1914-1993) on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 2 p.m. at the First Crossing Day Use Area in Los Padres National Forest, across from the Los Prietos Boys Camp, 3900 Paradise Road. This is the former site of the Los Prietos Civilian Public Service Camp, where Stafford served as a conscientious objector during World War II.

Willis, who has held the event each year since 2007, will be joined by featured readers Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, local poet and educator, and Ken Saxon, founder of Courage to Lead for Nonprofit Leaders. Anyone in attendance is also welcome to read a Stafford poem aloud.

Stafford won the National Book Award in 1963 and became poetry consultant to the Library of Congress in 1970 and poet laureate of Oregon in 1975. This month marks the centennial of Stafford’s birth. “This event is one of dozens nationwide that will bring ordinary people together to remember his life and read his poems,” Willis says.

Last year, the annual gathering dedicated a permanent outdoor display about Stafford, the history of the camp and the role it played in the formation of Stafford as a poet. The sign was co-sponsored by Westmont College and the Friends of William Stafford.

No purchase of a Forest Service Adventure Pass is necessary to attend this event.