William Stafford (1914-1993) was one of the most prolific and important American poets of the last half of the twentieth century. Among his many credentials, Stafford served as consultant in poetry at the Library of Congress, and received the National Book Award for his poetry collection
The William Stafford Archives, donated to Lewis & Clark College by the Stafford family in 2008, contain the private papers, publications, photographs, recordings, and teaching materials of the poet William Stafford. The Lewis & Clark College Special Collections actively add to this collection by acquiring unique Stafford related materials.
Stafford wrote every day of his life from 1950 to 1993. These 20,000 pages of daily writings form a complete record of the poet’s mostly early morning meditations, including poem drafts, dream records, aphorisms, and other visits to the unconscious, recorded on separate sheets of yellow or white paper or when traveling, often in spiral-bound reporters’ steno pads. The archive also includes typescripts of poems submitted for publication and for use in readings. Stafford listed where he submitted each poem, and whether it was accepted for publication on the typescript. Each of his published collections, large and small, is represented by its gathering of documentary copies (typescripts), called by Stafford a “put-together.” Unpublished poems, poems published in journals, and reading copies of published poems were also gathered, in a virtually complete record from 1937 to 1993, totaling about 7,000 items. The collection also includes copies of all known Stafford books and translations. Stafford saved correspondence received, with an indication of the date of reply, and sometimes a copy of the reply, from the early 1960s to August 1993. Estimated at 100,000 sheets, the collected correspondence contains some full exchanges of correspondence initiated by WS. One such exchange is the correspondence with Marvin Bell on their sequence
Photographs of Stafford, some self-portraits, but most taken by other photographers.
Arranged in rough chronological order.
This collection has no restrictions and is open for research.
Permission to publish, exhibit, broadcast, or quote from materials in the Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections requires written permission of the Head of Archives & Special Collections.
The William Stafford Archives, Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Black and White, and color photocopies of miscellaneous photographs from the collection.
Hand tinted photograph of William Stafford with his brother and sister Bob and Peg.
1: 108 E 19th street Hutchinson, KS, Photo by Kim; 2: 1914- Bill as a baby; 3: c1915- W.S. age one; 4: 1918- Young Bill; 5: c1920- Bill, Peg, and Bob; 6: c1925- Bill, Bob, Flash, and others (Peg); 7: c1925- Bill, Peg, Bob, Earl and Ruby with Flash or Buster; 8: c1927- W.S. with catfish; 9: c1930- Dorothy; 10: c1930- two prints from Iris Studios, depression era farm, Peg holding Cinnamon; 11: c1930- depression era Kansas; 12: c1934- W.S. in high school or college; 13: c1935- W.S. as refinery worker; 14: c1939- W.S. at U of KS.
1: c1940- W.S. and Doroth; 3: c1943- W.S. ragged trousers at Los Prietos; 4: c1943- Bill with guitar at Los Prietos; 5: c1943- Bob Stafford; 6: 1944- W.S. and Dorothy Wedding; 7: April 1944- W.S. on honeymoon near San Diego; 8: c1944- with Marvin Graeler at camp; 9: c1945- Mille Day, Dorothy, Bill, Russ Hosking, Betty Hosking, and others; 10: 1946- W.S. and Dorothy at mountain cabin; 11: c1946- W.S. on Mount Baldy; 12: c1948- W.S. age 36 at Lewis and Clark; 13: c1948- Dorothy's mother Lottie Frantz as weathervane; 14: W.S. with puppy.
1: c1950- William Stafford; 3: c1950- W.S. and family on roof of house; 4: c1950- Quonset or Iowa "eat, drink, and be married"; 5: c1950- W.S., Dorothy, and children; 6: 1952- W.S. student ID U. of Iowa; 7: 1956- teaching card (without photo).
Miscellaneous and undated photographs of William Stafford.
1: c1960- W.S.; 2: c1960- W.S.; 3: c1960- W.S.; 4: c1960- W.S.; 5: c1960- W.S.; 6: c1960- W.S. buying records; 7: c1960- W.S. with hat; 8: c1960- W.S. 3 photos unknown photographer; 9: c1960- W.S.; 10: 1963- W.S. at Gladstone library; 11: 1966- W.S. at Deschutes river; 12: 1966 W.S. by Kim Stafford; 13: 1966- W.S. by Galway Kinnell; 14: 1967- W.S. by Kit Stafford; 15: July 1967- Bill Stafford in Grant Redford's Woods, Port Townsend, photo by David Fowler; 16: 1968- W.S. and Dorothy, photo by Kit Stafford; 17: c1968- W.S. at Vietnam War peace rally; 18: 1968- W.S. by Henry Carlile; 19: 1968- W.S. by Kit Stafford; 20; 1968- W.S. by Kim Stafford; 21: 1968- W.S. by Kim Stafford; 22: 1969- W.S. by Harold Bush; 23: May 1969- W.S. at Haystack; 24: May 1969- card listing photos made at Encia Hall, Stanford Museum.
Miscellaneous and undated photographs of William Stafford.
Three photos of William Stafford at home with desk and typewriter.
29cm photo of William Stafford with Stuart Harris by H. Snitzer for Life Magazine.
1: c1970- W.S. in Eskimo hood, 2: c1970- W.S. by Kim Stafford, 3: c1970- Bill reading, 4: c1970- W.S. teaching at Port Townsend, 5: c1970- McNamera or Westmoreland, 6: c1970- Bob and Bea Dusenberg, Reinhardt and Connie Pauley, Kenny Johnson, and Bill and Dorothy Stafford, 7: c1970- Building the house at Sisters, 8: c1970- W.S., 9: c1970- W.S., 10: c1970- W.S., 11: c1970- W.S. with airplane, 12: c1970- W.S. and Dorothy (from behind), 13: c1970- W.S., 14: Sept 1972- W.S. at Persepolis, 15: July 1973- W.S. in high school class, 16: 1973- W.S. and Kit at Lewis and Clark, 17: April 1976- W.S. at Cedar rapids, Iowa, 18: Nov. 1977- W.S. with Leif and Nicholas Baranoff, 19: 1978- W.S. by Kent Van Hoesen at Kansas University, 20: 1978- Post card to Bill from Bob Flanagan [See poem at P28.2 "Abandoned 86-88", written May 1987], 21: 1987- W.S. with the Shiveleys, Lake Bluff, Ill, 22: 1978- W.S. at Quartz Mountain, Loan Wolf, OK. Photo by Jeff Briley.
Miscellaneous and undated photographs of William Stafford.
A series of 26cm photographs and a 18cm negative of William Stafford in a bookstore, Photos by Larry W. Smith.
A series of 26cm photographs of William Stafford teaching and leading workshops with various students and faculty.
William Stafford at the Y.M.H.A. Poetry Center. Photo by Maria Pilatsky.
1: c1980- W.S. miscellaneous photos; 2: c1980- W.S. with friends at Sisters; 3: c1980- W.S. and Dorothy; 4: c1980- Copy of photo from Dorothy's spare bedroom and used by Wixon for video brochure, Photographer unknown; 5: c1980- W.S. by Barbara Stafford; 6: c1980- Three photos of W.S. by Mike Markee at Sisters; 7: c1980- W.S. on bicycle [gift from children]; 8: c1980- W.S. pruning tree at house on Sunningdale; 9: c1980- W.S. by Jamie Spracher; 10: c1980- W.S. in vegetable plot at Sunningdale house; 11: c1980- W.S. ["needs haircut"]; 12: c1980- W.S.; 13: 1983- W.S. by Jerome Hart; 14: 1985- photo of pastel painting by Melanie Blackschleger-Peter; 15: c1986- W.S. by Dan Labby [See photo from same day, back flap of An Oregon Message (1987)]; 16: Nov. 1986- W.S. outside El Dorado, KS. Photos by Vince Wixon; 17: June 1987- W.S> with plaque at dedication, Lake Oswego City Hall [and related photos]; 18: June 1988- W.S. by Ivana Spalatin, 14th G.M.C. Wisconsin; 19: March 1989- W.S. and Dorothy by Don Emblen; 20: c1980/1990- Misc photos of W.S. and Dorothy by Barbara Stafford and Mike Markee; 21: 1988- W.S. Vince Wixon, and Mike Markee at Port Townsend, WA.
A series of photographs of W.S. and Kim Stafford, photos by Beverly Stafford.
A series of photographs of W.S. by unknown photographer.
Photographs of W.S. by unknown photographer.
A series of photographs of W.S. by Kit Stafford.
Photocopy of contact sheet, and letters from Michael Bergman and Kim Stafford.
1: c1990- W.S. miscellaneous photos; 2: c1990- W.S. at Sisters (broad-brimmed hat); 3: "the farm on the great plain" photo by W.S.; 4: c1990- W.S. and Dorothy; 5: c1990- W.S. with James Hepworth; 6: c1990- W.S. with hat; 7: Wixons and Mike Markee, photos by Vince Wixon; 8: c1990- W.S., Dorothy, and Patty Wixon, photo by Vince Wixon; 9: c1990- Photos of Diane, scott, Joanne, Mary, David, and Kim, Also included a photo of a billboard featuring a W.S. quote; 10: c1990- W.S. by Mike Markee in Sunning Dale house filming for video; 11: c1990- W.S. photo of butterfly "one of my wings beat faster"; 12: c1990- Bill, Dorothy, Kit by Mike Markee - front room at Sunningdale house; 13: c1990- W.S. at Portland poetry festival and Misc photos by Mark Markee; 14: c1990- Bill and Dorothy by Mike Markee; 15: c1990- W.S. in garden by Mike Markee; 16: c1990- W.S. by Beverly Stafford; 17: c1990- W.S. and Dorothy; 18: c1990- W.S.; 19: c1990- W.S.; 20: c1990- W.S.; 21: c1990- W.S. [sweater over shoulders]; 22: Aug 1990- W.S. signing books; 23: 1991- W.S. in Poland; 24: 1991- W.S. in Vienna, photo by Richard Pfure; 25: 1992- W.S.; 26: 1993- W.S. by Peter Michelides; 27: 1993- W.S. at Portland Poetry Festival by Mike Markee, photo used for "the Whole Wild World Pours Down" [Prints + negative]; 28: 1993- W.S. and Debra Frasier by Mike Markee, Portland Poetry Festival; 29: c1993- W.S. by Kim Stafford [photo used for cover of "The Way It Is"]; 30: Feb 1993- W.S. at Todd Bartinos studio, photo by Vince Wixon; 31: Feb 1993- W.S. at Federal Hall National Memorial, photos by Steve Laise; 32: Aug 1993- W.S. with camera at Portland Poetry Festival; 33: Aug 1993- W.S. at Portland Poetry Festival, photo by Mike Markee.
W.S. by Barbara Stafford
A series of photographs of W.S. by Kim Stafford.
Photograph and photocopies of William Stafford reading in a bookstore
W.S. reading in Salt Lake City, photograph by Jerry Johnston
W.S. at West Linn high school; See related photos filed under Paulann Peterson.
Several undated and unaccredited large photographs of William Stafford.