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 Unpublished poems, poems published in journals, and reading copies of published poems were also gathered, in a virtually complete record from 1937 to 1993, totaling about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
Books printed in the English language.
Items in this subseries are arranged alphabetically by language and chronologically with language. All of the published translations in this sub-series are described in detail (with poem titles and pagination) in the translations appendix of
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. Publshed translations include a note about the publication. Items without publication information are unpublished manuscripts.
Staple-bound pamphlet in paper wraps. Features English versions of five William Stafford poems accompanied by Bengali translations by the Indian poet, Belal Chowdhury.
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A portfolio of broadsides probably prepared for William Stafford's USIS visit to the Near and Middle East in Fall of 1972.
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A collection of unbound printed cards containing the English and Farsi translation of 23 William Stafford poems.
Bound volume containing three poems by William Stafford.
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Single sheet announcement for William Stafford reading in Heidelberg, Germany.
Single copied sheet of publication containing translated poem by William Stafford
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Bound book with paper cover containing translated poem by William Stafford.
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German anthology containing translated poem by William Stafford.
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Journal containing William Stafford poem “At the Cove on the Crooked River” translated into Italian by Dora M. Pettinella and published with title “A Cove sul fiume Torto”.
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Journal containing William Stafford poem, “Viaggiando nel Buio,” translation of “Traveling through the Dark” by Nat Scammacca.
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10 cm. (wrappers). William Stafford poems and a brief introductory essay, Italian translations by Nat Scammacca.
Published by Cross-Cultural Communications.
Folded leaflet by The British College of Palermo, Italy, and Cross-Cultural Communications of New York containing translated poem by William Stafford.
Published by Cross-Cultural Communications.
Unpaged volume containing William Stafford poem, Italian translation by Nat Scammacca.
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Journal containing William Stafford poem “La fama”, Italian translation of “Fame” by Enzo Bonventre.
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Italian translation of William Stafford poem "The Light in the Barn".
Italian translation of William Stafford poems "Ask Me", and "My Name Was William Tell."
Bound volume containing poems by William Stafford translations by Tadeusz Rybowski.
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Polish translations of William Stafford poems by Grzegorz Musiał. Also includes a brief biographical article introducing Stafford in preparation for his poetry reading in
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leaflet featuring English versions and Polish translations by Piotr Sommer of William Stafford poems.
Features Polish translations of American poems paired with photographs.
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Polish translations of William Stafford’s poems by Grzegorz Musiał.
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Staple-bound into a paper cover. Polish translations by Andrzej Szuba and Ludmilla Marjanska of a selection of Stafford’s poems, as well as translations of two Stafford prose pieces by Szuba and Ewa R. Nowakowska.
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Russian journal published by the Russian Writers Union and the Foundation Literary Center Peter Proskurina. Contains two translated William Stafford poems.
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Translation by Hebert Baird.
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Letter from Helen Wohl Patterson thanking William Stafford for allowing her to translate his poem.
Contains eleven William Stafford poems translated by Montaner, with five poems sent to
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Interview with William Stafford and three poems, translated by Jaume P. Montaner.
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Spanish translation of William Stafford poem by Ana Moret.
Correspondence and newspaper clippings containing William Stafford poem "Ask Me" translated by Carlos Reyes.
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Spanish translation of William Stafford poem by Natasha Ballestena.
Spanish translation of William Stafford poem by Cindy William Gutierrez.
Correspondence between Kim Stafford and Andres Berger-Kiss.
Perfect bound book in pictorial card wraps. A collection of Swedish translations of William Stafford poems by Lars Nordström.
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Swedish Journal containing translation of Stafford's "Listening."
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Correspondence between Kim Stafford and Wendy Erd.
Journal containing two Japanese translations of William Stafford poems by Yorifumi Yaguchi.
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An essay about William Stafford in Japanese by Yorifumi Yaguchi.
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Journal includes an article about William Stafford by Yorifumi Yaguchi, and the poem "The Tulip Tree" in English.
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Japanese translation of a collection of William Stafford poems by Motohiko Kawamura and published in Yokohama by the Caribe Bookstore.
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"One Aspect of Modern Poetry", edited by Yorifumi Yaguchi, includes commentary about William Stafford’s writing by Yorifumi Yaguchi, Kim Stafford, and Gary Snyder.
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By the Kanto Gakuin University, containing two William Stafford poems; presented in English.
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Copy of Japanese newspaper (
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Bound book "How to Count Friends Through Poetry" edited by Hiroshi Osada, containing two William Stafford poems.
Published by Kodansha.
Manuscript of
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Includes Japanese translation of William Stafford poem, “At the Un-National Monument on the Canadian Border, by Yorifumi Yaguchi.
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Translations by Yorifumi Yaguch and fourteen others.
Translated by Seijun Kanazwa as part of the Barbara Schramm, Academy of International Education workshop.
unpublished
Poem and short bio of William Stafford translated into Japanese by Izumi Ueno.
unpublished