Ruth Witt-Diamant
Encyclopedia
Ruth Witt-Diamant, a professor at San Francisco State University
from 1931, founded and was the first director of the SFSU Poetry Center in 1954. In her youth, she traveled and taught English poetry in Japan, becoming good friends with the Tokugawa family. She hosted many famous poets in her guest room when she owned the house at 1520 Willard Street. Among the writers who slept here were Anaïs Nin
, W. H. Auden
, Elizabeth Bishop
, James Broughton
, Robert Lowell
, Stephen Spender
and Theodore Roethke
. Dylan Thomas
also was a frequent guest; and had even written a poem about the seemingly magical and endless supply of beer from her refrigerator.
Witt-Diamant's relationship went back to the days when she visited Thomas and his family in Wales: it was during the war so all food was rationed; but visitors from America rated meat rations: when Witt-Diamant visited Thomas she brought him a huge turkey and everything she could buy in one day: and brought him and his family a month's meat rations: this happened for Christmas. Thomas never forgot this; and came to State College in SF to speak at the Poetry Center often; this is before SF State College became SF State University. Auden was the poet laureate
of England when he came to christen the Poetry Center when it opened in 1954 and was its first speaker.
The Ruth Witt-Diamant Poetry Prize is awarded in her name by San Francisco State University Poetry Center.
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
from 1931, founded and was the first director of the SFSU Poetry Center in 1954. In her youth, she traveled and taught English poetry in Japan, becoming good friends with the Tokugawa family. She hosted many famous poets in her guest room when she owned the house at 1520 Willard Street. Among the writers who slept here were Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
, W. H. Auden
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
, Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1956 and a National Book Award Winner for Poetry in 1970. Elizabeth Bishop House is an artists' retreat in Great Village, Nova Scotia...
, James Broughton
James Broughton
James Broughton was an American poet, and poetic filmmaker. He was part of the San Francisco Renaissance...
, Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell
Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV was an American poet, considered the founder of the confessional poetry movement. He was appointed the sixth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress where he served from 1947 until 1948...
, Stephen Spender
Stephen Spender
Sir Stephen Harold Spender CBE was an English poet, novelist and essayist who concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle in his work...
and Theodore Roethke
Theodore Roethke
Theodore Roethke was an American poet, who published several volumes of poetry characterized by its rhythm, rhyming, and natural imagery. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1954 for his book, The Waking.-Biography:...
. Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas
Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...
also was a frequent guest; and had even written a poem about the seemingly magical and endless supply of beer from her refrigerator.
Witt-Diamant's relationship went back to the days when she visited Thomas and his family in Wales: it was during the war so all food was rationed; but visitors from America rated meat rations: when Witt-Diamant visited Thomas she brought him a huge turkey and everything she could buy in one day: and brought him and his family a month's meat rations: this happened for Christmas. Thomas never forgot this; and came to State College in SF to speak at the Poetry Center often; this is before SF State College became SF State University. Auden was the poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
of England when he came to christen the Poetry Center when it opened in 1954 and was its first speaker.
The Ruth Witt-Diamant Poetry Prize is awarded in her name by San Francisco State University Poetry Center.