Vern Rutsala
Encyclopedia
Vern Rutsala is an American
poet
, born in McCall, Idaho
, in 1934. He was educated at Reed College
(B.A.) and the Iowa Writers' Workshop
(M.F.A.). He taught English and creative writing at Lewis & Clark College
in Portland, Oregon
for more than forty years, before retiring in 2004. He also taught for short periods at the University of Minnesota
, Bowling Green State University
, University of Redlands
, and the University of Idaho
, and served in the U.S. Army, 1956-58.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, born in McCall, Idaho
McCall, Idaho
McCall is a resort town on the western edge of Valley County, Idaho, United States. Named after its founder, Tom McCall, it is situated on the southern shore of Payette Lake, near the center of the Payette National Forest...
, in 1934. He was educated at Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
(B.A.) and the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
(M.F.A.). He taught English and creative writing at Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College
Lewis & Clark College is a private institution of higher learning located in Portland, Oregon. Made up of an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences, a School of Law, and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
for more than forty years, before retiring in 2004. He also taught for short periods at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
, University of Redlands
University of Redlands
The University of Redlands is a private liberal arts and sciences university located in Redlands, California. The university's campus sits on near downtown Redlands. The university was founded in 1907 and was associated with the American Baptist Church. The land for the university was donated by...
, and the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
, and served in the U.S. Army, 1956-58.
Books
- The Window (1964)
- Small Songs: A Sequence, Stone Wall Press (1969)
- The Harmful State (1971)
- Laments (1975)
- The Journey Begins (1976)
- Paragraphs (1978)
- The New Life (1978)
- Walking Home from the Icehouse (1981)
- The Mystery of the Lost Shoes (1985)
- Backtracking (1985)
- Ruined Cities (1987)
- Selected Poems (1991)
- Little-known Sports (1994)
- The Moment's Equation (2004)
- A Handbook for Writers: New and Selected Prose Poems (2004)
- How We Spent Our Time (2006)
- Tom sawyer 2000
Awards
- National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
fellowships (1974, 1979) - Northwest Poets Prize (1975)
- Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
(1982) - Carolyn Kizer Poetry Prize (1988)
- Masters Fellowship from the Oregon Arts CommissionOregon Arts CommissionThe Oregon Arts Commission is a governor-appointed body of nine commissioners who allocate grants for artists based in the U.S. state of Oregon. It receives the bulk of its funding through the National Endowment for the Arts, the state, and the Oregon Cultural Trust.-History:Established in 1967,...
(1990) - Oregon Book AwardOregon Book AwardThe Oregon Book Awards are presented annually by Literary Arts, Inc. for "the finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, drama and young readers literature." -History:...
(1992) - Juniper Prize (1994)
- Richard Snyder Prize (2003)
- finalist, National Book Award for PoetryNational Book Award for PoetryThe National Book Award for Poetry has been given since 1950 and is part of the National Book Awards, which are given annually for outstanding literary works by American citizens...
(2005)