Good evening.
On behalf of the Ruth Stephan Poetry Center,
I've been asked to make an announcement first.
On Tuesday, April the 16th in the Liberal Arts auditorium
at 8:30, Elizabeth Bishop will read
as our last poet of the year.
And of course, you're all invited.
Tonight we think we are extremely
fortunate to have a poet as versatile both in his living
and in his writing as Mr. Galway Kinnell.
Ms. Kinnell was born in Rhode Island.
He has lived in New England.
He has lived in New York as you've probably
noticed in the poetry.
He has lived in Chicago and has been
in charge of the downtown center, the Liberal Arts
division of the University of Chicago.
He has been working and writing in New Orleans
and on the other side of the continent in the Pacific
Northwest in Oregon.
His experience abroad includes two years.
In fact, much of which was spent at the University of Grenoble.
And a Fulbright fellowship which took him for a year
to the University of Tehran.
You may also notice from the poetry
that he has spent some time in India.
Consequently, I suppose it is no surprise when
we realize that this time though he lives in Vermont
he is going across the continent again
and has been part in residence in a number of places coming
to us from the University-- the Colorado State
University in Fort Collins.
He's on his way to Seattle to the University of Washington
where I gather that in addition to his students
and his interest in poetry, one of the great drawing cards
is to be possibly a houseboat.
Mr. Kinnell has written poetry and published it
in a number of magazines over the years.
If we mention such magazines as New World Writing,
as [INAUDIBLE],, as the New Yorker,
as Poetry, as the Nation, you get some idea of the variety.
Also he has been included of course
in anthologies including one on the situation
at the moment in Vietnam, which I
know is of concern to everyone.
He has to his credit five books.
While he was in France, he did of course the work
on the François Villon book, which is a translation that
came out in 1965.
In 1966 he published a novellette
called Black Light, which I gather most of you would enjoy.
And so far as we are concerned tonight
there are the three books of poems.
What a Kingdom It Was, which came out in 1960.
Flower Herding on Mount Monadnock
which came out in 1964.
And this year's volume was a very interesting title Body
Rags.
Probably he shall read from-- he will read from all of them.
It always seems a little presumptuous
to mention the awards that these people have won.
But it perhaps would be fitting just
to mention that he has had the usual Guggenheim Fellowship.
I mentioned the Fulbright Fellowship.
And he has had an award from the National
Institute of Arts and Letters.
The question of the kind of poet is going
to leave to him and to you.
I was interested in what the critics had to say.
Some of them call him a religious poet.
Some of them insist that he is a nature poet.
A couple of them taking their lives in their hands
announced that his main subject is the human condition.
I think so far as we are concerned, yes.
[LAUGHTER]
I think so far as we are concerned tonight what we
have is the first great poet.
Mr. Kinnell.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you very much.
I was glad for the confirmation that this is a reading and not
a lecture.
A student this afternoon said she
was under the impression I was going
to give a lecture tonight.
And I had a thrill of fear.
[LAUGHTER]
And if any of you have come thinking
this is a lecture and not a reading I'm sorry
and yet I feel no remorse because I'm
a very poor lecturer.
And you can feel pleased at the turn which destiny
has taken in your favor although I'm not a very good reader
either.
[LAUGHTER]
I want to read some of my poems both early and recent.
But before I do, I want to read a few poems by others.
Can you hear me all right in the back?