Background
Rutsala, Vern A. was born on February 5, 1934. Son of Ray Edwin and Virginia Mae (Brady) Rutsala.
( Nearly every poem in How We Spent Our Time flies at its...)
Nearly every poem in How We Spent Our Time flies at its mast a title in the form of a gerund or gerund phrase, that humble verbal noun. The book's table of contents, therefore, reads like an equally humble enumeration of the ways a human lifetime can be paid out, so to speak: looking, getting, owning, learning. We all do them all. And yet there is exceptional artistry in the testimonials these doings make witness to. The arrangement of the poems within the text is part of it. Note how "keeping" immediately precedes "spending," in the poems "Keeping It Together" and "Spending the Night"; these poems are conversational but endlessly skilful in the ways they keep the language vivid and fresh and surprising. How We Spent Our Time is flush with pangs and satisfactions, abundant with wisdom and delight.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931968284/?tag=2022091-20
( This delightfully subversive collection of poems furthe...)
This delightfully subversive collection of poems further develops the form used by the author in Paragraphs (1978). The book is divided into three sections. The first, "The Art of Photography and Other Sorrows," is devoted to, among other things, actual photographs, including the only known picture of Baudelaire's mother. "Bestiary," the second part, concerns ordinary household items like salt and pepper shakers, ironing boards, and tea pots seen metaphorically. "Little-Known Sports," the title section, explores fierce but rarely reported athletic events such as answering the telephone or getting into bed. The result is a quiet but profound transformation of everyday reality.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0870239171/?tag=2022091-20
Rutsala, Vern A. was born on February 5, 1934. Son of Ray Edwin and Virginia Mae (Brady) Rutsala.
Born in McCall, Idaho, he was educated at Reed College (Bachelor) and the Iowa Writers" Workshop (Master of Fine Arts).
Instructor Lewis and Clark College, Portland, 1961-1964, assistant professor, 1964-1969, associate professor, 1969-1976, professor, 1976—2004. Visiting professor University Minnesota, Minneapolis, 1968-1969, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, 1970. Visiting writer Idaho, Moscow, 1988, Redlands University, California, 1979.
Chairman English department Lewis and Clark, Portland, 1986-1989, MWC/Pacific Master of Fine Arts program, 2005.
( Nearly every poem in How We Spent Our Time flies at its...)
( This delightfully subversive collection of poems furthe...)
(This delightfully subversive collection of poems further ...)
(A collection of poetry by Vern Rutsala.)
(Book by Rutsala, Vern)
(Poetry.)
With United States Army, 1956-1958. Member American Association of University Professors, AWP, Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists association, Academy American Poets.
Married Joan Merle Colby, April 6, 1957. Children: Matthew, David, Kirsten.