When twenty-nine-year-old Frank Stanford p ut three bullets in his chest on June 3\, 1978\, he ended a life that had been inextricably linked with poetry since childhood. Deeply influential b ut largely unknown outside his corner of the poetry world\, this prodigy o f the American South inspired a cult following that has kept his reputatio n and work flickering on the periphery of the American literary tradition ever since. "The Life and Poetry of Frank Stanford" offers for the first t ime a comprehensive study of Stanford&rsquo\;s life and work\, introducing to a broad readership poetry that remains both captivating to poets and\, in its celebration of everyday experience over academic erudition\, acces sible to those who rarely read poetry.
\nStanford&rsquo\;s poems ran ge from one line to his 15\,283-line epic\, "The Battlefield Where the Moo n Says I Love You". The vital thread running through all of his poetry is an ear for language that vies with Walt Whitman in its expansiveness and g enerosity. Stanford&rsquo\;s omnivorous attraction to vernacular\, particu larly Black and rural vernacular\, centered on an admiration for the margi nalized and eccentric. Blending the Southern Gothic of Faulkner and O&rsqu o\;Connor with a racially egalitarian vision\, his poetry thrives on the s tories and traditions of the oppressed and forgotten. The themes that preo ccupied Stanford&rsquo\;s prolific output&mdash\;language\, sex\, death\, class\, geography\, commercialism\, surrealism\, film\, race&mdash\;also p reoccupied the poet in his daily life\, which was marked by heavy drinking \, philandering\, mental instability\, emotional abuse\, and\, through it all\, an inveterate desire for beauty. Constantly attentive to this tensio n\, biographer James McWilliams traces the short and painfully complicated life of this hidden talent who left a lifetime&rsquo\;s worth of poetry t hat\, through its grounding in the mundane\, achieved a vision of the tran scendent.
\nBooks will be available for sale and signing following t he event.
\nJames McWill iams is a historian at Texas State University. He has written on a wide ra nge of topics\, both academically and journalistically\, with his work app earing in "The Virginia Quarterly Review"\, "Oxford American"\, "The Paris Review" online\, "The New Yorker" and "Harper&rsquo\;s". He lives in Aust in\, Texas and\, when he's not teaching\, is likely to be in New Orleans.< /p>\n
True Lit is in collaboration with the Fayetteville Public Library\, Fayetteville Public Schools\, Fayetteville Public Education Foun dation\, and University of Arkansas Program in Creative Writing and Transl ation.
\nAll abilities are welcome. For disability accommodation s\, call 479.856.7250 or email \;questions@faylib.org \;2-3 weekdays before a program. Plan yo ur visit by viewing our building map \;and details on accessibility services.
\n