William Stafford was born on January 17, 1914. He would have been 99 years old this year. Every January, people across the country celebrate William Stafford’s birth with poetry readings in his honor. Please click here for a Youtube video of a recent William Stafford birthday celebration at Linfield College, to see how some of these events are run.

These readings bring together professional poets, teachers, students, aspiring writers, and William Stafford fans to celebrate Stafford’s life and writing. Please check back for a link to the 2013 schedule of events, which we will post as soon as it is available. In the meantime, check out this article about a William Stafford celebration that featured Robin Scialabba (née Judd) and Erin Ocón, two of the talented teachers who have written the lesson plans in our contest packet!