William Matthews (1942-1997). Photo by Matt Anderson. Courtesy Poets & Writers.
William Matthews (November 11, 1942 - November 12, 1997) was an American poet, academic, and essayist.
Life[]
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Matthews earned a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, and a master's from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In addition to serving as a writer in residence at Boston's Emerson College, Matthews held various academic positions at institutions including Cornell University, the University of Washington (Seattle), the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Iowa. At the time of his death he was a professor of English and director of the creative writing program at City College of New York[1]
He served as president of Associated Writing Programs and of the Poetry Society of America, and as chair of the Literature Department of the National Endowment for the Arts.[2]
He was a founding editor (with Newton Smith and Russell Banks) of literary magazine Lillabulero.[3] His sons are Sebastian Matthews (also a poet) and Bill Matthews.
Writing[]
Matthews published 11 books of poetry. 2 posthumous collections have been released: Search Party: Collected poems and After All: Last poems. Frequent subjects in his writing are the early years of professional basketball and historical Jazz figures.
Matthews believed that poetry should have subject matter, so as to provide the substance needed for the art to fulfill its function.[4]
Recognition[]
During his 27 years as an author, Matthews received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1980, Matthews was the poet in residence at The Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire. His collection Time & Money won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1996 and was a Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize finalist. In 1997 he was a recipient of the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.
A reading series has been named for him at City College of New York.[5][6]
Publications[]
Poetry[]
- 15 Poems (with Russell Banks & Newton Smith). Northwood Narrows, NH: Lillabulero Press, 1967.
- Broken Syllables. Northwood Narrows, NH: Lillabulero Press, 1969.
- Ruining the New Road: Poems. New York: Random House, 1970.
- The Cloud. Boston: Barn Dream Press, 1971.
- The Moon. Baltimore, MD: Penyeach Press, 1971.
- Poems for Tennessee (With Robert Bly & William E. Stafford). Martin, TN: Tennessee Poetry Press, 1971.
- Sleek for the Long Flight. New York: Random House, 1972.
- Without a Mouth. Norfolk, VA: Penyeach Press, 1972.
- Sticks and Stones. Milwaukee, WI: Pentagram Press, 1975.
- Rising and Falling. Boston: Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1979.
- Flood. Boston: Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1982.
- A Happy Childhood. Boston: Atlantic / Little, Brown, 1984.
- Foreseeable Futures. Boston: Houghton, 1987.
- Blues If You Want. Boston: Houghton, 1989.
- Selected Poems and Translations, 1969-1991. Boston: Houghton, 1992.
- Time & Money: New poems. Boston: Houghton, 1995.
- After All: Last poems. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
- Search Party: Collected poems of William Matthews (edited by Sebastian Matthews & Stanley Plumly. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004.
Non-fiction[]
- The Parataxic Mode: Concerning Defoe's use of irony in 'Moll Flanders'. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina (M.A. Thesis), 1966.
- An Oar in the Old Water (pamphlet). San Francisco, CA: Stone Press, 1974.
- Curiosities. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1989.
- The Poetry Blues: Essays and interviews (edited by Sebastian Matthews & Stanley Plumly). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan, 2001.
Translated[]
- Jean Follain, Removed from Time (pamphlet; translated with Mary Feeney, from the French)). Tideline Press, 1977.
- Jean Follain, A World Rich in Anniversaries (translated with Mary Feeney, from the French). Iowa City, IA: Grilled Flowers Press, 1979.
- The Mortal City: 100 epigrams of Martial. Athens, OH: Ohio Review Books, 1995.
- Horace, The Satires. Keene, NY: Ausable Press, 2002.
Except where noted bibliographical information courtesy the Poetry Foundation.[7]
Audio / video[]
Misgivings by William Matthews (read by Tom O'Bedlam)
- William Matthews (cassette). New York: Academy of American Poets, [1996?]
- William Matthews Reading (CD). Aspen, CO: Aspen Writers' Foundation, 1978.
- William Matthews Lecture (CD). Aspen, CO: Aspen Writers' Foundation, 1978.
- Days Beyond Recall (cassette). Washington, DC: Watershed, 1984.
Except where noted discographical information courtesy WorldCat.[8]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/prospective/humanities/english/graduate_writing.cfm
- ↑ William Matthews, Poets.org, Academy of American Poets. Web, Dec. 6, 2014.
- ↑ Newton Smith, Asheville Poetry Review. Web, Aug. 1, 2018.
- ↑ Parisi, Joseph. 100 Essential Modern Poems,Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, p.255
- ↑ http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/rifkind/pdf/Kinnell_flyer.pdf
- ↑ http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/rifkind/pdf/Swenson.pdf
- ↑ William Matthews 1942-1997, Poetry Foundation, Web, Nov. 5, 2012.
- ↑ Search results = au:William Matthews + audiobook, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Oct. 24, 2015.
External links[]
- Poems
- William Matthews profile & 2 poems at the Academy of American Poets
- William Matthews at Poetry 180: "Loyal," "Herd Of Buffalo Crossing The Missouri On Ice," "Schoolboys with Dog, Winter"
- William Matthews 1942-1997 at the Poetry Foundation
- William Matthews at PoemHunter (20 poems)
- Audio / video
- "William Matthews poems at YouTube
- "Poet Philip Levine Remembers Poet William Matthews", CCNY Podcasts
- Books
- William Matthews at Amazon.com
- About
- "To Bill Matthews" by Newton Smith, Asheville Poetry Review
- My Father's Garden: Tending a literary legacy" by Sebastian Matthews, at Poets & Writers
- An Interview with William Matthews (David Wojahn, James Harms)
- A Conversation with William Matthews (The Artful Dodge)
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