Stayton’s Second Sundays Series of Poetry Readings takes place this Sunday, February 8th at the studio of artist Paul Toews at 349 N. Third Avenue, where it shares space with the Stayton Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Poets Erik Muller and Lex Runciman will be reading.
Throughout 2009, to help celebrate Oregon’s sesquicentennial year, poets featured in the series will read from past Oregon poets who have influenced them, as well as from their own work. Erik Muller will read poems from his recent collection, For All I Know, and also read poems by past Oregon Poet Laureate and poetry editor at The Oregonian, Ethel Romig Fuller (1893-1965). Lex Runciman will read from his fourth poetry collection, Starting from Anywhere, forthcoming this spring from Salmon Publishing in Ireland, plus work by Portland poet and poetry publisher, Vi Gale (1917-2007).
Erik Muller is the editor and publisher of Traprock Books. He is also one of the co-founders of Fireweed magazine. He is writing essays for a collection titled Durable Goods: Appreciations of Oregon Poets. In 2001, he was awarded the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award.
Does Erik have a writing schedule?
I have no schedule. I am most urged to write a poem when reading other poets, something about being in a charged language atmosphere or having my guard down and the license to go in any direction.
What can he tell us about Ethel Romig Fuller?
Ethel Romig Fuller was the poet laureate before William Stafford; her three books are mainly traditional verse, much of her work done very expertly, much of it very conventional in outlook. While Fuller was slightly influenced by modernism and feminism, I like the modestly of her work and its attention to domestic subjects. These are found in my work, too. In short, every poet can learn something by placing her work next to a poet who is quite different, of a different era, gender, style.
