Dreams of Earth and Sky: Interviews with Nine Kansas Poets

Abstract

This thesis comprises interviews with nine poets who have a Kansas background and whose work exhibits a strong sense of place. The interviews took place during the period running from April 2008 through May 2009. The conversations explore the practice and process of writing; the poets' influences; the shift in consciousness, from adolescence through maturity, about various aspects of writing; ideas about the purpose and value of poetry; and the intersection of the poets' personal experiences with their writing. Each of the poets interviewed has some connection to the poet William Stafford, who grew up in Kansas, attended the University of Kansas, and in 1970 was Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1970, the position that later became U.S. Poet Laureate. Stafford's influence on several of these poets is strong. His influence is explored in several interviews and is an important subject of the collection as a whole. The last interview is with his son, the writer Kim Stafford. The collection is not intended to be a representation of the work of all Kansas poets, but rather as a presentation of one poetic aesthetic that occurs in this region. The collection is intended to be an enjoyable, encouraging, and useful tool to aspiring poets and other writers, teachers, and readers who are interested in writing that has a sense of place.