Vern Rutsala

Vern Rutsala is recognized as one of the most notable poets of the Pacific Northwest. Beginning with The Window in 1964, he has written and published at least fifteen books of poetry. How We Spent Our Time won the 2004 Akron Poetry Prize, and The Moment’s Equation was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2005. Among his many awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship and two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. He taught at Lewis & Clark College from 1961 – 2005 and throughout those decades, as an imposing and significant figure on the local and national poetry scene, he has been a mentor and an inspiration to poets everywhere.

Vern Rutsala and Friends at Wordstock 2010