Frank Stanford

Infobox Writer
name = Frank Stanford


birthdate = birth date|1948|8|1|mf=y
birthplace = Richton, Mississippi
deathdate = death date and age|1978|6|3|1948|8|1|mf=y
deathplace = Fayetteville, Arkansas
occupation = Poet
nationality = American
influences = William Blake, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson
influenced = C.D. Wright, Franz Wright, [http://www.ginnystanford.com/ Ginny Stanford]

Frank Stanford (August 1, 1948 – June 3, 1978) was a prolific American poet. He is most known for his epic, "The Battlefield Where The Moon Says I Love You"— a labyrinthine, highly lexical book absent stanzas and punctuation. In addition, Stanford published six shorter books of poetry throughout his 20s, and three posthumous collections of his writings (as well as a book of selected poems) have also been published.

Just shy of his 30th birthday, Stanford died on June 3, 1978 in his home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the victim of three self-inflicted pistol wounds to the heart. In the three decades since, he has become somewhat of a cult figure in American letters.

Biography

"It wasn't a dream, it was a flood."

Early life and education

Frank Stanford was born Francis Gildart Smith on August 1, 1948 to widow Dorothy Margaret Smith at the [http://www.emeryhome.com Emery Memorial Home] in Richton, Mississippi.Ehrenreich, Ben. [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/feature.html?id=181083 "The Long Goodbye"] , "The Poetry Foundation", 2008.] Wright, C.D. "Frank Stanford: Blue Yodel Of A Wayfaring Stranger," "Oxford American", Issue 52, pp 98-105. Winter 2006.] [Frank Stanford at the [http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi?letter=y&lastname=STANFORD&firstname=FRANK&ssn=430-86-3588&birth=1+Aug+1948&death=Jun+1978&middlename=&namesiffix= Social Security Death Index] . Confirms August 1, 1948 birth.] He was soon adopted by a single divorcée named Dorothy Gilbert Alter (1911-2000 [Dorothy Stanford at the [http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi?letter=y&lastname=STANFORD&firstname=DOROTHY&ssn=412-05-3640&birth=13+Sep+1911&death=22+Feb+2000&middlename=G&namesiffix= Social Security Death Index] .] ), who was Firestone's first female manager.Stanford, Frank. "The Battlefield Where The Moon Says I Love You", biographical note and C.D. Wright's preface. No place given: Lost Roads no. 50, 2000. ISBN 9780918786500.] In 1952, Gilbert married successful Memphis levee engineer Albert Franklin Stanford (1884-1963 [Albert Stanford at the [http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi?letter=y&lastname=STANFORD&firstname=ALBERT&ssn=430-01-3802&birth=24+Sep+1884&death=Aug+1963&middlename=&namesiffix= Social Security Death Index] .] ), who subsequently also adopted “Frankie” and his younger, adoptive sister, “Ruthie” (Bettina Ruth). The children attended Sherwood Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee, then junior high school in Mountain Home, Arkansas, where the family had moved in the late 1950s following A.F. Stanford's retirement. The elder Stanford died during the poet's freshman year at Mountain Home High School.Subiaco Academy records, Registrar's office. Accessed by Registrar Lou Trusty at Subiaco Academy on February 15, 2008. Stanford graduated from Subiaco on May 27, 1966.]

In 1964, as a sophomore, Stanford entered Subiaco Academy — a boys' prep school run by Benedictine monks who provided a rigorous liberal arts and physical fitness curriculum — near Paris, Arkansas in the Ouachita Mountains. After graduating in May 1966, he entered the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in the fall,University of Arkansas records, Registrar's office. Accessed by Alexis Leppich at the Registrar's office on February 26, 2008. Leppich confirmed that Stanford began in fall 1966 (as opposed to the commonly misprinted 1967) in the College of Business (not Engineering, which is most commonly printed) and later switched to the College of Arts and Sciences. Leppich confirmed that Stanford took only undergraduate courses through fall 1968 and that his first graduate course was in spring 1969 (as opposed to commonly misprinted dates of 1968 or 1967). Leppich also confirmed that Stanford took classes in 1970 but not 1971 (as opposed to common misprints of Stanford dropping out in 1969 or 1971 [this corresponds to Leon Stokesbury's comments; see footnote for phone conversation with Stokesbury on February 25, 2008] ), and Leppich confirmed that Stanford never received a degree.] Stanford's best friend, Bill Willett, in Mountain Home, AR by phone on February 20, 2008. Re: Stanford starting college in fall 1966, some sources have misprinted as 1967, but Willett confirmed 1966; Willett and Stanford lived together and joined the same fraternity together (they dropped out together shortly thereafter) that fall. Re: summer 1971 marriage to Mencin, Willett is sure that the wedding was in either July or August. Re: Stanford working on "Battlefield" as a teenager, Bill believes Stanford worked on the book during their freshman year at the University of Arkansas and that he had started it at Subiaco if not before.] first studying business, but soon switching to the College of Arts and Sciences. In fall 1968, [Leon Stokesbury in Atlanta, GA by phone on February 25, 2008. Re: Stanford joining the graduate writing workshop, Stokesbury is confident that Stanford's first semester in the workshop was spring 1969. Stokesbury is also confident that Stanford dropped out in fall 1970 (not 1969 or 1971). Re: publication date of "The Singing Knives", Stokesbury said that he was in Fayetteville in 1972 until August and left for a couple of months; when he returned in November, the book had appeared on the scene. When asked why Stanford would have published the book in 1972 with a date of 1971, Stokesbury commented that Stanford never claimed to be older than he was, only younger.] Stanford took a poetry class from instructor James Whitehead who — quickly impressed with Stanford's talent — let the undergraduate poet into the graduate poetry-writing workshop for the following semester, spring 1969. Stanford soon became known throughout the Fayetteville literary communityWright, C.D. Epilogue, "The Singing Knives" (Lost Roads,1979). Re: unpublished manuscripts, Wright's epilogue notes the existence of fifty complete manuscripts of poetry, short fiction, screenplays, and essays.] and published poetry in the student literary magazine, "Preview". [Stanford's poetry in three issues. 1) Stokesbury, Leon, ed. "Preview". 1968-1969; 2) Stokesbury, Leon, ed. "Preview: The Literature". 1970; 3) Stanford, Frank, ed. "Preview: Eight Poets". 1971. College of Arts and Sciences, University of Arkansas. Stanford was Associate Editor for the 1970 issue and Editor for the 1971 issue.] However, he left the university in 1970, never earning a degree.Wright, C.D. "Frank Stanford", "The Before Columbus Poetry Anthology". W. W. Norton. 1991.]

Career

1969-1972

Over the next several years, Stanford kept writing, publishing in a wide range of literary journals and magazines around the world. [By 1975, Stanford's work had appeared in no less than the following international publications: "The Far Point" (Canada), "The West Coast Review" (Canada), "The Hunchback In The Park" (Wales), "Ghost Ship" (Ireland), "The Circular Ruins" (Scotland), "La Bell Et La Bete" (France), "La Notte" (Italy), "Poetry: Australia" (Sydney, Australia), and "Edge" (New Zealand).] In 1969, he met Linda Mencin, the daughter of a retired Naval Commander and World War II ace, through a mutual friend.The former Linda Mencin in Austin, TX by phone on February 22, 2008. Mencin's father is the late [http://www.vf31.com/pilots/mencin.html Adolph Mencin (1916-1998)] of Rogers, AR. Re: common misprints of her mother being a "society lady" or "socialite," she said this was untrue, that her mother was "glamorous," but raised on a farm and not a "society lady."] The former Linda Mencin in Austin, TX by phone on February 23, 2008. Re: Stanford and Mencin's introduction, they met through Keith Mills (Mencin's boyfriend at the time), whom Stanford knew from the university.] The two soon moved into a house in Fayetteville's Mt. Sequoyah neighborhood together, Mencin working for the War on Poverty and Stanford writing poetry— oftentimes all day long. In Mt. Sequoyah, Stanford worked away on his magnum opus, "The Battlefield Where The Moon Says I Love You" — which he had likely begun as a teenager — handwriting the poem in pen on his and Mencin's dining room table. The full chronology of the creation of the poem is almost fatefully obscured, but consensus is that Stanford worked on the manuscript sporadically over many years until late 1974 ["Battlefield" wasn't complete before September 1974 because Stanford mentioned in a [http://www.alsopreview.com/thecollections/stanford/Essays/dugan3.html September 1974 letter to Alan Dugan] that he was "going to hire a typist to do a [sic] 800-1000 page manuscript ... of which Dugan had seen "ahout [sic] 500 pages."] or 1975, by which time the book was finished.C.D. Wright by email on February 17, 2008.]

Posthumous works

Ironwood Press published Stanford's chapbook, "Crib Death", in 1978, shortly after his death. Lost Roads, editorship succeeded by C.D. Wright, published a posthumous chapbook of yet more of Stanford's poems, titled "You" (as well as a limited edition reprint of "The Singing Knives"), in 1979. In 1990,Stanford, Frank. "Conditions Uncertain And Likely To Pass Away". Providence, RI: Lost Roads no. 37, 1990. ISBN 0918786428. Re: date of publication, some sources list "1991" (date on book's back cover), but title page and copyright page print 1990.] the press released a collection of Stanford's short fiction, titled "Conditions Uncertain And Likely To Pass Away". A 111-page volume of selected poems, " [http://www.uark.edu/campus-resources/uaprinfo/public_html/titles/backlist/literature/poetry/poems.html#stanford_lightdead The Light The Dead See: Selected Poems of Frank Stanford] ", was published the following year by the University of Arkansas Press.Stanford, Frank. "The Light The Dead See: Selected Poems of Frank Stanford", p ix. Leon Stokesbury, ed. Fayetteville, AR: The University of Arkansas Press. 1991.] Furthermore, much of Stanford's work is as yet unpublished, including the manuscripts: "The Flour The Dead Man Brings To The Wedding" and "The Last Panther In The Ozarks" (which combine to make one manuscript), "Automatic Co-Pilot", "Plain Songs" (after Jean Follain), and "Wounds", among others.C.D. Wright by email on February 18, 2008.]

Distribution

Despite flourishing interest in Frank Stanford's work, large publishing houses have yet to develop interest in the poet. Stanford's small press publishers to date — Mill Mountain, Ironwood, and Lost Roads — have faced variable limitations with respect to production and distribution, most of Stanford's titles having been released as limited edition chapbooks, long since out of print. In October 2000, [http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Literary_Arts/projects/road/ Lost Roads] republished [http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Literary_Arts/projects/road/stanford "The Battlefield Where The Moon Says I Love You"] in a corrected edition with numbered lines, and the press reprinted the book again in 2008. On February 1, 2008, Lost Roads reissued "The Singing Knives" and "You".

Reception

Frank Stanford's poems — tall tales of wild embellishment with recurring characters in an imaginary landscape, drawn from his childhood in the Mississippi Delta and the Ozark mountains — are immediately recognizable, and his oeuvre continues to be influential and well-received.

Cultural response

In the 1990s, Ginny Stanford and C.D. Wright published accounts of their respective relationships to Stanford, both during his life and afterward. Ginny Stanford published two essays: “Requiem: A Fragment,” in "The New Orleans Review" in 1994,Stanford, Ginny. "Requiem: A Fragment," "The New Orleans Review." New Orleans, LA: Loyola University, 1994.] and its companion piece of sorts, "Death In The Cool Evening," in "The Portable Plateau" in 1997. Photos of Frank Stanford by the widow accompanied her essays in both publications. Also in 1997, "Conjunctions" published C.D. Wright’s essay, “Frank Stanford, Of The Mulberry Family: An Arkansas Epilogue.”Wright, C.D. “Frank Stanford, Of the Mulberry Family: An Arkansas Epilogue,” "Conjunctions", 29. Bard College, 1997.]

Stanford's impact on poetry profound and lasting, celebrations of his work frequently take place. A July 1997 tribute to Stanford in Fayetteville featured readings of Stanford's poetry and a screening of "It Wasn't A Dream, It Was A Flood". [The tribute took place on July 26, 1997 at Vox Anima Artspace, a Fayetteville gallery formerly at 7 E. Mountain St. Leilani Law, Curator, with Brent Long coordinating the tribute.] All-night readings of "The Battlefield Where The Moon Says I Love You" have also occasionally occurred, such as one organized by Brown University students in 1990 and another at New York's [http://www.bowerypoetry.com/ Bowery Poetry Club] in April 2003.Collins, Billy. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE4D7163BF932A25757C0A9659C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 “The Ballad of the Ballad, Poetry's Bearer of Bad News”] "The New York Times". April 11, 2003.] An October 2008 [http://www.typomag.com/frankstanfordfestival/ Frank Stanford Literary Festival] in Fayetteville will feature panel discussions of Stanford's work, a screening of "It Wasn't A Dream, It Was A Flood", and an all-night reading of "The Battlefield Where The Moon Says I Love You".

Stanford has also been written about in at least two folk songs: the Indigo Girls' "Three Hits" and Lucinda Williams' "Pineola."Academy of American Poets. [http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5824 "Miller & Lucinda Williams: All in the Family"] , "Poets.org", 2004. Williams' father is Miller Williams, a professor of creative writing at the University of Arkansas.] Buford, Bill. [http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2000/06/05/2000_06_05_050_TNY_LIBRY_000020984 "Delta Nights"] , "The New Yorker", June 5, 2000.]

Critical response

Stanford's work has also received critical praise. Alan Dugan — Pulitzer Prize winner and National Book Award recipient — called Stanford “a brilliant poet, ample in his work,” comparing him to Walt Whitman. Poet Franz Wright called him "one of the great voices of death" and, at a 2004 reading, dedicated a poem to Stanford, commenting that he had followed Stanford's poetry in publications in the 1970s.Poetry Reading by Franz Wright. Concord Poetry Center, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA. October 16, 2004.] Cuddihy, Michael, ed. "The Ironwood Review", Issue 17, pp 105, 137. Tuscon, AZ. 1981.] Poet Lorenzo Thomas called him "amazing ... a swamprat Rimbaud, poet James Wright referred to him as a "superbly accomplished and moving poet," and poet Richard Eberhart praised the "strange grace of language in the poet’s remarkable, unforgettable body of work." Leon Stokesbury introduces "The Light The Dead See" by claiming that Stanford was, "at the time of his death, the best poet in America under the age of thirty-five." His contemporaries remarked his “perfectly tuned” ears, [Lux, Thomas. "'Brother Leo Told Me The Bell Was Ringing': On Frank Stanford," "FIELD", Issue 52, pp 49-55. Oberlin, OH. 1979.] the “remarkable acuity” of his “clear-cut imagery and spring-tight lines,” [Upton, Lee. Review of "The Light The Dead See", Mid-American Review, Issue 13.1-2, pp 207-10. Bowling Green State University; Bowling Green, OH. 1991.] and his “remarkable talent” as a “testimony to [his] place in American letters.” [Bradley, John. Review of "The Light The Dead See", The Bloomsbury Review, p 30, July/August 1991.]

However, Stanford's legacy has been largely overlooked in the canonization process of poetry anthologies and university literature courses. He is one of the least known of the significant voices of latter 20th century American poetry, yet he was widely published in many prominent magazines, including "American Poetry Review", [Stanford's poetry in two issues. "American Poetry Review", Vol. 4, No. 2; 1975. Vol. 8, No. 2; 1979. Philadelphia, PA: "American Poetry Review".] "Chicago Review", ["Chicago Review", Vol. 23, No. 1. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago. 1971.] "FIELD", [Stanford's poetry in three issues. "FIELD", Issue 10, Spring 1974; Issue 11, August 1974; Issue 12, Spring 1975. Oberlin, OH: Oberlin College.] "The Iowa Review", [Stanford's poetry in three issues. "The Iowa Review", Vol. 3, No. 3; Summer 1972. Vol. 5, No. 2; Spring 1974. Vol. 5, No. 4; Spring 1974. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa.] "Ironwood", [Stanford's poetry in three issues while living. Cuddihy, Michael, ed. "Ironwood", Issue 4, 1974; Issue 6, 1975; Issue 9, Spring 1977. Tuscon: Ironwood Press.] "kayak", [Hitchcock, George, ed. "kayak", Issue 26. Santa Cruz, CA: Kayak Books. 1971.] "The Massachusetts Review", ["The Massachusetts Review" Vol. xiii, No. 4. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts. August 1972.] "The Mill Mountain Review", "The Nation", ["The Nation", Vol. 213, No. 10. New York: The Nation Associates, Inc. 1971.] "New American Review", [Solotaroff, Theodore, ed. "New American Review", No. 11. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1971.] "The New York Quarterly", [Packard, William, ed. "The New York Quarterly", Issue 15. Summer 1973. New York: New York Quarterly Poetry Review Foundation. 1973.] "Poetry Now", ["Poetry Now", Vol. 1, No. 2. 1975.] and "Prairie Schooner". ["Prairie Schooner", Vol. 48, No. 3. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. 1974.] [ [http://www.verdantpress.com/frankstanford.html Frank Stanford bibliography] , Verdant Press, 2008.]

Bibliography

*"The Singing Knives" (Mill Mountain Press, 1971; Lost Roads, 1979, 2008)
*"Ladies From Hell" (Mill Mountain Press, 1974)
*"Field Talk" (Mill Mountain Press, 1975)
*"Shade" (Mill Mountain Press, 1975)
*"Arkansas Bench Stone" (Mill Mountain Press, 1975)
*"Constant Stranger" (Mill Mountain Press, 1976)
*"The Battlefield Where The Moon Says I Love You" (Mill Mountain Press/Lost Roads, 1977; Lost Roads, 2000)
*"Crib Death" (Ironwood Press, 1978)
*"You" (Lost Roads, 1979, 2008)
*"Conditions Uncertain And Likely To Pass Away" (Lost Roads, 1990)
*"The Light The Dead See: Selected Poems of Frank Stanford" (University of Arkansas Press, 1991)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.verdantpress.com/frankstanford.html Frank Stanford bibliography at Verdant Press]
* [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=98306 Frank Stanford at the Poetry Foundation]
* [http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/730 Frank Stanford at the Academy of American Poets]
* [http://www.alsopreview.com/thecollections/stanford/stanford.html Poetry, photographs, essays and letters at The Alsop Review]
* [http://www.raintaxi.com/online/1998fall/stanford.shtml "The Life And Work of Frank Stanford" at Rain Taxi, Fall 1998]
* [http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/feature.html?id=181083 "The Long Goodbye" by Ben Ehrenreich at The Poetry Foundation, 1/2008]
* [http://www.typomag.com/frankstanfordfestival/ October 2008 Frank Stanford Literary Festival]