Early Morning: Remembering My Father, William Stafford

This is a book to savor. The second time through, I limited myself to only a page or two each night. The prose is exalted, the insights profound, and the depiction of William Stafford is unflinching and never sentimental. If you care about excellent writing, or being human, or about poetry, or especially about William Stafford's poetry, you will not regret reading this book.

The relationship between father and son is illuminated by the father's poems and the son's prose in this sensitive biography of William Stafford by his son Kim. Our meditation and writing group has spent six months slowly absorbing this richness. This book bears reading and rereading.

I didn't so much read this book as I absorbed it...this is a book seeped in wisdom and quiet integrity. During my first reading I carried it around like a companion. There are many books that I have loved but there are few that I trust completely. If you enjoy William Stafford's poetry then his son Kim is an expert guide into the deeper realms of his father's life and work. William Stafford is one of the few poets I know of whose life (the way he raised his children, educated his students and maintained his principles) blends seamlessly with his work. Oftentimes great men are a bit pre-occupied being great men and forget to focus on the upbringing of their children. Kim Stafford shares with the reader the experience of being raised by a great artist who had the generosity of spirit and clear headedness to bring his artistry home with him and apply it to his family life. Many reviewers describe Stafford as a remote and distant father...I would characterize him as an extremely careful father...who communicated love through reverence and shared experience. Poetry and philosophy aside 'Early Morning' is also a lovely memoir that is deeply personal without being suffocating...artful without being pretentious. I envy anyone who gets to open its pages for a first reading.