Clemens Starck Explained
| Clemens Starck |
| Birth Date: | 30 November 1937 |
| Occupation: | Poet |
| Nationality: | American |
| Awards: | Oregon Book Award (1996) |
Clemens Starck (November 30, 1937– March 21, 2024)[1] was an American poet.
He is the author of seven books of poems, and recipient of the 1996 William Stafford Memorial Poetry Award[2] and the Oregon Book Award for Journeyman's Wages. Two of his other books were also finalists for the Oregon Book Award.[3]
Several of his poems, including "One of the Locals", were read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer's Almanac.[4] A chapter dedicated to Starck's poetry, “Clemens Starck: ‘poems in my head, a hammer in my hand,” is within Durable Goods: Appreciations of Oregon Poets,[5] written by Erik Muller and published by Mountains & Rivers Press in 2017.
Jon Broderick, founder of the annual FisherPoets Gathering in Astoria, Oregon, cites Starck as the inspiration for the festival. "Clem wrote poetry about work. I had never considered doing that. I immediately thought about the fishermen I knew who wrote, and decided to get a few people together to give it a try."[6]
In 2018, Empty Bowl a small independent Pacific Northwest press, initiated a new series focused on collected and selected poems from Pacific Northwest writers. The series was launched with Finn Wilcox's Too Late to Turn Back Now: Prose and Poems. Starck's Cathedrals and Parking Lots: Collected Poems is the second book in this series.[7]
Death
He died, age 86, on March 21, 2024.[8]
Works
Poetry
- Journeyman’s Wages (Story Line Press, 1995)
- Studying Russian on Company Time (Silverfish Review Press, 1999)
- China Basin (Story Line Press, 2002)
- Traveling Incognito (Wood Works, 2004)
- Rembrandt, Chainsaw (Wood Works, 2011)
- Old Dogs, New Tricks (Oblio, 2016)
- Cathedrals and Parking Lots: Collected Poems (Empty Bowl, November 2018)
Audio CDs
- Looking for Parts (2008)
- Getting It Straight (2013)
Selected anthologies
- Good Poems for Hard Times, ed. Keillor (Penguin, 2006)
- From Here We Speak: An Anthology of Oregon Poetry, ed. St. John (Oregon State University Press, 1993)
- Where is Vietnam? American Poets Respond, ed. Lowenfels (Doubleday Anchor, 1967)
- Poetry Daily: 366 Poems from the World’s Most Popular Poetry Website, eds. Boller and Selby (Sourcebooks, 2003)
- Paperwork: Contemporary Poems from the Job, ed. Wayman (Harbour, 1991)
Notes and References
- Web site: Clemens Starck Obituary (1937 - 2024) - Dallas, OR - Corvallis Gazette-Times . 2024-08-16 . Legacy.com.
- Web site: Book awards: William Stafford Memorial Poetry Award . www.librarything.com . October 30, 2018.
- Web site: Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry . Literary Arts. April 4, 2017 .
- Web site: "One of the Locals" by Clemens Starck . The Writer's Almanac . July 8, 2004.
- Web site: Durable Goods: Appreciations of Oregon Poets. March 1, 2017.
- Web site: The FisherPoets Gathering - Coming Ashore in Astoria. patrick dixon, writer.
- Web site: Coming Soon: Cathedrals & Parking Lots: Collected Poems by Clemens Starck . Empty Bowl . October 30, 2018.
- Web site: OSU's Clemens Starck, award-winning 'carpenter-poet,' dies at 86. Corvallis Gazette-Times. 8 April 2024. 8 April 2024.
