Clemens Starck (November 30, 1937– March 21, 2024)[1] was an American poet.

Clemens Starck
Born(1937-11-30)November 30, 1937
DiedMarch 21, 2024(2024-03-21) (aged 86)
OccupationPoet
NationalityAmerican
Notable awardsOregon Book Award (1996)

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

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He died, age 86, on March 21, 2024.[8]

Works

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Poetry

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  • 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

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  • Looking for Parts (2008)
  • Getting It Straight (2013)

Selected anthologies

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  • 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)

References

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  1. ^ "Clemens Starck Obituary (1937 - 2024) - Dallas, OR - Corvallis Gazette-Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Book awards: William Stafford Memorial Poetry Award". www.librarything.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  3. ^ "Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry". Literary Arts. April 4, 2017.
  4. ^ ""One of the Locals" by Clemens Starck". The Writer's Almanac. July 8, 2004.
  5. ^ "Durable Goods: Appreciations of Oregon Poets". March 1, 2017.
  6. ^ "The FisherPoets Gathering - Coming Ashore in Astoria". patrick dixon, writer.
  7. ^ "Coming Soon: Cathedrals & Parking Lots: Collected Poems by Clemens Starck". Empty Bowl. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  8. ^ "OSU's Clemens Starck, award-winning 'carpenter-poet,' dies at 86". Corvallis Gazette-Times. April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.