Howard W. Robertson (September 19, 1947 to March 20, 2021) was an American poet and novelist.
Robertson was born in Eugene, Oregon. [1] He married Margaret Collins on August 10, 1991 and has two daughters and two sons. [1] He received a B.A. in Russian (1970) and an M.A. in Comparative Literature (1978) from the University of Oregon as well as a Master's in Library Science (1975) from the University of Southern California. [1] Robertson is part-Cherokee.
He was the Slavic Catalog Librarian and Bibliographer at the University of Oregon Library from 1975-1993. [1] He is a past President of the Lane Literary Guild. [1] He has been a full-time poet since 1993. [1] Robertson was a long-haul truck driver in the American West during 1994-1995. [2] [3]
He is a 2007 Jack Straw Writer with Jack Straw Productions in Seattle, Washington. [4] [5] Robertson read his poems at the 2007 Burning Word Festival. [6] Robertson was the Poet-in-Residence at the Henry Art Gallery on the University of Washington campus in Seattle during April 2010. [7] He gave a reading with other Native American authors at Tsunami Books in Eugene, Oregon, during November, 2010. [8]
Eric Alan interviewed Robertson on NPR-Living Large on April 18, 2013. [9] Robertson gave a reading as part of the Third Saturday Reading Series at Tsunami Books in Eugene, Oregon, on April 20, 2013. [10] He was interviewed about his novel, Peculiar Pioneer, on KLCC FM on December 4, 2013 and a recording of this interview is available on the KLCC website. [11] Together with his wife Margaret Robertson, he gave a joint reading about sustainability at Tsunami Books in Eugene, Oregon, on April 5, 2014. [12] [13] Robertson read from Peculiar Pioneer at the inaugural reading of the Lane Writers Reading Series in Eugene, Oregon, on September 28, 2014. [14] Robertson read his long, philosophical poem, "Quantum intimations at the grand Multnomah", at the River Road Annex in Eugene, Oregon, on January 25, 2015. [15] Robertson read his long, philosophical poem, "Hope speaks of life on Earth", at the Lane Community College Downtown Campus in Eugene, Oregon, on December 1, 2016. [16]
Robertson defines poetry broadly as an inclusive genre, referring to the archaic meaning of " poem": a made thing, ποίημα. [17] He consequently considers each of his poems to be an ode, a fiction, an essay, an abstract painting and a jazz improvisation. [17] He describes his poetry as a mimesis of the streaming of Being through Nonbeing. [17] He intends a continuous poetic flow that pauses but seldom stops, so that his line-breaks become purely visual and do not halt the progress of the poetic line when spoken. [17] He means for his poetry to affirm with Aristotle that truth is most universally told through a blend of fictional and factual material. [17] He conceives each poem as an essay of existential discovery, an enterprising foray into the discursive wilderness. [17] He maintains that his poetry portrays visually the drift and swirl of the things themselves and the interconnected chiaroscuro of shadowy essence and shimmering everydayness. [17] He bases his work on the belief that reality never fails and that the phenomenal revelatory streaming of its representation in his poetry is authentic. [17] He credits Heidegger, Whitman, Pushkin, Bashō, Cervantes, Montaigne and Ovid as his major influences. [17]
His first book of poems was titled to the fierce guard in the Assyrian Saloon in 1987. [18] His second book of poems was titled Ode to certain interstates and Other Poems. [19] His third book of poems was titled The Bricolage of Kotegaeshi. [20] His fourth book of poems, The Gaian Odes, won the Sinclair Poetry Prize. [21] [22] His fifth book of poems was Two Odes of Quiddity and Nil. [23] His sixth book of poems was Odes to the Ki of the Universe. [24] His seventh book of poems was The Green Force of Spring. [25] His eighth book of poems was Ode to Certain Interstates. [26] His ninth book of poems was Odes to the Ki of the Universe. [27] His first novel was Peculiar Pioneer. [28] He published a book of stories, Hyperzotica. [29] His tenth book of poems was Hope Speaks. [30] His second novel was Love in the Cretaceous. [31]
Robertson's poetry won him the Tor House Robinson Jeffers Prize in 2003, [32] the Elizabeth R. Curry Poetry Prize at Slippery Rock University in 2006, [33] the Sinclair Poetry Prize from Evening Street Press in 2009, [34] and the Atlanta Review's International Merit Award in 2014. [35] He won the Bumbershoot Writers-in-Performance Award in 1993, the Pacifica Award in 1995 and the Literal Latte Award in 1997. [1]
Howard W. Robertson (September 19, 1947 to March 20, 2021) was an American poet and novelist.
Robertson was born in Eugene, Oregon. [1] He married Margaret Collins on August 10, 1991 and has two daughters and two sons. [1] He received a B.A. in Russian (1970) and an M.A. in Comparative Literature (1978) from the University of Oregon as well as a Master's in Library Science (1975) from the University of Southern California. [1] Robertson is part-Cherokee.
He was the Slavic Catalog Librarian and Bibliographer at the University of Oregon Library from 1975-1993. [1] He is a past President of the Lane Literary Guild. [1] He has been a full-time poet since 1993. [1] Robertson was a long-haul truck driver in the American West during 1994-1995. [2] [3]
He is a 2007 Jack Straw Writer with Jack Straw Productions in Seattle, Washington. [4] [5] Robertson read his poems at the 2007 Burning Word Festival. [6] Robertson was the Poet-in-Residence at the Henry Art Gallery on the University of Washington campus in Seattle during April 2010. [7] He gave a reading with other Native American authors at Tsunami Books in Eugene, Oregon, during November, 2010. [8]
Eric Alan interviewed Robertson on NPR-Living Large on April 18, 2013. [9] Robertson gave a reading as part of the Third Saturday Reading Series at Tsunami Books in Eugene, Oregon, on April 20, 2013. [10] He was interviewed about his novel, Peculiar Pioneer, on KLCC FM on December 4, 2013 and a recording of this interview is available on the KLCC website. [11] Together with his wife Margaret Robertson, he gave a joint reading about sustainability at Tsunami Books in Eugene, Oregon, on April 5, 2014. [12] [13] Robertson read from Peculiar Pioneer at the inaugural reading of the Lane Writers Reading Series in Eugene, Oregon, on September 28, 2014. [14] Robertson read his long, philosophical poem, "Quantum intimations at the grand Multnomah", at the River Road Annex in Eugene, Oregon, on January 25, 2015. [15] Robertson read his long, philosophical poem, "Hope speaks of life on Earth", at the Lane Community College Downtown Campus in Eugene, Oregon, on December 1, 2016. [16]
Robertson defines poetry broadly as an inclusive genre, referring to the archaic meaning of " poem": a made thing, ποίημα. [17] He consequently considers each of his poems to be an ode, a fiction, an essay, an abstract painting and a jazz improvisation. [17] He describes his poetry as a mimesis of the streaming of Being through Nonbeing. [17] He intends a continuous poetic flow that pauses but seldom stops, so that his line-breaks become purely visual and do not halt the progress of the poetic line when spoken. [17] He means for his poetry to affirm with Aristotle that truth is most universally told through a blend of fictional and factual material. [17] He conceives each poem as an essay of existential discovery, an enterprising foray into the discursive wilderness. [17] He maintains that his poetry portrays visually the drift and swirl of the things themselves and the interconnected chiaroscuro of shadowy essence and shimmering everydayness. [17] He bases his work on the belief that reality never fails and that the phenomenal revelatory streaming of its representation in his poetry is authentic. [17] He credits Heidegger, Whitman, Pushkin, Bashō, Cervantes, Montaigne and Ovid as his major influences. [17]
His first book of poems was titled to the fierce guard in the Assyrian Saloon in 1987. [18] His second book of poems was titled Ode to certain interstates and Other Poems. [19] His third book of poems was titled The Bricolage of Kotegaeshi. [20] His fourth book of poems, The Gaian Odes, won the Sinclair Poetry Prize. [21] [22] His fifth book of poems was Two Odes of Quiddity and Nil. [23] His sixth book of poems was Odes to the Ki of the Universe. [24] His seventh book of poems was The Green Force of Spring. [25] His eighth book of poems was Ode to Certain Interstates. [26] His ninth book of poems was Odes to the Ki of the Universe. [27] His first novel was Peculiar Pioneer. [28] He published a book of stories, Hyperzotica. [29] His tenth book of poems was Hope Speaks. [30] His second novel was Love in the Cretaceous. [31]
Robertson's poetry won him the Tor House Robinson Jeffers Prize in 2003, [32] the Elizabeth R. Curry Poetry Prize at Slippery Rock University in 2006, [33] the Sinclair Poetry Prize from Evening Street Press in 2009, [34] and the Atlanta Review's International Merit Award in 2014. [35] He won the Bumbershoot Writers-in-Performance Award in 1993, the Pacifica Award in 1995 and the Literal Latte Award in 1997. [1]