Gary Snyder, the Pulitzer prize-winning poet and essayist whose work is deeply-rooted in the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, is coming to Corvallis next Friday, Oct. 26. He will speak and read poetry at the Whiteside Theatre.
Gary Snyder’s work has influenced many of the most dramatic literary and cultural movements of the past fifty years. A long-time Buddhist practitioner, avid outdoorsman, and environmental thinker, Snyder has worked to articulate the relationship of humans to the whole of nature. He has been instrumental in inspiring the ideas of the Reinhabitation Movement, and was an early presence and inspiration for the Beat movement. Jack Kerouac’s novel, Dharma Bums, was based on his encounters with Snyder.
Gary Snyder has published 16 books of poetry and prose, including Danger on Peaks, No Nature: New and Selected Poems, which was a finalist for the National Book Award; Axe Handles, for which he received an American Book Award; and Turtle Island, which won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
Of Snyder’s accomplishments, critic Leon Borensztein has written, “While Snyder has gained attention as a spokesman for the preservation of the natural world and its earth-conscious cultures, he is not simply a “back-to-nature” poet with a facile message. Kenneth Rexroth observed that although Snyder proposes “a new ethic, a new esthetic, [and] a new life style,” he is also “an accomplished technician who has learned from the poetry of several languages and who has developed a sure and flexible style capable of handling any material he wishes.”
In advance of his visit, the Spring Creek Project (School of History, Philosophy, and Religion) will screen a documentary film about Snyder’s work: “The Etiquette of Freedom: Gary Snyder, Jim Harrison, and The Practice of the Wild” on Wednesday, October 17, 7 p.m at LaSells Stewart Center, C&E Auditorium, OSU. The documentary screening is free and open to all.
Mr. Snyder’s visit is part of the Long-Term Ecological Reflections program, co-sponsored by the Spring Creek Project and the U.S. Forest Service. The Visiting Writers Series is supported by the OSU Department of English, the Valley Library, the Office of the Provost, the College of Liberal Arts, Kathy Brisker, Tim Steele and Grassroots Books & Music.
An Evening with Gary Snyder
Friday, October 26, 7:30 p.m.
Whiteside Theatre, 361 SW Madison St., Corvallis
Free tickets are available on-line, or at the door. Advance registration is recommended; reserve your free tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/278853.
By Nathaniel Brodie
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