Tess Gallagher will join Madeline Bruessow and Sherrin Frances for their talk on her unpublished poem, “Sitting in the Dark.” The discussion will address the influence that attending Roethke’s last poetry class has had on her work. Gallagher, the author of eleven books of poetry, lives and writes in her hometown of Port Angeles, Washington, and in her cottage in Co. Sligo, Ireland. She is the only American to have been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her poetry from the Fondation of Rome, which she received in 2023. Her most recent poetry collection Is, Is Not, published by Graywolf press, won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award. Gallagher participated in BIRDMAN and SHORT CUTS, films centered on the work of her late husband Raymond Carver’s stories. Her own collection, The Man from Kinvara: Selected Stories, published in 2009, is the basis for film episodes under development. She was privileged to speak and read in celebration of Theodore Roethke at the Bloedel Reserve in September 2024.
This talk is part of the Roethke & ... Virtual Series in which contemporary poets and scholars discuss Roethke's influence on their own work and on other poets, past & present. This series was inspired by presentations given at the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature 2025 Symposium. All events are via Zoom & begin at 7pm EST. Hosted by John Rohrkemper.
This is a pay-as-you-can event. If you are able to, please consider making a donation to support our work keeping the Roethke and Stone Houses maintained and providing year-round access to free poetry programming. The Roethke Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Saginaw, MI, and donations of any size are appreciated.
About the Speakers
Sherrin Frances is a professor of English at Saginaw Valley State University where she teaches rhetoric and writing courses. Her research generally revolves around outsider libraries and the material culture of the book. She is the author of Libraries amid Protest: Books, Organizing, and Global Activism (UMass Press, 2020). She currently serves as the board president for the Friends of Theodore Roethke and the co-chair for the SVSU Roethke Poetry Prize and Festival committee.
Madeline Bruessow content forthicoming.