Robert Roripaugh, Wyoming
Robert
Roripaugh grew up in California, West Texas, and Wyoming, where he has
lived since 1949, with the exception of intervals spent in the Southwest
and Japan. Between periods of study and teaching, Roripaugh ranched with
his parents in the foothills along Wyoming's Wind River Mountains. For
35 years he taught creative writing and western American literature at
the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Roripaugh's numerous published works
include two volumes of poetry, The Ranch and Learn to Love the
Haze, as well as two novels, A Fever for Living and Honor
Thy Father. His poetry and short stories have appeared in Atlantic
Monthly, Descant, Epos, Fiction, Paintbrush, Rocky Mountain
Review, South Dakota Review, and West Coast Poetry Review,
among other others.
Appontment: Appointed in 1995
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The roles, responsibilities and challenges are varied and to a large
extent reflect the interests and capabilities of the poet laureate. So
far our laureates have been involved in various forms of teaching poetry
and the writing of poetry; being spokespersons for the arts in general
and literature, especially poetry, in particular, as well as advocates
for freedom of expression; and supporting the organizations, publishers
and booksellers, libraries, schools and colleges, and groups that strengthen
the reading and writing of literature in the state. My own specific interests,
beyond this, have been to illustrate through readings and presentations
to varied audiences the literary history of poetry in the state and the
accomplishments of our poets over time, to raise money and help support
the Owen Wister Review as Wyoming's only nationally known literary
magazine, and to continue to write as well as I can poetry which reflects
the life, people, and natural and human environment of our state and region.
There are challenges in the roles and responsibilities taken on or accepted
by any poet laureate. While writing is essentially a private endeavor,
serving as a poet laureate is a very public one. But the values from having
state poet laureates seem to me to strongly outweigh the difficulties
and varied duties they find themselves facing.
— Robert Roripaugh
© 2003 Poetry & Politics. All Rights Reserved.
