Having Everything Right: Essays of Place

by Kim Stafford

This classic book of essays by Kim Stafford-praised as "the calm deliberations of a gracious intelligence" by Barry Lopez-is now available from Sasquatch Books.

Genres: Essays, Poetry, Nonfiction, Writing, Nature

191 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Kim Robert Stafford is an American poet and essayist who lives in Portland, Oregon. Stafford received a B.A. in 1971, an M.A. in English in 1973 and a Ph.D. in medieval literature in 1979 from the University of Oregon. Since 1979, he has taught writing at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. He has also taught courses at Willamette University in Salem, at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, at the Fishtrap Writers Gathering, and private workshops in Oregon and Italy. He is the founding director and artist-in-residence at the Northwest Writing Institute. He is the son of poet William Stafford.

Reviews

[Graychin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having Everything Right is a mixed bag. Perhaps it’s partly my fault. I wanted Stafford to be the Guy Davenport of the Pacific Northwest. He’s not quite that, but he’s good. As an Oregonian who loves the state but was not born here, I ate up his stories, full as they are of local lore and character. Some of these pieces really are fantastic (“A Few Miles Short of Wisdom” and “The Separate Hearth” I especially admired). Some of the others, however, were a little flat, or perhaps I should say too rough. Stafford’s sometimes idiosyncratic prose style was, for me, as often a distraction as a highlight or an added pleasure. But I'll keep this book on my shelf for future reference rather than selling it back second-hand, and I’ll keep an eye out for other Stafford titles in the future.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 30th Anniversary Edition of these fine essays centering on the Northwest. Stafford is a storyteller who draws you into the specifics. I especially liked the Siuslaw River stories and a wonderful piece about a barn and bees.

[John Orman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poet Kim Stafford celebrates the Pacific Northwest in this series of essays about travel adventure in his home territory.

Stafford is quite the stylistic writer, with imagery that highlights the beauty of the area.

"A Few Miles Short of Wisdom" essay describes Stafford's impressions of his visit to Big Hole National Battlefield, a few miles west of Wisdom, MT. It is quite an homage to the Nez Perce people who are not memorialized nearly as much as the US 7th Infantry soldiers.

Much food for thought here in these very introspective essays--not anywhere near a typical collection of travel stories.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in high school. The book had a surprising impact on how I view my surroundings. Appreciation of the present, nature, myself, etc.

I remember having to do a presentation on this book in front of my advanced English class. Mind you, I was a very quiet and shy kid in high school. So what did I do? I volunteered to go first, pretended I was holding a guitar and I sang my book report. I got an A+.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Kwakiutl people of the Northwest coast, each name given to a place was a story, writes Kim Stafford. These are Stafford's stories of place, full of wry memories, lyric language and sharp observations.

[Reuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essays of Portland, the Siuslaw/South Oregon Coast, Wallowas, plus a couple on Kansas and Idaho (where the writer's grandparents are from). Stafford was born in Portland just in the 1940s, so he has an experience of the city just before my time.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of stories about the Pacific Northwest.

[Sarah Alvarado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely so far. This may turn into a 5 star review once I'vinsihed the book.

[Anaïs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical and transporting

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing essays on place. Weavings of etymology in the first few essays that bleed through the rest.

[Kasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Radiolab-esque.

[Misha · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Boppums made me a leather shirt, then sent me somewhere she could never see. Grandmother, mother, daughter--I learn so slow: part of our love must be to teach each other how to live alone." (74)

[Mark]

COCC PS3569 .T23 H38 1997