William Procter Matthews III (November 11, 1942 – November 12, 1997) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

and

essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...

Life

Born and raised in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, Matthews attended

Berkshire School Berkshire School is a private, co-ed boarding school for grades 9 through 12 located in Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA. History 1907–1943: Founding and early years Berkshire School (for boys) was established in 1907 at the foot of Mount Ever ...

and later earned a bachelor's degree from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

as well as a master's from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

. In addition to serving as a Writer-in-Residence at Boston's

Emerson College Emerson College is a private college with its main campus in Boston, Massachusetts. It also maintains campuses in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California and Well, Limburg, Netherlands ( Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a ...

, Matthews held various academic positions at institutions including

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

, the University of Washington at Seattle, the

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

, and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...

. He served as president of

Associated Writing Programs The Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) is a nonprofit literary organization that provides support, advocacy, resources, and community to nearly 50,000 writers, 500 college and university creative writing programs, and 125 writers' c ...

and of the

Poetry Society of America The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the society have included such renowned poets as Witter Bynner, Ro ...

. At the time of his death he was a professor of English and director of the creative writing program at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

. A reading series has been named for him at

. His sons are Sebastian Matthews and Bill Matthews.

Awards

During his 27 years as an author, Matthews received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, and the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

. In 1980, Matthews was the poet in residence at

The Frost Place The Frost Place is a museum and nonprofit educational center for poetry located at Robert Frost's former home on Ridge Road in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. ...

Franconia, New Hampshire Franconia is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2020 census. Set in the White Mountains, Franconia is home to the northern half of Franconia Notch State Park. Parts of the White Mountain Natio ...

, and in 1997 he was a recipient of the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.

Works

Matthews published 11 books of poetry, including ''Time & Money'' which won the

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreac ...

finalist. Two posthumous collections have been released: ''Search Party: Collected Poems'' and ''After All: Last Poems''. Frequent subjects in his writing are the early years of professional basketball and historical Jazz figures. Matthews believed that poetry should have subject matter, so as to provide the substance needed for the art to fulfill its function. Parisi, Joseph. 100 Essential Modern Poems,Ivan R. Dee, Chicago, p.255

Bibliography

* ''The Parataxic Mode: Concerning Defoe's Use of Irony in Moll Flanders'' (1966, MA Thesis, UNC) * ''Broken Syllables'' (pamphlet, 1969) * ''Ruining the New Road'' (1970) * ''The Cloud'' (1971) * ''Matthews' Compleat Palmistry'' (1971) * ''Sleek for the Long Flight: New Poems'' (1972) * ''Sticks and Stones'' (1975)
''Rising and Falling''
(1979) * ''Flood'' (1982) * ''Good'' (1983) * ''A Happy Childhood'' (1984) * ''Foreseeable Futures'' (1987) * ''Sleek For the Long Flight'' (1988) * ''Blues if You Want'' (1989) * ''Curiosities (Poets on Poetry)'' (essays, 1989) * ''Selected Poems and Translations, 1969-1991'' (1992) * ''The Mortal City: 100 Epigrams of Martial'' (translator/editor, 1995) * ''Time & Money: New Poems'' (1996) * ''After All: Last Poems'' (1998) * ''The Poetry Blues: Essays and Interviews'' (ed. Stanley Plumley, 2001) * ''The Satires of Horace'' (editor/translator, 2002) *

References

External links