Walt Curtis (July 4, 1941 – August 25, 2023) was an American poet, novelist, and painter from

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. His autobiographical work, ''

Mala Noche ''Mala Noche'' (also known as ''Bad Night'') is a 1986 American drama film directed by Gus Van Sant in his directorial film debut and based on Walt Curtis' autobiographical novel. The film stars Tim Streeter, Doug Cooeyate, Ray Monge, and Nyla ...

'' (1977), became the basis for

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He has earned acclaim as an independent film, independent auteur. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures. His ...

's 1985 film of the same name. He was the co-founder of the

Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission The Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission (OCHC) is a non-profit organization based in the U.S. state of Oregon. The commission was formed in 1988 in order to discover and commemorate important literary and cultural contributions to Oregon's histor ...

. He hosted the poetry radio show "Talking Earth" at

KBOO KBOO (90.7 MHz) is a non-commercial, listener-supported, community radio station in Portland, Oregon. It airs an eclectic radio format, with a small paid staff and scores of volunteers. The studios are on SE 8th Avenue, in a converted ware ...

from 1971. He wrote about and championed Oregon literary figures such as

Joaquin Miller Cincinnatus Heine Miller ( ; September 8, 1837 – February 17, 1913), better known by his pen name Joaquin Miller ( ), was an American poet, author, and frontiersman. He became known as the "Poet of the Sierras" after the Sierra Nevada, about wh ...

, Hazel Hall,

Frances Fuller Victor Frances Auretta Victor ( Fuller; formerly Barritt; pen names: Florence Fane, Dorothy D.) (May 23, 1826 – November 14, 1902) was an American historian and historical novelist. She has been described as "the first Oregon historian to gain regio ...

, and many others. He also acted in ''Property'' in 1978 and ''Paydirt'' in 1981. Portland Mayor Sam Adams declared July 1–7, 2010 "Walt Curtis Week."Richard Speer "Walt Curtis A poet/painter rises from the ashes" The Willamette Week 6/29/2010 Curtis died on August 25, 2023, at the age of 82.

Books

*Angel Pussy (1970) *The Erotic Flying Machine (1970) *The Sunflower and Other Earth Poems (1975) *The Mad Bombers Notebook (1975) *The Mad Poems, The Unreasonable Ones (1975) *''The Roses of Portland'' (1974, poetry) *''Mala Noche'' (1977) *''Peckerneck Country'' (1978) *Journey Across America (1979) *''Rhymes for Alice Bluelight'' (1984) *''Salmon Song, And Other Wet Poems'' (1995) *''Mala Noche: And Other "Illegal" Adventures'' (1997)

Films

* Penny Allen: Property (1978) * Penny Allen: Paydirt (1981) *

Gus van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He has earned acclaim as an independent film, independent auteur. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures. His ...

: ''

'' (1985) as George *

Bill Plympton Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Award–nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting ...

and Walt Curtis: ''Walt Curtis, The Peckerneck Poet'' (1997) * Sabrina Guitart: Salmon Poet (2009) * Courtney Fathom Sell: An Afternoon with Walt Curtis (2010)

References

* John Trombold and Peter Donahue (eds.): ''Reading Portland: The City in Prose'' (2006).

External links

* * * ''Oregon's Salmon Poet'' PowellsBooks.Blog by Matt Love, September 2, 200

1941 births 2023 deaths 20th-century American novelists Beat Generation people Writers from Portland, Oregon American gay writers American gay artists Poets from Oregon 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 20th-century American poets American male novelists American male poets 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Oregon American LGBTQ poets American LGBTQ novelists 20th-century American male artists Gay poets {{US-novelist-1940s-stub