Degrees of Gray

I was fortunate to hear poet and teacher Richard Hugo read his poems on a Spring evening in 1980.

Richard Hugo discusses and reads Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg from Making Certain It Goes On: The Collected Poems of Richard Hugo.

Hugo was invited to read at Montana State by another favorite poet and teacher Greg Keeler.

“Assuming you can write clear English sentences, give up all worry about communication. If you want to communicate, use the telephone.”
― Richard Hugo, The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing

Richard Hugo’s poems, and his peerless book of lectures and essays on poetry and writing, Triggering Town, have been influential in my approach to coaxing, writing and refining a poem.

Say Your Life Broke Down. The poet, Richard Hugo. Painting by Greg Keeler

“In the world of imagination, all things belong.”
― Richard Hugo, The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing