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neck of the woods | prof ile

colleagues. And there were about 20 Asians. We were Japanese, was very much into jazz also. He had even seen the great Charlie Parker in
Chinese, and Filipino. Several of my friends were the local indigenous Detroit. So, Phil invited me to his home to dig jazz.
people. Other classmates identified themselves as Armenian, Basque, Now when I bopped over in my hip West Fresno wheels, there was a very
German, Italian, Slavic—instead of generic “American.” To interact drab nondescript car—a Falcon, I believe, in the driveway. Humm, I thought.
on a daily basis with so many peoples, cultures, and histories was But his wife Fran, was a very vivacious and sophisticated dancer. Their modest
constantly enriching. The atmosphere of Edison High was electric. It home was like an art gallery and a bookstore. They had a record collection
provided me with a sense of empowerment and vision. By the time I graduated that included jazz, certainly, but strange stuff like Bartok and Stravinsky. We
I was immersed in the music of Charlie Parker and Lester Young. dug jazz for hours. I invited him over to my house too. I was so impressed by
his way of life that I decided to follow in his footsteps. And when he arranged
for me to attend the famed Iowa Writer’s Workshop, where he had been, I was
WHAT WAS YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE LIKE? on my way.
LAWSON: I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. People said, “Well, maybe
you ought to become a lawyer, or you should do this or that.” You know how
it goes. But I had encouragement all through high school in my writing.
So, I thought, “Well, maybe I’ll become an English major,” which I didn’t HOW HAS POETRY CHANGED?
know what it would lead to. I started at Fresno State. My sophomore year I LAWSON: In the summer of 1967 John Coltrane died, and that made a big
transferred to UC Berkeley because my dad had gone there. That was a big impact on me because I was really tied into his musical career. Then the jazz
deal! As I remember, the tuition was $16 a semester. [Laughter] It’s hard to clubs started closing and the jazz scene started fading away. But jazz didn’t die,
believe now, it sounds ridiculous. it went international and into college programs. Now there are hundreds of
schools worldwide that teach jazz.
At Berkeley, I discov-
ered the San Francisco With poetry it’s the same thing. When I studied in Iowa it was the only school
jazz clubs. Jeez, what a in the U.S. which offered an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in writing. Now, there
world! I could zip over on are several master’s writing programs in Oregon alone. There are thousands of
a train and rub shoulders poets, and they’re sharing their work on the Internet. Rap has reignited poetry.
with Miles Davis or John Poetry is exploding worldwide.
Coltrane. One spring
night in 1957, I was trans-
formed by the powerful
presence of Billie Holiday. WHAT DID YOU TEACH AT SOU?
She even shook my hand, LAWSON: I taught English literature and writing for 40 years at Southern
said my name and before I knew it, I was out on a fire escape in Berkeley Oregon. When I began teaching in 1966, the students were really interested
overlooking lights on the Bay. I just sat there, scribbling in a notebook as in topics like Cesar Chavez, American Indians, civil rights, the blues, martial
newly awakened memories and feelings came pouring out of me. I blame arts, and Buddhism. They wanted me to teach a class in multicultural
Billie Holiday, she caused me to begin pursuing the path of poetry. literature. “Wow, okay kids, that’s right up my alley.” Even though I could
teach Shakespeare, I started teaching multicultural literature. I also taught
composition, creative writing, and poetry.
WAS THERE A CRITICAL EVENT OR PERSON IN YOUR LIFE
THAT CHANGED YOUR TRAJECTORY?
LAWSON: Well, HOW DO YOU APPROACH TEACHING WRITING?
as luck would have LAWSON: I teach my students about literature, but I encourage them to
it, Cal put me on bring out their own ideas. In a writing class at Fresno State in 1958, the teacher
academic probation encouraged us to write about what we knew. Students would write about the
for learning too much fog, or their brother in the service, or various jobs, or picking fruit. It was
off-campus. So, I really wonderful. I’ve always tried to teach that same way. Teaching writing is
returned to Fresno like being a band leader or an orchestra conductor.
to live under my
mother’s disciplined
eye. Then along came
a new teacher, Philip YOU WERE OREGON’S POET LAUREATE FOR MANY YEARS.
Levine, who took me WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING A POET LAUREATE?
under his wing and LAWSON: That was a big deal. The Oregon Arts Commission and the
wised me to the ways of writing poetry from classic to modern. It took effort, Commission for the Humanities changed the poet laureate into a working
but poetry became my instrument. Phil would go on to eventually be awarded position. I drove all over the state to beat the drum for poetry and see what
a Pulitzer Prize, but at the time he was a young professor who it turned out I could bring out of people. I’d go to libraries and schools and I might share

46 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | spring 2021