Kim Stafford

Kim Robert Stafford (born October 15, 1949) is an American poet and essayist who lives in Portland, Oregon.

Early life and education
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Stafford is the son of poet William Stafford. He earned a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts in English, and Ph.D. in medieval literature from the University of Oregon.

Career
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 Scotland, Italy, and Bhutan.

In July 2018, he was appointed the 9th Oregon Poet Laureate by Governor Kate Brown. He served in the role until 2020.

He is the founding director of the Northwest Writing Institute and is the literary executor of the Estate of William Stafford.

He was also a contributor to the Multnomah County project When You Were 15, in which "adults from our community share their stories about how an adult made a difference to them when they were fifteen. Several stories from today’s young people prove that they, too, need caring adults. These real life stories show how even a small act of encouragement can make a big difference in a teen’s life."

His work is featured at the Orenco Station on the Rings of Memory Plaza and the Witness Tree Rest.