Bloedel honors poet who died there

By Staff report • October 2, 2024 1:30 am
Bloedel courtesy photo Bainbridge Island poet laureate Michele Bombardier welcomes guests to a poetry reading at the Bloedel Reserve honoring renowned poet Theodore Roethke, who died there in 1963.
Bloedel courtesy photo Bainbridge Island poet laureate Michele Bombardier welcomes guests to a poetry reading at the Bloedel Reserve honoring renowned poet Theodore Roethke, who died there in 1963.

A good-sized crowd attended an afternoon of poetry in commemoration of renowned Northwest poet Theodore Roethke and his connection to Bloedel Reserve Sept. 28.

The commemoration continued Sept. 29 at the Bainbridge Public Library as Island Theatre presented a play reading of First Class, by late poet and Roethke student David Wagoner, that recreates one of Roethke’s legendary University of Washington poetry workshops.

Roethke is recognized as one of the greatest American poets of the 20th century. Roethke died while swimming in the pool (now the rock garden) at the Bloedel Reserve during a 1963 visit with Prentice and Virginia Bloedel and is an important part of Pacific Northwest history; the site is visited by poets and writers from all over the world.

Roethke, who won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, produced a body of work and a teaching legacy that continues to influence poets today. His students include Tess Gallagher, Wagoner, Richard Hugo, Carolyn Kizer, Jack Gilbert and other luminary poets.

Gallagher, possibly Roethke’s only still-living student, is a widely published and esteemed poet with numerous awards for her work, including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Maxine Cushing Gray Foundation Award.

Island Theatre courtesy photo Island Theatre actor Steve Stolee recreates Theodore Roethke in one of his legendary University of Washington poetry workshops.

Island Theatre courtesy photo Island Theatre actor Steve Stolee recreates Theodore Roethke in one of his legendary University of Washington poetry workshops.