Ann Stanford
Ann Stanford was an influential American poet and educator, born on November 25, 1916, in La Habra, California. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University in 1938, where her poetry was recognized by noted critic Ivor Winters. Throughout her academic journey, she earned multiple degrees, culminating with a Ph.D. in English from UCLA in 1962. Stanford spent most of her career teaching English and poetry at California State University, Northridge, where she fostered a love for literature until her passing in 1987.
Her poetry is characterized by a strong sense of place, drawing inspiration from California's Mediterranean-like landscape. Critics have noted her adept use of structure, often employing dramatic monologues and classical references, particularly from Greek mythology. Over her career, Stanford published eight collections of poetry and contributed individual poems to esteemed literary magazines. Her work garnered numerous accolades, including several fellowships and prestigious poetry awards, affirming her significant contribution to late twentieth-century poetry. Stanford's legacy continues to resonate within the literary community, highlighting her unique voice and impactful body of work.
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Subject Terms
Ann Stanford
Writer
- Born: November 25, 1916
- Birthplace: La Habra, California
- Died: July 12, 1987
- Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Biography
Ann Stanford was born in La Habra, California, on November 25, 1916, to Bruce and Rose Corrigan Stanford. She attended Stanford University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1938. While still in college, her work was selected by Ivor Winters to appear in the 1937 Twelve Poets of the Pacific. In 1942, Stanford married Ronald White, an architect, and the couple had four children.
Stanford continued her education at the University of California, Los Angeles, earning an M.A. in journalism in 1958, an M.A. in English in 1961, and a Ph.D. in 1962. Her teaching career began immediately; she served as an instructor in journalism in 1958-1959 and ran a poetry workshop in 1961. Beginning in 1962, she taught English at California State University, Northridge, where she remained until her death in 1987.
Living in California her entire life, Stanford drew on her surroundings in her poetry. She noted in an interview that the landscape and climate, reminiscent of the Mediterranean, offered her images she needed for books such as In Mediterranean Air (1977). Critics agree that there is a strong sense of place in her poetry. In addition, critics also note Stanford’s use of structure in her work. Many of her poems are dramatic monologues, told in first-person narrative. She often turns to classical models for her poems, using Greek mythology as the basis for her work.
In addition to her eight books of poetry, Stanford also published Anne Bradstreet: The Worldly Puritan—An Introduction to Her Poetry. Individual poems were published in such prestigious magazines and journals as the Sewanee Review, Yankee, Poetry, the Western Humanities Review, the Hudson Review, The New Yorker, the Southern Review, and The Atlantic Monthly.
Stanford and her work were recognized by many significant honors, beginning with the James D. Phelan fellowship in literature in 1938. She won a Yaddo fellowship in 1957 and 1967. She won Commonwealth Club of California silver medals in poetry in 1958, 1978, and 1986. The University of Redlands awarded her Browning prizes and first place for the manuscript of Magellan: A Poem to Be Read by Several Voices. In addition, she won the Borestone Mountain Poetry Award in 1960, the Shelley Memorial Prize in 1969, the National Institute and American Academy award in literature in 1972, and the Alice Fay di Castagnola Award for Poetry by the Poetry Society of American in 1976. She also received National Endowment for the Arts Grants in 1967 and 1974.
Stanford’s achievements are many; contemporary critics noted her controlled style, and her exquisite work, agreeing that she deserves high ranking among late twentieth century poets.