Friday, August 24, 2007

Grace Paley, 1922-2007


Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrations and revolutionists. --Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Grace Paley, poet/story writer and a self-avowed "combative pacifist," passed away Wednesday at her home in Thetford Hill, VT. She was 84.
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The literary world has lost a giant; I remember Ms. Paley when she was writer-in-residence during my time at Goddard College. She was a writer who seemed deeply interested in helping beginning writers. Although her residence at Goddard was only for a few days, she made a point of getting to know the names of all the MFA students.
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Meeting Grace Paley was one of the high points of my professional career.
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2 comments:

Nomi said...

The last time I went to the Bread and Puppet Domestic Resurrection Circus, I saw Grace Paley with children (I imagined to be her grandkids), and nervously approached her.

I thanked her for her poetry, stories and her activism. And we might have hugged; it felt that way. She conveyed great kindness...

If all writers held to her principles, there might be no www.foetry.com !!

Bugzita said...

I edited the announcement and reposted a snippet of Spam Lit from my 8/23 post because it seemed especially fitting.

Best, Bugz