William Stafford (1914-1993) was one of the most prolific and important American poets of the last half of the twentieth century. Among his many credentials, Stafford served as consultant in poetry at the Library of Congress, and received the National Book Award for his poetry collection Traveling through the Dark (1963). During his lifetime, Stafford wrote over sixty books of poetry that still resonate with both scholars and general readers. Stafford's perspectives on peace, the environment, and education serve as some of the most articulate and engaging dialogues by a modern American writer about three of the most important issues of the second half of the twentieth century with lasting impacts on future generations. Howard Zinn, one America's most iconic modern historians, was keenly aware of Stafford's insight into modern American culture. Zinn claimed, "William Stafford's prose and poetry, wise and eloquent, speak directly to the violence of our time, and to our hope for a different world" (from cover of Every War Has Two Losers). Source