2012 First-Class Forever Stamp,20th Century American Poets: William Carlos Williams

U.S. #4656
2013 William Carlos Williams
20th Century American Poet
Issue Date: April 21, 2012
City: Los Angeles, CA
Quantity: 2,000,000
Printed By: Ashton Potter
Printing Method: Offset
Perforations: Die cut 10 ¾ x 11
Color: multicolored
 

In a small-town doctor’s office in Rutherford, New Jersey, a medical doctor scribbles lines of a poem on a prescription pad between patients. William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) took great joy in his work as a doctor, work that gave him the freedom to write whatever poetry he liked, at whatever pace he wanted.

Williams began writing poetry in high school, and decided then he would be both a writer and doctor.   Establishing a successful medical practice in his hometown, Williams had his work published in small magazines, writing poems, novels, essays, and plays.

In his early years, he associated himself with the Imagists, a group of poets who focused on precise imagery and sharp language. By the time his first collection was published, though, he found his views were different from his peers and embarked to create a new style, one that was completely American.

Williams found his inspiration in everyday life, his patients, and his own experiences, all of which were uniquely American. Most important to Williams was to speak to his reader in a way they would understand, on a common level, with everyday words. Later in his career, Williams mentored younger poets and influenced developing styles such as the Beat Movement, the San Francisco Renaissance, the Black Mountain school, and the New York school.