S E A RC H I N G F O R WO R D S :
A C R E AT I V E A D J U S T M E N T TO L I F E A F T E R C O V I D
Two years ago, there was cause for celebration in the world of poet Rebecca Hazelton Stafford, also an associate professor of English at North Central. The New York Times Book Review included her book of poetry, “Gloss,” in its New and Notable column among other newly published poetry collections. The Feb. 26, 2019 excerpt said:
GLOSS by Rebecca Hazelton. (University of Wisconsin, paper, $14.95.) Hazelton’s poems cast a teasing light over the surface sheen of social norms, the playacting in every relationship: “Let’s pretend to be with other people,” one ends, “until we’re with other people.” But beneath their own witty surfaces, the poems also brim with loss and serious moral inquiry.
1 2 NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE northcentralcollege.edu
It was the latest in a growing list of accolades for Stafford. Her poems have been widely published in literary journals and national magazines, such as Poetry, The New Yorker, The Nation and Boston Review. Her work can be found in the Pushcart Prize anthology and Best American Poetry.
This year, moments of celebration take different forms in Stafford’s life: the victory of a short walk down the block, the energy of her students discussing her reading assignments, and the realization that new forms of creativity are in her future. Stafford’s life has changed drastically in the past year as she recovers from a bout with COVID-19 in April 2020. In the new language of the pandemic, she’s considered a “long-hauler,” characterized by lingering symptoms and the need for continued medical care.
