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Reg Saner

レジナルド・A・セイナー

Reginald A. Saner

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1928-12-30 （Jacksonville, Illinois）
Died
2021-04-29 （Boulder, Colorado） age 92
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Jacksonville, Illinois (birth) → Boulder, Colorado (long-term residence)

Career

Occupations
poet, professor, essayist
Active Years
1950-1998
Affiliations
University of Colorado Boulder
Influenced By
Richard Hugo, John Haines, William Matthews, Richard Shelton, Gary Soto, William Stafford, David Wagoner

Education

St. Norbert College
Country: United States
Undergraduate degree (year unspecified)
University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign
Country: United States
Graduate study/continuing education; details unspecified
University of Florence (Fulbright scholar)
Country: Italy
Studied on a Fulbright Scholarship

Awards

Walt Whitman Award
1975
Work: Climbing into the roots: poems
Organization: Associated poetry organization (details unspecified)
Result: winner
National Poetry Series
1981
Work: So This Is the Map
Category: open competition
Organization: National Poetry Series
Result: winner
Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts
1983
Result: winner
Wallace Stegner Award
1998
Result: winner
Boulder (Colorado) Poet Laureate
1999
Organization: City of Boulder
Result: appointed

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Climbing into the roots: poems

1976 Poetry

A collection of poems centered on nature and personal memory. An early major work that led to the Walt Whitman Award.

naturememoryself-exploration

So This Is the Map

1981 Poetry

A collection of poems that depict geographic and interior landscapes. Recognized by the National Poetry Series.

landscapeinterior lifejourney

Essay On Air

1984 Poetry

A poetry collection containing fragmentary, prose-poem-like pieces on air and existence.

existencenatureexploration of language

Red Letters

1981 Poetry

A work containing poems that weave personal and political themes (detailed pagination and summary based on limited available sources).

politicspersonal historydiscourse

The Four-Cornered Falcon: Essays on the Interior West and the Natural Scene

1993 Essays / Non-fiction

An essay collection focusing on the natural landscapes and culture of the American West, centered on regional observation and reflection.

American Westnatural observationculture

Reaching Keet Seel: Ruin's Echo & the Anasazi

1998 Non-fiction

Reflections and travel-essay style writings on Anasazi ruins and sites.

archaeologyruinshistory

The Dawn Collector: On My Way to the Natural World

2005 Essays

A collection of essays chronicling the author's path to the natural world, depicting intersections of nature and personal history.

natureautobiographical elementsobservation

Bibliography

  • Climbing into the roots: poems (1976)
  • So This Is the Map (1981)
  • Red Letters (1981)
  • Essay On Air (1984)
  • The Four-Cornered Falcon: Essays on the Interior West and the Natural Scene (1993)
  • Reaching Keet Seel: Ruin's Echo & the Anasazi (1998)
  • The Dawn Collector: On My Way to the Natural World (2005)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical, imagistic stylemeditative, observation-based description
Recurring Motifs
nature and landscapememory and personal historythe Western interiorruins (Anasazi)

Legacy

Reginald A. Saner was a poet deeply engaged with the landscapes of the American West and taught at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1962 to 1998. He received awards such as the Walt Whitman Award and the National Poetry Series, and was named Boulder’s first poet laureate in 1999. He is highly regarded for his contributions to regional literature and nature writing.

Trivia

  • Served as an infantry platoon leader in the Korean War.
  • Taught at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1962 to 1998.
  • Won the Walt Whitman Award in 1975.
  • Named Boulder’s first poet laureate in 1999.
  • Studied at the University of Florence on a Fulbright Scholarship.