The Stafford Challenge

Saturday, January 17, 2026 - 10:00am to 5:00pm

At the Lake Oswego Public Library celebrate William Stafford's Birthday and legacy by participating in The Stafford Challenge. Inspired by William Stafford's daily writing practice, local poet and storyteller Brian Rohr created The Stafford Challenge, a commitment to write a poem a day for an entire year. By registering at staffordchallenge.com(link is external) (link is external) you'll join a worldwide community of poets and receive access to monthly Zoom events with accomplished poets, biweekly emails and a supportive Facebook group.

Additionally, visit the library throughout the month of January for a book display celebrating poetry and William Stafford. And don’t forget to visit the new William Stafford reading nook on the second floor, where you’ll find special bookmarks with poetry writing prompts.

Born in Kansas in 1914, William Stafford later moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon and taught English literature at Lewis and Clark College. Stafford published numerous volumes of poetry and prose during his lifetime including Traveling Through the Dark, for which he won the National Book Award in 1963.