Bill, a poet for nearly six decades, earned his MFA from UMASS in 1974. Initially fascinated by indigenous, Chinese, and Japanese poetry, as well as classic modern poets like Williams, Olson, Creeley, and Levertov, he continues to explore the bounds of poetic form while allowing diverse influences to help shape his work. In the current domestic and geopolitical environment, he takes James Baldwin’s advice especially to heart: “… what you are doing, as a writer, or any kind of artist, what your role is… is to bear witness: to what life is, does, and to speak for people who cannot speak.

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Recorded April 27, 2024 at Holyoke Media