C. J. Stevens
Encyclopedia
Clysle Julius Stevens (born in Smithfield, Maine
, on December 8, 1927) is a writer. He has published over 30 books (including poetry
, short stories
, non-fiction
, and biography
), been published in hundreds of magazines, and the United States Library of Congress
contains a special collection of his works.
In 1998, the Portland Press Herald
described him as "versatile and charismatic". Stevens has also translated others' works into English from other languages, including Dutch
and Flemish
.
Morning Sentinel
, a Maine newspaper.
As a young man he enlisted in the U.S. Army immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor
. Afterward, he earned a B.S. in 1953 from Connecticut State Teachers College (now known as Central Connecticut State University
).
The United States Library of Congress
contains a special collection of Stevens' works. He has published over 30 books, including poetry
, short stories
, non-fiction
, and biography
. He said he submitted his poems "haphazardly" over the years to publishers, and he has been a contributor to The Nation
, Prairie Schooner, Literary Review
, Modern Age, The Post-Crescent
, and other publications. By 1990, his poems and stories had also been published in 400 magazines, and more than 50 anthologies and texts.
"John Stevens Wade". These were Climbs of Uncertainty (New Athenaeum Press, 1961), Northeast (Hammond Press, 1963), Two from Where it Snows, with John Judson (Northeast Chapbook Series, 1964), Drowning in The Dark (The Group, 1965), Small World (The Group, 1965), Gallery: Drawings by Tom Ricciardi (Poet & Printer, 1969), The Backhouse (Funch Press, 1971), The Cats in the Colosseum (Crossing Press, 1972, ISBN 0912278234), Well Water and Daisies (Northeast/Juniper Books, 1974, ISBN 155780012X), Each to His Own Ground (Juniper Press, 1976, ISBN 1557800537), Some of My Best Friends Are Trees (Sparrow Press, 1978) Homecoming (Icarus Press, 1979), and Up North (Juniper Press, 1980, ISBN 1557800618) He then began publishing under the name "C.J. Stevens", and produced The Uncertain Cartographer: selected poems of CJ Stevens (Oracle Press, 1981), Borderland Traveller: Poems, (Oracle Press, 1985, ISBN 0881270385), Beginnings and Other Poems (J. Wade, 1989, ISBN 0962393436), Circling at the Chain's Length (J. Wade, 1991, ISBN 0962393444), Hang-Ups: poems (J. Wade, 1993, ISBN 1882425014), Selected Poems (J. Wade, 1995, ISBN 1882425049), Shepherd without Sheep (John Wade, 2001, ISBN 1882425154), and Collected Poems (John Wade, 2002, ISBN 1882425197).
His poetry has also appeared in the works of other people. For example, his poetry appeared, under the name John Stevens Wade, in 28 Poems (Sumac Press, 1966), Flowering after Frost: the anthology of contemporary New England poetry (Michael McMahon (editor), Branden Books, 1975, ISBN 0828315477), Talking animals (Charley Davey (editor), Juniper Press, 1978), and So many heads, so many wits (Janet Sobieski, Wolfgang Mieder (editors), Dept. of German and Russian, University of Vermont
, 2005, ISBN 0977073106). His poetry also appeared under "C. J. Stevens" in The Art of Bicycling: A Treasury of Poems (Justin Daniel Belmont (editor), Breakaway Books, 2005, ISBN 1891369563).
Stevens and his wife began prospecting
in about 1970, and found gold in more than 30 rivers. When his book The Next Bend in the River: Gold Mining in Maine (John Wade, 1989, ISBN 0962393401) about discovering gold in Maine was published, many readers were amazed to learn that gold nugget
s can be found by panning
certain rivers. He also wrote the related book, Memoirs of a Maine Gold Hunter (John Wade, 2005, ISBN 1882425227), about panning for gold and searching for treasure. He has written additional non-fiction that includes One Day with a Goat Herd (J. Wade, 1992, ISBN 0962393460), about goat herding, Maine Mining Adventures (John Wade, 1994, ISBN 1882425030), and The Buried Treasures of Maine (J. Wade, 1997, ISBN 188242509X),
In addition, he wrote The Supernatural Side of Maine (John Wade Pub, 2002, ISBN 1882425162). In it, he explores out-of-body experience
s, witches, haunted house
s, alien abductions, and people from Maine who faced the supernatural. in 2002. He is writing a combination of biography and novel.
who became a nationally acclaimed artist.
, an Annapolis landmark. Stevens lived overseas for five years, two of those in the Netherlands, moving approximately every six months to countries including Ireland, England, Portugal, and Malta
.
He interest in images led him to become a poet and a writer. It also led to a second career in painting, and along with his writing, he is working on a photographer's portfolio. His biographies and other non-fiction are unusual, in that in all cases he has had access to either the subject or to someone intimate with the subject–a wife, friend, lover, or mother.
In addition, Stevens has lectured extensively. He has lived in Phillips, Maine
, in Weld, Maine
, in Temple, Maine
, and in South Carolina with his Dutch wife S.R. (née Taschlisky) Stevens, whom he married on June 13, 1954.
Smithfield, Maine
Smithfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 930 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated on February 29, 1840 making it the only town in Maine incorporated on Leap Day. The town was named after the Rev...
, on December 8, 1927) is a writer. He has published over 30 books (including poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
, and biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
), been published in hundreds of magazines, and the United States Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
contains a special collection of his works.
In 1998, the Portland Press Herald
Portland Press Herald
The Portland Press Herald publish daily newspapers in Portland, Maine, USA...
described him as "versatile and charismatic". Stevens has also translated others' works into English from other languages, including Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and Flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
.
Early life
Stevens is the son of Earl Wade and Leonora May (Witham) Stevens. He had his first poem published at age 13 in the WatervilleWaterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
Morning Sentinel
Morning Sentinel
The Morning Sentinel is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Waterville, Maine, USA. From 1998 to 2009, it was owned by Blethen Maine Newspapers, a subsidiary of The Seattle Times Company. It was then sold to MaineToday Media. The newspaper covers cities and towns in parts of Kennebec...
, a Maine newspaper.
As a young man he enlisted in the U.S. Army immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. Afterward, he earned a B.S. in 1953 from Connecticut State Teachers College (now known as Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States.The school was moved to its present campus in 1922...
).
Writing career
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
contains a special collection of Stevens' works. He has published over 30 books, including poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, short stories
Short Stories
Short Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
, non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
, and biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
. He said he submitted his poems "haphazardly" over the years to publishers, and he has been a contributor to The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Prairie Schooner, Literary Review
Literary Review
Literary Review is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at Edinburgh University. Its offices are currently on Lexington Street in Soho, London, and it has a circulation of 44,750. Britain's principal literary monthly, the magazine was...
, Modern Age, The Post-Crescent
The Post-Crescent
The Post-Crescent is a daily newspaper based in Appleton, Wisconsin. Part of the Gannett chain of newspapers, it is primarily distributed in numerous counties surrounding the Appleton area.-History:...
, and other publications. By 1990, his poems and stories had also been published in 400 magazines, and more than 50 anthologies and texts.
Poetry
Stevens has written nearly 20 books of poetry. His first book of published poetry, and his only book published under the name "Clysle Stevens", was Loose Stones: First Poems, published by Hitchcock Press in 1954. He published his next 13 books of poetry under the pen namePen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
"John Stevens Wade". These were Climbs of Uncertainty (New Athenaeum Press, 1961), Northeast (Hammond Press, 1963), Two from Where it Snows, with John Judson (Northeast Chapbook Series, 1964), Drowning in The Dark (The Group, 1965), Small World (The Group, 1965), Gallery: Drawings by Tom Ricciardi (Poet & Printer, 1969), The Backhouse (Funch Press, 1971), The Cats in the Colosseum (Crossing Press, 1972, ISBN 0912278234), Well Water and Daisies (Northeast/Juniper Books, 1974, ISBN 155780012X), Each to His Own Ground (Juniper Press, 1976, ISBN 1557800537), Some of My Best Friends Are Trees (Sparrow Press, 1978) Homecoming (Icarus Press, 1979), and Up North (Juniper Press, 1980, ISBN 1557800618) He then began publishing under the name "C.J. Stevens", and produced The Uncertain Cartographer: selected poems of CJ Stevens (Oracle Press, 1981), Borderland Traveller: Poems, (Oracle Press, 1985, ISBN 0881270385), Beginnings and Other Poems (J. Wade, 1989, ISBN 0962393436), Circling at the Chain's Length (J. Wade, 1991, ISBN 0962393444), Hang-Ups: poems (J. Wade, 1993, ISBN 1882425014), Selected Poems (J. Wade, 1995, ISBN 1882425049), Shepherd without Sheep (John Wade, 2001, ISBN 1882425154), and Collected Poems (John Wade, 2002, ISBN 1882425197).
His poetry has also appeared in the works of other people. For example, his poetry appeared, under the name John Stevens Wade, in 28 Poems (Sumac Press, 1966), Flowering after Frost: the anthology of contemporary New England poetry (Michael McMahon (editor), Branden Books, 1975, ISBN 0828315477), Talking animals (Charley Davey (editor), Juniper Press, 1978), and So many heads, so many wits (Janet Sobieski, Wolfgang Mieder (editors), Dept. of German and Russian, University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
, 2005, ISBN 0977073106). His poetry also appeared under "C. J. Stevens" in The Art of Bicycling: A Treasury of Poems (Justin Daniel Belmont (editor), Breakaway Books, 2005, ISBN 1891369563).
Short stories
Stevens has written two collections of short stories, both under the name C. J. Stevens. They are The Folks from Greeley's Mill and other Maine Stories ( J. Wade, 1992, ISBN 0962393487), and Confessions: New and Selected Stories (John Wade, 1998, ISBN 1882425103).Non-fiction
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
in about 1970, and found gold in more than 30 rivers. When his book The Next Bend in the River: Gold Mining in Maine (John Wade, 1989, ISBN 0962393401) about discovering gold in Maine was published, many readers were amazed to learn that gold nugget
Gold nugget
A gold nugget is a naturally occurring piece of native gold. Watercourses often concentrate and grow the nuggets. Nuggets are recovered by placer mining, but they are also found in residual deposits where the gold-bearing veins or lodes are weathered...
s can be found by panning
Gold panning
Gold panning, or simply panning, is a form of placer mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts because of its cheap cost and the relatively simple and easy process involved. It is the...
certain rivers. He also wrote the related book, Memoirs of a Maine Gold Hunter (John Wade, 2005, ISBN 1882425227), about panning for gold and searching for treasure. He has written additional non-fiction that includes One Day with a Goat Herd (J. Wade, 1992, ISBN 0962393460), about goat herding, Maine Mining Adventures (John Wade, 1994, ISBN 1882425030), and The Buried Treasures of Maine (J. Wade, 1997, ISBN 188242509X),
In addition, he wrote The Supernatural Side of Maine (John Wade Pub, 2002, ISBN 1882425162). In it, he explores out-of-body experience
Out-of-body experience
An out-of-body experience is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body ....
s, witches, haunted house
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
s, alien abductions, and people from Maine who faced the supernatural. in 2002. He is writing a combination of biography and novel.
Biographies
Stevens wrote a series of biographies starting in the late 1980s. These included Lawrence at Tregerthen (D. H. Lawrence) (Whitston Pub. Co., 1988, ISBN 0878753486), The Cornish Nightmare (D. H. Lawrence in Cornwall) (Whitston Pub. Co., 1996, ISBN 0878753486), about D.H. Lawrence and the war years, Storyteller: A Life of Erskine Caldwell (John Wade, 2000, ISBN 1882425111), and The Miracle of Bryan Pearce (John Wade, 2004, ISBN 1882425200), about a brain-damaged boy named Bryan PearceBryan Pearce
Walter Bryan Pearce was a British painter. He was recognised as one of the UK's leading naïve artists.-Early life:...
who became a nationally acclaimed artist.
Translations
Stevens has also had a career as a translator, translating a number of books to English from Dutch and Flemish. Under the name John Stevens Wade he translated Terrena Troubahi, by Paul De Vree (Ganglia Press) in 1960, Poems from the Lowlands (Small Pond) from the Dutch and Flemish in 1967, Thirty-One New Poets (Schreiber (editor), Hill & Wang Pub, 1968, ISBN 0809000903), Waterland: A Gathering from Holland (Holmgangers Press, 1977, translator from the Dutch), and From the Flemish of Gaston Burssens (Arts End Books, 1982, ISBN 0933292112) Subsequently, translating under the name C. J. Stevens, he translated One Score-And-Two Years of Uncommon Fanfare (John Edward Westburg (editor), Westburg Asso Pub, 1986, ISBN 0874230403), and collected and translated Poems from Holland and Belgium (John Wade, 1999, ISBN 1882425138).Career outside writing
Over his lifetime, Stevens has had many jobs: as a farmer, deliveryman, selectman, and assistant manager at Carvel HallPaca House and Garden
The William Paca House is an 18th century Georgian mansion in Annapolis, Maryland, United States. William Paca was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence and a three-term Governor of Maryland. The house was built between 1763 and 1765 and its architecture was largely designed by Paca himself...
, an Annapolis landmark. Stevens lived overseas for five years, two of those in the Netherlands, moving approximately every six months to countries including Ireland, England, Portugal, and Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
He interest in images led him to become a poet and a writer. It also led to a second career in painting, and along with his writing, he is working on a photographer's portfolio. His biographies and other non-fiction are unusual, in that in all cases he has had access to either the subject or to someone intimate with the subject–a wife, friend, lover, or mother.
In addition, Stevens has lectured extensively. He has lived in Phillips, Maine
Phillips, Maine
Phillips is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 990 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad, a heritage railroad.-History:...
, in Weld, Maine
Weld, Maine
Weld is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 402 at the 2000 census. Set beside Webb Lake and almost surrounded by mountains, Weld is noted for its scenic beauty. It is home to Mount Blue State Park and Camp Kawanhee for Boys....
, in Temple, Maine
Temple, Maine
Temple is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The town was named after Temple, New Hampshire. It is located at the end of Maine State Route 43 , and is said to be one of only two towns in Maine to be situated at the end of a public highway...
, and in South Carolina with his Dutch wife S.R. (née Taschlisky) Stevens, whom he married on June 13, 1954.