Achievements

Beverly Matherne (English) recently flew to New York City to sign the colophon page of The Artist/L’Artiste, a portfolio edition of poetry by Stanley Kunitz, two-time U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner. The publication features poetry by Kunitz in English, Matherne’s translations of them into French (with Nicole J. M. Kennedy), and lithographs by Bulgarian artist Tchouki. The work, a collector’s item published in honor of Kunitz’s centenary, will sell for $1,500 a copy. 

Matherne also participated in “A Tribute to Stanley Kunitz: Dedicated to 9/11 and Katrina Victims,” held at the Russian Samovar in midtown Manhattan. In honor of Kunitz' Russian heritage, the program was transmitted live to Moscow. At this event, Kunitz’s well-known poem “The Layers” was read in twenty-eight languages. Matherne translated and read the French version. She had worked closely with Kunitz when she translated (with Nicole J. M. Kennedy) his book of poetry, The Salt Kingdom, into French two years ago and received, in conversations with him, definitive meanings of details in the poem. The program was sponsored by Cross-Cultural Communications, a New York press specializing in bilingual editions of poetry in more than 50 languages, and celebrating its 35th anniversary. Matherne was also a featured poet at the event. She read free-verse poetry, prose poetry and blues poetry.