Judith Kitchen, Nov. 6. Judith was a highly regarded author and critic, beloved teacher and champion of writers. With Stan Sanvel Rubin, the poet and her husband, Judith founded The Rainier Writing Workshop, the low-residency MFA in Creative Writing at Pacific Lutheran University. Judith and Stan co-directed the program for 10 years. Judith was born in 1941 and grew up in Painted Post, a small town in upstate New York. She lived for many years in upstate New York, working with the Poets in the Schools program and as Writer-in-Residence at SUNY College at Brockport. For 20 years, she served as the editor and publisher of the State Street Press Chapbook Series, producing a total of 76 chapbooks and numerous books. Through her editing and publishing, Judith was a tireless advocate of other writers. She edited or co-edited three collections of nonfiction that have become classics in the field: In Short, In Brief and Short Takes, all published by W.W. Norton. She also co-edited, with Ted Kooser, The Poet’s Guide to the Birds. Most recently, Judith started Ovenbird Books, a press dedicated to publishing inventive books of creative nonfiction. As the poetry reviewer for The Georgia Review, a role she had for more than 25 years, Judith became one of the most authoritative critics in the country, known for her discernment and passion for the lyric word. In addition to Judith’s critical writings, she wrote fiction, poetry and the genre in which she was acknowledged as a master, creative nonfiction. She was the author of seven books: Perennials, a book of poetry; Writing the World: Understanding William Stafford; two books of essays, Only the Dance and Distance and Direction; a novel, The House on Eccles Road; and two recent books of nonfiction, Half in Shade and The Circus Train. Judith was the recipient of numerous awards, including a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, two Pushcart Prizes, the Anhinga Prize for poetry, the S. Mariella Gable Award and the Lillian Fairchild Award. In her many years as a mentor of other writers, Judith gained a reputation as an inspiring teacher. In 2003, Judith and Stan moved to Port Townsend and founded The Rainier Writing Workshop. The program was a realization of their dream of creating a community for writers, one that was grounded in innovation, challenge and support. Working with key early stakeholders at PLU—Paul Menzel, Provost; Barbara Temple-Thurston and Doug Oakman, deans of Humanities; and Tom Campbell, English Department Chair—Stan and Judith created one of the earliest low-residency MFA programs in the region, and fostered it into one of the premier programs in the country. The program has a nationally renowned faculty, and over 120 alumni who have published dozens of books and received many awards. Stan and Judith co-directed The Rainier Writing Workshop until the Spring of 2014. Judith’s life generated a brilliant legacy of written works and good work for others. Judith’s death leaves a deep void for her family, friends, other writers and the literary world. All of us at PLU mourn the death of Judith Kitchen, a marvelous writer, critic, teacher and champion of literature.