About Robert Francis
Robert Francis (August 12, 1901 – July 13, 1987) was an American poet who resided for most of his life in Amherst, Massachusetts. His poem from 1953, The Pitcher, is considered a classic among coaches, athletes, baseball players—and notably pitchers and artists. It illustrates effectively that any physical action is not solely a response to the environment, but also a form of interactive communication with all its components, including individuals. His foremost poetic mentor was Robert Frost, and indeed, Francis's first collection of poems, Stand Here With Me (1936), reflects a poetic voice akin to Frost's in its intricately crafted nature poetry. However, his second poetry collection, Valhalla and Other Poems, received the Shelley Memorial Award in 1939. Frost once remarked: poetry is the only acceptable way to say one thing and mean another.Francis's literary output during the 1940s and 1950s was quite limited. He remarked that for better or worse, I was a poet and there was really nothing else for me to do but go on being a poet. It was too late to change even if I had wanted to. Poetry was my most central, intense and inwardly rewarding experience. In 1960, he published The Orb Weaver, which restored his reputation as a poet. Francis was the recipient of the Shelley Memorial Award in 1939. In 1984, the Academy of American Poets bestowed upon Francis its award for distinguished poetic achievement.
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