Stan Rice facts for kids

Stanley Travis Rice Jr. (born November 7, 1942 – died December 9, 2002) was an American poet and artist. He was also known as the husband of famous author Anne Rice.

About Stan Rice

Stan Rice was born in Dallas, Texas, in 1942. He met his future wife, Anne Rice, when they were in high school. They both went to North Texas State University for a short time. Then, they got married in 1961. In 1962, they moved to San Francisco. There, they both studied at San Francisco State University and earned their college degrees.

Stan Rice became a professor at San Francisco State University. He taught English and Creative Writing. In 1977, he won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for his book Whiteboy. This award came from the Academy of American Poets. He also received the Joseph Henry Jackson Award. Plus, he got a writing fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Stan Rice worked for 22 years as the head of the Creative Writing program. He was also the Assistant Director of the Poetry Center. He retired in 1989.

Stan and Anne Rice had a daughter named Michele. Sadly, she passed away at age six in 1972 from leukemia. This sad event inspired Stan Rice to become a published author. His first book of poems, Some Lamb, was about his daughter's illness and death. It was published in 1975. He encouraged his wife, Anne, to focus on her writing full-time. Later, they both encouraged their son, Christopher Rice, to become a writer too.

The Brevard-Rice House in New Orleans, purchased by Stan and Anne Rice in 1989.

In 1988, Stan, Anne, and their son moved to the Garden District, New Orleans. There, Stan opened the Stan Rice Gallery to show his art. In 1989, they bought a historic house. It was called the Brevard-Rice House, built in 1857.

Stan Rice's paintings are displayed in important art museums. These include the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art. He also had his own art show at the James W. Palmer Gallery. This gallery is at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. In 2005, an exhibition of his paintings was held at Southeastern Louisiana University. There are also plans to show his paintings in Mexico.

Anne Rice once said about Stan: "He's a model to me of a man who doesn't look to heaven or hell to justify his feelings about life itself. His capacity for action is admirable. Very early on he said to me, 'What more could you ask for than life itself'?"

Deborah Garrison was Stan Rice's editor for his 2002 book, Red to the Rind. This book was dedicated to his son, Christopher. Stan was very proud of Christopher's success as a writer. Deborah Garrison said that Stan "really attempted to kind of stare down the world, and I admire that."

Victoria Wilson worked with Stan Rice on his 1997 book, Paintings. She was impressed that he chose not to sell his artworks. She said, "The great thing about Stan is that he refused to play the game as a painter, and he refused to play the game as a poet."

Personal Life

Stan Rice was an atheist.

Death

Stan Rice passed away from brain cancer at age 60. This was on December 9, 2002, in New Orleans. He was survived by his wife, Anne Rice, and his son, Christopher Rice. He was also survived by his mother, Margaret, his brother, Larry, and his two sisters, Nancy and Thia.

Stan Rice is buried in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans.

Poetry Collections

• Some Lamb (1975)
• Whiteboy (1976) (This book won the Edgar Allan Poe Award)
• Body of Work (1983)
• Singing Yet: New and Selected Poems (1992)
• Fear Itself (1997)
• The Radiance of Pigs (1999)
• Red to the Rind (2002)
• False Prophet (2003) (Published after his death)

Poetry Videos

You can find videos of Stan Rice reading his poems on YouTube. One set of recordings is from 1973 at San Francisco State University. Another set is from 1996, filmed at his home in New Orleans.

Other Books

• Paintings (1997)