Katherine Anne Porter Remembered

Texas and Maryland, 1974–1981

7 texas and Maryland, 1974–1981 Katherine Anne Porter’s 1976 birthday party in her homeland, described by charlotte Laughlin, was the highlight of her last years. Although Porter talked about writing more books, she knew at some level that none was going to be written . Only The Never-Ending Wrong, an account of the sacco-vanzetti affair and her participation in protests surrounding it, was to be published in 1977, and then only with the help of her assistant, bill Wilkins, who was able to piece together drafts she had begun in 1927. it was also in 1977 that the debilitation that had been building for years accelerated with the onset of severe strokes. most of her longtime, dear friends lived too far away—or were themselves too frail—to visit often. Although rebert Penn Warren, eleanor clark, monroe Wheeler, and isabel bayley came when they could, she depended for the most part on nuns, a priest, and a group of young people, including Jane demouy, Jack Horner, clark dobson, rhea Johnson, and ted Wojtasik, to brighten her days. Lynn darling covered the birthday party held a year after her death that brought together Porter ’s nephew Paul Porter and many friends to celebrate her long life. ...