On Saturday, October 7, 2006
NHWP proudly presented a special
NH Writers' Trail event in Wilmot, NH:
Kearsarge Poetry Festival
featuring the work of
Donald Hall, Jane Kenyon & Maxine Kumin
and a gala Writers' Block Party
celebrating the appointment of
Donald Hall, U.S Poet Laureate
The Kearsarge Poetry Festival and Writers' Block Party got rave reviews from participants, who came from ten states--California, New Mexico, Tennessee, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and, of course, New Hampshire—to enjoy the day's festivities.
In this exciting literary event we celebrated the work of our beloved Kearsarge poets—our new U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall, his late wife Jane Kenyon, and Maxine Kumin, who also has served as U.S. Poet Laureate. The Kearsarge Poetry Festival featured programs and exhibits that writers, readers, individuals, and families enjoyed, including hikes, workshops, roundtables, book signings, and more. A gala Writers’ Block Party topped off the day.
Maxine Kumin signs a book at the Keasarge Poetry Festival. Photo by Randy Brow.
The Festival presented an extraordinary opportunity to hear the poets and explore the landscape that has inspired them. Participants enjoyed guided walks along paths and roads where Jane Kenyon often walked; viewed compelling documentaries about Kenyon, Hall, and Kumin; took poetry workshops; enjoyed readings by regional and visiting poets, met the poets, asked questions, bought books and had them signed. It was a beautiful, inspiring day--a great day to fall in love with poetry!
Authors Joyce Peseroff, Alice Mattison, and Alicia Ostriker discuss the work of the Kearsarge poets with Concord Monitor edtor Mike Pride at the Kearsage Poetry Festival. Photo by Randy Brow.
The Kearsarge region, named for one of the oldest mountains in the state, has figured prominently in the work of Hall, Kenyon, and Kumin. Hall, who lives in a Wilmot farmhouse that belonged to his great-grandfather, has deep ties to the village, the people, and the “Great Blue Mountain.” As he told poet Wesley McNair, “When I got up here to the farm the poems kept coming back and back and back, coming with a vengeance.” Jane Kenyon reveled in the outdoors, gardening “every day, all afternoon, from June to September.” Maxine Kumin, an avid gardener who lives with her husband Victor on a horse farm in central New Hampshire, has said, “Clearly, the impulse for poems is here for me.”
What is it about the Kearsarge region that inspires great writing? View our festival photos throughout our Web site and see for yourself!
A view of Mt. Kearsarge along the Jane Kenyon Walk
at the Kearsarge Poetry Festival. Photo by Margaret Venator.
LewEllyn Hallett and Diane Warning work the registration desk at the Kearsarge Poetry Festival. Photo by Ed Connor.
Festival goers look at the exhibit featuring photos, poems, essays, and articles written by and about Maxine Kumin, Donald Hall, and Jane Kenyon. Photo by Ed Connor.
© 2006
New Hampshire Writers' Project
David Cook leads the Jane Kenyon Walk, a hike along paths and roads that Jane Kenyon and Donald Hall often walked together. Cook created the hike for the Kearsarge Poetry Festival. Photo by Brian Faughnan.
The Jane Kenyon Walk began at Eagle Pond. Photo by Ed Connor.
NHWP member Joe Smiga and hike leader David Cook read from the work of Kenyon and Hall on the Jane Kenyon Walk. Blue Mt. Kearsarge stands behind them. Photo by Brian Faughnan.
Hikers look toward the graveyard of horses. Photo by Caitlin Krause.
Hikers gather for a reading in the graveyard of horses. Naturalist Dave Anderson (photo right, wearing vest) of the Society for the Proetction of New Hampshire Forests, led one of the festival hikes. Photo by Ed Connor.
THANKS TO OUR FESTIVAL COMMUNITY
NHWP extends deepest thanks to the creative and generous community who produced the Kearsarge Poetry Festival and Writers’ Block Party on October 7 in Wilmot. In addition to our funders and in-kind donors, we thank Morgan Hill Bookstore for selling books and donating 20% of the proceeds to NHWP and Sheila Pallay for donating proceeds of sales of her photographs of Eagle Pond.
We especially thank Donald Hall and Maxine Kumin, Dan Allen, David Anderson, David Cook, Natalie Davis, Chard deNiord, Tom Eslick, Patricia Fargnoli, Brian Faughnan, Jeff Friedman, Hope Jordan, Alice Mattison, Alicia Ostriker, Joyce Peseroff, Mike Pride, Liam Rector, Tree Swenson, Dianalee Velie, and Laurie Zimmerman for sharing their time and talent with us.
We especially thank our volunteers for their contributions. Dana Dakin inspired our committee; Laurie Zimmerman made the day’s events shine; Lisa Begin, Peter Hilpl, and Patti Cohen created an elegant party ambiance; Nan Kaplan lined up donor restaurants; Tom Eslick and Bill Wightman set up the sound at two venues and recorded the programs; David Cook created the Jane Kenyon Walk and set up the sound at Wilmot Community Association (WCA); Kate McKibbin facilitated our work at WCA; Barbara Faughnan drew the map; Ethney McMahon and Norbert Lempert videotaped programs; Kimberly Slover, Anne Lang, Julie Machen, Jackie Dunning, Anita Brannen, Debbie Perkins, and Janis Wallace helped us publicize the event; LewEllyn Hallett and Diane Warning worked registration; Sue Wilcox ran videos; Phyllis Bennett, Ernesto Burden, Richard Adams Carey, George Cooper, Ed Connor, George Geers, Phil Ginsburg, Caitlin Krause, Marianne Jones, Carla Marshall, Anne Moodey, Hilary Niles, Pat Novak, MaryEllen Sheehy, Todd Slover, Lynn Solomon, Audrey Sylvester, Margaret Venator, Cathy Vinci Germar, and Nan Vulgamore helped with logistics, photos, videos, programs, or public outreach. NHWP staffers Ellen Grimm and Susan Kennedy worked with exceptional skill and dedication to make this event a great success.
Thanks to you all for your creative ideas, hard work, and dedication to the arts! You are the heart of the New Hampshire Writers' Project.
