Poets and Politicians
New Hampshire is a small state, yet one which, because of its unique first-in-the-nation primary status, annually hosts major national political figures who speak and entertain in the public places of small towns, effectively initiating the national "discussion" in one of the most traditionally grassroots regions of the country. At the same time, in the words of poet and critic Dana Gioia, "at the beginning of the twenty-first century, a broad and diverse coalition of Americans has created a public space for poetry." Both poetic and political modes of discourse can express and elicit emotions that resonate long after the speaker has left the podium. Ideally, both poet and politician seek to observe and interpret experience in order to persuade. This panel will explore the connections between poetry and politics in order to "re-vision" both worlds and perhaps even transform preconceived notions about how the two actually meet in the public sphere. Conversation will revolve around issues of vision, perceived meaning, the eloquence of brevity, the passionate pursuit of truth, and the persuasiveness of language. The Granite State gave our nation a great writer, orator and statesman in Daniel Webster. This panel will challenge participants to acknowledge the primal and passionate power of poetry and political rhetoric.
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the panelists
• Kevin Landrigan has been the political reporter at the statehouse for the Nashua Telegraph since 1988. He's covered every presidential primary in New Hampshire since 1980 for newspapers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He also wrote for eight years about the Massachusetts Legislature and two Democratic governors for the Lowell Sun. He authors a weekly political column for The Sunday Telegraph and the Keene Sentinel.
• Shaun Griffin
• Christine Hamm is a writer and political activist. Her feature articles, primarily on arts and entertainment, appeared in the Concord Monitor (NH) for more than a decade. She has also co-authored two editions of a popular, comprehensive guidebook to the Granite State, and is currently teaching an adult learning course on New Hampshire's literary heritage. In January, she began her first term in NH Legislature, where she serves on the Ways and Means Committee.
• J. Bonnie Newman, the former senior aide to President George Bush and senior public affairs and government relations consultant, is the executive dean at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She received her BA in Social Science from St. Joseph's College and a M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Pennsylvania State University, as well as honorary degrees from Rivier College, Keene State College, Notre Dame College and St. Joseph's College. From 1989 to 1991 she served as Assistant to the President for Management and Administration, where she oversaw all administrative operations for the White House and Executive Office of the President during the transition and administration of George Bush. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan nominated Newman as assistant secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. Previously, she served as associate director of the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House (1982-1984) and was chief of staff for New Hampshire Congressman Judd Gregg (1981-1982). Newman is also the founder and managing director of The Commerce Group LLC, as well as an active private investor in the financing and development of early stage entrepreneurial opportunities. Prior to establishment of The Commerce Group, she served as interim dean of the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University o New Hampshire.
• John Perrault, a practicing attorney in Maine and New Hampshire, received his BA in English from Providence College and an MA in political science from the University of New Hampshire. He graduated from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1979. Perrault taught high school English for ten years, and now teaches periodic courses in literature, law and politics at the University of New Hampshire and American Literature at Southern New Hampshire University. Perrault has recorded six albums of original and traditional music and his poems have appeared in numerous publications including The Christian Science Monitor, Compass Rose and Key West Review.
• Mary Rauh, a graduate of Northwestern University, was a Democratic candidate for Congress in 1998. Rauh is now a consultant for multiple organizations, including the Public Policy Initiative for Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Women's Fund of New Hampshire, where she serves as Research Chair.
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