Eagle Pond, in the archetypal New England village of Wilmot, NH, was an inspirational feature of the family farm of Donald Hall, the late United States poet laureate. Together with his wife, poet Jane Kenyon, Hall’s work explored the longing for a more bucolic past and reflected an abiding reverence for nature.
The Eagle Pond Authors' Series was founded in 1998 by Hall and then Director of the Silver Center for the Arts Diane Alexander Jeffrey ’97. The series is sponsored by generous donors and brings nationally known poets to central New Hampshire, and is a memorable and meaningful part of the state’s arts and cultural landscape. Readings include book signings and receptions and are free and open to the public.
The series has celebrated great writing by some of the nation’s outstanding authors, including three US poets laureate: Donald Hall, Charles Simic, and Maxine Kumin; six Pulitzer Prize winners: Sharon Olds, Charles Simic, Galway Kinnell, Franz Wright, Jorie Graham, and Richard Ford; and five poets who have won the National Book Award: Robert Bly, Galway Kinnell, Ruth Stone, Mark Doty, and Jean Valentine. Many were lifelong friends of Hall’s.
Hall served as co-curator until his death in 2018 and the series continues under the guidance of Plymouth State University Professor Liz Ahl, an established poet and author in her own right.
Presentations take place in the Silver Center’s Smith Recital Hall and this year's presenters have included Abenaki poet Cheryl Savageau on September 19 and Iranian American writer and editor Farnaz Fatemi on October 24. Poet Kerrin McCadden, winner of the 2022 Herb Lockwood Prize for excellence in the arts in Vermont, will be featured on April 16, 2024. For tickets and more information, please contact the Silver Center for the Arts.
Further Reading
The Best Job Perk Ever (An Interview with Donald Hall), Plymouth Magazine, Fall 2015
