Friday, September 16, 2016

I had such a pleasant evening in Waterville--sitting around a restaurant table with poets and novelists and academics and local government officials, all personable and intelligent and eager to be friendly. Every once in a while, I remember that a social life might not be a bad thing.

Now, this morning, back in my hermitage, I note that the temperature came close to a frost last night. Even through my warm red bathrobe, I feel the chill of the unheated house. Summer is over.

Yesterday the Frost Place publicly announced my big news: Kerrin McCadden will be joining me as the new associate director of the Frost Place Conference on Poetry and Teaching. She worked with us last year as a guest faculty member, and I think she'll be a wonderful addition to the staff. Not only is she an accomplished poet, but she's also been a full-time teacher for many years, which will add a whole new coloration to the work we do as directors. I'm excited about the change, even as I'm sentimental about saying goodbye to Teresa Carson. But Teresa loves Kerrin as a successor, and the program, I think, will continue to grow and thrive.

So time skitters on, and the leaves redden and sift down through the cool air. I am thinking about cooking borscht tonight, even though I'll be the only one at the table to admire its jeweled shimmer in a white bowl. But a solitary pleasure is still pleasure.


2 comments:

Ruth said...

Okay, I'll admit I am awed by Geoffrey Hill; however, as my book FINALY, arrived, I am intrigued by the poem The White Ship. I have not formulated a question, but wonder what about the last two lines? I looked up the history of this poem and am comfortable with the outside story.

Dawn Potter said...

Ruth, why don't you formulate a paragraph describing what you think you understand and don't understand about the poem and include a starter question for other people to ponder. Email it to me, and then when we're ready, I'll post it to open the second chapter of our Hill conversation. Thanks for being so brave!