The Upper Peninsula will be blessed by a visit from Donald Hall, United States Poet Laureate 2006-2007, as part of the U.P. Book Tour and Northern Michigan University Writer's Workshop. There are a number of events planned that will allow local residents to enjoy the poetry of Hall. Information on the U.P. Book Tour is available at www.upbooktour.org. Hall is a prolific writer. Best known as a poet, he has also written memoirs, children's books, essays and edited a number of anthologies. His U.P. appearances will captivate fans and introduce one of the best poets of the U.S. to those who may not be familiar with his work.
Ox Cart Man, a children's literature classic received the Caldecott Medal in 1979. This book, illustrated by Barbara Cooney captures the changing seasons of Hall's New England. Hall resides at Eagle Pond Farm in New Hampshire where his mother and grandmother were both born. Cooney's illustrations with Hall's text tell the story of a New England man as he prepares for the winter by traveling via ox cart to town to sell the goods produced on his farm.
The Man Who Lived Alone and Lucy's Christmas were also written for children and can be found in the Youth Services picture books collection. The Oxford Book of Children's Verse in America contains poems selected by Hall. This collection begins with psalms from the Old Testament and continues with works from the 20th century.
The Oxford Book of American Literary Anecdotes, edited by Hall, uses biographies, letters, memoirs and personal stories to illuminate the lives of American literary figures from the 1600s to the 1970s. Reading this compendium gives you a new sense of who authors are and an understanding of how their lives may have affected their writing.
A Poetry Sampler, another work edited by Hall, contains over 200 poems by British and American writers. The goal of this collection is to attract new readers to the pleasures of poetry. The poems can be read aloud and shared or alone. Works that amuse, shock or delight will be found in this work.
Donald Hall edits Claims for Poetry, another volume published in hopes of illuminating the reader for an appreciation of poetry and the people who write it. Contemporary American poets share their opinions on the art and craft of poetry. All sorts of poetry is included in this volume that will give readers an insight into what makes poetry work.
Hall's biography of sculptor Henry Moore introduces Moore in the midst of an active and successful life. The drawings and photographs, over 100 of them, help to illustrate the story of this successful sculptor at his home in Hertfordshire, England.
The Back Chamber was published in 2011. This book of poetry is told through the eyes of a man whose life is winding down. Despite that fact, the book is not maudlin or depressing. It recounts the familiar in a way that can be lively, irreverent, hilarious, sexy and sly.
The Alligator Bride, Poems New and Selected features a variety of Hall's poems, many of which are out of print. This collection is a historic look at the writings that have made Hall a popular poet on college campuses and in poetry anthologies.
As a New England poet, Hall is often compared to Robert Frost. His poetry is collected in Kicking the Leaves. The poetry in this work was completed in the three years after he left his faculty position at the University of Michigan in 1975 and returned to life on Eagle Pond Farm. Written in the home that was farmed by his great-grandfather from 1865-1913, where he spent an idyllic childhood and where he came into his own, these works capture the past and give hope to the future.
White Apples and the Taste of Stone includes selected poems from 1946-2006. This work collects what many feel is Hall's best work and provides a retrospective look at his development as a poet.
Donald Hall's visit to the U.P. is being enthusiastically welcomed by fans of all ages. Hall and 40 other authors will make the U.P. Book Tour June 19-July 7 a wonderful celebration of books and writing. The U.P. Book Tour will allow participants to meet authors from the U.P., Michigan and the Midwest. Familiar authors as well as those just bursting on the literary scene will be featured in more than 20 events held throughout the U.P. The works of Donald Hall are only a beginning for readers who want to explore the works of the U.P. Book Tour authors.
- Pam
Christensen
Library director