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William Mundell: Life and Poetry – Brattleboro Literary Festival
William
Mundell (1912-1997) is one of Vermont’s finest native-born poets. He lived his entire life in South Newfane, unusually combining his career as a poet with work as a carpenter, stone mason, and State highway foreman. He served on the town selectboard, as an auditor, and justice of the peace, and was also editor of Poet Lore magazine. In 1989, he was named Vermont Poet Laureate, by the Poetry Society of Vermont; the previous recipient of the award had been Robert Frost.
This event features a roundtable discussion on Mundell’s life and career, with reminiscences by nephews Merrill Mundell, jr and Malcolm Mundell, and great-nephew Eric Mundell.
Also joining the panel will be Andy Burrows of Guilford, who guided the publication of Mundell’s first volume of poetry by the Stephen Greene Press. There were three volumes all together.
An exhibit will highlight the poet’s other achievements as a photographer — his work was featured in Life magazine.
The evening will conclude with a reading/lecture by Don McLean of Guilford, a Vermont based independent scholar and composer. As part of the Brattleboro Words Project McLean contributed to the research of three 19th century Guilford/Brattleboro literary personalities, which included Lucy Terry Prince, 18th century African American poet of Guilford; Royall and Mary Tyler, who lived in both Guilford and Brattleboro in the early 19th century; and the fiction author Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, who lived in Brattleboro later in that century.
His lecture on the 20th century Vermont poet, William Mundell, scheduled for 2020, was interrupted during the Covid crisis.
