Scheduled Events
Inviting guest speakers to Derry to celebrate the work of America's foremost poet is a tradition at the farm. Lectures are held in the Farm's barn theater beginning at 2:00 pm and are open to the public free of charge.
Programs are made possible by grants from the New Hampshire Humanities Council and are sponsored by the Division of Parks and Recreation, the Robert Frost Homestead Trustees, and the Friends of the Robert Frost Farm.
The Frost Farm, a national historic landmark, is located on NH Route 28, 1-3/4 miles south of the traffic circle in Derry, NH.
For more information, call (603) 432-3091.
Programs are free (except appraisals) and open to the public.
The Robert Frost Farm
Literary Series
Summer 2017
SUNDAY JULY 9th 2 PM "Robert Frost Reads Emily Dickinson"
KAREN K. KILCUP will discuss how Frost encountered Dickinson at a transitional moment for American poetry and found in her an unexpected precursor and virtuoso model—as well as, perhaps, a clever means to woo his sweetheart Elinor to marry him. In 1892, the Atlantic Monthly reviewed Emily Dickinson’s poems harshly: “Miss Dickinson’s versicles have a queerness and a quaintness that have stirred a momentary curiosity in emotional bosoms. Oblivion lingers in the immediate neighborhood.” But Robert Frost knew better, recognizing that the Amherst poet was not just a star, but a supernova. Ms. Kilcup is the author or editor of eleven books, including Fallen Forests: Emotion, Embodiment, and Ethics in American Women’s Environmental Writing, 1781-1924 and (with Angela Sorby) Over the River and through the Wood: An Anthology of 19th Century American Children’s Poetry. Ms. Kilcup is currently the Elizabeth Rosenthal Excellence Professor of English, Environmental & Sustainability Studies and Women’s & Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
SUNDAY JULY 16th 2 PM “Home and the Independent Hero: Robert Frost, John Stark, and Odysseus in The Generations of Men”
DAVID SANDERS will discuss the only North of Boston title that Frost has called a “love story,” “The Generations of Men” which is not one of the volume’s most celebrated poems; nor one of those most often discussed. Sanders will show that while drawing from sources as disparate as New Hampshire history and Homer’s Odyssey, the poem contains riches that expand its spare narrative and, in doing so, reveals surprising dimensions of Frost’s intellectual interests, poetic ambitions, and artistic craft. Educated at Brown and Cornell Universities, David Sanders has taught at Goucher College, The Germantown Friends School, St. Johns College, and St. John Fisher College, where he is now Professor Emeritus. A past president of the Robert Frost Society, he is widely published in professional journals, and his book—A Divided Poet: Robert Frost, North of Boston, and the Drama of Disappearance—was published by Camden House in 2011. While enjoying academic life, Sanders has throughout his career always sought opportunities to take literature beyond the classroom and into the wider community. He is delighted to return to The Frost Farm at Derry.
SUNDAY July 30th 2 PM "Robert Frost, Light and Dark"
Bank by popular demand: J. T. TURNER, actor, director, voice-over talent, seminar leader, and public speaker will conduct an encore portrayal of Robert Frost in his highly acclaimed one-man show which was three years in the making. Turner’s script amplifies the situations in Frost’s poems by relating them to the poet’s life, which was often not only dramatic, but tragic, as well. Join J.T. Turner as he brings America's great poet to life, and hear the stories behind his work. Hear how Frost relates stories of his life, the tragedy as well as the humor, as he reads some of his most popular poems, including, Mending Wall, Birches, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Late Walk, Desert Places, Road Not Taken, and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Mr. Turner’s portrayal of Robert Frost is a deeply moving tribute to the poet… and an unforgettable performance you won’t want to miss!
SUNDAY August 20th 2 PM "Antiques and Collectibles Appraisals”
HERC PAPPACHRISTOS is also back by popular demand. Come join the fun and have
your treasured items assessed by an expert whose afternoon of appraisals has become an anticipated regular summer series
event. Herc is an appraiser and auction manager with Grogan & Co. of Dedham, MA and has been active in the antique
world for over thirty years. He is a long-time member of the Frost Farm board of trustees and currently serves
as its co-chairman. There will be a $5.00 fee for each appraised item.
SUNDAY AUGUST 27th 2 PM "New Hampshire Cemeteries and Gravestones"
Rubbings, photographs, and slides illustrate the rich variety of gravestones to be found in our own neighborhoods, but they also tell long-forgotten stories of such historical events as the Great Awakening, the Throat Distemper epidemic, and the American Revolution. Glenn Knoblock will discuss these deeply personal works of art and the craftsmen who carved them, and show us how to read the stone "pages" that give insight into the vast genealogical book of New Hampshire. Mr. Knoblock is an independent scholar and author of fifteen books and over 100 articles. He is also the author and historian on projects relating to Northern New England bridges, New Hampshire cemeteries, and brewing history, and African-American military history. Mr. Knoblock has served as the main military contributor to Harvard and Oxford University's landmark African-American Biography Project. He holds a BA in History from Bowling Green State University.
The 2017 Robert Frost Farm Summer Literary Series is funded by The Robert Frost Farm Board of Trustees and Friends of the Robert Frost Farm. Programs are free (except appraisals) and open to the public. For more information, call 603-432-3091.