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 2012
SUNDAY JULY 15th 2 PM: “Blessings”
Kelly Sampson Griswold will perform her Robert Frost Farm-inspired song, “Blessings” to open our Summer 2012 Series. Kelly, a frequent visitor to the historic site, is a singer/songwriter who has deftly captured the pastoral essence of the homestead in her beautiful tribute to the Derry farm. Her five albums, “Rest Your Mind,” “Quixotical Quest,” “New Bridges, New Wings,” “The Solace Tree,” and “Massabesic on My Mind” have been well received during her many performances throughout the state. Kelly is the mother of five grown children and a longtime resident of Derry. To hear Kelly sing “Blessings” and view her accompanying pictorial video of the Frost Farm, you may also visit her website.
SUNDAY JULY 15th 2 PM: “New England: Myth or Reality?”
Edie Clark will focus on the works of Robert Frost, Norman Rockwell, Wallace Nutting, and Yankee Magazine as she discusses how New England has been romanticized in art and literature for more than 200 years. In addition to being a long time writer for Yankee Magazine, Edie has taught writing and journalism at Emerson College, Franklin Pierce University, and at the University of Massachusetts. Her books include Monadnock Tales, The View from Mary's Farm, Saturday Beans and Sunday Suppers, Kitchen Stories from Mary's Farm, and her memoir, The Place He Made.
SUNDAY JULY 22nd 2 PM: “Frost's Dramas of Belief"
Richard Wakefield will discuss how in many of his poems, Frost explores the terrain where his will shades into necessities imposed by the world, by circumstance. He will also read a selection of his own award-winning poetry. Dr. Wakefield is the author of Robert Frost and the Opposing Lights of the Hour, a study of Frost’s use of conflict and tension both in his subject matter and in his versification. Since 1985, Dr. Wakefield has taught courses in American literature at Tacoma Community College and at the University of Washington and has been a contributing literary critic to the Seattle Times. His collection of poems, East of Early Winters, won the 2006 Richard Wilbur Award and his poem, “Petrach,” won the 2010 Howard Nemerov Award. His poetry has appeared in the Sewanee Review and in many other prominent publications.
SUNDAY JULY 29th 2 PM: “On Inviting Poems In”
Rhina Espaillat, nationally known Dominican-American poet will read and discuss her poems, emphasizing how everyday observations and feelings expressed in poetry and can lift you out of yourself and into somebody else’s world. Writing poetry and prose both in English and in her native Spanish, Ms. Espaillat’s work has appeared in numerous magazines. She has four poetry collections in print: Where Horizons Go, which won the 1998 T. S. Eliot Prize; Rehearsing Absence, which won the 2001 Richard Wilbur Award; Lapsing to Grace, and Mundo y Palabra. In 2004, she became the first winner of the Tree at My Window Award from the Robert Frost Foundation for her Spanish translations of Robert Frost.
SUNDAY August 26th 2 PM: “Antiques and Collectibles Appraisals”
Herc Pappachristos is 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 twenty-five years. He is also a member of the Frost Farm board of trustees. There will be a $5.00 fee for each appraised item.
SUNDAY September 9th 2 PM: “Speaking of Frost…”
David Sanders, author of A Divided Poet: Robert Frost, North of Boston, and the Drama of Disappearance will discuss aspects of his book, shedding light on the dilemmas, doubts and personal conflicts Frost confronted while composing his poetic collection North of Boston. Special focus will be given to "The Death of the Hired Man" and "The Self-Seeker." Dr. Sanders is Professor Emeritus of English at St. John Fisher College, where he taught English, American, and biblical literature. He has also taught at Goucher College, the Germantown Friends School, and St. John’s College. A past president of the Robert Frost Society, he is widely published in professional journals, but he has always sought ways to engage with audiences outside the academic world. He and his veterinarian wife Sara have two adult children and now live in Pittsford, NY, with two Airedale terriers.
The 2012 Robert Frost Farm Summer Literary Series is funded by The New Hampshire Humanities Council, 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.