1/19/18: Rick Bessette was named Shelburne’s first Poet Laureate in 2015 and he takes the title seriously. Rick shares his love of poetry with local businesses, retirement communities and a class of 5th graders at Shelburne Community School.
We tagged along on a field trip with Rick and the students to Shelburne Farms. Before taking a nature walk, the students met Chapin, a barred owl from Outreach for Earth Stewardship, which is also located at the Farm.
Music:
Frédéric Chopin, “Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 in E Flat Major” Performed by Aya Higuchi
Audionautix.com, “Acoustic Guitar”
This episode of Stuck in Vermont was made possible by
Hotel Vermont and New England Federal Credit Union
This article appears in Jan 24-30, 2018.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
Dear Rick,
So cool that Eva found you -now the whole world will know of one of Vermont’s greatest living treasures! Every word you speak comes from your Heart. That is where all timeless Poetry comes from, and yours is timeless. You belong not only to Shelburne, but all of Vermont, for your Poetry exemplifies the values that have made the State of Vermont a household name to visitors and pilgrims from all of the World.
I still have the original loose copies you made of your first poems, as you shared them from your pickup truck along the farm roads. “If I could climb a rainbow/To slide down the other side/Or speak the language of the stars/In them I would confide.” – from the poem, “If” (R.B. 3-16-06) Shelburne Farms
Congratulations!
Your friend and admirer,
Jacques