I am delighted and a little bit startled by my time as Writer in Residence at the Gloucester Writers Center. It was a period of deep writing for me as well as an introduction to the city of Gloucester, MA: its landscape and its inhabitants. I have met many of the visitors to the center—from the actual “center” to the “fringe.” It was an honor to meet Henry Ferrini my first day there, and on subsequent visits we had charming and unguarded conversations. All the while, I was aware that I was a stranger to the town and the recipient of a free place to stay in a character of a town at the edge of the sea. And all due to the generosity of Henry, Amanda Cook, Dan Duffy, and the other members of the Gloucester Writers Center board and community. As the days went by, the cast of characters increased and grew more colorful but remained generous and welcoming. Thanks to them all, but especial thanks to Amanda for setting up the reading and being my champion although we had just met.

I wrote several poems while ensconced in Vincent Ferrini’s old cottage. Look for some of them to be posted here on this blog.