YORK COUNTY — Apart from lobster, blueberries, black bears, and scenic coastal landscapes, the state of Maine harbors another treasured resource — writers. The state has reared such poets as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, revered for his European appeal and provocative writings, as well as writers like Stephen King, praised as a resident horror master and writing success.

Their works represent a fraction of the artistic energy in Maine, but their creativity has inspired generations.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Portland poet

The poet Longfellow was a native of Portland, then a city of Massachusetts at the time of his birth in 1807, who would redefine poetry in America and abroad. He was known most exclusively for his paternalistic, yet calming, voice that acted as a compassionate guide for the United States in the 19th century.

“Americans read his poetry by firesides, in schools, at public occasions … Longfellow became a looming presence, an important symbol for his fellow Americans, representing a set of values and meanings that changed as the country did through the century,” wrote Matthew Garner, in his essay “America’s Longfellow” (2002).

By age 14, he had enrolled at Bowdoin College, and by the time of his graduation, Longfellow had drawn enough acclaim to merit a professorship at the university. He spent periods in Europe and learned numerous languages in his preparatory studies, and returned to the newly-formed Maine in 1829.

Henry Longfellow came from an old established family of lawyers, judges, and generals, wrote Garner, allowing him to flourish as an aspiring poet. Though he suffered in his family life, marrying and becoming a widower twice, after which he would never remarry, Longfellow’s life was full and fulfilling, and his reputation as an honorable, humble figure supplemented his renown.

Being the father figure of American poetry, Longfellow concerned himself with the audience he intended to reach.

“To his middle class readers Longfellow meant not only social prestige, intellectual distinction, and moral authority, but the three together filtered through a noble but at the same time somehow approachable life, and contributing to a radiant personal aura inseparable from his poems,” wrote Garner.

To this day, the poet’s influence remains. Besides his debated moralistic tone, or his excess of European influence, his legacy is maintained in historical societies and generations’ memories.

The Longfellow-Washington National Historic Site, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, hosted Longfellow as a boarder (the house was constructed in 1759) during his time at Harvard under the Smith Professorship of Modern Languages in the 1830s. His works are found among the 12,000 stored at the site, which facilitates tours for about 50,000 visitors annually.

Stuart Kestenbaum, and the Maine State Poet Laureate

The state of Maine committed itself to poetry after it established the honorary position of State Poet Laureate in 1995. This position, appointed during Maine Cultural Heritage Week (the week containing March 15),  is awarded to a resident poet with published and distinguished works, and can be served for a maximum of two, five-year terms.

Laureates are charged with representing Maine poetry in addresses, events, or conferences to which they are invited. As of 2019, there have been five Poet Laureates: Kate Barnes (1996-1999), Baron Wormser (2000-2005), Betsy Sholl (2006-2010), Wesley “Wes” McNair (2011-2015), and the current one, Stuart “Stu” Kestenbaum who was given the distinction in 2016.

The work of this small but distinguished group has also extended into the public sphere. Wesley McNair, Maine’s former poet laureate, was one of the first to use the position as a platform.

“During his five-year tenure as Maine’s Poet Laureate,” wrote the Maine Public Arts Commission, “McNair launched several new programs ‘to bring poetry to the people of Maine.'” These projects included “The Maine Poetry Express,” involving a collection of poets who read their works across the state. Further, he pursued the media and created a new column in Maine newspapers, known as Take Heart. The column would feature poets, past and present, and emphasize the creativity of the state’s poets.

Following Wesley McNair’s tenure, Stuart Kestenbaum was appointed to the position in March 2016. He was the director of the Haystack Mountain School of the Arts for nearly three decades, with publicly-acclaimed works behind him, such as “Only Now,” “Pilgrimage,” “House of Thanksgiving,” and “Prayers and Run-on Sentences.”

In some ways, Kestenbaum compares to Longfellow in his approach to the craft. Poetry is speaking in an understandable language, said Kestenbaum, but not about an understandable thing. The majority of his career, besides his publications — most of which has been published at Maine presses — has been focused on making poetry accessible and enjoyable.

“[Poetry] provides an opportunity to have a different way of looking at the world, and at time,” said Kestenbaum. “I think the strength [of poetry] is that it provides an opportunity for people to slow down, and pay attention to particular things. To be moved, and transformed by an experience … that allows you to pay attention.”

The challenge is to have all people experience poetry, he says, it’s not a thing to fear, but a thing to experience. Understand the poet as a person who’s trying to investigate a thing, and you’re along for the ride, he says.

Kestenbaum has worked since his appointment to fulfill his goals. In the same month of his appointment, he began Poems from Here, weekly, five-minute segments at 1:55 and 7:55 p.m. Fridays on Maine Public Radio. During these segments, in a collaboration with the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, the Maine Arts Commission, and the Expansion of the Arts Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, the Poet Laureate brings a portion of poetry to unsuspecting Maine residents. The broadcast is heard by 24,000 each week.

The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance created the Office of the Maine Poet Laureate in 2011 to support the candidate’s initiatives during his or her tenure.

“You’re listening to a program, and you get to the end of it, and you hear a poem,” Kestenbaum said. The principle is simple, yet it is consequential for introducing poetry without making it impossible to associate with the craft.

In the early summer of 2018, Kestenbaum began the Poem Card Project in collaboration with the state’s Office of Tourism, which placed local poets’ work at some hotels and lodges in the state. Since its inception, the project has continued to expose non-residents to the culture of Maine.

He is convinced that poetry continues to touch the lives of Americans, especially after the death of famed poet Mary Jane Oliver in January. At that time, said Kestenbaum; many shared on social media a poem which affected them.

At present, the Poet Laureate works in association with the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance to support his initiatives in the state.

Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, supporting Maine writers

The Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance (MWPA), established in 1975, has evolved to meet the needs of its writers and publishers. In its inception, its founders were predominantly Maine publishers looking to be a distribution hub for Maine writers. Since then, their mission has expanded to suit the needs of their members.

With membership in all 16 counties and nearly 1,400 members state-wide, the Alliance offers a multitude of workshops, scholarships, and opportunities to writers from all backgrounds. Events have been held in Auburn, Bangor, Farmington, Rockland, York, Lubec, and Kittery, among other places.

Biddeford resident Joshua Bodwell has been executive director of MWPA since 2010, though his interest in writing started long before then.

“By junior high, I was trying for the first time to emulate, and imitate, what I was reading,” said Bodwell. “By the time I was a junior or senior, I was writing daily.”

His first professional job as a young adult was as a columnist for the Sante Fe Reporter in the mid-1990s. He recalled moving to New Mexico broke renting a typewriter to produce his work for the Reporter, which would be transcribed by the secretary into Microsoft Word, and then given to the editor.

From there, he worked for multiple magazines and newspapers, such as the York County Coast Star, them based in Kennebunk, in the 2000s. During his tenure at the Coast Star, he also served as a member of the board of directors at the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library.

Bodwell’s affinity for administration and writing brought him to the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance in 2010; he was especially qualified because of his experience with nonprofit work and grant-writing. The application process, Bodwell explained, was several months long and allowed him time to reflect on the position he would soon occupy.

Under his leadership, the MWPA’s role in the careers of Maine writers has grown. For instance, with a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation the Alliance and was given the funds to increase the pay of the workshop instructors it contracts, who are resident writers and poets themselves. Through this, Bodwell said, the MWPA serves the community, and pays writer a good, appropriate salary.

In 2018, the MWPA paid nearly $50,000 to writers as instructors for their work in a multitude of workshops. Moreover, it sponsors the Maine Literary Awards, promoting career and beginning writers and poets with the opportunity for exposure and professional growth — the 2019 Maine Literary Award winners will be announced in June.

The Alliance continues to offer specialized events for members and non-members alike. In September 2019, it will host PITCH — a conference bringing literary agents and writers under the same roof. Writers will have the opportunity to speak face-to-face with agents from New York City and publishers and editors from Maine’s largest publishing houses, such as Tilbury House Publishers and Islandport Press.

In addition, MWPA will serve its thriller and crime-mystery writers through the 2019 Maine Crime Wave. On May 31 and June 1, the Alliance will hold panel discussions and theme-specific workshops for their patrons.

Bodwell is proud of the organization, which has increased in size each year without directly promoting membership. The Alliance has used member-surveys at its workshops and conferences to gauge its programs and improve upon them.

The Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance is a significant asset for the writing community for its power to connect writers across Maine. The Alliance provides a pillar of support for aspiring writers and a center from which to build their careers.

“The analogy I used to use more often,” said Bodwell, “was that the organization is a wheel. And the authors and the publishers are the spokes; we are the hub. We are the connector.”

With support from the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, among others, Maine’s rich history of creativity in poetry and other writing forms should continue to flourish and play an important role in Maine culture.

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