May Sarton Centennial Symposium Set

Saratoga Springs, NY (April 20, 2012) - York, Maine, has proclaimed May 3, 2012 “May Sarton Day” and will celebrate the life and works of the poet, memoirist, and novelist with a symposium on the 100th anniversary of her birth.

The May 3-6 “May Sarton Centennial Symposium” will offer a series of scholarly presentations focusing on Sarton as a major 20th century literary voice. Sarton, who was a guest artist at Yaddo in the 1960s, was an avid and prolific author who wrote 16 books of poetry, 19 novels, 12 published journals and memoirs, two books for children, and thousands of letters.

Sarton scholars presenting at the event include her bibliographer Lenora Blouin; filmmakers Martha Wheelock and Linda Thornburg; Betsy Sholl, Poet Laureate and Professor of Literature at the University of Southern Maine; Susan Kenny, Sarton friend and Professor of Creative Writing at Colby College; Mark Fulk, Professor of English Literature and Women's Studies at SUNY Buffalo; and Edith Schade, photographer. Maine's Poet Laureate Wesley McNair will make a special appearance on Saturday evening. The symposium also will feature music and poetry reading and will culminate with a traditional New England clambake.

All activities will be held in York, the community that Sarton called home for the last 22 years of her life and where she lived in her "house by the sea" until her death in 1995 at the age of 83.

For registration information and a complete schedule of “May Sarton Centennial Symposium” events, click here.