In Robert Lowell’s “The Mills of the Kavanaughs” (actually Damariscotta Mills), “Water,” “Skunk Hour,” “The Old Flame,” “Soft Wood,” and other poems written in the 1950’s and 60’s Maine figures prominently. Periodically, Lowell needed to retreat to sanctuaries in attempts to control his tumultuous life, and Maine was a refuge for him. Careful readings of these and other poems can reveal Lowell’s efforts to explain, discipline, organize and chronicle a life marked by fits of manic depression and poetic power.
Presenter: John Ward, Coastal Senior College Faculty