Walk With Me, the second collection of poems by Madeleine Kunin is as honest and personable as the poet. In her first collection Red Kite, Blue Sky (GWP 2021), Kunin established herself-- not just as Vermont's legendary three-term governor-- but as a poet in her own right. The poems in Walk With Me were written in the last few years. True to the poet's observations in her first collection, the new poems are beautiful, stirring, and often playful tributes to life itself. The important insights-- from being an immigrant to losing a spouse, and growing old-- will resonate with readers. When asked to describe this new book of poems, to be published on the eve of Madeleine's ninetieth birthday, editor and publisher, Dede Cummings, asked the poet for some words: As I age I become more poetic. I write about my observations of nature, my thoughts, and my body. I am acutely aware of change, which seems to happen every day, in small steps, but quickly. The sound of a loon on a hidden lake haunts me. A new friendship surprises me and gives me pleasure. Yes, there are down times, but I manage to spring back. Resilience is what I treasure. It seems to work.
About the Author: Madeleine May Kunin, the first woman to be elected governor of Vermont (three-terms), was also U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and U.S. deputy secretary of education. She as written four previous books: Living a Political Life (Knopf), and The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work, and Family (New York Times Editor's Choice), Pearls Politics and Power, and Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties (GWP). Her first poetry collection, Red Kite, Blue Sky, was published in 2021 by Green Writers Press. She is currently James Marsh Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont, where she gives guest lectures on feminism and women and politics. She also served on the board of the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), a nongovernmental organization that she founded in 1991, and she launched Emerge Vermont to encourage and support women in politics. She lives in Shelburne, Vermont. Madeleine Kunin May, (Author), Shelburne, Vermont (United States of America) - Madeleine May Kunin, the first woman to be elected governor of Vermont (three terms), was also the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and U.S. deputy secretary of education. She has written four previous books: Living a Political Life (Knopf), The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work, and Family (New York Times Editor's Choice), Pearls Politics and Power, and Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties. She is currently James Marsh Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont, where she gives guest lectures on feminism and politics. She lives in Shelburne, Vermont., Madeleine May Kunin, the first woman to be elected governor of Vermont (three-terms), was also U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and U.S. deputy secretary of education. She as written four previous books: Living a Political Life (Knopf), and The New Feminist Agenda: Defining the Next Revolution for Women, Work, and Family (New York Times Editor's Choice), Pearls Politics and Power, and Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties (GWP). Her first poetry collection, Red Kite, Blue Sky, was published in 2021 by Green Writers Press. She is currently James Marsh Professor-at-Large at the University of Vermont, where she gives guest lectures on feminism and women and politics. She also served on the board of the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), a nongovernmental organization that she founded in 1991, and she launched Emerge Vermont to encourage and support women in politics. She lives in Shelburne, Vermont.