Vermont’s next state poet is a writer and a political activist who has been an eloquent and strong voice for peace for many decades. Eighty-year-old Grace Paley lives in Thetford and will become Vermont’s fifth state poet; the first was Robert Frost. Paley says she needs time to think about how she’ll approach the position.
A committee convened by the Vermont Council on the Arts recommended Paley to Governor James Douglas. She will take over the post currently held by Ellen Bryan Voigt, who participated in the selection process. Paley has published three volumes of poetry.