Walter Butts becomes N.H. Poet Laureate

Former Portsmouth resident Walter Butts will foster New Hampshire’s poetic endeavors as the state’s 11th poet laureate. Butts took over the post this month, replacing former laureate Patricia Fargnoli, of Walpole.

Now a resident of Manchester, Butts will serve a five-year term as poet laureate. The role does not include any specific duties, but Butts said he will work to advance the visibility of poets, collaborating with independent bookstores and arts organizations around the state to connect the public with poetry. He also plans to help poets network with independent publishers in the state.

Butts has published three books of poetry, as well as several chapbooks, and his work has appeared in numerous anthologies and literary journals. His books include “Sunday Evening at the Stardust Café,” “Movies in a Small Town” and “The Required Dance.” As laureate, he will regularly make himself available for readings and other events.

Born in a working class town in New York, Butts lived in New York City and Boston before moving to Portsmouth in the 1990s, where he remained for almost a decade. He and his poet wife Stephanie started several poetry reading series on the Seacoast before moving to Manchester seven years ago. He currently teaches at Hesser College and at a low residency Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt.

The N.H. State Council on the Arts and the N.H. Department of Cultural Resources nominated Butts for the job, and the Poetry Society of New Hampshire recommended him to Gov. John Lynch. The state Executive Council ratified the nomination on March 3.

In a press release, Butts said he was “honored and humbled” by the nomination. He said poetry is especially important during times of great turmoil.

“I really believe that poetry, in many, many ways, is the literary form that we have that is closest to expressing the human condition, the human spirit,” he said. “This appointment compels me, in a very positive sense, to really be involved, to really participate. It’s an ideal situation for a poet to be in.”

Five poets from New Hampshire have served as U.S. Poet Laureate, including two former state laureates: Donald Hall and Maxine Kumin. Patricia Fargnoli was New Hampshire’s poet laureate for more than three years, beginning in January 2006.

UNH professor’s book wins national award

University of New Hampshire professor Blake Gumprecht has become the first ever two-time winner of the J.B. Jackson Prize, considered the most prestigious award for geographers writing about the cultural landscape of the United States.

Gumprecht will receive the 2008 J.B. Jackson Prize for his recent book “The American College Town.” The Association of American Geographers will present the award during the organization’s annual meeting in Las Vegas from March 22 to 27.
Gumprecht is an associate professor of geography at UNH and chair of the school’s Department of Geography. He first received the Jackson Prize for his 1999 book “The Los Angeles River: Its Life, Death, and Possible Rebirth.”

Published in November by the University of Massachusetts Press, “The American College Town” explores the character and culture of life in college towns across the United States.

“College towns are exceptional places, worth knowing and worth knowing about,” Gumprecht said in a press release. “They are an essential component of American geography. They are part of what makes life different in these United States. They reflect the singular nature of American higher education and the indelible characteristics of American culture.”

The Association of American Geographers, a professional organization with more than 10,000 members, awards the J.B. Jackson Prize annually to an engaging book that expresses insights about geography. The award honors influential teacher and essayist J.B. Jackson, founder and longtime editor of Landscape magazine.