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Kumin Receives Stellfox Award: Photos


Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Maxine Kumin was clearly delighted to visit Dickinson College September 21-22.

“Poetry is alive and well here,” Kumin said to an audience of Dickinson College students, faculty and staff. “It’s good to see.”

Kumin is the recipient of the 2009 Harold and Ethel L. Stellfox Visiting Scholars and Writers Program award. She visited Dickinson College September 21-22 to accept the award, read selections of her work and teach a master class in poetry.

Kumin, who raises horses at her New Hampshire farm, often writes about animals, the cycle of life and the natural world. Other favored themes include family connections, faith and fragility. 

In addition to the Stellfox Award and Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Kumin has been awarded the Poets' Prize, the Aiken/Taylor Award and the Ruth E. Lilly Prize, among others. She has also held fellowships from the Academy of American Poets and the National Council on the Arts, and has served as poetry consultant for the Library of Congress.

Learn more about Maxine Kumin's visit to Dickinson.


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  • Maxine Kumin is the recipient of the 2009 Harold and Ethel L. Stellfox Visiting Scholars and Writers Program award. She visited Dickinson College September 21-22.
    Selected Poems
  • President William G. Durden '71 and Adrienne Su, associate professor of English and poet-in-residence, present the 2009 Stellfox award to Maxine Kumin (center).
    Presentation
  • John Henson, professor of biology, and Maxine Kumin meet during a book signing at the Whistlestop Book Shop. The shop is a block from Dickinson College.
    John Henson
  • Kumin speaks about her experiences as a student at Radcliffe College, where she met other students who shared her passion for poetry. "I was reborn at Radcliffe," she said.
    "I was reborn."
  •  Maxine Kumin reads one of her celebrated poems. Kumin, who raises horses at her New Hampshire farm, often writes about animals, the cycle of life and the natural world. Other favored themes include family connections, faith and fragility.
    The Natural World
  • Maxine Kumin signs a book for Caroline Peri '10.
    Cari Peri
  • Maxine Kumin reads from her latest book.
    Maxine Kumin
  • Kumin reads an excerpt from a poem that explores religion. Kumin was born to Jewish parents and educated in a Catholic school. When asked about her faith, she said, "I have a strong Jewish consciousness. I just happen to be an atheist."
    Strong Religious Views
  • Maxine Kumin greets a Dickinson student with a smile.
    Book Signing
  • Kumin signs a book for David Durstewitz '10.
    David Durstewitz
Maxine Kumin is the recipient of the 2009 Harold and Ethel L. Stellfox Visiting Scholars and Writers Program award. She visited Dickinson College September 21-22. Prev ImageNext Image

Text by MaryAlice Bitts
Photos by A. Pierce Bounds '71