ABBY PAIGE

As the winter solstice approaches, days are getting short in the place where I live. Nights are already about fifteen hours long, and we’ll lose more daylight in the next couple of weeks. It’s a sacred darkness that reminds me of the vulnerability of people and creatures who live in this part of the world, which is why we especially celebrate light this time of year: Solstice fires, Hannukah candles, Christmas lights, and…

the Nativity story, which focuses on the appearance of a star, after all. I’m excited to take part in a very Vermont retelling of that tale. Two For Christmas is Vermont poet David Budbill’s interpretation of a medieval shepherd’s play, retold in the Vermont north woods. We’ll light up the dark season and get you in the holiday mood with a reading of the play, December 13 & 14, online and at Lost Nation Theater in Montpelier. Please join us!

Also, I’m happy to share that I have a manuscript included (for the third year in a row) on the longlist for Vermont’s Sundog Poetry Book Award and a poem longlisted for Room Magazine’s 2023 Poetry Contest. I’m grateful to have had many meaningful opportunities in the past year to share my work with audiences and readers. I hope for more in 2024!