ABBY PAIGE

I’ll be appearing at next week’s Farmers’ Night in Montpelier to celebrate the start of National Poetry Month with a tribute to the late Vermont poet and playwright David Budbill. Growing up in northern Vermont, Budbill’s work was instrumental in my formation as an artist. As a young person, his poems were the first artworks I encountered that directly reflected the place I came from and my own experience, and completely changed what I understood art to be. I’m grateful that David’s daughter, Nadine, is doing meaningful work to keep her father’s legacy alive in Vermont, and to Vermont Humanities for supporting that work.

Farmers’ Night is a longstanding statehouse tradition, dating from back to when legislators were stuck away from home for weeks at a time during the legislative season. It’s a tradition that honors the place that music and other artforms play in gathering people together, giving comfort, and creating goodwill between communities. I’m grateful to be part of it, and I hope to see you there!