Bennington College Faculty Member Donald Hall Releases New Collection of Poems to Critical Acclaim

Donald Hall, core faculty member in the MFA in Writing program at Bennington College, received a uniquely audible endorsement from American Public Radio’s Garisson Keillor. Keillor selected Hall's "We Bring Democracy to Fish" as a feature for his April 7, 2006 edition of The Writer's Almanac—a daily, syndicated five-minute public radio program featuring a single poem within each segment. Keillor, well known for his breathy, deliberate renditions of poetry read Hall’s short, provocative work to more than 340 stations, nationwide.

Keillor was not the only literary critic singing the praises of Hall’s most recent collection of poetry, White Apples and the Taste of Stone: Selected Poems 1946-2006. Publisher’s Weekly writes, “Hall’s 60 years of much-honored work have made him an elder statesman among American poets and a much-honored exponent of the clear, plain style: this career retrospective finds room for all his strengths.”

Hall, whose honors include two Guggenheim fellowships, the Poetry Society of America’s Robert Frost Silver medal, a Lifetime Achievement award from the New Hampshire Writers and Publisher Project, and the Ruth Lilly Prize for poetry, has published over 50 books of poetry, prose, drama, essays, and children’s books. Some of his most recent work includes: Without (1998), The Milkman’s Boy (1997), and The Museum of Clear Ideas (1996). Hall has taught at Bennington College as a core MFA in Writing and Literature faculty member since January 1994.