Edna St. Vincent Millay
Born in 1892, Edna St. Vincent Millay would become a popular Pulitzer Prize-winning feminist poet whose works would last into the 21st century and beyond. According to biography.com: “Influenced by fellow poet Robert Frost, Millay wrote sonnets with great skill and thoughtfulness. Her popularity grew, and she went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for her fourth book, The Ballad of the Harp Weaver. Most notably, in this work she coined the phrase, ‘My candle burns at both ends.'”
Also in 1923, she married. Eventually, the couple moved to a farm property in New York known as “Steepletop.” She passed away and was buried there in 1950.
“Some of us have been thinking and talking too long without doing anything. Poems are perfect; picketing, sometimes, is better.” — Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Whitehall Inn
The Whitehall Inn at 52 High Street in Camden is where poet Edna St. Vincent Millay read aloud her first award-winning poem, Renascence. A complete version of it can be found at poets.org. Her recitation led to a college scholarship at Vassar, fro which she graduated in 1917. Visitors can enjoy the view behind the inn to see the setting that inspired her poem. Camden, Maine, has a population of approximately 4,800 residents.
Whitehallmaine.com offers an inviting description of the historic inn: “Whitehall is an ideal spring, summer, and early fall destination for those in search of an authentic Maine experience. Our Camden Maine B&B accommodations offer luxury linens and many amenities desired by the modern traveler. Relax on our rambling front porch and front and back patios, and our flickering outdoor fire pits are perfect for evenings under the stars.”
Also Visit
When traveling to New Mexico, Millay stayed at the Inn of the Turquoise Bear in Santa Fe, known among the locals there as the Witter Bynner House. You can book a room there that is named for this esteemed guest.
The Whitehall Inn is the fourth stop on our Maine Author Adventures Trail.
Patricia Smart
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