Bennington, VT – January 13, 2026 – The Monument Arts & Cultural Center (the MACCenter) will remind us of Bennington’s rich literary tradition on Valentine’s Day Weekend. The MACCenter is bridging poetry and theatre with an interdisciplinary event beginning Thursday, February 12th with readings of juried poems by seasoned, and emerging poets, and continues Friday through Sunday with staged reading performances of a new play called, TIMOR MORTIS, Based on the Works of former Poet Laureate Donald Hall, starring the Emmy winning, Tony nominated actor, Gordon Clapp.
Once a poet in residence at Bennington College, Donald Hall, became the U.S. Poet Laureate in 2006. He is often called every man’s poet for his down to earth observations and absence of pretension, often associated with poetry. TIMOR MORTIS despite its title (Fear of Death), is an often humorous, witty and poignant unveiling of Donald Hall’s love of baseball and his devotion to his wife, Jane Kenyon, a wraith who haunted him long after she had gone. Kenyon, a poet in her own right, will be portrayed by actress Caroline Kinsolving. Playwright Roger Kirby, who lives in Italy and shared Hall’s love of Ted Williams and the Red Sox. Prior to Hall’s death in 2018, he gave Kriby his enthusiastic support of the play.
Perhaps best known for his portrayal of Det. Medavoy on the ABC hit series NYPD Blue, for which he won an Emmy, Gordon Clapp has been a familiar fixture on film and television for over 50 years. His Broadway credits include Glenngary Glen Ross, for which he earned a Tony nomination as well as a theatre World Award and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Great Society. His off-Broadway and regional theatre credits are numerous, and include his one-man show: Robert Frost: This Verse Business.
Caroline Kinsolving works in theatre, television and film in New York and Los Angeles. She studied at Milton Academy, The Mountain School, Vassar, Harbin and Beijing University, Stella Adler, Yale Drama Intensive and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Intensive in London. Off-Broadway credits include Word Play, King of Hollywood Hills, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and All in the Timing as well as several performances with Shakespeare & Co, Hartford Stage, Boston Symphony, and North Coast Rep. She has been seen on television in Law and Order, Three Women, Medium, Criminal Minds, and Cold Case. Caroline is the Founder of Theatre for Good; through performances and classes she has raised over $160,000 for charities.
Love Loss and Memory: Poetry Reading Event:
In honor of Bennington’s rich literary heritage and connection to Donald Hall. On February 12th at 7 pm, the MACCenter is inviting the community to an intimate, literary companion event to Timor Mortis that explores the endurance of love, loss and memory. Through poetry and reflection, the event traces how devotion, longing, humor and remembrance allows us to keep the dead present among the living. The Center is honored to have renowned poets James Crews, Michael Dumanis and Jess Bouchard participate in reading their own poems inspired by the themes explored in Timor Mortis. A guided conversation and reflection along with a juried selection of poetry readings by three jury-selected local/regional poets will follow.
The reading on February 12th is free to attend at the MACCenter, but RSVP through the website: Monumentcentervt.org. There will be a cash bar.
James Crews is the author of Turning Toward Grief: Reflections on Life, Loss & Appreciation, Breathing Room: Poems of Rest & Retreat, and editor of several bestselling poetry anthologies, including Love Is for All of Us, a collection of LGBTQ+ love poems co-edited with his husband, Brad Peacock. He has also edited The Wonder of Small Things (winner of the New England Book Award), The Path to Kindness (winner of the Nautilus Award), and How to Love the World, which has sold over 100,000 copies to date. He has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, and in People Magazine, The Boston Globe, The New York Times Magazine, The Sun Magazine, and The Washington Post. James lives with his husband on forty rocky acres in Vermont that they are restoring to a habitat for pollinators and native species. jamescrews.net
Michael Dumanis is a member of the Literature faculty and the Director of Poetry and Editor of Bennington Review at Bennington College. He is the author of the poetry collections Creature (Four Way Books, 2023, selected as a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award) and My Soviet Union (University of Massachusetts Press), winner of the Juniper Prize for Poetry. He is also coeditor (with poet Cate Marvin) of the younger poets’ anthology Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century (Sarabande) and (with poet Kevin Prufer) of Russell Atkins: On the Life & Work of an American Master (Pleiades). Born in Moscow, in the former Soviet Union, Dumanis emigrated with his family at the age of five and grew up in Western New York. He currently resides with his family in North Bennington. michaeldumanis.com
Jess Bouchard is a local Bennington English teacher and educator as well as the Executive Director of Queer Connect. She has published poetry in James Crews’ best selling anthology Love is For All of Us which explores love in all its forms – romantic, self-love, family love and love of our natural world. She lives in Southern Vermont with her spouse and children.
The Poetry Contest:
Calling all emerging poets from 12 to 112! Submit your work to be selected for a live reading at the MACCenter.
Who May submit:
Middle School (Grades 6-8),
High School (Grades 9-12)
Community at-large
Themes to Explore: Love in all its forms, loss and absence, memory and remembrance, change, growing up, aging, people who have shaped your life, moments you wish you could return to, nature
Important Poetry Submittal Dates
Submission Dates: January 30, 2026
Notification: February 5, 2026
Public Reading Event: February 12, 2026 at 7 pm
How to Submit
Submit one original poem (max 2 pages) by the Google form https://forms.gle/5BQ9SwGwSfWoJbDt8
Theatre Performance Information
Tickets for the performance of TIMOR MORTIS, Based on the Works of former Poet Laureate Donald Hall are available on the website. The Valentine’s Day weekend performances conclude with a festive afternoon tea and Q & A with the actors. A cash bar will be open for all performances.
Tickets for the performance:
February 14 and 15 –
2 pm Show + Afternoon Tea + Q&A following the show (tea, small sandwiches, cookies) is $40 per ticket
2 PM Show Only is $30 without the tea afterward per ticket
All events take place at the Monument Arts and Cultural Center, located at 44 Gypsey Lane, Bennington, VT. Full schedules, ticket information, and registration details can be found at www.monumentcentervt.org.
About the Monument Arts and Cultural Center (the MACCenter):
The Monument Arts and Cultural Center is dedicated to fostering creativity, connection, and community through music, theatre, visual arts, and cultural programming. By offering performances, educational opportunities, and events for all ages, the MACCenter serves as a cornerstone for the arts in Bennington and the surrounding region.