April 20, 2005
Inn crowd reads poetry
Mary K. Buck poems read at poetry event at Wellington Inn
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Mary K. Buck was again spotted in Traverse City, sharing her Victorian nature poems with friends in her parlor.
Portrayed by Nan Worthington, Buck and three "neighbors" - Traverse City historical women Lola Hull, Marian Munson and Eva Milliken - read a selection of her works during an event entitled Remarkable American Women at the Wellington Inn.
Dressed in period costume, the four women brought to life the words of a poet who wrote about nature, love and the area she revered: Traverse City. Topics ranged from a new snow to flowers, from lazing in a hammock to the ideal woman. The poems, organized in part by season, were read in turn by Worthington, Kelly Curtis, Nancy Bordine and Tina Tank, who acted as Buck's neighbors.
In the refined setting of the Wellington Inn, formerly Lola Hull's home, Buck's words rang with authenticity.
"One hundred, 110 years ago, this is what people would do," said Bob Wilson, president of the Grand Traverse Pioneer and Historical Society of the 40 people who gathered for poetry, song and an elegant tea.
"You have brought something alive today, brought an era to us," he added to the four women reading Buck's poetry.
An enthusiastic historian who published "Grand Traverse Legends: Volume 1 The Early Years" late last year, Wilson discovered a book of Buck's poetry while sifting through documents in the Nelson Room at the Traverse Area District Library. He was immediately captivated by her work and included this Traverse City woman in his book.
He talked with Tina Tank, a member of both the historical society and the Women's History Project, about his find. When he mentioned how wonderful it would be to do a reading of Victorian poems in the area, Tank sprang into action. With typical zest, she organized the collaboration, found participants and costumes and publicized the happening.
Tank's inspiration was the poetry and the women from the regions' past.
"We're here to listen to the sounds of poetry in both words and song," she said. "Poetry is a form of song and the lyrics can be either sung or read."
The Remarkable American Women event was co-sponsored by the historical society and the Women's History project. It also included an original poetry contest that drew pieces from people ranging in age from elementary school children to a man in his 80s. The three winning poets read their works: Samantha Tengelitsch took first place, Kathleen Firestone received second place and Mary Jane Charles came in third.
Other entrants to the contest read their original poems, including author and teacher Shirley Murray. A member of the Women's History Project, Murray threw herself into poetry because of this event, finding she really enjoyed this style of writing and expression.
"I'm not a poet and I've never written a poem," said Murray before reading her first ever work. "But I was inspired by my work with the Women's History Project."
The Women's History Project, which formed in October of 2000, was pleased to help celebrate and share the work of Mary K. Buck, one of Traverse City's early figures.
"Our mission is to preserve and recognize the contributions of women to their families and communities, specifically in the five counties of the Grand Traverse area," said Anne Magoun, president of the Women's History Project.