Latest News
A Poem is Never Finished...
Shortly after the most recent group of residents arrived on June 18, Christine Shank made a photograph of a stack of David Groff's unfinished poems. The image quickly came to exemplify this particular group of Fellows and the close, unanticipated connections they made with each other across disciplines.
***
"'A poem is never finished, only abandoned,' said Paul Valery. And I'm unwilling to abandon mine.
I keep revising them, thinking I can get them exactly right, and I bring a whole duffle bag of drafts with me whenever I travel to write. It's my albatross. But I'm glad to carry it."
- David Groff
***
"What I appreciate most about my experience here at Saltonstall is the inspiration and influence that has come from both the ideal location and the other people at the residency.
There is a delicate balance of reliance, appreciation and tenderness that develop between residents, which allows for the exchange of ideas and inspiration.
I was immediately struck by the care and history contained in this stack of poems of fellow resident, David Groff.
When he told me the story of tucking these poems into a duffle bag and bringing them with him to multiple residencies I just became more attracted to this object and was delighted when he gave me permission to borrow them to make a photograph.
The gift of time and space here at Saltonstall has recharged me as an image-maker."