Poet, Writer, Archivist
he/him
Jefferson Navicky is the author of four books, most recently, Head of Island Beautification for the Rural Outlands, a Finalist for the Big Other Book Award in Fiction, as well as Antique Densities: Modern Parables & Other Experiments in Short Prose, winner of the Maine Literary Award for Poetry. He has worked as an archivist for the Djuna Barnes Literary Estate and the Maine Women Writers Collection, and has given talks on a wide variety of writers from Edna St. Vincent Millay to May Sarton to Sally Wood, Maine’s first novelist. Jefferson lives in midcoast Maine.
Talks
The Offshore Islands Belong to Themselves: Ruth Moore & Her Poetry
Ruth Moore was one of Maine’s most beloved 20th century writers. Jefferson’s presentation includes highlights from the Ruth Moore collection at the Maine Women Writers Collection. This talk touches on some of her most well-known books as well as her often-neglected poetry. Jefferson will share a variety of Moore’s poems and invite audience participation.
Why Do You Ask? The Intimate Literary Archives of Elizabeth Coatsworth and Kate Barnes
Poet and archivist Jefferson Navicky had the rare good fortune of processing the extensive archival papers of Elizabeth Coatsworth, one of the most accomplished children’s book authors and poets of the mid 20th century, as well as the papers of her daughter, Kate Barnes, Maine’s first Poet Laureate.
Together, their papers present an intimate glimpse into the makings of a matriarchal line of Maine writers. Jefferson will speak about his experience processing these collections, as well as present illustrative work from each writer, and provide historical and biographical context.
Day After Day After Day: The Remarkable Diaries of Ordinary Maine Women
The Maine Women Writers Collection has numerous diaries spanning the 19th and 20th century kept by Maine women across the state whose lives were remarkable in their unremarkableness. In the quotidian passing of their days – from weather to chores to historic moments – the accumulation gives shape and significance to their lives.
By sampling and discussing a selection of these diaries across time, we will all connect with the common struggles and small triumphs of what it’s like to be human and to live day by day.
Edna St. Vincent Millay: Iconic Poet & Master of Reinvention
Edna St. Vincent Millay was a firebrand poet. Brilliant, complicated, and beloved, she was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, and she was born in Rockland in 1892. Grounded in selections of Millay’s poetry, and drawing on biographical information and letters, poet and archivist Jefferson Navicky will lead participants in an introductory discussion about this iconic poet, specifically focusing on moments in her life and work where Millay reinvented herself. If you’ve always been curious about Millay or if you’ve loved her all your life, this talk will engage and welcome all levels of Millay enthusiasts. Together we’ll discover the ways in which Millay’s voice still resonates more than seventy-five years after her death.