You are invited to join
The Friends of the
Botanic Garden of
Smith College
MEMBERSHIP
BENEFITS INCLUDE:
From Petals to Paper
Poetic Inspiration
From Flowers
 A complimentary copy of Celebrating a





Century: The Botanic Garden of Smith
College, by C. John Burk
Botanic Garden News and our calendar of
events, twice a year
Members-only hours at the Spring Bulb Show
and the Fall Chrysanthemum Show
Free admission and discounts at 250 other
gardens around the country
10% discount on Botanic Garden merchandise
Free audio tours of the Lyman Conservatory
A display of contemporary poetry
inspired by the beauty of nature,
selected by student interns at the
Smith College Poetry Center,
Janan Scott '13 and Liliana Farrell '13.
(sorry, no audio tours during the Bulb Show)
 Invitations to show previews and receptions
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Poetic Inspiration from Flowers
This exhibition features
contemporary poetry inspired
by nature. Selections were made
by Janan Scott ’13 and Liliana Farrel ’13.
The beauty and fire of nature have inspired
poets for as long as poetry has existed, and the
Spring Bulb Show is a veritable garden of delights
for anyone seeking the spark of inspiration.
The poetry courses that we have had the
opportunity to take at Smith College introduced us
to some amazing contemporary poets—among
them Li-Young Lee, Jean Toomer, and Louise Glück,
who are represented in the gathering of poems
presented here.
The very first poem we discussed in Annie
Boutelle’s poetry workshop was “Irises” by
Li-Young Lee. How was he able to make a flower
mysterious, sexual, powerful, ambivalent, hopeful,
and human—all at the same time? It was
thrilling to experience.
The shapes, colors, smells and textures in this
stunning array of blooming are reflected in
poetry’s rhythms, sounds, and images. We hope
the poems we have chosen provide a
complementary lens through which to see these
marvels of the natural world.
We invite you to let the poems act as a kind of
guide, an adjoining corridor to the experience of
the viewer as you move through the profusion
and diversity of blossoms and foliage here.
Immerse yourself in the intimate practice of the
senses on the page, as well, observing the ways a
poem can conjure a treasure map and lead us into
the wonders that language, too, can offer,
bewildering and powerful in its unfurling petals,
alive and burning with color.
Janan Scott and Liliana Farrell
$75
I NFORMATION ON THE P OETS
$50
$20
graduated in the past 5 years
Enclosed is my check of $
_
(payable to Smith College)
Name:
Class Year (alumnae):
Address:
City/State:
F ROM P ETALS TO P APER :
Zip:
E-mail:
All contributions are tax-deductible. Send to:
FRIENDS OF THE BOTANIC GARDEN
SMITH COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
P.O. Box 340029, Boston, MA 02241-0429
Or join online at www.smith.edu/friends
Produced by the Botanic Garden of
Smith College in collaboration with
the Poetry Center and the Mortimer
Rare Book Room.
The Botanic Garden
of Smith College
www.smith.edu/garden
Adelaide Crapsey –
“Blue Hyacinths”
(1878 – 1914) Born in Brooklyn, NY.
From 1911–1913, she was Instructor of Poetics at Smith College. Most of her poetry was published posthumously in 1915 in the book Verse. H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) – “Sea Iris”
(1886 – 1961) Born in Bethlehem, PA.
Part of the early 20th century avant‐garde
modernist poets, such as Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams, her poetry books include: Sea
Garden, Red Roses for Bronze, and By Avon River.
John Dryden ‐ “Fair Iris I love and Hourly I Die”
(1631 – 1700)
Born in Northamptonshire, England. Poet, playwright, satirist, literary critic and translator, Dryden is known for his usage of the heroic couplet. Some of his most famous poems include “Mac Flecknoe,” “Absalom and Achitophel,” and “The Medall.” Camille T Dungy – “What to Eat,
What to Drink and What to Leave to
Poison” (1972 – Present)
Born in Denver, CO.
Her three published poetry books include: Suck on the Marrow, Smith
Blue, and What to Eat, What to
Drink, What to Leave for Poison.
I NFORMATION ON THE P OETS
C.B. Follett – “Untitled”
(1936 – present) Born in New York City.
Smith College Class of 1958 (English major).
Carolyn Brown Follett, Poet Laureate of Marin County (2010 to 2012), is also a professional artist and photographer. Her book At the
Turning of the Light won the 2001 National Poetry Book Award. Louise Glück – “Hyacinth” & “The Wild Iris”
(1943 – present) Born in New York City.
Considered by many to be one of America’s most talented contemporary poets, her books include: Poems 1962‐2012, A Village Life: Poems,
Averno, and Vita Nova. The Wild Iris was
awarded the Pulitzer Prize. James Hearst – “In April”
(1900 – 1983) Born in Black Hawk County, IA. Having grown up on a farm, his poetry describes his life as a farmer. During his life, he published 600 poems in 12 poetry books. Robert Herrick – “To Daffodils”
(1591 – 1674) Born in London.
Relatively unknown during his lifetime and into the 18th century, he was “rediscovered” in the 20th century. His only book of poems is Hesperides, which contains 1200 poems. Brigit Pegeen Kelly – “The Satyr’s
Heart” (1951 – present)
Born in Palo Alto, CA.
A recipient of some of American poetry’s most prestigious honors, including the Yale Younger Poets Prize, her first published poetry collection was To the Place of
Trumpets. Other volumes include Song and The Orchard. D.H. Lawrence – “Scent of Irises”
(18885 – 1930) Born in
Nottinghamshire, UK.
Known for his novels, D. H. Lawrence published many poetry books including: Bird, Beasts
and Flowers; Pansies; and Look! We
Have Come Through!
Li‐Young Lee – “Irises” & “Secret Life”
(1957 – present) Born in Jakarta, Indonesia. His parents were Chinese political exiles in Indonesia who moved the family to the US in 1964. He wrote many poetry books, including Behind My Eyes, Book of My Nights (2002 William Carlos Williams Award winner), and Rose. Amy Lowell – “To an Early Daffodil” & “A Tulip
Garden” (1874 – 1925) Born in Brookline, MA.
Some of her works of poetry include A Dome of
Many‐Colored Glass and Sword Blades and
Poppy Seeds. She was editor and contributor to Some Imagist Poets: An Anthology, published in 1915, along with two more volumes in subsequent years. In 1926, What’s O'Clock? (published posthumously) received the Pulitizer Prize for Poetry. Mary Oliver – “Blue Iris”
(1935 – present) Born in Maple Heights, OH.
Her first poetry book, No Voyage and Other
Poems, was published in 1963. Her other poetry books include Thirst, New and Selected Poems,
House of Light and Owls and Other Fantasies:
Poems and Essays. Much of her writing focuses on observing nature. She has won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Alicia Ostriker – “Daffodils”
(1937 – present) Born in New York City.
A major American poet and critic, her volumes of poetry include The Book of Seventy (Jewish National Book Award), The Crack in Everything
(National Book Award finalist), The Volcano
Sequence and more. Recurrent themes in her work are family, Jewish identity, and feminism. Ovid – “The Narcissus”
(43 BCE–17 CE) Born in Sulomona, Italy.
Publius Ovidius Naso was an influential Roman poet. His poetry includes Amores and Heroides,
and his most famous work Metamorphoses.
Sylvia Plath – “Tulips”
(1932 – 1963) Born in Boston, MA.
Smith College Class of 1955 (English major).
A highly admired poet of the 2oth century, she already had quite a following at the age of 30, when she committed suicide. Her writing was confessional and controversial. Her poetry books include Colossus and Ariel. She also wrote a semi‐autobiography, The Bell Jar.
David St. John – “Iris”
(1949 – present) Born in Fresno, CA. He has a bachelor’s degree from California State University and an MFA from the University of Iowa, and he has received numerous awards and honors. His published poetry books include: The Face: A Novella in
Verse, Hush, Terraces of Rain, and The Red
Leaves of Night.
A. E. Stallings – “Tulips”
(1968 – present) Born in Decatur, GA. MacArthur Fellow Alicia Stallings is a poet and translator. Her poetry includes Archaic Smile, Hapax, and Olives. She translated De Rerum
Natura (The Nature of Things) by Lucretius.
Jean Toomer – “Storm Ending”
(1894 – 1967) Born in Washington, D.C.
Harlem Renaissance poet, playwright, and novelist. Born Nathan Pinchback Toomer, his most famous work was Cane, a collection of stories and poems. David Trinidad – “Red Parade”
(1953 – present) Born in Los Angeles, CA.
A writer and poet, his many books include Plasticville, Dear Prudence: New and Selected
Poems, and Pavane. His work often focuses on popular culture. Wendy Videlock – “Flowers”
(1961 – present) Born in Ohio
Her work appears widely, most regularly in Poetry magazine. Her first book of poetry, Nevertheless, was published in 2011 and The Dark Gnu was released in 2013. William Carlos Williams – “The Tulip Bed”
(1883 – 1963) Born in Rutherford, NJ.
A doctor for over 40 years, he is known as an innovator in American poetry. His work includes: Poems, An Early Martyr and Other
Poems, and Paterson. William Wordsworth –
“Daffodils”
(1770 – 1850) Born in
Cockermouth,
Cumberland, England.
A romantic poet concerned with the human relationship to nature, his poetry books include Descriptive Sketches,
An Evening Walk and Lyrical
Ballads, which he wrote with another Romantic poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge.