Mary Fay Reading Vermont Suffragette Poet Poems In Manuscript 1909 - 43
Item History & Price
Here is an unusual but great find- the collected poems, all in manuscript, of a poet from Reading, Vermont named Mary Fay. The large sized 11 x 14 notebook contains 163 pages of her poems written over a lifetime, with important thematic material indeed.
The poems are all titled and dated, and there are about 100 or so, spanning the years 1909-1943. The poems seem to be in 3 different categories- the beauties of her home state Vermont and the people that make it up, specificall...y the Reading area; the mutability and loveliness of the seasons, and the third, the struggle for her voice to be heard, whether that be in the area of Equal Rights, the pursuit of her own female poetic voice, or the lessons she wishes to impart to her loved ones or younger readers. The common theme seems to be keep striving- nowhere is this more evident than in her most important (and longest) poem, ''Equal Right Proclaiming'' an evocative and impassioned call for women to join a chorus to affect change. Others with a Suffragette type theme are also from the year 1911 and include ""Those Pretty Whiter Hands" , Never Give Up, ", and "Justice Where" . By World War 1, the poems had changed a bit- they were still patriotic but included dirges on the dead of World War 1. Then, from about 1920-1930, there were very few poems- maybe 10 pages of the 163 pages. Then in 1931 she picks it up again in earnest, this time in a less political vein, writing about her friends, the glories of Vermont and the celebrations of life. Her last poem written in 1943 might be her most poignant- it is called "Dreaming" and is written as if she knew it to be her last creation.
It is likely that Mary Fay toiled alone- a google search reveals no published poems but there is enclosed in this notebook a letter from American Boy Magazine dated 1936 asking her to direct her entries to the publication that had just bought them out. So, she could have been published. I have included as many as I could in the 12 pics I get but I wish I could have included 30 more. The writing displays a maturity and her mind was sharp and attuned to the pressing politcal and social matters of the day, especially with regards the struggle for Equal Rights. A great item hop whomever buys it enjoys it as I have.
The poems are all titled and dated, and there are about 100 or so, spanning the years 1909-1943. The poems seem to be in 3 different categories- the beauties of her home state Vermont and the people that make it up, specificall...y the Reading area; the mutability and loveliness of the seasons, and the third, the struggle for her voice to be heard, whether that be in the area of Equal Rights, the pursuit of her own female poetic voice, or the lessons she wishes to impart to her loved ones or younger readers. The common theme seems to be keep striving- nowhere is this more evident than in her most important (and longest) poem, ''Equal Right Proclaiming'' an evocative and impassioned call for women to join a chorus to affect change. Others with a Suffragette type theme are also from the year 1911 and include ""Those Pretty Whiter Hands" , Never Give Up, ", and "Justice Where" . By World War 1, the poems had changed a bit- they were still patriotic but included dirges on the dead of World War 1. Then, from about 1920-1930, there were very few poems- maybe 10 pages of the 163 pages. Then in 1931 she picks it up again in earnest, this time in a less political vein, writing about her friends, the glories of Vermont and the celebrations of life. Her last poem written in 1943 might be her most poignant- it is called "Dreaming" and is written as if she knew it to be her last creation.
It is likely that Mary Fay toiled alone- a google search reveals no published poems but there is enclosed in this notebook a letter from American Boy Magazine dated 1936 asking her to direct her entries to the publication that had just bought them out. So, she could have been published. I have included as many as I could in the 12 pics I get but I wish I could have included 30 more. The writing displays a maturity and her mind was sharp and attuned to the pressing politcal and social matters of the day, especially with regards the struggle for Equal Rights. A great item hop whomever buys it enjoys it as I have.
