PSOV is pleased to share the following press release of “I Have Passed This Way,” poems by Patricia Belding, long-time Barre resident, librarian, and writer. Patricia was also a long time member of the Poetry Society of Vermont. Throughout her membership Patricia had 147 of her poems published in the PSOV’s journal The Mountain Troubadour, beginning in 1965 when her poem “Vermont Adage” was selected in the Spring Contest until 2014 when her poem “Doubt” was chosen by the editorial board for publication.
Potash Book Publishing is pleased to announce the release of “I Have Passed This Way,” poems by Patricia Belding, long-time Barre resident, librarian, and writer.
Patricia Belding was born in Arlington Massachusetts in 1930. She moved to Vermont, with her husband Jack, in 1957. Six years later they moved to Barre, Vermont with their two children. Pat joined the Poetry Society of Vermont in 1965 and, until her death in 2018, she was an active member of one, and sometimes two, local poetry groups.
Pat was a long-time employee of the Aldrich Public Library where she was a familiar face to many Barre people. She authored four books in her retirement years, one of which, “Where the Books Are”, documented each existing public library in Vermont.
Although known for her library work and her published books, Pat was never recognized among the wider public for her poetic talents. This book is meant to remedy that gap in her legacy.
Pat’s poems, straightforward short vignettes of everyday life, have a quiet grace, and a warmth that might remind you of cups of hot tea and conversations around a friend’s kitchen table. For those who never visited Pat’s table, this book is the next best thing.
Please join us at the book launch celebration on Saturday, August 16th, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, at the Aldrich Library. There will be a reading of her poetry, followed by light refreshments.