'Presidents and Poetry' program Saturday at Vachel Lindsay Home

[June 26, 2012]  SPRINGFIELD -- "Presidents and Poetry," a program inspired by the White House gardens, will be presented by Dr. Dan Guillory on Saturday at 2 p.m. as part of the Poets in the Parlor series at the Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site, 603 S. Fifth St. in Springfield.

The event will include historical commentary and various poems featuring presidents, such as "Mary Todd Lincoln Expropriates the Garden Fund, 1862," "John and Abigail, Planting Vegetables" and "A Wedding in the Blue Room." The White House gardens are intimately bound up with the stories of some of our most famous presidents and their first ladies.

"Gardens are perhaps the oldest example of the basic human need for order and beauty. The English word 'paradise' is derived from the old Persian word for 'garden,' and we trace our cultural beginnings to the Garden of Eden," said Guillory. "The White House gardens are more recent but no less important -- they are intimately bound up with the stories of some of our most famous presidents and their first ladies. Their narratives will provide the basis for historical commentary and original poetry I will present at the Lindsay Home."

Guillory is professor emeritus of English and winner of awards from the Academy of American Poets, the American Library Association and the Illinois Arts Council. He is the author of eight books, including "The Lincoln Poems."

'The free program is sponsored by the Vachel Lindsay Association and the Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site. Refreshments will be provided.

The Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site is the birthplace and longtime residence of poet, author and artist Nicholas Vachel Lindsay, 1879-1931. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for free public tours.

[Text from file received from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]