By Anne Molleur Hanson

It’s hard to believe that our long-awaited Wallace Stegner Centennial is now a month behind us, but the warmth of the event is still with us here at the Lodge. David Smith, innkeeper, declared it one of our best weekends ever! Our local newspapers noted the weekend  received highest accolades from attendees, who were effusive with their enthusiasm for the event and for our invited guests: Stegner bi ographer and author Philip Fradkin; Stegner literary agent and friend, Carl Brandt; and our neighbor, Clive Gray, whose parents Peg and Phil gray were portrayed in Crossing to Safety as Sid and Charity Lang.

A large part of the weekend’s success was due to the enthusiastic and contagious energy supplied by all attendees. Some knew the Stegners from their time in Greensboro, others hailing from distant Arizona and Illinois know Stegner only through his writing. Diverse in age and walk of life, attending solo, by couple, as a family reunion, or with their book club comrades, the people comprising this crowd had one thing in common: their appreciation for Wallace Stegner’s literary genius and his contributions to the fine art of creative writing. This appreciation was evident from the first hours of our weekend, which began with a viewing of John Howe’s documentary, Wallace Stegner (Mr. Howe sent a DVD of the documentary to us even though it was premiering nationally on PBS at the same time!) Philip Fradkin answered questions during a discussion that followed the documentary.

After a delicious family-style dinner served to nearly 70 people in the Lodge dining room, attendees turned their chairs to listen to David Smith, whose voice and cadence were perfectly modulated to read Stegner’s Foreword in The Greensboro History. The “sense of place” theme of the Foreword recurred as a leitmotif throughout the weekend, including the Friday night discussion on Crossing to Safety. The discussion, moderated by me, Anne Hanson, included some fascinating background and insights by Clive Gray, and some amusing anecdotes by Stegner’s former daughter-in-law Marion Stegner and Highland Lodge innkeeper and Greensboro History officer, Wilhelmina Smith. The questions and insights offered by the attendees also expanded both understanding of and appreciation for Stegner’s last novel, which many count as their favorite Stegner work. Thanks to Clive we also viewed home movie footage of the Stegners and the Grays heading off on one of their mule treks—a brief and touching view of the youth and vigor of the Stegners and Grays some 60 years ago.

On Saturday, we rose to a superb September morning with a bright and cloudless sky: the perfect weather we had ordered for our hike to Barr Hill and our picnic had been delivered! After a delicious and nourishing breakfast in the sunny Lodge dining room, and a brief introduction to the geologic and human history of our trail by my husband, Vermont Center for Ecostudies biologist Eric Hanson, we departed on our hike.  En route we stopped outside the Gray Aerie, the setting for Crossing to Safety’s final scenes, and enjoyed spectacular views.We arrived at the open view on Barr Hill in time for a sunny picnic and gorgeous vistas. Clive gave an excellent extemporaneous talk on the history of Barr Hill, whose land his parents ultimately donated to The Nature Conservancy. Their vision was to preclude development on the hillside and make it accessible to generations of picnickers. How pleased they would be to see it now!

Our gorgeous September day continued, and so did our program, with a sumptuous afternoon tea in the Lodge dining room, and Philip Fradkin and Carl Brandt discussing their lives as writer and literary agent. The ensuing discussion included engaging questions for and equally interesting answers from the two gentlemen, with reflections on the current state of books and the business of publishing them. Our sponsor, the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, also provided a mobile and much appreciated “book store” in our dining room with most of Wallace Stegner’s books, as well as those written by his son, Page, and daughter-in-law, Lynn.

Later on Saturday, following another wonderful dinner, Philip and Carl provided an enlightening and entertaining evening on Wallace Stegner. As his biographer, Philip provided myriad insights into Wallace Stegner and the factors that motivated his writing. He also detailed his research methods and challenges as biographer. Carl, at the helm of the literary agency that promoted Stegner’s writing, spoke of the writer whom he described as the consummate professional, a man who lived to write.

Sunday morning, the last of our Centennial Weekend, came too quickly for most of us. The weather had turned cooler and drizzly. With final thank yous to the Smiths and staff of Highland Lodge, and also to the attendees who truly made the event the great success that it was, I closed the weekend, with an invitation to those who could linger to gather in the living room to hear excerpts of Stegner reading his essays in the audio collection Sense of Place. The noon showing of the Stegner documentary was the ideal way to formally close the weekend. This showing was also well-attended by some weekend registrants as well as neighbors from the area.

The weekend included short blocks of “free time” between events, so guests could visit some favorite Greensboro’s authors’ haunts, landmarks in Stegner’s Greensboro-based books Crossing to Safety and Second Growth,or the author’s memorial stone in the nearby Lincoln-Noyes cemetery. Members of the coastal Maine book group, inured to much colder waters than Caspian’s in September, took a dip in the lake, earning the title of "Last Bathers at the Highland Lodge Beach Summer/Fall Season 2009!" Others relaxed in the porch rockers absorbing views of the lake and landscape that Stegner so loved.

Several people, upon departing the Lodge from our weekend, asked when our next literary weekend will be. I am working on that right now, and considering the great suggestions provided by many who joined us in September. To all of them and again to our sponsors, I say THANK YOU for helping bring Mr. Stegner back to Greensboro.

Our sponsors included the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, the Greensboro Historical Society, the Greensboro Free Library, and Highland Lodge. I give my thanks also to my colleagues at Highland Lodge, who worked over-time to provide the fabulous food and friendly service that make the Highland Lodge the special place it is!

If you, like me, regret never meeting Wallace Stegner, and you could not attend the weekend, I highly recommend Philip Fradkin’s book Wallace Stegner and the American West, (now in paperback). The book is well-researched, thorough, and beautifully written.