Micou To Speak at Kimball Library

On Ethos & Essence of Vermont

Ann McKinstry Micou, author of "A Guide to Fiction Set in Vermont," will speak at Kimball Library on Main St. in Randolph Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m., about the sense of place in Vermont fiction; what she calls the "ethos and essence" of Vermont.

Published by the Vermont Humanities Council in November 2005, the guide provides almost 500 concise, yet comprehensive, descriptions of novels and short stories set in the Green Mountain State from 1835 to today. An author bibliography and multiple appendixes and indexes make the guide an ideal tool for those seeking to learn about Vermont through the lens of literature.

In her talk, Micou distills, from the huge amount of material summarized in her book, some examples from authors who impart in their works a sense of place to their readers. Place, she says, can be defined in many ways: the landscape, the climate, the context, the environment, and the local color.

Micou spent her 46-year professional career as an English teacher, editor, and director of communications in nonprofit, international development agencies. She worked and lived with her family in both Ankara, Turkey, and Tehran, Iran. She and her husband retired and moved to South Newfane in 1999.

"As a newcomer to Vermont," she says, "I find that the cumulative effect of reading Vermont fiction has taught me a lot about the ethos and essence of our Green Mountain State. In that one guide of 350 pages, a reader can find the social, political, and cultural history of Vermont."

The guide has been well received around the state. Tom Slayton, former editor of Vermont Life, calls the guide "nothing short of amazing," and author Howard Frank Mosher says it is "comprehensive, trenchant, and appreciative." Reeve Lindbergh finds it "a unique, thoroughly delightful handbook."

This presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, call Kimball Library at 728-5073.

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