Laurel Leaf
i
R o l a n d
P a r k
C o u n t r y
S c h o o l
•
S pr i n g
2 0 1 1
The Anne Healy Chair of English Literature and Language Lecture About the Healy Lecture The Anne Healy endowment was
In 2001 Anne Healy charged our formal education created to honor Miss Healy who Centennial Class, at their Commenceuntil she entered served as the Head of School for ment, to determine, “What you will RPCS in 1922 twenty-five years, from 1950– not renounce.” Her text came from but she was very 1975. A special day is set aside Briefing for Finisterre, by Josephine knowledgeable each year and a distinguished person in the field of letters is invited Boylan Jacobsen, 1926. The poem about literature. to meet and work with groups of is included in her essay, the first, Josephine did not students during the school day and in our Centennial book, A Place in attend college, to present an evening program for Our Hearts. In this essay Mrs. Jacoblike many women students, faculty and members of sen noted, “I chose “Finisterre” from in her day whose the larger school community. among my poems largely because of parents did not Anne Healy’s affection for it, and also support further because I felt its theme of final choices education, but applied to everyone. Sooner or later we among her many honors, Josephine come to our own finisterres and make Jacobsen served later in life as Conour choices among our priorities.” All sultant in Poetry to the Library of of us who have known Anne Healy Congress (later renamed the National as Headmistress, teacher, colleague Poet Laureate) and received the Roband friend know with unquestionert Frost Medal for lifetime achieveing assurance that one thing she will ment from the Poetry Society of not renounce— America. one thing that Not only did Elizabeth read Briefshe affirms—is ing for Finisterre at the lecture as a tribR o l a n d Pa r k ute to Miss Healy, but she surprised Country School many audience members by reading and thus RPCS travel pieces that Josephine had writis so pleased to ten so eloquently for the op/ed pages hold one special of The Baltimore Sun. According to Josephine Boylan Jacobsen, 1926 day annually in her Beth, Josephine had a “gift for haphonor. piness” and was a Elizabeth Spires, “brilliant poet, but poet and professor of not a good speller!” English at Goucher Elizabeth shared a College, joined us poem she dedicated at the end of March to Josephine, Curling A Celebration of the Poetry of Josephine Boylan Jacobsen, 1926 for the third time at Willow, made even the Anne Healy Lecmore memorable by as told through Elizabeth Spires ture. In 1996, she and the blooming curling her husband author willow gracefully perched atop Madison Smartt Bell gave the lecture and in 1998 she accompanied RPCS the table by her podium. She alumna and poet Josephine Boylan Jacobsen, 1926, the Anne Healy lecturer shared a poignant video of Josethat year, who shared her poetry and her career experiences with the community. Elizabeth Spires was a good friend and occasional literary assistant phine reading two poems which for Josephine Jacobsen, 1926 during the last 20 years of Josephine’s life. brought tears to the eyes of many audience members. ElizaThis year Elizabeth beth noted that Josephine called came to RPCS to help poetry “the written voice”—and us celebrate the life and poetry of Josephine Jacobhow fortunate we are that JoseJacobsen sen, who died in 2003 phine’s printed voice will live forever in our minds and hearts. at the age of 94, as well as to share some of the poetry she dedicated to Jacobsen her friend over the years. Elizabeth taught two AP English classes and held Editor’s Note: assemblies for our Middle School and Grade 5 as well as our 9th and 10th Elizabeth Spires edited a volume of Jacobsen’s occasional prose, The Instant of Knowing¸ in 1997 graders. Juniors and Seniors attended the evening lecture. and after Jacobsen’s death, Ms. Spires assembled the poems that Jacobsen had published in the last Elizabeth wove a tale of young Josephine, born prematurely at only eight years of her life, including seven that had appeared in The New Yorker, into Contents of a two pounds. Josephine, who once called herself “a fierce particle,” had no Minute. She is the author of six collections of poetry, most recently, The Wave-Maker, and six books
The Written Voice
“My initiation into another of the great literary processes came when I was ten. I saw a poem of mine published. Printed. In a magazine. For sale. Being bought by readers.”
“Poetry escapes from its maker’s limits to rejoice us with hope.”
for children. A professor of English at Goucher College and Chair of Distinguished Achievement, Spires is also the acting director of the Kratz Center for Creative Writing. Elizabeth Spires was educated at Vassar College (B.A., 1974) and Johns Hopkins University (M.A., 1979). Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, and American Poetry Review, and in many anthologies including Contemporary American Poetry (7th edition) and The New Bread Loaf Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, and the Witter Bynner Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she has taught in the Kaleidoscope program at RPCS.
About the Josephine Boylan Jacobsen, 1926 Permanent Collection at Roland Park Country School In 2004, friends and colleagues of esteemed poet Josephine Jacobsen wanted to establish a local repository for her writings, papers, publications and photographs for preservation and scholarly research. The Josephine Boylan Jacobsen, 1926 Permanent Collection is housed in the RPCS Archives. Patti Lyall, Assistant Head of School for Student Services and 2010 recipient of the Anne Healy Chair, Elizabeth Spires and Jean Waller Brune, Head of School Roland Park Countr y School
[ 1]