When I first received the invitation from Evan Hanczor, writer, chef, and founder of Tables of Contents, to be one of the 2024 TOC Regenerative Residents, I was taken completely by surprise. I was unable to come in the Spring, but thankfully the Glynwood team was able to accommodate me as their first summer resident for the TOC Program. Primarily my practices are in visual and performing arts, curation, and arts writing, with years of quiet practice in writing poetry. I knew immediately that I would use this time to develop my poems for publication and explore the intersections of poetic verse with my own transcultural food histories as an Afrodiasporic woman.
After months of anticipation, I could never have imagined the bounty of surprises that met me during my stay, not least of which of course was the sprawling beauty and calm of the land itself, the romance of the Farm Store and Perkins Library, all those breathtaking sunsets that painted the lake gold, and sparks of magical fireflies in the bush every evening. But chief among the surprises was eating here, cooking and creating recipes with freshly harvested ingredients, and learning about all the expansive and mindful programs offered, and late-night chats with cider scholar on writing retreat, my fellow Clove Cottage resident, Maria Kennedy.
It was truly impressive to learn of the vast number of communities served by food and farming initiatives at Glynwood, and to meet so many people who tend so lovingly to this place and the animals here. It was a new education and encounter to witness such efforts of sustainable, generative, and responsible work. I was also grateful for the evening event at the Boathouse which offered the opportunity to read my new poetry drafts, and meet members of the Hudson Valley community, hosted by Evan, his TOC partner Josh Krigman, VP of Development at Glynwood, Zoraida Lopez-Diago, and partly sponsored by Metal House Cider, Kymberly Kae.
Everyone was so kind, friendly, and easeful throughout this experience, and though I witnessed hard work to be sure, the music of this natural environment was never disturbed by the collaborative work on it. I know I was a visitor for just under three weeks, so I’m waxing lyrical for what is I’m sure an existence with its own daily pressures to maintain such balance and beauty, but perhaps that may be the main point here, because YOU ALL made it look so easy, and it has shifted some of my dreams of what kind of balance to move towards.
Infinite gratitude,
Berette S Macaulay
