Will Carleton Play


I am In The Process of working with Janet Shank of The Willoughby Fine Arts to make Wills story into a play.

Ever since I was young, my Aunt Marge and my family told me that I was related to Will Carleton, the poet laureate of Michigan. I went to Hillsdale College in 1993 to meet Dr. Jerome Fallon, who was writing a book about Will Carleton.

My aunt told me that my grandfather always said that we were distant cousins. After looking at the family tree in Michigan, (although he has no direct descendants), I came to the conclusion that Will was my great grandfather's cousin. I guess that makes me a distant cousin.

Will was an awesome poet. His most famous poem was "Over The Hill To The Poor House", about the inhumane treatment of the elderly. His poem, "Sewing Girl's Diary", was about indoor air pollution. Landlords at that time didn't think it was their responsibility to keep the air clean from the pollution caused by the chimneys in their buildings and people were dying from that pollution.

He also had poems about divorce, homelessness, and many other topics that greatly reflect today, as well as the 1800's. The idea that Will's topics are so timeless and relevant today is what fascinates me. In his poem, "The New Church Organ", the congregation is not sure of using new sounds and techniques in their church services, while in "The Old Man Laments", the old man says that before the telegraph came along he never was aware of the whole worlds problems - he just had to worry about the problems in his own home town!

Will was popular as The United States changed from a rural to an industrial society. People were leaving their farms to move and get work in the cities. Will's poems, along with his fellow writers from that era, became part of America's conscience, and, partly because of their writings, helped establish a safety net for the poorer members of our society. His poem "Want, Want, Want" is a more accurate look at poverty than either the right or left wing is presenting today. In "A Doctors' Story", Will gives some insight into the medical profession. Will satirizes our festivities on July 4th in "How We Kept The Day". We eat and drink too much, and listen to politicians; This is how we celebrate our Nations Independence!

Lord willing, I am going to complete the play about Will Carleton. I have the outline for it - I just have to find the time to do it. - Denny