It is with sadness that Arlington Public Library acknowledges the recent death of Wendell Berry, literary legend and recipient of the National Humanities Medal. He was born on August 5, 1934, in Henry County, Kentucky.
Berry was a passionate farmer, environmental activist and prolific writer of poems, stories, novels and essays who published more than 40 books including The Memory of Old Jack.
He urged writers and readers to honor and reconnect with the soil through his declaration that “eating is an agricultural act.”
And he was an early advocate for the sustainability movement, inspiring writers and food activists Michael Pollan and Alice Waters.
On May 4, 2010, I was in conversation with Wendell Berry for the fifth annual Arlington Reads program. It was Arlington Public Library’s first big draw and my first outing as an interviewer. The Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium was packed and spilled over into the lobby with more than 300 Berry fans who collectively (I dare say, ecstatically) rose to their feet as he slipped through the garden doors.
I remembered that evening with this reflection:
"It wasn’t the Beatles at Shea or Hendrix at Woodstock. Or even the Jonas Brothers at Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
But it might have been. For when farmer-writer Wendell Berry slipped through the side door of the Central Library Auditorium, he caused an unprecedented eruption of goodwill and generosity, the likes of which he had never before witnessed. And neither had we.
…presided over by a courtly storytelling philosopher who kept his audience both spellbound and hopeful. His messages were simple: keep faith with yourself, your community, your land…"
When we ended our conversation, he turned to me and said, “You did a good job.” My heart sang.
Wendell Berry left an indelible impression on the world and the audience who joined us that magical night. We will always remember his wisdom when he told us to “know and be proud of our space… to stop using too much. To buy local… to value hard work, to be useful. To have hope, to look within ourselves for the strength and courage to beat back the false idol of bigger, better.”
Truer words were never spoken.
Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library
Additional Resources
- Read Library Director Diane Kresh's full reflections on the Arlington Reads event with Wendell Berry.
- Stream the entire 2010 Arlington Reads event. Mr. Berry read an extended excerpt from The Memory of Old Jack.
- Find additional works by Wendell Berry from the collection at Arlington Public Library.