Description

Robert Dunn, known as the Penny Poet of Portsmouth for the little books of poems he sold on the street for a penny, lived in our city from the 1970s until his death in 2008. From 1999 to 2001, he was the Poet Laureate of Portsmouth. A rare soul and a brilliant writer, Robert never owned a car, telephone, or computer. He was a fixture on our downtown streets for many years as he made his daily walks and stopped to visit with his many friends. 

At this gathering to celebrate Robert’s life and his devotion to Portsmouth, a group of his friends will share a reading of his poems, and Katherine Towler will read from her new memoir, The Penny Poet of Portsmouth.  The memoir chronicles her friendship with Robert as she got to know this elusive man over many years, what he taught her about being a writer, and how the city he loved shaped him and he shaped it in an era when Portsmouth was rougher around the edges than it is today.  Books will be available for sale and signing. 

Katherine Towler is the author of the novels Snow Island, Evening Ferry, and Island Light, and co-editor with Ilya Kaminsky of A God in the House: Poets Talk About Faith. She teaches in the MFA Program in Writing at Southern New Hampshire University and has lived in Portsmouth since 1991.  

A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program. RiverRun Bookstore is sponsoring the event and handling book sales.