DURING his month as a writer-in-residence at the James Merrill House in Stonington, Connecticut, in 2022, Chris Spaide’s favorite place to spend time was the Pulitzer Prize–winning author’s office. Merrill, who died in 1995, had designed the cozy nook so it was easy to move from working on his latest poem at one of two desks to playing Solitaire or reading on the burnt orange daybed. And, in a playful nod to childhood fantasy, the whole room was tucked away behind a secret door masquerading as a bookcase, its own hidden world. A critic and poet in his own right, Spaide spent some days writing at one of the desks. But mostly he contemplated the contents of the room itself, looking through Merrill’s prodigious postcard and record collections or lounging…
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Poets & Writers (Digital) - 1 Issue, March/April 2025