Archive

Besides his books, Bill has written a variety of poems, short stories, opinion pieces, and more.

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Comments at Jim Morse’s Celebration of Life

We’re grateful to be here today to honor the memory of a dear friend and an extraordinary human being. I won’t replay for you Jim’s pioneering resume in Vermont and...
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Greta in Winter

This fall for only the second time in my life, I bought a new car. It’s an emission-free Nissan Leaf. I named it “Greta.” Last night, I ran into a...
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Obesity

Obesity is a principal driver of health care costs, our nation is obese, and at 350 pounds I, too, am obese. But my doctor tells me that at seventy years...
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Silverbacks in India

About 30 years ago, I was burned out and needed a break from a 50–60-hour work week. I was seeing a young photographer and, out of the blue, asked her...
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Vermont, can we go it alone?

I write about Vermont. Others with greater knowledge than I cover the national landscape. My feelings about how we’re doing as a nation are informed by the writers I follow...
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Photographic Memory, excerpt

When he awakes, the train is winding slowly north through the White River Valley. Among the trees, he spots the remains of an abandoned marble quarry. The wide-mesh game fence...
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Our Atlanta Family Wedding

We just attended a family wedding in Atlanta. And it was the kind of rare family event that stays with one for a lifetime. Not only a joyous commitment of...
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Geoffrey’s Date

The third time I saw her walking her golden in the park, I got up the courage to say hello and, using her dog as a pretext, I asked, “Nice...
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Comments to Snelling Leadership Students at Graduation 082720

Tenets of Leadership: A Unity of Opposites (applies to all three sectors: gov., bus., & nonprofit) Humility (arrogance is toxic) and Courage Seek and defend truth (no alternative facts, only...
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News from Magic Hill – June

Stories and News From Magic HillJune 2019 Summer…not. Unlike the busy wild animals we share our few acres with, I’m not adjusting well to the persistence of winter: June 4th...
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What has happened to Vermont?

What are the cohesive elements in Vermont’s 247 towns and cities? What sustains their human connection, commerce, and community? Though born in New York City, I grew up in Morrisville...
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Why I wrote “I am Baybie”

In 1976, I met a blind New York City street singer named Reverend Baybie Hoover whose early life was marked by a succession of tragedies.   She was blinded at...
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