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Profound Homecoming for America 250

PRESS RELEASE 3/3/2026

Boston poet Durane West will open the 7th annual Exeter Literary Festival with a reading of his commissioned poem, “America, it is to thee,” in honor of the America 250 anniversary. The poem serves as a contemporary bridge to our shared history, offering a modern perspective on the nation’s 250-year journey.

The festival is delighted to welcome West to the main stage at the Exeter Town Hall (9 Center St, Exeter, NH). Running from noon to 5 p.m., on April 4th. the event features nearly a dozen authors and poets. A full schedule is available at ExeterLitFest.com. The event is free and open to the public.

West’s appearance marks a profound homecoming; he is a direct descendant of Exeter’s renowned abolitionist poet James Monroe Whitfield, who published America and Other Poems in 1853. The title of West’s new work honors his ancestor’s legacy. Furthermore, West’s lineage traces back to Exeter’s earliest African-American residents, including Caesar Paul and, by marriage, Black Revolutionary War soldier Jude Hall.

BIO: Durane West, spoken word artist and educator, is born and raised in Boston. He channels intense imagery, and intuitive emotional exploration to showcase transparency in his writing. Through versatile form usage and raw introspective diction. West has several years of experience working in the non-profit sector for organizations that aim to improve literacy skills for inner city youth throughout Boston. West was nominated in 2022 and 2024 for Spoken Word Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards. His poem “617”, centering the experience of a black Boston resident, was featured and published for the City of Boston in 2021.

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America 250 is the national celebration and commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a milestone known as the Semiquincentennial. While the actual anniversary falls on July 4, 2026, activities and programs are already underway across the United States to honor the nation’s history, founding principles, and future. 

Look for more America 250 events on the Town of Exeter 250 Calendar: exeternh.gov/250cc/exeter-250-event-calendar

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2025 Exeter LitFest Schedule

Spring arrives soon and so does the annual Exeter Litfest in the Exeter Town Hall. This year the board (above 2024) voted to change the name of the April event to “Exeter Literary Festival” but keep the website and all other sundries like the annual Spooky Folsom Halloween party as sponsored by “ExeterLitFest.com.”

To round out the weekend there will be bookish parties/events at other cultural places around town: Friday night kick-off Latin concert at the Exeter Public Library at 6pm, followed by an after-party at the TEAM Gallery, Sunday fun at Up Front Art Gallery.

Below is the town hall schedule for Saturday. Full info and author bios at ExeterLitFest.com

2025 SCHEDULE

Exeter Literary Festival: Saturday, April 5 at Exeter Town Hall

Free & Open to the Public

2025 Featured Authors: J. Courtney Sullivan author of “The Cliffs” & Dr. Tiya Miles author of “Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman: the Faith Dreams of a Free People”

 SCHEDULE:
11am
J. Courtney Sullivan in conversation with Katie Adams (Main Stage)

12:15pm
Keith O’Brien in conversation with Dan Provost (Main Stage)

Independent Publishing in the Modern World: Featuring authors Renay Allen, Michael Cameron Ward, Justin Corriss and Sara North. Moderated by Lara Bricker  (Located in the upstairs gallery)

1:30pm
Damsels and Dragons: Romance, Fantasy, and Marrying the Two. Featuring authors Jacquelyn Benson, Laura Mayo, and Lyra Selene. Moderated by Naomi Farr (Main Stage)
 
Echoes of Now: Poets of the Present Moment. Featuring poets K. Iver, Cate Marvin, and Nathan McClain curated by Diannely Antigua. (Located in the upstairs gallery)

2:45pm

Family and Finding Home. Featuring authors Jane Brox and Alexandra Chan. Moderated by Stef Kiper Schmidt (Main Stage)

Exeter High School Student Poetry. (Located in the upstairs gallery)

4pm
Dr. Tiya Miles in conversation with Caleb Gale (Main Stage)

Don’t forget to visit the book swap table in honor of Bookmobile founder & Robinson Female Seminary alum, Mary Lemist Titcomb!

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Exeter LitFest 2024

April 5&6

The first weekend in April is always LitFest weekend, and another one is just around the corner. My team has been busy busy busy making plans – they are a fabulous group of talented volunteers and I appreciate them. Truly.

We are also fortunate to have many local partners as well like; The Word Barn, The Water Street Bookstore, and the Exeter Public Library. They are all busy getting ready for this year’s festival weekend, too. So much fun!!!

Here’s some history – Back in 2018, I had an idea to create a town book festival and a group of us did so in 2019 on a shoestring budget (aka NO budget). A couple of years later, I was able to register our little homegrown festival as a NH 501c3 non-profit. We held some super fun fundraisers over the years – like the Death by Chocolate chocolate shop crawl and murder mystery, the Exeter Goes Gatsby jazz dance party, and the Spooky Folsom historic tavern Halloween costume party, to name but a few. (There is a photo gallery on the website if you want to check out some: EXETERLITFEST.com)

Today, I am happy to announce that this year we have received a healthy grant from the Dan Brown Charitable Foundation, so we are able to take the fest to the next level. Thanks Dan 🙂 (Dan was our first keynote speaker.)

Today, also, I announce that I am stepping back as prez of the LitFest Board on May 1, 2024. I’ll still be on the board, but I think its time to give the leadership to people who are professionally in the literary field. (As you may have surmised over the years, my passion tends toward community organization and civic projects.) I will announce the new LitFest prez just before the keynote speech on April 6th.

It has been a pleasure to work on this project that helped to raise up the diverse voices of Exeter, and now the region. May it bloom and grow for decades!

RM Allen

PS Profound gratitude to my husband, Lew, for his patience and love.

PSS Here is the 2024 poster – see you there 🙂