Harry Kemp Acrostic

William Van Ardsdale, an Acrostic (on seeing him on his mother's lap, in the Patrician) by Harry Kemp April 16th 1952 on his first day in the Dunes and signed lovingly with a seagull's feather. Harry Kemp is considered "Poet of the Dunes" or "The Vagabond Poet" of Provincetown (1883-1960). According to the Eugene O'Neill Newsletter (May-Sept 1980), "Harry Kemp was his own worst enemy, as probably most poets are. A lecherous and lazy man, he committed as many wrongful acts as a man can safely commit. Yet, in spite of all this, Kemp will be remembered, if only for one reason: he knew, abused and bored the right people at the right time. And one of those people was Eugene O'Neill." William Van Arsdale (an infant at the time)is the son of John Van Arsdale the founder of Provincetown Boston Airlines (PBA) in 1949 which became the largest regional commuter airline in the United States until plagued by deregulations and corporate buy-outs of the 1980's. Loaned to the History Project by Billy Van Arsdale on June 15th 2012.

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Harry Kemp

Airplanes, Poetry, Provincetown (Mass.)--History--20th century, and Kemp, Harry