Kelly and I are happy to introduce you to Wendy Baucom, who recently moved to Middlebury with her husband Ian, the new President of Middlebury College. We recently sat down with her to find out how she is settling in to Middlebury.
K&K: What was your very first “oh wow, I’m really in Vermont” moment?
WB: A few days into my first week here, I was sitting at the front window of Royal Oak when I looked up and saw the horse-drawn recycling truck, and I knew I was somewhere very different.
K&K: As a writer, where do you notice yourself observing more here—people, landscape, weather, quiet?
WB: The landscape, weather and quiet are all extremely appealing to me, but I’m most curious about the people. I want to know everyone’s story—how long they’ve been here, what brought them, how they adapt and flourish here—because I’ve spent my whole life surrounded by people who, for whatever reason, chose to be somewhere that was bigger and warmer, and thus, in many ways, easier. The more I learn about Vermonters and the way they connect to the culture and history of this place, the more I get to wrap my brain around a different way of seeing and being the world.
K&K: What’s something about Vermont life that’s already surprised you (in a good way)?
WB: How much fun it is to dig a bunch of cars out of the snow after a long winter dinner party. (or should this read, “How much fun it is to enjoy a delicious dessert while the men dig a bunch of cars out of the snow after a long winter dinner party”?)
K&K: Do you have a favorite writing ritual—time of day, drink, soundtrack or place?
WB: First thing in the morning, oat milk latte at one of Middlebury’s (or Bristol’s or Vergennes’) wonderful coffee shops, with the playlist that my sister made when she was writing her first novel, The Unsuitable. Often, the best soundtrack is the murmur of people greeting each other and chatting away, which is why a coffee shop is preferable to a library or my own study. But, when the renovated Middlebury library opens up, I’m hoping that it will be a new favorite place to write!
K&K: What book, essay, or voice do you keep returning to for comfort or inspiration?
WB: I like to read widely in terms of style and era and sometimes style. But the grand novelists, the ones swinging for the fences, Dostoyevsky, Zola, Hardy—make me jump out of my chair and run back to my manuscript. There’s nothing like dropping into the humus of a beautifully-written nineteenth-century psychological crisis.
K&K: What’s one small local habit you’re starting to adopt—intentionally or accidentally?
WB: Dressing sensibly! It’s so much more important to be weather-proofed than to wear everything in your closet. In the South, every occasion seems to come with its own particular fashion expectations. That seems to be largely done away with here, in service to practicality, and I take that as a gift.
K&K: If you had a free afternoon with no obligations, how would you spend it in town?
WB: I would invite a friend to the bookstore, the library and the Teahouse, in any order; and if it was the right day of the week, we’d end it with a movie at the Marquis Theater. If it was a really great day, we’d get a sofa.
K&K: What does “home” mean to you right now, in this season of transition?
WB: For a long time, “home” to me was where we raised our kids, in North Carolina. During our time in Virginia, all but one of our kids left for college. That meant that everyone’s experience of it was different—homebase for some, pit stop for others. It was one of several things that kept me from completely settling in there, and that kept me referring to North Carolina as “home”.
Since we moved here with just our youngest, who is transitioning to college as soon as possible, this is a whole new era. It’s the first time that Ian and I have lived in a house that’s foundational to us but not to our kids. I think that means we have more control over establishing Middlebury as the place that our family members will come to just about equally, for holidays and vacations. We chose Middlebury for how it spoke to us, and we feel free to dig deep and be a part of everything, town and college and state. I suppose you could say we’re jumping the gun on empty-nesting, apologies to our youngest! It’s a lovely time in life to discover there’s a new home waiting for you.
We thank Wendy for sharing her first impressions of Middlebury and living in Vermont. We are so happy to have the Baucoms in Middlebury, and we look forward to welcoming them to many of our downtown events in the future!