Essays After Eighty

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall reflects on life, death, and his surroundings in a collection of essays written in his eighties. Throughout his career, Hall worked as a poet, essayist, memoirist, dramatist, and children's author. These essays explore his reflections on aging across different decades—describing thirty as terrifying, forty as a blur, fifty as a turning point, and sixty as an extension of that contentment. Hall writes candidly about his current life in very old age, including physical changes and daily routines. A central theme is his deep connection to Eagle Pond Farm, his ancestral home, and his continued dedication to writing. He describes how writing remains central to his days, even amid the rhythms of aging. The collection combines lyrical and humorous observations about the experience of growing very old.