Donald Hall was born in 1928 in Hamden, Connecticut. He has written more than ten books of poetry. In 1975 Hall and his wife Jane Kenyon moved back to Hall's childhood home on Eagle Pond Farm in Wilmot, New Hampshire. As a child, Hall had written his first poetry on the farm. From 1984 to 1989, Hall was the Poet Laureate of New Hampshire. He has also written plays, essays, short stories, and children's books. About writing, Hall advises, "Don't ever hold anything back. Put everything out that can possibly belong in that poem or story. Don't save anything for the next one." He says, "That's the only way to work. It's the only way to live, really."