Marilyn Walker, a lifelong Saugerties resident, has been awarded first place in a contest sponsored by the National League of American Pen Women for her poem, “The Gift.” Walker’s poetry has earned numerous national and international awards, including the grand prize at the 1996 International Society of Poetry, the Diamond Trophy Award from the Famous Poets Society in 1996 and 1999 and the Golden Poet Award at the World Poetry Convention in 1991.
Her poems have also appeared in dozens of anthologies and national magazines. After her award-winning poem “The Clothesline” ran in the April 2013 issue of Reminisce Extra, Lyman K. Orton, owner of the Vermont Country Store, read the poem to the Vermont Legislature while successfully promoting his campaign “The Right to Dry,” which sought to legalize the right of condo owners to use clotheslines. Walker has also published four books of poetry.