Story About Joyce Kilmer's 'House' Poem Focus Of Celebration

MAHWAH, N.J. — The story about where "The House With Nobody In It," one of Joyce Kilmer's poems, was written, and the genesis behind it, are the topics of an annual event designed to honor the late "Trees" author.

The fifth annual Joyce Kilmer Day will be at Boiling Spring Savings Bank in Mahwah at 2 p.m. Jan. 29.

“Many people love to believe in delightful myths and folklore,” said Alex Michelini, founder and president of the Joyce Kilmer Society of Mahwah. “But in the interest of producing an accurate historical history of Joyce Kilmer’s legacy, we separated fact from fiction in a comprehensive exploration of available evidence to establish an authoritative conclusion to the ‘house’ debate.”

Kilmer wrote "House" in 1914 and "Trees" in 1913 when he lived in Mahwah at the corner of Arimount and Armour roads. He lived in Mahwah for 30 years.

The society created a slideshow of photographs for this year's celebration that prove "House" was written in that location.

Kilmer was killed in action in France during World War I. He was named one of 10 Bergen County Legends in 2014 by the county historical society.

Kids and adults may also participate in a poetry reading at Joyce Kilmer Day.

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Photo: Joyce Kilmer — Public domain image