About the Poet
Of New England parentage, Frederick Wilbur is a life-long Virginian, graduating from the University of Virginia (1970) and the University of Vermont (1974). For thirty-five years he was an architectural woodcarver, during which time he wrote over thirty magazine articles and three instruction books on the subject of woodworking and ornamental wood carving (see resume). He also has written poetry throughout his adult life and has three published collections drawn from over four hundred poems published thus far.
Wilbur has written in several other genres: of historical research (publishing a full history of the local garden club (founded in 1935) and historical articles for The Virginia Writers Project Journal; of rural living in a newspaper column (Nelson County Times); of essays/ book reviews, and book introductions; and of short fiction. His has been awarded various prizes over the years including the Academy of American Poets Collegiate Award, PSV contests, and the Stephen Meats Poetry Prize from Midwest Quarterly for best poem of the year (2018).
Wilbur and his wife have lived in Nelson County on the east slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains since 1975 and where they brought up two daughters. They have three grandchildren. Elizabeth taught American history and literature and AP English in the Nelson County Schools for nearly three decades.
Region
Central
Virginia City or County Affiliation
Nelson County
Years of Residence in Virginia
since 1954
Current City/State of Residence
Lovingston, Nelson County, 22949
Gender
Male
Race/Ethnicity
White
Year of Birth
1947
Keywords/Tags
rural living, natural world, humanity (family, love, loss and hope), labor and craft
Website
none
Published Works or Performances
Poetry books:
As Pus Floats the Splinter Out (Kelsay Books, 2018).
Conjugation of Perhaps (Main Street Rag Publications, Inc., 2020).
The Heft of Promise (Pine Row Press, 2025; reviewed in Virginia Writers Project Journal, Winter 2025, by John Nicolay).
Publications on other topics:
Carving Architectural Detail in Wood: The Classical Tradition (Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, Ltd., Lewes, UK, 2000; reprinted 2002, 2003, 2011).
Carving Classical Styles in Wood (GMC Publications, Ltd., 2004).
Decorative Woodcarving: Accessories for the Home (GMC Publications, Ltd., 2008).
Introduction to Bemrose on Traditional Woodworking (Dover Publications, Inc., 2009).
Foreword to Relief Carving with Nora Hall (Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2011).
The Nelson County Garden Club: The First Fifty Years, 1935–1985 (The Nelson County Historical Society, 2023).
Selected Individual Poems or Performances
"Take This House", 2018
"(Presume Significance)"
"No Permission Required", 2020
"In Love"
"Education", 2025
Frederick Wilbur