The University of Maine at Fort Kent is pleased to announce that 2024 Maine Poet Laureate Fellow Julia Bouwsma will serve as the keynote speaker at the UMFK 143rd Commencement Ceremony held on May 10, 2025. The University will also honor former UMFK Registrar Donald “Don” Raymond with the Distinguished Service Award.
Julia Bouwsma lives off the grid in the mountains of western Maine, where she works as a poet, homesteader, editor, teacher, and small-town librarian.
She is Maine’s sixth Poet Laureate, currently serving a term from 2021 to 2026, and is the author of three poetry collections: the forthcoming Death Fluorescence (Sundress Publications, June 2025), Midden (Fordham University Press, 2018), and Work by Bloodlight (Cider Press Review, 2017). Ghost Apples, a short chamber opera for which she wrote the libretto, will be performed by the Halcyon Quartet at various locations in Maine in fall 2025.
Bouwsma is the recipient of a 2024 Poet Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets and two Maine Literary Awards. She has taught in the Creative Writing department at the University of Maine at Farmington; serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance; and works as Library Director for Webster Library in Kingfield, Maine.
Donald “Don” Raymond is a native of the St. John Valley. Don is the son of a third-generation Bangor and Aroostook Railroad worker, while his mother served as secretary to the SAD #33 school superintendent. He attended Dewey Elementary School in Frenchville, Maine, and graduated from Madawaska High School. After three years of military service in the U.S. Army, Don pursued higher education at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, majoring in Education and French.
During his time at the University, he worked as a work-study student in the Registrar’s Office, where he played a key role in computerizing student records. Upon his graduation in 1975, the current Registrar left for California, and Don was hired as a temporary replacement. Within months, he was offered the position permanently and remained in the role for 36 years until his retirement in 2011.
Don is actively involved in civic and community organizations. He currently serves as Chair of the Town of New Canada Board of Appeals and is a member of multiple organizations, including the Fort Kent, Frenchville, and St. Agatha Historical Societies; the St. John Vianney Parish Cemetery Committee; the Martin-Klein American Legion Post 133; and the Edgar J. Paradis Cancer Fund Board of Directors. Additionally, he sits on the boards of the Aroostook Agency on Aging, the Maine Acadian Heritage Council, WFKT-TV (local public access television), the Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby, and the St. John Valley Senior College. He also serves as Secretary of the Fort Kent Senior Citizen Club. In 2014, Don contributed to various committees for the World Acadian Congress, including Bus Tour, International Tourism, Civic Pride, and Executive.
Since 2015, Don has been a dedicated volunteer at Fort Kent’s public access television station (WFKT-TV), helping promote the St. John Valley. As a videographer and video editor, he has produced more than 500 videos.
Don enjoys the outdoors, and he can often be found fishing, hunting, birdwatching, and gardening. He is also a passionate volunteer at numerous cooking events, taking great pride in giving back to the people of the St. John Valley.
Don resides in New Canada, Maine, with his wife, Anna.
Donald “Don” Raymond is a native of the St. John Valley. Don is the son of a third-generation Bangor and Aroostook Railroad worker, while his mother served as secretary to the SAD #33 school superintendent. He attended Dewey Elementary School in Frenchville, Maine, and graduated from Madawaska High School. After three years of military service in the U.S. Army, Don pursued higher education at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, majoring in Education and French.