Author Robert Merrick Fuller launches memoir with Green Mountain Writers Group on Zoom…
In a world that often rushes past life’s quiet moments, Robert Merrick Fuller has chosen to slow down, look back, and offer something rare: a memoir not of fame or spectacle, but of meaning. His debut book, A Horse-Drawn Sickle Bar Cutter: Finding My Road to Felicity, is a lyrical tribute to a life lived deliberately—a journey through grief, simplicity, nature, and rediscovered joy in rural Vermont.
On August 4, 2025, Fuller shared selections from his book and discussed his writing journey in an exclusive Zoom event hosted by Green Mountain Writer Group, a vibrant, worldwide Meetup community of authors and storytellers.
A Life Reclaimed Through Story
Fuller’s memoir begins not at a starting line, but at a crossroads—after loss, change, and soul-searching. Retiring from a busy career and grappling with personal grief, he returned to his family’s land in Vermont. There, he reconnected with the rhythms of nature, found solace in simple tasks, and slowly unearthed the stories buried within him.
The title of the book comes from a key image: the horse-drawn sickle bar cutter, a piece of old farm equipment that becomes both literal and symbolic. “It’s a metaphor for reclaiming what we’ve left behind,” Fuller explains. “Not just tools or land, but purpose. A way of being.”
Each chapter unfolds like a stroll through the Vermont countryside—sometimes sunlit, sometimes shadowed—offering readers meditations on memory, meaning, aging, and the elusive pursuit of what Fuller calls “felicity,” or deep contentment.
Writing Late, Writing Deep
Unlike many authors who start young, Fuller came to writing later in life. “I didn’t know I had a book in me until I started walking the fields again,” he says. “I began jotting notes, ideas, memories—and one day they began to stitch themselves together.”
The memoir is not a chronological biography. Rather, it reads like a series of reflections—intimate, clear-eyed, and often poetic. He writes of his grandparents’ farm, long-ago neighbors, and solitary winters that opened space for healing. He invites readers into his inner world, without pretense or polish, and that honesty is what makes the book sing.
Early readers have called the book “hauntingly beautiful,” “a balm for the modern soul,” and “a Vermont Walden.” It has already begun to circulate among fans of regional literature, nature writing, and personal transformation.
A Memoir for Memoirists
The August 4 launch event was not just a reading—it was a conversation with fellow memoir writers. Hosted by Green Mountain Writers, the session featured a live reading by Fuller, followed by a Q&A about the writing process, story structure, and the emotional labor of memoir.
“This event was perfect for writers who are working on personal narratives of their own,” says the group’s founder, Stephen Kastner. “Robert’s story is a testament to the power of digging deep into your own lived experience. It’s a reminder that it’s never too late to write—and that every life holds wisdom worth sharing.”
Attendees also got a behind-the-scenes look at how the book was developed, edited, and brought to print, offering inspiration and practical insights for writers at all stages.
Rooted in Place, Reaching for the Universal
Though grounded in a specific region and time, Fuller’s book reaches beyond geography. It speaks to anyone who has paused at life’s threshold, looked back, and asked: “What now?”
In a time when memoir often leans toward sensationalism or celebrity, Fuller’s work is refreshingly quiet. It reminds us that the deepest stories may lie in the furrows of a field, the squeak of an old harness, or the winter hush of a snow-covered pasture.