The Merwin Conservancy

Inspiring innovation in the arts and sciences by advancing the ideas of W.S. Merwin

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On the last day of the world
I would want to plant a tree
– W.S. Merwin


VIDEO STILL FROM "THRESHOLD," A SHORT FILM BY SAYLER/MORRIS

Sheltering, in this place

The Sitting Room: Sit in W.S. Merwin's meditation dojo, deep in the palm forest

While we navigate this uncertain moment, we offer an invitation to immerse yourself in the stillness and beauty of this extraordinary place. In "The Sitting Room," you can enter W.S. Merwin’s meditation dojo, at the heart of the palm forest.

The Sitting Room

Our Mission

We inspire innovation in the arts and sciences by advancing the ideas of W.S. Merwin – his life, work, house and palm forest – as fearless and graceful examples of the power of imagination and renewal.

Our Founders

William Stanley Merwin
(1927 – 2019)

Paula Dunaway Merwin
(1936-2017)

In 2010, William and Paula Merwin established The Merwin Conservancy to preserve and share the home and garden they made together on Maui. For over forty years, learning from the land as they went, the Merwins transformed a damaged landscape into a lush and rare palm garden. It is now one of the most important assemblages of palms in the world, and a singular place of stillness, wonder, and inspiration.

Putting Life Back Into the World

"In gardening, as my wife and I go about it here, what are called concerns–for ecology and the environment, for example–merge inevitably with work done every day, within sight of the house, with our own hands, and the concerns remain intimate and familiar rather than far away. They do not have to be thought about, they are at home in the mind. I have never lived anywhere that was more true."
— W.S. Merwin

Latest from the Garden

“Relics,” by W.S. Merwin
A selection from W.S. Merwin's book "The. Moon Before Morning"
Preserving and Restoring While Embracing Entropy
As we carry forward W.S. Merwin’s legacy of resistance and resilience, and tend a place so intimately connected to that
The Shoe Rack
From Paula’s notes, 1983: “Yesterday William made a rack for shoes to go by the front door."
Merwin Conservancy Media Programs Honored with Preservation Award
Two of the programs our staff produced in 2020 are recognized by Historic Hawai‘i Foundation
W.S. Merwin's Garden Shed and Dojo
The Garden Dojo Continues On As a Place of Mind, Spirit, and Hand
An update on dojo restoration from our executive director.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Jericho Brown Joins Us Saturday, May 29th – Virtually, in The Green Room
Join us for the next installment in our virtual arts and ecology salon series.
Joy Harjo & Indigenous Pacific Islander Poets: Free Virtual Edition of The Green Room on April 21st
Join us Wednesday, April 21st for a virtual gathering in celebration of Indigenous Pacific Islander poets for Poetry Month!
A Note from Our New Board President
I remember the first time I visited Paula and William Merwin at their house on Maui in the 1990s, and
The Evergreen State
“Sight,” by W.S. Merwin
A selection from THE RAIN IN THE TREES.

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Photos: Larry Cameron and Tom Sewell