Two Temple Place Letter" is represented by Hester Prynne and the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The two remaining characters are Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle and his daughter. At the feet of Rip Van Winkle is his dog and at those of his daughter is the gnomes’ keg of liquor, the drinking of which had sent Van Winkle into his long slumber and freedom from his bothersome wife for 20 years! The staircase hall is overlooked by a gallery that features statues made by Nicholls, having American literary associations, and a frieze in relief which features 82 characters from Shakespeare’s "Othello", "Henry VIII", "Antony
Ryan Van Winkle Ryan Van Winkle Ryan Van Winkle is an American poet, live artist, podcaster and critic. He has two collections of poetry and has created performance poetry for live audiences. His work has appeared in several anthologies. His poems have also appeared in "New Writing Scotland", "The Prairie Schooner" and "The American Poetry Review". Van Winkle was the first Reader in Residence at the Scottish Poetry Library. He has also produced and performed podcasts for the Scottish Poetry Library and the Scottish Book Trust. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Van Winkle graduated from Syracuse University, with a dual degree in journalism