Loafday

Spent the afternoon tidying up this site. I’ve been meaning to set aside a space for the things I’ve been picking up along the way. Craft has been catch as catch can for me. And my catching is slower than it used to be. Not a bad thing to have a spot for tips and tricks and those things I ought to know. Let them park in the shade.

Still unwinding from the weekend. I’m not much of a blogger, and less of an essayist, but I’ll give it a lick and a promise. Because I had such a fine time, in spite of the fact that my almost pathalogical shyness manifested as jabber with no connection to my brain. It’s a toss up between that and mumbling monosyllables.

Anyway, the occasion was retreat at Scarritt-Bennett. Specifically the Pen to Paper Generative Poetry Retreat. My birthday present from Jim, and my first conference as a participant. Audited a writers’ conference in 1979, where Madeleine L’Engle graciously read my jumble of typed/handwritten, Scotch taped, and jumbled pages even though I wasn’t registered. Now that’s a class act.

No less the folks who led our group this weekend. I’ll scrounge around and find some bio on them sometime or other, but Christina Stoddard and T.J. Jarrett were sharp, insightful, and fun. We also had Jeff Hardin, who teaches at Columbia State for a master class and an evening reading. Joyce Sohl, the indescribable, kept us on track. She is Laywoman in Residence, and will deal out the college history if you ask, and not if you don’t. She’s the presence behind the monthly poetry readings at the Center’s Front Porch, and an author in her own right.

I’m going to be a while working through the weekend. Also, working off the meals: They do not skimp on their ingredients. Excellent food. Beautiful little campus. Crab Orchard stone in the sunrise is gold and rose.

Got a few shots, though most of mine tend to be odd details, rather than the big picture.