Well, today is Sunday and I have nowhere I am SUPPOSED to be today. I will take a few long deep breaths and enjoy the final day of my daughter's visit. Off to church together and then out to breakfast then maybe a drive to Lucia Beach or to Lincolnville Beach.
I do want to take a moment to thank everyone who had fingers crossed for me in the Maine Literary Awards. Even though I did not win, I feel like a winning poet. Really, anytime you can go to a library or bookstore and see your own book on the shelves, it is a win. And anytime you are invited to read your poems and get to chat with people who want to HEAR your poems, it is a win. Yesterday afternoon I read at the Personal Book Shop along with two poet friends, Gayle Portnow and Wendy Rapaport. The owner of the shop provided tea (iced) and lovely goodies with fruit and chocolate and we sat in comfy chairs. The people who came were very good about asking questions and making comments and were so ENGAGED in hearing our poems. It was great.
So now a bit of a breather. But only a BIT... coming up are some very interesting events for me. I am in the final stages of preparing for a weekend workshop at Ripples Inn in Rockland which takes place NEXT weekend. We have a meet and greet on Friday evening and the workshop on Saturday, with a wrap-up on Sunday morning. Sandi, the owner of the B & B is a gem, a very enthusiastic person who came up with the idea that her guests might enjoy having something planned for them other than just soaking up the scenery (not that doing that is a bad thing of course). She came up with Express Yourself, a series of artsy-crafsty weekends. I am weekend #1. What I have planned for her guests (and others who signed up for the workshop) is a look at how one can use the natural or contrived (urban) landscape as material for writing. In other words, WRITE WHERE YOU ARE. I am looking forward to this event very much.
Before the writing weekend, there is one other event on my calendar. I am driving to Portland on Tuesday (19th) and meeting 2 other Native American writer-friends for lunch and an interview with Prof. Siobhan Senier of the University of NH. Siobhan is interviewing the three of us for a project she is doing on NA women and writing. I look forward to seeing these three amazing women and having a nice lunch at DeMillo's (SP?) on the wharf. It will be a refreshing time and invigorating. What will be especially good for me is that our chatter will have a native flavor and focus. I find it hard sometimes that non-native writers do not "get" the cultural tone, references, etc. in my writing. I often have to explain myself in terms of some references and certainly in the way my mind works. (really, can anyone understand my mind workings? maybe not... LOL)
I know in advance, however, that Cheryl and Alice do "get it" and that feels so good. Siobhan gets us too and understands our culture. What is even better than just being three native women is that we are all Wabanki women (Alice is Miq'mac and Cheryl and I are both Abenaki) and our cultural base is one in common tribally. I can hardly wait. I've known these woman a long time, though I have not met Alice in person. I consider Cher a sister. One of these blog days I will talk a bit more about that.
So, time to get out of my jammies and get my daughter moving (ahh, that feels a bit like the old days getting her up for school! ha ha). It's a beautiful day here in Rockland and most of the Blues Fest folks are still abed after a lively pub crawl last night. So if we want a quiet breakfast (the Brass Compass, where else?) we need to get downtown.
More poetry tomorrow, I promise. Again, thanks to all of you who were rooting for me in the Maine Literary Awards. I am honored that you rooted!
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