Here’s What You Missed on Sunday
Coral Kendall (aka Cheeky), a Radford University student/poet/painter was the youngest reader at The Little River Poetry Festival this weekend. ...I want to know what I feel like / what happens to my thighs that jiggle like the butterfly effect / that sends a tsunami that wipes out China / tell me at that moment what it means to be China …
Gina Woodfin read some memorable poems about her mothering young children, and this is her butterfly that she painted on Coral’s collective art canvas.
Edith Blake is a festival regular. She read from her new book, a collection of poems that she and her late husband Bill wrote.
Festival co-founder Judith Stevens takes good care of everyone. I love her poetry contributions and her homey touches. She read her poem about seeing a motorcyclist riding in a rabbit suit.
Jack read from his pandemic poetry collection. One poem was about the death of John Prine… “The plague got personal…” And this one …Drink wine and marvel how the country is run by the dumb … still, a pacifist is a traitor, even when the Russians show up…”
Ken Waldman was visiting Floyd when the pandemic hit and has stayed here to shelter since then. He had near a dozen books for sale and added a musical dimension to the festival and his poetry with his fiddle playing… fiddling is not technical / repetition anyone can master – / it’s like the sound you make / once you know in the blood / you clog with your fingers / while that old devil music / dances inside the box. And I loved his poems about William Stafford.
Jim Best made a powerful statement and got a round of applause for his poem “Boots…” “Joy to ALL the world” in gold and glitter / With the first rainbow flag in the Floyd Christmas parade / On my face a smile with the memory of decades before / The KKK had shared Christmas cheer there / In my heart the truth resolved that if shots were fired / I had marched free and chose to die with boots laced up / In Christmas joy on Main Street Floyd.
By late Sunday afternoon most had left, but we still performed our ensemble piece with live music, Points of Agreement, that Jack curated for the Poetry Society of Virginia’s December event in Williamsburg. See HERE.
-Look for a story and photos in an upcoming Floyd Press. / Our World Tuesday
June 16th, 2020 3:27 pm
This is such a cool group of people in Virginia! I quote: “Country is run by the dumb.” Surprised it came out of his mouth, I laughed out-loud when I heard it … but I guess it really isn’t funny.
June 17th, 2020 9:29 am
Sounds like quite an event.