Loose Leaf Notes

Where else but in Floyd can you learn from an old-timer how to forage ginseng one day and then meet Wavy Gravy – the Woodstock clown with an ice-cream flavor named after him – in town for FloydFest the next?

Where Else But Floyd is the name of my 30+ year poetry and essay-excerpted retrospective on living in Floyd, which I’ll be reading from at the 5th Annual Little River Poetry Festival on Saturday at 4:00.  It will be a poetic duet with festival co-founder Jack Callan, who will be sharing his Floyd inspired poetry in a set scheduled as “Mountain Magic.”

Prior to my reading, at 2:00 our friend Katherine Chantal (pictured on the left reading at the 2018 festival) will be reading from her new book of poems, Poetic Memoir Of a Nascent Senescent: Musings from My Sixties. “Poet-philosopher Katherine Chantal brings a poet’s eye and a medicine woman’s ability to diagnose and explain the human condition to others in a way she simply calls “eldering…” Throughout it all, she keeps a sense of humor and great gratitude – two vital ingredients needed each day in the aging process. Her keen observations are practical; yet help the reader to connect to the sacred…” writes festival co-founder Judith Stevens in a review of the book, which is available on Amazon.

In between my and Jack’s readings and Katherine’s, Judith (that’s her reading last year) will be leading a poetry workshop titled “I Am Made Of.” There will also be featured readers and open mics.  On Sunday at 2:00, I’m on the schedule again, repeating the poetry ensemble reading we did in Williamsburg last December, “Points of Agreement.” Held in the meadow at On the Water Outfitters from Friday (tomorrow) afternoon to Sunday afternoon, we’ll be social distance seating in the sunshine.  Hope to see some of you there. ________More details on The Little River Poetry Festival HERE.