Every poem is a case note
Every dream is sun for the soul
Every love is a lifeboat
Every life holds a vein of gold
It all started with the idea of writing my memoir, leaving behind my story in verse. Over time, it developed as a healing art for soul work. I wrote as if digging for a natural resource. I wrote until I hit a nerve, a vein of emotion that showed me I was about to mine a truth. Lyrical, mythological and biographical, the poems in Mining the Gold of the Inner Life explore age as a gold harvest to be shared for the whole world’s enrichment. From the depths of my psyche to the heights of the stars, the poems are drawn from quantum physics theories, memories, dreams and contemplation.
Following a gentle yoga welcome, I will be opening the Little River Poetry Festival (2053 Thunderstruck Road/On the Water) with a reading from my poetry collection Mining the Gold of the Inner Life on Friday June 4 at 1:30. Drop-ins are welcome. June 4-6, $20 a day. Check out the schedule below.
DAILY SCHEDULE: 11th Annual LITTLE RIVER POETRY FESTIVAL June 5 – 7, 2026
2053 Thunderstruck Road, Floyd, Virginia 24091
FRIDAY, JUNE 5 (Arrive and Register)
1:00 p.m. Gentle Yoga/Welcome
1:30 p.m. Collen Redman Reads
2:00 p.m. A Plethora of Poets (4 Readers)
3:00 p.m. Katherine Chantal Reads Her Irish Poetry
3:30 p.m. Workshop: “Meter Matters” with Elaine Chandler
6:00 p.m. DINNER in the Madow
FRIDAY EVENING ACTIVITIES
7:15 p.m. Angela Stevens Reads
7:45 p.m. Workshop with Judith “I Am Made Of…”
8:45 p.m. OPEN MIC (Door Prize Drawing)
9:45 p.m. “Silent Sit” with Dave Patteson
10:00 p.m. Shared Music Around the Fire
8:00 a.m. Gentle Walt Whitman Yoga
9:00 a.m. Kayakers depart for Paddle & Poetry
10:00 a.m. Kayakers Read to Riverbank Audience
11:00 a.m. A Plethora of Poets (4 Readers)
12:00 p.m. OPEN MIC (Door Prize Drawing)
1:00 p.m. LUNCH in the Meadow with Kayakers
2:15 p.m. Poetry/Art Workshop with Becky Taylor
3:30 p.m. Rachel Anne Morris Reads
4:00 p.m. Libby Koene Reads
4:30 p.m. Word Workshop with Brian Magill
5:45 p.m. “Silent Sit” with Dave Patteson
6:00 p.m. DINNER in the Meadow
SATUDAY EVENING ACTIVITIES
7:45 p.m. Paint Chip Workshop with Cas Horne
9:00 p.m. OPEN MIC (Door Prize Drawing)
10:00 p.m. Music Around the Fire
8:00 a.m. Gentle Walt Whitman Yoga
9:00 a.m. Poetry Nature Walk with Judith
10:00 a.m. Beth Huddleston Reads
10:30 a.m. Poetry Ensemble: “SHELTER” (4 Voices)
Michelle Acker, Angela Stevens, Jack Callan & Judith Stevens
11:45 a.m. OPEN MIC (Door Prize Drawing)
1:00 p.m. LUNCH in the Meadow
2:00 p.m. Send-Off Reading with Krista Gerber
2:30 p.m. Closing Meditation/Farewell
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR: June 4 – 6, 2027!