Monday, April 21, 2008

ALABAMA BOOK FESTIVAL

You gotta love an event that makes poetry a top priority. Why, we even had our own tent! Big thanks and congrats go to Jeanie Thompson and everyone else who worked so hard to pull the whole thing off. It was a pleasure to share some of my own poems as well as meet new-to-me poets like Doug Van Gundy of West Virginia (we must meet again!) and enjoy old faves like Willie James King (what a sweetheart!) and Natasha Tretheway. And hey, even Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe were there. Seriously! Talk about a party! And me without a camera. Sigh.

I really missed my family at this one. There has got to be a way for me to bring them along on these adventures. If only Paul didn't work on Saturdays... sigh again.

So many great folks in one place... authors and book lovers of all sorts. Including my mentor in the kidlit world, R.A. Nelson. Great job, Russ! And did I mention the weather was simply gorgeous?

"Respect the masterpiece. It is true reverence to man. There is no quality so great, none so much needed now."

- Frank Lloyd Wright

3 comments:

  1. Irene,

    You sound so excited and enthusiastic! I love it. It's contagious, my dear friend! I am so glad that you had such a wonderful day. Next time you MUST remember the camera! Although I am sure that you will be able to create wonderful pictures with your fantastic use of words!

    Hugs,
    Deb

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  2. sounds like you had a wonderful time...I am very happy for you..

    there is a present at my site for you.

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  3. Irene, thank you for taking part in the inaugural Poetry Tent at the Alabama Book Festival. What a way to start -- sixteen scheduled poets (we only lost one!) and a cross-fertilization with California, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Georgia, and North Carolina. I think this says something about Southern Strength. Keep fighting the good fight for poetry! And let's do some things together in Birmingham...

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