The forecast looks to be correct this morning. The ground is
wet from a good rain, and the clouds rolling in look like they mean business.
There will be rain everyday for the remainder of our time here, which means
more reason to stay in the studio and write. Let’s hope it at least reaches the
forecasted 50F as well. We’re starting to risk not wearing our winter jackets. Optimism or foolhardiness? Both
apply at various times of day.
Yesterday was the kind of productive Monday that you don’t
every expect or count on. I’m going to give Eamon some credit for putting a
spring in my poetic step, driving me back to the studio again and again. I
spent the morning doing work-study and the afternoon slogging away on
revisions.
Eamon offered some ideas about titling poems, voice of
characters, and styles of poems. Since I already felt myself needing to work on
those, his suggestions hit the mark. I churned out ten revisions at least,
tacking up the new versions on to my corkboard for positive reinforcement!
It’s growing into a more cohesive manuscript, and I might
even find myself laying them out by Friday, seeing how they talk together when
side by side. I made a list last night of all the poems I need to write this
week to round out some of the empty spaces in the narrative. I’ll have to think/imagine
some new geographies and cultures for these poems.
I rearranged my cork board yesterday to give myself more
room for revised poems. I also wanted to put up titles for the poems so that I
could see where the gaps lie. Time to hit the Strohmaier-Eisen line a bit
harder. I did manage to revise a poem about Karl, the German baker, yesterday.
It’s now time to hit the Dutch and the Irish sides a bit harder. The Scottish
Ewings have gotten some good attention, as they are so well-documented. Time to
get imaginative.
Yesterday after dinner, I ran back to the studio for an hour
to finish the cork board and work on the German baker poem. At 8pm the new
visiting artist, Ann Pibal,
gave a slide talk about her work. Like Eamon did for us writers, the visiting
painter will make the rounds to various studios over the next few days to offer
insight and guidance for any who may need it. Her work was not quite my cup of
tea, or rather, it didn’t move me. Nice colors, cool designs, but didn’t wow me. I liked more of her recent works,
where you could see messy brushstrokes, not just clean lines.
Tonight the new visiting sculptor will give a slide talk,
which will also be interesting. That’s not the highlight of my day today.
Today, I start off with an hour in the Life Drawing Studio. There is a male
model today, and I’ve heard that his style is significantly different from the
female model. Then, it’s cramming in a few hours of writing, reading, and
revision, so that after lunch I am ready for a road trip.
The Von Trapp family of Sound
of Music fame settled in Stowe, Vermont, which is about 30 minutes from
here. A fellow writer, Kirsteen, and I were talking at lunch yesterday, and she
offered a little road trip if I wanted to visit Stowe. She is writing an essay
about the poet Elizabeth Bishop’s residency at Yaddo and the various entertainments
(ie going to the racetrack and getting drunk) that she experienced—instead of
writing. So, Kirsteen was looking for a little entertainment of her own as
comparison. I looked up the ski resort the Von Trapp family runs, and lo and
behold there is a tour today. So, we will head out after lunch to head to Stowe
and take this tour. I’m giddy with excitement, and I’ve realized almost 18
years ago to the day, I was traveling around Europe and visited Salzurg,
Austria and took the Sound of Music tour. It’s fated… There better be a gift shop…
and some kitsch.
1 comment:
I can just imagine you on the next leg of your Sound of Music tour - just hope you don't feel the need to 'dress' for the occasion! Sounds like you're having a very creative time - enjoy what remains! x
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