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| The lovely women I read to and talk with Thursday, January 13th |
Above are some of the beautiful people who attended my reading at their retirement and assisted living residence. My best friend from high school is a social worker here and I visit every so often to talk about poetry, writing, publication, and read some poems.
We classed it up a bit this time with wine (or white grape juice) and cheese, and the ladies were thrilled.
I always hope for audience participation as this generation knows a thing or two about poetry and many have memorized poems (one woman came up to the mic to share what she remembered from grade school). And honestly, I am never disappointed with the humor and opinions from this group.
These ladies have the best stories and my favorite comment was from a delightful woman who said, "We had Carl Sandburg come to our school and he looked like a hobo, but when he recited 'Chicago,' we all wanted to become poets."
I tell you, that comment completed made my day.
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Coming up in next couple of weeks, an interview with Jeannine Hall Gailey on micropresses and other ways to publish your mss.
See you next week!
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5 comments:
Love the comment about Sandburg.
Oh, how wonderful. I have done this, too, and alerted some area poets to this appreciative venue. One poet responded warmly, as I had read in the very residential retirement that his mother lived in before she died. He scheduled himself in right away!
I also love the woman said about Sandburg. I know exactly what she means.
It was when I was 14 years old, after a teacher showed me some poems by Carl Sandburg, and played a recording of him reading a few of his poems, that (later that day or later that week) I decided to be a poet, and I started writing poems.
It took a few years before I was sure I was going to keep at it, but it started that way -- reading and listening to Carl Sandburg.
Any ideas on organizing a poetry group for retirement homes? I have wanted to do this, but not sure how to approach it.
If you could email me elizabeth@cookappeal.com I have ran an open mic for the public at a coffee shop, but feel this may be a different animal all together!
Thanks!
What a lovely thing to do, I bet they were thrilled. It is making me smile that you were reading poetry in an old folks home on my birthday.
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