Purdyfest, another Dam Poetry Reading at the dam in Marmora, full of easy goingness, passes of readers sharing things.

Low lying fog in the rolling hills at sunset as we arrived to camp out at the river.

Jim Larwill, camp counsellor by the Shaman Shack of Zen River

From the flet (tree platform) looking back at the Shaman Shack.

A previous year’s prayer flag btween the water beetles and buddhas.

54 raven poems for the nature walk walks were scattered in the woods and along the river (That’s the orange in the background)

Lots of slow walk time among the birds and around the bush seeing these sights…tiny mushroom along the cedar path and a crinkly fan one. It wasn’t a leap to slow breath, slow time…what a restorative setting.


At the monastery visit we were walking around as Chris was describing the life of Buddha as carved in the stone out front by the koi ponds now full of tadpoles.

The meditation platforms were complete with mosquito netting by a beaver pond.

A view from the pond from which a blue heron rose and a raven flew over; Jim checking on us.

Back on tour of the monastery.

back at Zen River chatting

A couple shots at catching some of the group who came out.

John, Kim and Jim and a pun the likes of which we won’t mention again.

Chase, the mascot of the festivities with an eye for the camera.

Part of an audience of a couple dozen responding to the tanka books the day after the renga reading and just before the sangria was it? Jeff talks about renga-making at Purdyfest at his blog.

Claudia Radmore and Terry Ann Carter led a renga and the next day launched their books of tanka, Blackbird’s Throat, and Yangtze Crossing with Anna Plesums who launched her Pieces of Life haiga book.


A page from Anna’s book dedicated to Purdy at his grave.

Another Dam Poetry Reading, on the dam in question. The ambiguous silhouettes (swan, loon, goose?) turned out to have back and arms…snorkelers.

Music by Morley on a peninsula of the island off the dam was time to sing along or listen in, time to stop and pick flowers or relax with writing.

About 30 people came and went over the afternoon/evening. Most read. Above is a lady from Montreal and below, is me.

One poet in from Toronto and one in from Hamilton were studying the map for where the next reading was – the Canada-Cuba Literary Alliance launching an Al Purdy tribute book with Euradice to be on hand.

Thay was on hand to sell Purdy books before the official launch the next day.

Subject: Schedule for Purdy Country Literary Festival #3 (PurdyFest)
July 19/09
Here’s the schedule for our third annual Purdy Country Literary Festival (PurdyFest). PurdyFests celebrate the Canadian People’s Poetry of such poets as Milton Acorn and Al Purdy. PurdyFests also celebrate the ruggedly beautiful “Country North of Belleville”, immortalized by Purdy in this beloved poem. All events are free, and most events will offer everyone attending a chance to read some of their poetry.
THURSDAY, JULY 30: HAIKU DAY
Noon: gather by the shaman shack at ZenRiver Gardens in the hamlet of Malone
12:30 to 1:30: tour of ZenRiver Gardens
1:30 to 4 pm: Poets can sit by the river or wander about ZRG and compose haiku poems for sharing later in the afternoon.
An excursion for those interested will visit the Zen Forest Buddhist retreat near Actinolite.
4 pm: Poets will gather by the shaman shack to share their creations. Claudia Coutu Radmore and Terry Ann Carter will lead in the writing of a linked haiku composition (renku).
FRIDAY, JULY 31: POTLUCK SUPPER AT ZENRIVER GARDENS
From 4 pm onwards poets, neighbours and friends will share a potluck supper by the river.
Popular guitarist/singer Morley Ellis will perform after dinner, and everyone can share stories and poems around the campfire.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1:
1 to 2:30 pm: A SYMPOSIUM ON AL PURDY in The William Shannon Room of The Marmora Public Library Building. Presenters include PurdyFest co-founders James Deahl and Terry Barker, and internationally acclaimed poet David Day. Barker’s paper titled “Quinte Renaissance” is of special local significance.
5 to 5:30+ pm: Musicians Morley Ellis and Kent Bowman will perform on the island in the Marmora Dam.
Poets will read from 5:30 in a round robin ‘open set’ for ANOThER DAM POETRY READING.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The above three days are the ‘official’ PurdyFest. On Sunday, Aug. 2, events move to our sister festival in Brighton. Publishers Tai and Kim Grove will host the Canada-Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) Festival featuring two main events. An evening reading at China King Restaurant will launch “AND LEFT A PLACE TO STAND ON”, a fund raising anthology dedicated to Al Purdy which includes poetry by over a dozen of the poets who attended last summer’s PurdyFest.
On Monday, Aug. 3, poets are encouraged to visit Al Purdy’s gravesite in the village of Ameliasburgh for another informal PICNIC WITH AL.
For further information on PurdyFest please contact Chris Faiers at zenriver[at]sympatico[dot]ca
For info on the CCLA events in Brighton, please consult the CCLA website, or contact Tai Grove.

The Darwinian Poetry Generator is still going.

here’s the idea: starting with a whole bunch (specifically 1,200) randomly generated groups of words (our “poems”), we are going to subject them to a form of natural selection, killing off the “bad” ones and breeding the “good” ones with each other. If enough generations go by, and if the gene pool is rich enough, we should eventually start to see interesting poems emerge.
The cool part is that YOU are the arbiter of what constitutes “good” and “bad” poetry. Once you start, you will be presented with two poems. In all likelihood they will both be abysmal pieces of nonsensical garbage. That’s ok. All you have to do is read them both and pick the one you find more appealing, for whatever reason.

It’s been evolving towards semantics…
One choice presented was this

frost fall and farther and oh a passion imagine humming forest like ages and derailing sure revealing
oracles enchanting chasms
for you stars

versus that:

again tonight
you made thin conversation
and
little meaningful mood and shroud
miserable stones
one dream is and
was

The Bywords Quarterly Journal launched an issue today, July 19 at the newly renovated Swizzles. John Gillies provided musical entertainment and readers included Stephanie Farrington, Kerri Powers, Shawn MacMillan and Mark Sokolowski. One poet dedicated his poem to his girlfriend who then waved a happy hand and identified herself. After his love poem she met him in the aisle and kissed him coming back. See? Who says poetry can’t be rewarding?

Kerri Power is seen above reading from the summer issue at the ever cheerful Dusty Owl. Her poems are always vivid, concise and tight. I have to remember to keep watching for her work.
Poetic Asides had a rhymed ghazal challenge so since I didn’t want to, I thought it best to try. It’s not the shifting phrase ending tho so it’s less than it could be. Certainly less than Heather McHugh‘s triolet ghazal. (I’ve pointed to her anagrams and this visual peel of her before, haven’t I?)
Anyhew, a draft of the evening…
No Enlightenment Yet Light
Stonefaced, startled, at 10, I got laughs. (It’s something, to laugh with.)
On saying “Back when I was a kid…” didn’t “get” but embraced my own wit.
Silly us geese, we’ve got no gullet to grind what passes our beaks.
Pebbles are cast deep, lessons the sadist gut keeps. (The wit.)
Outside the cement city, the dome of destruction: Light pollution.
And still no corrective Zeus with thundbolt whips.
To each day its dieu. 30 km/sec this rock continues sun-spins to __?
Each hour, each sedimentary heart takes a new crack at making sacred writ.
An “I Love You Angie!” is thrown at the rock cut. Wonder,
has the youth told everyone except her? Such plain, paintbomb wist.
What words we ask earth bones to hold. They can’t lose them.
They were never kept, any more than wind or sun. We’re twits.
Margins break. Dark cloud carousels disrepair into blue.
A crumple of knee. “Just shoot me” said as usual, a bull wish.
Surely nothing could makes you feel smaller than sky, or a fall.
I’m made of a comma’s dusty spit. And marrow’s whisky whet.
I’m far enough away to see the glow of youth. Too old, yet too soon
I’m approaching the dawn of Metamucil and whist.
The grit that becomes Pearl must be cut from its mortal flesh
yet perhaps that final knife, some clams learn to outwit?

For One Single Impression: 72 the prompt is thinking.
think
kink
in knit tint
ink
thinking
I in khi in tiki night
I ken gin n
kiting knight tin kin
I thin in tight tithing
in ink nth nit thing
tin ting, kit it king
git git, git
overthinking
I hink I ken I hink I king
hi ink I thin hi ink I tin
I ink I gin
hi tink I kin
I hint I ting. I kit it in
hi night ti thing
hi I kiting, tining, I ninth hi
git kithing
think night inti
it knight in tiki
in gink it khi?
overthinking over
I think in night
I think in tin
n thin it hink
I king hi ink
hi hint I ink
I hint I ting. I kit it in
hi tink I gin.
hi night ti
hi tining
I ninth knight it inti gink
kiting thing
I git
kithing
nth knit
hiking
in khi, tiki
Or, for something entirely sensible, the Haiku North America Conference Blog