A couple of weeks ago, Liz Garton Scanlon alerted me that the Austin-based on-demand poetry writing group known as Typewriter Rodeo would be in Dublin, sponsored by the Dublin Arts Council.
We found out the hard way that you couldn't just turn into the Dublin Arts Center to attend this event. We had to park all the way down the road and around the corner at Scioto High School and we couldn't even make a left turn out of the DAC to head directly to Scioto. We had to turn right, go through Old Dublin (good excuse to oggle the new library), go around the monster roundabout, and then, once we got to Scioto, take a shuttle bus back to the DAC...which seemed a little ridiculous since there were about 5 other people at the event.
Fewer people gave us more time to get our poem written (I gave Sean the topic of "roundabout" in honor of all it took to get there), chat with the poets, and admire their manual clackity-clack typewriters.
I also bought a copy of their book, which I am anxious to dig into, once the must-reads are all read (with my two new crystal-clear eyeballs and my coolio reading glasses).
Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2018
Karen Edmisten has this week's Poetry Friday Roundup at The Blog With the Shockingly Clever Title. I'm sure there will be lots of must-reads there, too.
"Oh tricksy turny life" indeed! What a perfect poem for you for this day. I love it and love this whole thing. Recently I bought this book and then a few typewriters to go with it...now needing a plan! Thank you for sharing your personal gift with all of us. xx
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I love typewriters!
ReplyDeleteI wish I still had the old typewriters my husband and I had. This event sounds like it was fun but the route seemed tiresome. At least a great poem filled with inspiration evolved.
ReplyDeleteSo fun. I, too, love those old typewriters. This on-demand group reminds me of the Haiku Guys and Gals.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great poem! I love it.
ReplyDeleteTricksy turny life sounds about right! Nice ending. Thanks for sharing it, and congrats on the new eyeballs!
ReplyDeleteOh, the tricky turny life. I love the poem that came out of it all. I haven't gotten back to my clunky typewriter writing in a while. My son-in-law bought it for me at an estate sale.
ReplyDeleteLove all here Mary Lee, the poem, book, and typewriters! I've written the title down so I can find it–and I may have to go and pound a few words out on my daughters manual typewriter. Thanks for all the fun here, enjoy the poems!
ReplyDeleteTypewriter Rodeo! Who could walk by that? I love the way the lines start in different places. Made me feel like I was in a roundabout.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with the poem! And I've never heard of this group. Makes me wish I had never gotten rid of our old typewriter. Requesting the book from the library now.
ReplyDeleteOoh ooh ooh the perfect occupation for those flashdrafters out there! I follow KA Holt and I have never see a post about this. Thanks for introducing me.
ReplyDeleteI love the poem they wrote inspired by your experience. I'm intrigued by this whole concept of Typewriter Rodeo. I will have to investigate.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a neat experience, albeit a somewhat frustrating one to get there! I wish I could write poetry on demand, but you can be straight sure I'd freeze up like a traffic jam. Enjoy your new book, Mary Lee!
ReplyDeleteLovely tricky turny, roundabout journey! I have never written anything on a typewriter (well, college papers--but those were handwritten first.) I wonder how different that would feel.
ReplyDeleteA typewriter rodeo sounds like lots of fun! Although I fear I'd be in the same frozen traffic jam with Michelle. I love Sean's poem, especially those final lines.
ReplyDeleteOh, how lovely! That poem is perfect - and especially so for your journey.
ReplyDeleteBecause where you are going is always really right where you are. I love these last lines.
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