On the road, days 8-11

Photo by Rebecca Beatrice Miller, August 2013

After a splendiferous time in the Triangle, I toddled off to Cullowhee, where I am staying with my mother on top of a mountain with wonderful views. Yesterday we went to Asheville to see the little house where my eldest son is living--the place buried in flowers--and went out to dinner at Tupelo Honey.

I am especially excited about tomorrow's reading at Malaprop's in Asheville because Paul and Lynn Digby are coming all the way from Ohio to attend; Paul has made videos for my poems, and the three of us are working on a collaborative project involving poetry, music, and painting. Further, it will be fun to meet Nathan Ballingrud, who is my co-reader, and his friends. And I'll see lots of others, including my son and my wonderful high school English teacher, Nancy Potts Coward, who with always predicted a grand future in words for me--so sweet!

Now I have to figure out how to shorten a reading down to 20 minutes, though... And plan frolics! Frolics!

On the road, day 5-7

Photo by Rebecca Beatrice Miller. August 2013.

NEXT UP: Reading with Nathan Ballingrud at Malaprop's, Asheville, 7 p.m., August 28th.

I had a pleasant, relaxed time in Raleigh, where I stayed with friends Bob Mosher and Jo Sumner for several days--thanks to them. Memorable moment: walking in the dark past thalictrum and sweet ginger lilies and then sitting on the patio at Boylan's Brewery, watching the sheet lightning playing in the clouds...

Back in Chapel Hill, I had a reading at McIntyre's in Pittsboro, visited with writers, and also went to several wonderful dinner parties with artists and writers and a composer--old friends and new--and all quite jolly. It seems quite wicked to namedrop, so I'll just say that I loved seeing them all. (And thanks to David and Laura Frankstone for putting up with me!)

And that's all the detail you get because I must go to bed in order to be off to western North Carolina tomorrow...

Next up: reading at McIntyre's on Saturday, August 24th, 2:00. Fearrington, Pittsboro.

On the road, day 4

Sketch from Laurelines, the blog of Laura Murphy Frankstone

August 21 

In the morning I had a wonderful time looking at the vigorous, intense acrylic paintings (shooting volcanic fire, roads rocketing over muscular Icelandic land masses, strange moons rising) of Laura Murphy Frankstone--all new paintings for her upcoming show at The Horace Williams House. So glad I slipped in just before they went to the framer.

After considerable stoppages and traffic and getting lost, I landed in Raleigh with my hosts, Jo Sumner and Bob Mosher. So happy to find their little green alley and park and jump out!

Marly, August 2013
Photo: Rebecca Beatrice Miller

And went on to a great crowd at Quail Ridge Books, where I read from The Foliate Head, Thaliad, and A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage. I was glad to see poet William Harmon and his wife Anne. I've been interested to see facebook friends show up at readings--Mamie Lewis Potter at Quail Ridge, Laura Giovanelli at Flyleaf.

At Quail Ridge, thanks to Tim and Tony and the other booksellers, and to longtime owner Nancy Olson, who has contributed so much to the literary life of the Triangle. She gave me the most beautiful introduction. I'm very happy to think that A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage was her favorite book of 2012, as she is such a wide reader and so perceptive. Luck and health to her in retirement.