Russ&Suzie

Trip Log
2009-04-26 19:34:13 (UTC)

2nd day in Oconomowoc for Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets

Over the years traveling the east-west highway from Madison
to Milwaukee,
a topographic feature on the north side of the road had
caught my attention
repeatedly. I remember talking of it with a passenger,
perhaps Patricia
Obletz, and don't remember the outcome of the conversation,
for instance,
that it was a feature that came from use of earth piling for
a special purpose.
So I wondered what had happened to it as I settled into the
Olympic Hotel
(named that because the name Oconomowoc has five circle in
it, thereby
resembling the Olympic logo. I discussed it with Greg Markee
the first night
when we ate together and he suggested it was a manufactured
ski slope,
and then out of the corner of my eye, it loomed just outside
the room but at
an angled view. Yes, indeed a sky slope! with a device to
pull the skier to the
top.

In the very early morning I went for a walk that took me
directly by the hill,
that turns out part of the Olympic Resort where our
convention took place.
Too many barriers/fences to climb it but I enjoyed an empty
field that
invaginated the golf course so likely, I conjectured, the
resort did not own it
and probably found an uncooperative owner most interfering
with their plans.
I felt sympathetic to my imagined "little guy" interfering
with a bigger
business juggernaut.

The meeting went well: intense, without the implicit
dismissal of many
speakers that i'd grown used to via many professional
meetings that
demanded less of one's undivided attention. The new state
Poet Laureate,
Marilyn Taylor, was introducted and read from her poems,
humorous yet
understated. She likes formal verse, as with rhyme and use
of standard forms
such as sonnet. Two major speakers included Karl Elder who
presented with
the aid of a student essayist and cellist an informative and
dramatic poem on
Houdini who grew up in Appleton with the surname of Weiss,
son of a Rabbi.
The other, Richard Terrill, spoke more as a teacher with
illustrations of a
number of major points. Engaging, high standards, yet
approachable.

Linda Aschbrenner was feted for her 11 year effort as
founder, editor and
producer of Free Verse that in its 99/100th issue ended her
tenure. Wendy
Vardamon and Sarah Busse from Madison will continue the
effort as co-
editors; I met them as I happened to sit at their table for
breakfast and the
rest of the day. I bought Sarah's book co-authored with her
mother for
children about faraway grandparents named Banjo Granny.
Likely we'll give it
to Ben's little one when that new person comes forth.

Given courage by Greg Markee, I read the first sonnet of the
Moby Dick
series after explaining how I was applying the ten scenes of
the Zen
Oxherder series to the quest for Moby Dick. Wendy suggested
I submit it to
Free Verse that felt good. Others seemed most interested so
I was glad for
the support that Greg furnished. Sandy Lindow said, "I've
never heard of such
a thing, did you invent it?" and I admitted the deed.




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