In January of 2018 Maureen and I started imagining a poetry writing road trip. She was preparing to retire and I thought I could swing a trip if I sublet my apartment. One year later, after lots of phone calls, emails and much planning, Maureen took a train from Denver, the Amtrak Zepher, and she arrived in Brooklyn at my apartment in an Eastern car service on Wednesday the 16thof January. (Barb)
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Maureen’s report on her train trip–
Through Iowa snowy farm fields with Black Angus popouts. A single black steer, way out in the middle of frozen cornstalks poking through the snow.
In Mendota, Illinois, silos on the edge of town. All snow around. Huge ear of corn painted on the whole side of one, open eared, sun bright yellow kernels with sprightly green husks curled up the sides. Then a snowplow buried in the snow.
At night around Lake Michigan and then following Lake Erie. Arriving in Buffalo at daylight, torn snow, somber mauve landscape, the frozen forests of upper NY State.
Coming down the Hudson toward NYC, smoky graphite clouds ripped apart by day- glow orange horizon.
Train delayed and slowed by the River Rescue Patrol. Hoping no one is drowning. The lakeshore limited in beauty follows the Hudson, river frozen over with big chunks of ice pushing against the shore. Unfortunately it does not have a dining car so arriving famished. MO
While Maureen was coasting along on the Zepher and the Lakeshore Limited, I was packing up my apartment for a subletter, packing books, running errands to buy this and that for the trip, responding to on-line students, trying to clear a spot in my little studio for a blow up bed for Maureen to sleep on. We discovered we both like chilling out watching British detective films, last night, Peroit. (Barb)
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Our first reading will be tomorrow night, Friday, Jan 18th at McNally Jackson Bookstore in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 76 N 4thStreet, at 7 pm, a Belladonna reading. Then on Saturday we are driving to Washington DC to read on Sunday, January 20thfor the “In Your Ear Poetry Reading Series” at the DC Arts Center with Terence Winch and Erica Howsare at 3 pm.
