[Nicholas F.]

I'm with Quincy. Ernst was absolutely brilliant, and his concert was one of the most captivating and moving I've ever attended.

Overall, I thought the conference was excellent. Great to see all who made it.

Nick

[R. Nemo Hill]

So sorry I missed that concert.
But you can't be everywhere at once...
And on another day at least I was here...and saw this...



Nemo

[Rick Mullin]

"I am the Cheese man, I am the Walrus, Goo-goo-guh-joob."*

Yes, Reijseger's performance was phenomenal. Musically really surprising and very entertaining. I kept hearing his mother yelling upstairs, "Ernst! Stop fooling around and practice!!!"

RM

*see photo above

[Cally Conan-Davies]

Now that's a real afterglow, Nemo!

For those who haven't heard the story, some of us are very bad at indoor conferencing. The terrible truth is that the only indoor event I attended was one of the Hardy sessions - the one where Timmy talked with Robert Mezey via an audio link, and Aaron and me swapped favourite Hardy poems from our positions as interlopers against the wall.

The other way to do West Chester is, well, to see Pennsylvania! Apart from two fleeting trips to NYC, I've seen nothing of the east coast, and I was SO excited to be so close to Lancaster County where the Amish are! Take me to the Amish! - I demanded of Nemo and Julio, so in their vehicular tank they call "Connie", we turned from the freeways to the tree-shaded lanes in search of Amish.

And lo, as we rounded a bend, I spied my first Amish personage - a man in a wide-brimmed hat spreading his wares on the grass just off the narrow road - wheels of cheese and lord knows what other fancies! I shrieked with glee, "It's an Amish man, my first Amish!" as Julio slowed down for a better view.

And that is when Nemo declared, "That's no Amish man! That's Rick Mullin!" "impossible" I cried, "it is the true Amish! My vision of the Amish!" "No no" Nemo insisted, "I truly see through the Amish garb to our own, our dear, our fellow conference-truant, Rick Mullin".

To settle the argument, Julio negotiated a tremendous about-turn on the narrow lane, and we pulled into the long driveway at the side of which my first Amish man bent to his wheel of cheese...

...and Rick's face looked up at us, mirroring our own astonishment. Imagine. One travels around the globe to find Amish, and one's first taste is a much-loved Mullin, tricked out in Amish fashion, preparing to paint one of his gloriously rich landscapes!

How we laughed at how we had crossed-paths so unintentionally! At how we mistook ourselves for something else! Rick thought we were owners of the property, pulling up to ask him to move on! What's more, it was no Amish hat he wore, but, would you believe it, an Australian Army hat!! "Do you not recognise the hat of your own army!", the astonished Mullin cried. "Army, not Amish, you goose-girl!"

And so we parted ways, after taking in the wondrous scene of Rick's lusciously thick acrylics and his dazzling white canvas, and his finely bespattered painting shoes...and all those brushes! A bristling of brushes! We left the artist to his art, and turned our Connie-tank around again, cheeseless, undeluded and Amish-bound once more...

I found my Amish, and much more — including a musical waterfall of balls — but that is another story...

The day was a Conference of Clothes-lines and Strawberries! It was a day of a thousand poems.


Cally

[Mary Meriam]

Wonderful story, Fair Dinkum!!!! Imagine here a complete set of emoticons:

[Mike Lane]

Frickin' wonderful story Cally. God, how funny.

You just can't make that stuff up.

Thanks

[Edmund Conti]

One of the readers at the Light celebration picked up my throwaway poem on the way to the podium. I figured he would return it to me as he passed behind me, but he kept it. Later, he came by and asked me to sign it. I found out later, "That's Sam Gwynn, you idiot!"

I have some pictures on my Facebook my son took with his phone. (You can do that!?) A little bleary but there they are.

[G. M. Palmer]

Ernst was a ball and a half. I wonder how many of the folks who didn't like the performance also don't like light verse--or if they do are now scratching their heads (one can hope, eh Quincy?). Good ol' Jehanne got it but was scowled out of her row.

For my part, a billion thanks are due to Quincy for the loan of square footage and I dearly hope everyone got to hear Alicia read--especially the overwhelming Persephone to Psyche poem. Read that one if you've not already and buy a copy of Olives!

It was great to see all of you there and I'm looking forward to next year.

Best,
Michael

[Bill Carpenter]

The Light celebration was wonderful and I for one would urge the powers to make a Night of Light a regular feature of the conference. Hearing John Beaton declaim 200+ lines from memory about Scots v. Vikings was another high point, and there were excellent readings by Maryann, Quincy (who is much funnier in person), Rick, Jayne, Michael, Fosen, Susan de S., Barb Loots, Dave Mason, and Julie Kane, and a magnificently understated performance of familiar hits by Orrwn. Unfortunately I did not know Alan Sullivan, but the tributes to him were breathtaking, and one had to believe that the gigantic personality they evoked willingly shrank itself down to fit inside the large auditorium to hear them.

Without prejudice to the great performances and courses, however, meeting and chatting with people, Sphereans and others, would be sufficient by itself to justify the gathering. Altogether a grand celebration. Best, Bill

[Chris Wilson]

Originally Posted by Cally Conan-Davies

Michael Cantor (is he lecturing Chris C. here??) and the vitally intelligent Meredith Bergmann. (Mike Peich standing in the background).

I think Michael Cantor is lecturing--I mean, entertaining--the likes of me at that dinner. My first West Chester, and what a delight! The villanelle workshop was a highlight, of course--hi Susan and Julie and Barbara! (I'm so sorry to hear about your accident, Julie, and hope you heal vampire-quick.) Kate Benedict, thank you for directing me to the Charles Hartman interview which in my confusion I almost missed--so happy I heard it. Looking forward to next year!