(Larwill/Faiers emails preparing/fantasing about PurdyFest #6 - Acorn Fest)
Hi Jim,
What I'm envisioning re "Acorn Fest" is a performance featuring your incredible thespian talents. Anything featuring Wilber Walnut would be fine & appreciated, as Wilber is some sort of half brother to Milt (I believe, if I've got the story straight). I'm copying this to Simon de Abreu as well, as he did a great job directing you at PurdyFest 2 years ago.
Or maybe a piece from Milt's play, THE ROAD TO CHARLOTTETOWN, or a dramatic reading of Milt's poetry ("I Shout Love"?)
A Jim Larwill performance could serve as the centre piece for Acorn Fest. I remember Cedric Smith at the memorial for Milt in Charlottetown in 1987. Cedric does a great impersonation of Milt, he really hams it up ... and everybody loves it! Maybe Cedric will come out of the woodwork, wherever he is, & show up to resurrect Milt's voice & mannerisms ...
The possible framework Terry & I have discussed is a repeat of last year's very successful tribute to Raymond Souster. There were only 13 or so present at the Marmora Library Symposium on Ray, but then we took this 'practice run' to Toronto - where 4 months later the event filled the Runnymede Library meeting room (60+ - standing room only).
We had some top names in CanLit (John Robert Colombo, Greg Gatenby, etc.), as well as Joe Fiorito, who both participated in the event and then wrote a nice column about it for the TO Star on Ray's birthday this year! Also Toronto Public Library videoed the evening for posterity.
So Terry and I envision an initial launch in TO on July 15th I believe, followed very closely 2 weeks later by the foofaraw of Acorn Fest. Then if we can successfully duplicate the pattern of last year's promo of Ray, we could return to TO after Acorn Fest with some sort of fall performance package to further promo IN A SPRINGTIME INSTANT - and I can see you being a major part of this "MILTON ACORN ROADSHOW".
It would get you and your work some great exposure, promote Milt's new book & his legacy of People's Poetry, etc. .
Who knows who might attend? The old BOHEMIAN EMBASSY gang? - thinking esp. of George Miller and Don Cullen ...
Anyway, we're in the dreaming stages now, but like yourself, I forsee this summer being a special PurdyFest, thanks to Milt.
peace & poetry power!
Chris ... and Chase ... wrffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff!
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Hey there Chris,
Looks like PF 6 is coming together gang busters. Good work!
In an earlier email you asked if I had an essay on Milt and I do have
one "Acorn vs Pound: You Growing vs Francesca" where I compare
Acorn's "You Growing" with Pound's "Francesca" which is the poem Acorn
based his "fight not plight" rewrite upon of the earlier poem by Pound.
"Now you will come out of a confusion of people,
Out of a turmoil of speech about you." Pound
"Out of a clamour of voices
Demanding faces and noises." Acorn
The comparative perhaps sheds some light on the aesthetics of People's
Poetry verses Facist. (Or in Shamanic terms Raven's are good mimics of
mockery.)
It is an old essay so if you did want a presentation of some kind I
would want to rework it, so let me know what you and Terry think.
Keep marching.
jim
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