The following article was published in Quinte Arts Council's tabloid Umbrella
Winter 2014/15, Volume 24, Number 4, page 24
PurdyFests Moving On From Marmora
by Chris Faiers
After eight rollicking years of poetry and discussion, annual Purdy Country Literary Festivals (PurdyFests) have had a great run. This longevity is almost unique among Canadian literary and poetry events, and certainly unique to have had these three-day festivals in small town Ontario. Time, various circumstances and especially aging have closed the curtain on the Marmora festivals. Fortunately, some of the keener annual campers at ZenRiver Gardens plan to return next August long weekend, so visitors can continue to enjoy contemplative times on the edge of The Shield - and I'm sure some poems will be read, songs sung and memories refreshed. But the formal organization of the extensive series of events which was Marmora PurdyFest has had its curtain call.
The good news is that PurdyFests and their spirit will continue to manifest in a number of other locations and in a variety of formats. Tai Grove, publisher of Hidden Brook Press and the President of the Canada-Cuba Literary Alliance, has plans to coordinate a PurdyFest somewhere along the shores of Lake Ontario next fall. Two longtime PurdyFesters, Jim Larwill and Katharine Beeman, have organized spin-off People's Poetry festivals in their locales. Jim has organized two Wolf Fests so far in the bush north of Ottawa, and Katharine has organized two "Festalitos" in Montreal. Kathy Figueroa has also organized two summer poetry festivals in Maynooth, and now that the Al Purdy A-frame is functioning as an area writer-in-residence location, annual summer picnics have been held there for the past two years as well.
The first PurdyFest was held in Marmora over the August long weekend in 2007. Poet James Deahl and author/philosopher Terry Barker were my fellow coordinators. James and Terry had been organizing a series of "poetry controversies" around southern Ontario on the subject of Canadian "People's Poetry", and they thought it would be fun to organize one of these discussions on Al Purdy's turf, as memorialized in his poem "the Country North of Belleville".
I agreed it would be fun to hold a poetry event on the edge of the Canadian Shield, and suggested that we should include poetry readings and other events along with the more academic "controversies". The "controversies" became our signature symposiums, focusing on the legacy of leading People's Poets such as Purdy and his close friend, fellow Governor General Award winning poet Milton Acorn.
Over the eight years PurdyFests symposiums honoured an historical catalogue of poets, from then still living Ray Souster, to those recently passed, such as Ted Plantos, and then we explored back through Canadian history with discussions on Dorothy Livesay and concluded this summer with Pauline Johnson.
When I toured Terry and James around Marmora on their first visit, they fell in love with the beauty of the Marmora area, and we decided to hold open air poetry readings on the islet in the middle of the Marmora Dam. Thus was born another PurdyFest tradition, "Another Dam Poetry Reading". A Who's Who of Canadian poets participated in the symposiums and in the Dam Readings, including Jim Larwill, Honey Novick, James Deahl, David Day, Katharine Beeman, Pearl and Brian Pirie, Anna Yin, Jim Christy, Martin Durkin, Julie McNeill, Carol Malyon, Omaha RisinG, Allan Briesmaster, Anna Plesums, R. D. Roy, Kent Bowman, Mick Burrs, Gail Taylor, John Hamley, Shane Neilson and many,many more. Marmora singer Morley Ellis opened all the Dam Readings with professional performances which set the relaxed atmosphere for the readings.
Tai Grove, publisher of Hidden Brook Press, and the President of The Canada-Cuba Literary Alliance, organized round robin readings at my nearby ZenRiver Gardens retreat on the Sunday afternoons of the fests. Many poets enjoyed camping at ZenRiver, and the Friday and Saturday night campfires and spontaneous events, such as Jim Larwill's amazing playlet featuring his nemesis, Wilber Walnut, will be fondly remembered by all. Participants Simon and Melanie always added a lot of colour to events with their campfire presentations of Hamilton street theatre.
As we toasted on the final day of last summer's PurdyFest, "PurdyFest is dead, long live PurdyFest!!!"
pic of PurdyFest #8 at ZenRiver Gardens by Sharon Henderson
Winter 2014/15, Volume 24, Number 4, page 24
PurdyFests Moving On From Marmora
by Chris Faiers
After eight rollicking years of poetry and discussion, annual Purdy Country Literary Festivals (PurdyFests) have had a great run. This longevity is almost unique among Canadian literary and poetry events, and certainly unique to have had these three-day festivals in small town Ontario. Time, various circumstances and especially aging have closed the curtain on the Marmora festivals. Fortunately, some of the keener annual campers at ZenRiver Gardens plan to return next August long weekend, so visitors can continue to enjoy contemplative times on the edge of The Shield - and I'm sure some poems will be read, songs sung and memories refreshed. But the formal organization of the extensive series of events which was Marmora PurdyFest has had its curtain call.
The good news is that PurdyFests and their spirit will continue to manifest in a number of other locations and in a variety of formats. Tai Grove, publisher of Hidden Brook Press and the President of the Canada-Cuba Literary Alliance, has plans to coordinate a PurdyFest somewhere along the shores of Lake Ontario next fall. Two longtime PurdyFesters, Jim Larwill and Katharine Beeman, have organized spin-off People's Poetry festivals in their locales. Jim has organized two Wolf Fests so far in the bush north of Ottawa, and Katharine has organized two "Festalitos" in Montreal. Kathy Figueroa has also organized two summer poetry festivals in Maynooth, and now that the Al Purdy A-frame is functioning as an area writer-in-residence location, annual summer picnics have been held there for the past two years as well.
The first PurdyFest was held in Marmora over the August long weekend in 2007. Poet James Deahl and author/philosopher Terry Barker were my fellow coordinators. James and Terry had been organizing a series of "poetry controversies" around southern Ontario on the subject of Canadian "People's Poetry", and they thought it would be fun to organize one of these discussions on Al Purdy's turf, as memorialized in his poem "the Country North of Belleville".
I agreed it would be fun to hold a poetry event on the edge of the Canadian Shield, and suggested that we should include poetry readings and other events along with the more academic "controversies". The "controversies" became our signature symposiums, focusing on the legacy of leading People's Poets such as Purdy and his close friend, fellow Governor General Award winning poet Milton Acorn.
Over the eight years PurdyFests symposiums honoured an historical catalogue of poets, from then still living Ray Souster, to those recently passed, such as Ted Plantos, and then we explored back through Canadian history with discussions on Dorothy Livesay and concluded this summer with Pauline Johnson.
When I toured Terry and James around Marmora on their first visit, they fell in love with the beauty of the Marmora area, and we decided to hold open air poetry readings on the islet in the middle of the Marmora Dam. Thus was born another PurdyFest tradition, "Another Dam Poetry Reading". A Who's Who of Canadian poets participated in the symposiums and in the Dam Readings, including Jim Larwill, Honey Novick, James Deahl, David Day, Katharine Beeman, Pearl and Brian Pirie, Anna Yin, Jim Christy, Martin Durkin, Julie McNeill, Carol Malyon, Omaha RisinG, Allan Briesmaster, Anna Plesums, R. D. Roy, Kent Bowman, Mick Burrs, Gail Taylor, John Hamley, Shane Neilson and many,many more. Marmora singer Morley Ellis opened all the Dam Readings with professional performances which set the relaxed atmosphere for the readings.
Tai Grove, publisher of Hidden Brook Press, and the President of The Canada-Cuba Literary Alliance, organized round robin readings at my nearby ZenRiver Gardens retreat on the Sunday afternoons of the fests. Many poets enjoyed camping at ZenRiver, and the Friday and Saturday night campfires and spontaneous events, such as Jim Larwill's amazing playlet featuring his nemesis, Wilber Walnut, will be fondly remembered by all. Participants Simon and Melanie always added a lot of colour to events with their campfire presentations of Hamilton street theatre.
As we toasted on the final day of last summer's PurdyFest, "PurdyFest is dead, long live PurdyFest!!!"
pic of PurdyFest #8 at ZenRiver Gardens by Sharon Henderson
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