Al Purdy 'Play Day' in Ameliasburgh

Monday, September 30, 2013

See ya in church, Al

 Were Al Purdy to be associated with any church, it's likely to be the Gothic church in Ameliasburgh, conjured so ominously in the poem 'Wilderness Gothic'.

Saturday, September 28 changed all that, as the talented actor/director Richard Turtle presented David Carley's one-man play 'Al Purdy at the Quinte Hotel' at Jeff Keary's performance venue in the 1849 former Methodist Church in Rednersville, Prince Edward County.





Richard did a superb job, moving smoothly from monologue to Purdy's poems. He was Al. I'm quite convinced I cannot do this man or the performance justice. So look for and don't miss Richard and 'Al Purdy at the Quinte Hotel' when it comes around again....A-framer Michele Lintern-Mole is exploring opportunities with Richard.

Jeff and Tracey Keary with Eurithe Purdy 

Eurithe Purdy graciously attended, queenly in an overstuffed armchair; I hope its comfort compensated for all those eyes turning to gauge her reaction at Richard's line "I wouldn't want to go to jail for killing a thing like you!"

"I'm used to it," she said afterwards.

Eurithe contributed two jars of hand-picked homemade wild grape jam to the silent auction. Yesterday some lovely folks in Toronto enjoyed it on their breakfast toast.

beer bottle & plaid jacket...

...and Al Purdy

 The Methodists were not a musical bunch, much too sober for that in the day. So it's as well that the superb acoustics of the church/studio were saved for today's congregations who enjoy jazz evenings and a variety of other performers at Active Arts Studio. At Saturday's Purdy Celebration, guitar player/singer Morley Ellis entertained - and what that man can't play...! His last song by the Travelling Wilburys, travelled with me for several days afterwards. Look for Morley, a Marmora boy!

Martin Durkin, Crazy Irishman

 Courageous the poet who agrees to read opposite Al Purdy. Martin Durkin, another local boy returned to his native Stirling, read from his work - and it stood up! Chris Faiers has long known Martin, and suggested he read at the event. Good writer. Good reader. It's the Irish in him.

Martin's work appears regularly on his CrazyIrishman blog, and recently poet Chris Faiers featured two of Martin's 'soup poems' on his Riffs and Ripples from Zen River Gardens site.

Kelly Bacon & Martin Durkin, Chris Faiers, Richard Turtle

And behind the scenes the usual suspects set up shop with a silent auction of signed Purdy titles, copies of the A-frame Anthology, and the Lowthian print of the A-frame. Raised five hundred and fifty bucks toward the A-frame restoration. Did OK.

Al Purdy Play in Rednersville Sat. Sept. 28

In Search of Al Purdy

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Monday, September 23, 2013

Saturday September 28, a treat for Purdy Fans at Active Arts in Rednersville

116 Barley Road, Rednersville
come experience the acoustics in this marvellous venue

As part of Culture Days, Jeff Keary of the stunning Active Arts Studio (the old stone church in Rednersville, Prince Edward County)  is presenting an Al Purdy A-frame fundraiser. This unique event is scheduled from 1PM - 6PM on Saturday, September 28.

Richard Turtle at the July Purdy Picnic

Hope to see you there!!

The afternoon will feature two performances (at 1:30 and 5:00 P.M.) of the play 'At the Quinte Hotel', written by David Carley, based on Al Purdy's famous poem. Richard Turtle is the featured actor, backed by an original musical score performed by Andy Thompson at the 1:30 performance.


Copies of the A-frame Anthology and art prints will be available, and there will be a silent auction featuring some Purdy titles, and Eurithe Purdy's home-made wild grape jam (cash sales only, please).

Poet Martin Durkin will read, and Morley Ellis, folk singer, will perform in the intermission.

Eurithe Purdy will be guest of honour.

Posted by Ancestral Roofs at 1:09 PM

Article on A-frame picnic by Richard Turtle

Purdy's words echo outside iconic A-Frame

Posted Aug 1, 2013 By Richard Turtle

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Click to Enlarge

David Sweet (c) reads Al Purdy's poem At the Quinte Hotel on the back deck of the A-Frame on Roblin Lake.

Click to Enlarge

Station Road's (from left) Eric Pilgrim, Conrad Beaubien, Michelle Simmonds and David Simmonds perform during the First Annual Al Purdy Picnic outside Ameliasburgh last Saturday.

EMC News - The work of Al Purdy continues to inspire and impress. And it continues to resonate.

Whether it be a poem penned half a century ago or the small home he built with his wife on the edge of a tiny lake, it has a remarkable and humble durability.

Dozens of people gathered last weekend at the Al Purdy A Frame on Roblin Lake to remember the late great Canadian poet and continue to support and promote plans to create a writer in residence program there.

Purdy, who penned more than 40 books during his career, built the small home along with his wife Eurithe spending much of their time there in the ensuing decades before he passed away in 2000. Eurithe Purdy, who now lives in Belleville, was among those in attendance at the First Annual Al Purdy Picnic, joining the crowd to hear recitations and reflections presented in the open air from the deck overlooking the water.

Organizer Michele Lintern-Mole welcomed the visitors and introduced about a dozen readers who offered a glimpse into the breadth of Purdy's work and his impact on other writers, educators and readers across the country for more than 50 years. Music was provided by quartet Station Road, who played a pair of acoustic sets of familiar country and folk tunes.

Picnic lunches were available for purchase at the Town Hall with regular shuttle service running to and from the A-Frame, where parking was prohibited. Several visitors opted to walk the approximately 1.5-kilometre distance in what turned out to be ideal weather for a backyard reading.

Once onsite, visitors were free to casually walk the grounds and take in the sights and sounds around them. Lintern-Mole also urged those in attendance to take part in a walking tour of "Al's Ameliasburgh" with Conrad Beaubien. Points of interest for many visitors included the "Wilderness Gothic" church, the Purdy Library and the Grove Cemetery. She also thanked readers for sharing their "cultural, literary and social memories."

Work on the A-Frame is ongoing and the Al Purdy A-Frame Association was one of many event partners and supporters.

"This is great," says poet Chris Faiers who travelled from Marmora to attend the picnic. "It's just such an amazing place." Familiar with the locale, the A-Frame and the nearby Grove Cemetery, Faiers, a longtime admirer of Purdy's work, will be hosting PurdyFest for the seventh year this weekend, which will include Another Dam Poetry Reading in Marmora on Saturday.
Purdy's work is also heavily featured in the play Al Purdy At the Quinte Hotel, which will be performed as an A-Frame fund raiser at the converted United Church in Rednersville (116 Barley Road) on September 28.