The Legends Project

Hi everyone,

For some time now a group has been working toward producing several of my books in Braille. To help increase public awareness of the Legends Project, there will be a free, public program in the Kentwood Arms at 7:00 p.m. on April 11. For more information, here’s a link. https://libnotes.missouristate.edu/2024/03/kentwood-series-continues-april-11-david-harrison-and-chris-craig/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_source_platform=mailpoet

I’ll speak for 20-25 minutes and Byron Biggers Band (= Chris Craig, Gale Clithero, David Harrison) will perform some of my poems that Chris set to music. These will include some of the numbers that we recently recorded. I hope we’ll have a good turnout. There’s plenty of free parking.

A welcome challenge for Drury’s Poet Laureate

Hi everyone,

At the invitation of JOHN BEUERLEIN, Interim President of Drury University, I have agreed to write and present a poem on May 11 dedicated to the graduating class of 2024. The Honorable Roy Blunt, former U.S. Senator from Missouri (2011-2023, U.S. Congressman from Missouri (1997-2011), President of Southwest Baptist University (1992-1996, and Missouri Secretary of State (1985-1993) will give the commencement address. Blunt’s son, Governor MATT BLUNT (2005-2009, created the post of Missouri Poet Laureate.

The only other commencement ceremony I’ve participated in (other than my own in 1959) was in 2008, when I gave the commencement talk and received an honorary doctorate of letters. This Drury class is graduating during the university’s 150th anniversary celebration, a distinction they can remember with pride. I must do my best to do them, and the occasion, the honor they deserve.

St. Louis workshop on April 6

Hi everyone,

Time to pull my notes together for the two-hour workshop coming up seventeen days from now. The event, to be held at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO, 63131, will also livestream via Zoom. To attend the meeting online, follow the event link from the St. Louis Writers Guild website. The Guild is the St. Louis area’s oldest and largest writers’ organization and I’m delighted to have this chance to meet members and make new friends.

I will spend part of the workshop presenting specifics of writing for children and offer participants a chance to draft some of their own work. The second half will be about some of the many ways that poets approach poetry, with numerous quotes and examples from well-known poets across the country. Again, attendees will have an opportunity to think and draft. I hope to see some of you there.

From the Page to the Park: How Literature and Greenways Connect Community

Hi everyone,

An upcoming event will take place in Springfield in Jordan Valley Park from 3:00-4:00 on Saturday, April 13. Presenters will stand in the amphitheater there to read poems and prose that portray Ozark’s nature, landscape, and culture, and reveal how place-based identity finds its way into their writing. The event is created by Missouri Humanities and is part of their 7^th Annual Springfield Humanities Symposium – Ozarks Marvel: Innovation for the Common Good.

“Chairs will be provided, but attendees are welcome to bring a blanket, camping chairs, friendly dogs, and even a picnic spread! Relax and learn as you immerse yourself in community innovation and creativity. The event is made possible in partnership with Missouri Arts Council, Ozarks Greenways, Humanities and Ethics Center at Drury University, and Pagination Bookshop.”

The five readers are SARA BURGE, DAVID L HARRISON, KATE MURR, REX YBAÑEZ, and JENNIFER MURVIN. I imagine that the other readers are also going through their files and choosing which selections they’ll present on April 13. With an hour for the whole program, and other items on the agenda, we won’t have time to read many poems per person, but taken together it should be an entertaining way for individuals and families to spend an afternoon in Spring.

Ozzie nomination

Hi everyone,

Some kind soul, I hope I’ll learn who, nominated me for an Ozzie Award, specifically the Arts Ambassador Award. This is a program of the Springfield Regional Arts Council. Here’s the link https://www.springfieldarts.org/ozzie-awards/ and here’s the online description of the one I’m up for.

This award highlights an individual or team that has taken an active role in building a sustainable and thriving ecosystem for the arts in the Ozarks. The recipient of this award is someone who has worked tirelessly to create, promote, or support the arts, and has made a significant impact on the local arts community. 

Three finalists in each of four categories will be announced on or before September 14 and the winners will be recognized at the 38^th Annual Ozzie Awards, which will take place at the Springfield-Branson National Airport on October 14^th.