The other night in Kentwood Hall we entertained ourselves and those who came. I talked and read, Byron Biggers Band performed, FRANK TAYLOR brought us up to date on the Legends Project efforts to transform some of my books and others into Braille.
We learned that chances are improving for the project to eventually extend into all 400+ public libraries in Missouri. He then took me by surprise by presenting me with the first copy of the first of my ten books slated for Braille. It’s a book that I co-wrote with JANE YOLEN called Rum Pum Pum.
My copy went directly into the Meyer Library on the MSU campus but I’ll soon get a copy of my own and one to send to Jane. We’re off and running!
If you live in the area, I hope you plan to be there tonight. This is the evening I’ve been talking about when I’ll speak and read from several books and Byron Biggers Band will perform ten of my poems set to music. The event is part of the Kentwood Hall Series sponsored by Meyer Library at MSU and is meant to make more people aware of the Legends Project, an effort to create several of my books, as well as other area authors, in Braille editions. This is NOT a fund raiser. It will last an hour, it’s free to the public, and it will be a lot of fun. Plenty of free parking available not far from the door.
I’ll plan to read a sample or two from seven of my poetry books that are on the Legends Project list. After that, the band will play. One of my favorites is Monday, a poem that first appeared thirty-one ears ago in a book called Somebody Catch My Homework. If I remember correctly, SANDY ASHER also used it in her play of the same name. It goes like this.
Overslept
Rain is pouring
Missed the bus
Dad is roaring
Late for school
Forgot my spelling
Soaking wet
Clothes are smelling
Dropped my books
Got them muddy
Flunked a test
Didn’t study
Teacher says
I must do better
Lost my money
Tore my sweater
Feeling dumber
Feeling glummer
Monday sure can be
A bummer.
Kentwood Hall has a rich history. In my high school years, some of our proms were held in the same ballroom -- The Crystal Room -- where we'll be performing tonight. When it was a hotel with permanent living quarters for some, my mother's twin sister, Eva, lived there. More recently, Writers Hall of Fame used the Crystal Room for its annual award ceremonies to celebrate the accomplishments of young writers in the area.
Yesterday I rehearsed with fellow members of Byron Biggers Band — CHRIS CRAIG and GALE CLITHERO. We are prepared to play ten pieces this Thursday evening (April 11) in Springfield at Kentwood Hallon St. Louis Street.This is part of Missouri State University’s “Kentwood Series” and is sponsored/hosted by The Meyer Library.
Portraits from Fall photo days, September 4, 2019. Visual Media/Missouri State University
I’ll start the event by reading/talking for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Then the band will play. All of our pieces are poems of mine that Chris has arranged as songs with guitar and percussion accompaniment. I especially love “Monday,” “Worms,” and “Teacher Has Eyes in the Back of Her Head.” We have such a good time! The evening is free and open to the public. Families with children are encouraged to attend. It should be a pleasant hour of entertainment. Lots of free parking available not far from the door.
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.
This isn’t my HUG poem for January, I haven’t written one yet, it’s an old favorite that I’ve shared before. “Love” first appeared in Easy Poetry Lessons that Dazzle and Delight, co-written with BERNICE CULLINAN and published in 1998 by Scholastic. It has been used many times since then, most notably in the repertoire of my poems set to music and performed by Byron Biggers Band. Earlier this year the group recorded it on a CD.
I like the poem because it’s a good example of how written words can sometimes be interpreted in more than one way. I first read it as a gentle little love song. The other two members of the group, CHRIS CRAIG and GALE CLITHERO, begin to hoot and make fun of my rendition and urge me to try again, this time as a rap, which I do. I’m a terrible rapper but the audience gets the idea. See what you think.
Love
Said the green-eyed beetle
To his honey doodlebug,
“You’re sweeter than a rose
And I want a little hug.”
So they hugged and they giggled
And a little later on
They had a thousand kids named
Green-Eyed Beetle
And Honey Doodlebug,
And they all lived together
In a snug little rug.
(c) 1998 David L Harrison, from Easy Poetry Lessons that Dazzle and Delight, Scholastic
Children's Author David L. Harrison's Blog 