The word game

Hi everyone,

On three occasions selections from my work have been performed by RAE (Resident Artist Ensemble), a Springfield based group of professional actors and, in some cases, their graduate students. Each time this happens I appreciate all over again what actors bring to the stage — any stage — to bring to life one-dimensional words on the pages of a book or script.

My post yesterday about Sandy Asher’s latest success as one of our nation’s leading playwrights reminded me of the two plays she has created that involve my contributions and that made me think of the times when RAE has thrilled me with their performances of my poetry and stories. I love it when words find their mates in the performing arts. Here’s Byron Bigger’s Band performing some of my poems arranged into music. What could be more fun!

Another successful Children’s Literature Festival of the Ozarks

Hi everyone,

Another Children’s Literature Festival of the Ozarks has come and gone — the 35th — and I’d call it another success. About 2,000 children attended and hundreds of adults. This year there were eight authors and artists and as I sat at my table signing books last night I was reminded, as I often am on such occasions, of all the talented people around the room.

Brad Sneed, Janie (J.B.) Cheaney, June Rae Wood, KD McCrite, Marie Smith, Obert Skye, and Roland Smith were all there and had spent the day thrilling young audiences with their wit, wisdom, and special genius for telling stories and bringing characters to life through words and pictures. One boy asked me if we every felt like competitors, a question I don’t believe I’ve been asked before. I told him that we’re all friends and celebrate when something nice happens to any of us.

During the evening event, Janie and Obert gave brief talks/performances and everyone in the room loved them. They were funny and charming and highly entertaining. My thanks again to Chris Craig and Gale Clithero (the other two members of our Byron Biggers Band) for the fun of performing six numbers together.

It was a lively evening, well attended, and as always we were all grateful for the long hours of preparation by the committee of dedicated women who create the festival and run it year after year, including Becky Crowder, Karen Martin, Margaret Butler, Judith John, Sue Charles, Melinda Hammerschmidt, and I know I’m forgetting someone.

I slept well last night.

I have pictures to prove it

Hi everyone,

Thanks to Sony Hocklander and Kathleen O’Dell for supplying pictures from Thursday night at The Library Center. If you don’t think we had fun, I offer these pics as proof we did!

I had a fine time

Hi Everyone,

Thanks to all who attended last night’s David Harrison event at The Library Center. I think Don Barrett and his daughter Carina Hurt Blair traveled the farthest, making a roundtrip from Camdenton, Missouri. It was a pleasure to once again join with Chris Craig and Gale Clithero as Bryon Biggers Band. Sarah Wiggin led a splendid RAE troop including Jeff Jenkins, Melissa Herr, and Colton Williams in performing many poems and stories from my work. I sat in the audience and cackled the same as I always do when they carry on. My favorite number is when they impersonate cows during a skit based on WHEN COWS COME HOME. I’ll show you some pictures if anyone shares what they took.

We had a nice turnout and somehow managed to stay on schedule. Sandy and I both had cousins there as well as many old friends. It was a good way to spend an hour and a half on a Thursday evening in July. Thanks to Kathleen O’Dell for facilitating the event and sticking with us all evening to see that everything went well. I do love The Library Center.