Phyllis is happy to announce that she has been invited to give two presentations for the upcoming South Dakota Online Festival of Books. She will also be an online exhibitor.
Her first presentation, “What to Do When the Muse Wakes You Up”, will be a Zoom event at 4pm on Friday, October 2. “How does the Muse communicate with you?” Phyllis will ask. “Does she nudge your shoulder? Tug your sleeve? Startle you awake in the middle of the night?” Phyllis will reflect on the magic of inspiration while sharing the story behind her latest book, a slender special edition called For the Sake of One We Love and Are Losing (Bell Sound Books, 2020). She’ll also present a reading of this meditative poem, which is dedicated to all who grieve.
Her second presentation, “Creating Gatherings in a Time of Pandemic,” will be a Zoom event later in the Festival month, at 3pm on Tuesday, October 20. “Imagine,” Phyllis says, “a small birchwood box with a poem hidden inside, handwritten by the poet. Imagine that box, painted by an artist, traveling through the varied lives of multiple recipients. Each person celebrates its contents, then offers his or her own imaginative contribution, before passing it to someone new. Imagine 54 such boxes, full after several months, being exhibited, sold, and the proceeds donated to the relief of creatives impacted by the pandemic. This project is Gatherings, an arts-based “experiment in giving and receiving” that concluded in August.
Phyllis co-managed the poetry dimension of Gatherings. She’ll share poetry selections and box art from the project while reflecting on the significance of the written word in a time of pandemic.
Watch the presentation of “What to do When the Muse Wakes you Up”:
