Who ever said there’s no literary culture, history or community in the area?
Last Saturday I was invited to commemorate the “One Anniversary” of The Word Is Spoken, an event launched by David Maas, a poetry mover and shaker in the Gainesville. The Word Is Spoken is a poetry open mic held a few streets away from the University of Florida campus (from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. every Saturday at Tim & Terry’s). Some might say it’s a long drive from Orlando to Gainesville for a poetry event, but when there are so many special sights to see along the way, the drive becomes part of the destination, just as any journey should.
So how did it all begin? I woke and considered it a proper Saturday morning in single-life Orlando, with the song “I Wanna Hear Poetry” by Frank Messina spinning in my head, waking in someone else's house, a girl tugging on a friend’s shirt, dragging him in the bedroom, another girl moaning “Please don’t fall in love with me, but hold me close,” and my lovesick eyes were still blurry from four hours of sleep, and stuck together from the condensation of morning dew, pried apart only by the burning desire to ramble into the bohemian poetry circle of Gainesville. Well that’s how the morning began, with too many cars in the driveway, beer spills on white wicker, toppled shoes and dirty socks in the armpits near pounding restless hearts, men and women slumbering alone on pillows, my fingers fumbling for the keys of someone else’s car to hit the road.
And so the journey began, I picked up Rhode, a West Coast poet living in the Orlando area, and we made our voyage north, past the cow pastures, zebras, horse stables and wild purple flowers roadside. I watched the wireless towers protrude where osprey’s hunted for hints of rodents on the loose, rat-race humanity underneath the place of the worst hunter, radar-equipped helicopters. We managed our speed within reason, escaped the radar guns, and talked about the poem that I wrote to raise social awareness for the Henry Nehrling’s Society and how it could be exhibited for their event next weekend.
An hour and a half later, we found ourselves in downtown Micanopy, the second oldest city in Florida. And as our car rolled past the red brick walls, antique shops and narrow quiet streets, I felt like I was in a Mark Twain novel, my eyes expecting the ghost of Tom Sawyer to emerge from a shadow, or the canoe of a Seminole Indian to drift afloat in a nearby creek.
Micanopy, and its downtown region is a must visit, especially for those that relished the stories and films “Doc Hollywood,” “The Yearling” and “Cross Creek.” The 1991 movie “Doc Hollywood” was filmed on location in the city and starred Michael J. Fox. Marjorie Rawlings, the author of the novels “The Yearling” and “Cross Creek,” had lived only 12 miles away. We visited a museum and a local country store next door, struck a conversation up with some locals, and then bought a jar of honey, some cookies and popcorn.
We then hit the road and headed for the house of Marjorie Rawlings – about a 15-minute drive away. Another pasture emerged on our left side, with dozens of llamas stopping to look us in the eye. Rhode rolled down the window to holler at them, “bah, bah, bah!” and then pressed his foot to the gas as I told him of my journey to New York. He then steered us further until we reached the bridge of Cross Creek where the fishermen stood alongside the river with a look in their eyes that questioned the saying “Patience is a virtue.”
Another thousand feet or so farther, we found the historical home. The property is now a national park and a must visit for writers, poets and those interested in the lost gems of Floridian history. It cost us about two dollars to park.
Rawlings wrote “The Yearling” in the house and visitors reputed to have stayed in her guesthouse were William Faulkner, Robert Frost and Gregory Peck. It was rumored that Peck once removed the mattress from the bed and slept on the floor for better comfort. The original furniture and mattress bedding are still intact. Those familiar with Rawlings' writings will want to see the original outhouse and ice box, which are also intact on the property. We then strolled the quiet mellow trails on the property just near Cross Creek. A tour of the property was a mere three dollars and worth the historical glimpse of the author’s lifestyle there.
Finally, the time came for the big event. We pulled into the parking lot of an old fraternity house converted into Tim & Terry’s, a bohemian hangout that has the feel of a diner plus plenty of good domestic beers on tap for less than two dollars. David Maas quickly made his way outside to greet us. With a warm welcome we made our way outside to the back, where about 30 chairs and a half-dozen tables stood. I set my books on a table by the stage and sipped a couple of beers as every empty seat filled to the point that folks had to stand on the porch and watch.
It was great to watch some of the Gainesville writers do their thing. Amongst them were Tom Miller, Johnny Rocket, Michael Bobbit and Prophet of What. Their poems and performances were unique, polished and original. (For those of you with a sense of humor, be sure to view a hilarious performance by Tom Miller,)
Last year, I had the opportunity to bring Prophet of What to Orlando and showcase him at the biweekly “Soft Exposure” poetry night held every other Wednesday at Infusion Tea in College Park. (Contact Naomi Butterfield.) Prophet's performance had political undertones and unique rhyming.
I then took to the stage and read from my unpublished novel “Restless Hearts” and my “Love Junky” short-story books. Rhode then read from his chapbook for about 10 minutes. It was a great, memorable time and a great place to make new friends, meet other writers and drink decent cheap beer.
Orlando poets and writers are strongly encouraged to be featured at the event. David Maas would love to meet you! The event does have an open mic for musicians, poets and spoken word artists. For more information, please contact David Maas.