Hi everyone,

Last night I slept well for two or three hours but then got to thinking. The other night after I gave a reading, Sandy’s driving-home comment was that she always wishes I would read more of my funny work. Humph, thought I, then I said, “I have an idea, Sandy. One of these days I should do a program somewhere with you as the moderator and I’ll read only poems that you have selected.” She hesitated so I moved in. “Would you consider that? I like the idea. ‘Sandy Harrison Introduces David Harrison, Reading Poems that She Has Chosen.'”

Late in the night I found myself thinking back over some my library programs over the last twenty years or more. I’ve featured Bryon Biggers Band playing musical renderings of my poems. Read with MSU professor MARCUS CAFAGNA and some of his students. Featured folk singer JUDY DOMENY BOWEN. Brought in animals from the zoo. Held art contests. Jumping contests. Engaged audiences in imitating night sounds. Featured local equity actors reading my work. Featured kids presenting my 4-voice poem, “Frog Chorus.” Featured kids reading and performing other poems. Featured kids telling us what they had learned from their research of subjects in my books. Joined with kids reading some of my 2-voice poems (one of my favorite). I’ve read from my work, talked about some of the back stories, helped kids learn more about how to write their own stories and poems.

My first act this morning was to send a note to the folks at the library and to our public radio as well. I asked for a slot on the library program for this fall because now I really want to do a program that will knock it out of the park, maybe my final program as MO PL. And while poking around in the files I came across one I’d forgotten about. In 2020 there was a program called “Poetry Pals” that lasted for several weeks on KSMU, in partnership with the library, during which time I was privileged to read some of my poems that aired on Wednesday mornings. Can the past repeat itself? Don’t know if I don’t ask.