5 July 2011

A week from today I will be telling Rivertown Dispatch in Madison, Indiana. The real Rivertown. The audience: 40 + docents and volunteers from Historic Madison, Inc. (HMI) and the Jefferson County Historical Society as part of their luncheon program.

Perhaps this is why I woke up today at 5:00 am, unprompted by alarm clock or small children slipping into my bed?

Not that I am nervous…okay, maybe a little…but, more likely, I think it is simply the thought: “Madison at last!” This is that propelled me out of bed so that I could rehearse undisturbed: to be able to tell these stories to people who love old things just like me, who navigate their way around town based on whether the river is to their left or right, and all have first hand experience of the thick clouds of fog. I am sure there will be plenty of subscribers to The Madison Courier, too, with its local coverage of the sweet and strange goings-on in Madison and nearby counties.

The timing is also wonderful as I learned last week that I am the recipient of a 2011-2012 Individual Artist Award from the Indiana Arts Commission. This is a major boost in helping me take the show on the road to Madison and other points north, south, east and west in the Hoosier state.

At last I will be able to fulfill my long-time dream of being a troubadour. Now, if I could just find someone to make me a brightly painted wooden caravan pulled by a horse.

One other hope, and that is where this blog comes in, is that I can document my travels and performances here. And, just like the character of Mary, I want to encourage all readers and audience members to add their own personal stories, poetry, or photographs that capture what it is like to live in Indiana.

So, please, visit often. Stay as long as you like. And share your stories as I promise to share mine.