Last Sunday, I went up to Dahlonega, Georgia to be the "guest speaker" for the Unitarian Church there. Since I am a little dangerous on the road now, I got Carl Iobst to go with me. I couldn't have asked for a better reception and I was introduced by Mildred Greer, a lady that I had not seen in 50 years. We used to teach at Cartersville, Georgia and she introduced me to the poetry of Byron Herbert Reece, which was a major influence on my understanding of my own culture. I guess the experience was a bit surreal...a 75 year-old storyteller in Dahlonega (where I used to teach elderhostels) speaking in a Unitarian Church because we shared a love for a Georgia poet. I had been talking to the program director, Sarah Jones for several months by email, and by the time I arrived a goodly number of the congregation had seen my DVDs of "Nance Dude" and "Prince of Dark Corners." Carl took a lot of photographs and we took the long drive back by Blood Mountain and my favorite mountain store. I hope to go back sometime.
