North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc.

2011-06-24T12:54:00.000-07:00

Dear Reader,

I am slowly being dragged into the 21st century and I celebrate every little milestone. Actually, the North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc. website genius, Victoria Van Arnam, is dragging me and, so, today's milestone is really hers.

My prizewinning essay, "Waking Up in the Floodplain" is available for downloading at amazon.com; IT COSTS 99 CENTS. The essay chronicles hours spent in and around my stilt-legged house in the floodplain of Florida's famous river during the flooding, winds, alligators, canebrake rattlers, and several other surprises that arrived with the hurricane, Jeanne, a few years ago. It was a phenomenal experience for me, a moment-to-moment survival exercise; it was also difficult and very beautiful. Enjoy!

scauthen
24 June 2011

ACCOMPLISHED!

2011-06-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the skills and hard work of Victoria Van Arnam, two books are now available as ebooks: Both THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER ($9.99) and a prizewinning essay called "WAKING UP IN THE FLOODPLAIN" (99 cents) are available at amazon.com + Sudye Cauthen + books.

Many thanks to Victoria and to those of you already downloading these books.

All the best,

s cauthen
18 June 2011

THE CENTRALITY OF STORY

2011-06-08T17:46:00.000-07:00

STORY: connects the dots, names the places, makes sense of our lives.

----------------------JOIN SUDYE CAUTHEN---------------------------------------

2:00 p.m. - Hawthorne Branch Library - Saturday, 11 JUNE 2011

2011-06-06T10:31:00.000-07:00

BOOK EVENT IN HAWTHORNE, FL

THANKS TO THE LABORS OF GUYLENE RESUE,

I'm looking forward to meeting friends of the work, THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokofta

and SOUTHERN COMFORTS: Rooted in a Florida Place at:

2 P. M. Hawthorne Branch Library, Hawthorne, FL - Saturday, 11 June 2011

The HAWTHORNE BRANCH LIBRARY has partnered with the

HAWTHORNE HISTORICAL SOCIETY which will host a RECEPTION immediately following the reading.

I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. This is my last scheduled event for the calendar year 2011.

MEMORIAL DAY - SUWANNEE RIVER -- 2011

2011-05-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

A good breeze on the deck at 8:00 p.m. Some laughter, the revving of an auto engine, voices fade, and night descends. Here's a shot from above the river, courtesy of Robert Baxter:

ENRAPTURED, 21 May 2011

2011-05-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

It only lasted a few minutes, but sitting by the river as night came on it seemed that everything was right--the river's details swaddled in gold, the black stripes on a golden bumblebee, the river uncurling from light into dark, on its way across this grand old peninsula where--near what Daddy called Cedar Keys (plural)--it enters the Gulf. Perfect, the world is perfect, its light spilling upriver from the west, blasting cedar trunks into golden staves, woven and rewoven daily in the flights of its birds--small, black, white with yellow legs, the red-shouldered hawk--all stitching the invisible shirt of the world that holds me here, beneath the delicate call of the screech owl.

ENRAPTURED, 21 May 2011

2011-05-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

(PHOTO: Robert Baxter)

It only lasted a few minutes, but sitting by the river as night came on it seemed that everything was right--the river's details swaddled in gold, the black stripes on a golden bumblebee, the river uncurling from light into dark, on its way across this grand old peninsula where--near what Daddy called Cedar Keys (plural)--it enters the Gulf. Perfect, the world is perfect, its light spilling upriver from the west, blasting cedar trunks into golden staves, woven and rewoven daily in the flights of its birds--small, black, white with yellow legs, the red-shouldered hawk--all stitching the invisible shirt of the world that holds me here, beneath the delicate call of the screech owl.

DEAR FOLLOWERS,

2011-04-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

Hi, there, followers of my blog. You were two and now you are five. YOU ARE WELCOME!

I can't post tonight but I've got some stuff piling up here, so tomorrow there should be new material. Oh, wait! here's a photo of my driveway, leafing out. You can see the house beyond and Thomas the Cat in the foreground:

Gorgeous, isn't it? I wish I could name all the different hues of green I see outside. (I also wish I weren't allergic to oak pollen.)

As long as I've opened this window and am typing, I do have one more thing to report: yesterday I drove to Valdosta, GA, for a reading/signing of the new book, THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokoftaand when I got there was surprised to see what a large space the Valdosta Daily Times gave me, announcing the reading, including a photo of me, and a picture of the book. What interested me most, however, were the questions my interviewer, Dean Poling (author of Waiting for Willie and Cowboy Boots and Pony Tales, asked. Try this: "With exception of young Maggie Rider who seems like a bridge from one era to the next, this book's characters seem to have a dual quality of being timeless while their time's running out. None more so than the tragic Gus. Not giving too much away, is it fair to say Gus represents the mystery of Florida's past and that when Maggie discovers Gus's mystery, one era ends and a new one begins?"

Sometimes the critics enlarge one's reading and Dean's question reminded me of that; not that I know the answer to his question. I did respond, though: "I think the reader decides that; really, I do. The book means whatever the reader takes it to mean."(And it will be that way until writers can stand over the shoulders of each reader and tell him or her what was intended.)

After the reading, my friend Mary Alice Warren and I met Haley and Barry Hyatt of Valdosta for food and drink at a charming place that allows its patrons to eat reclining on couches rather than at tables if they choose. I hope I get to go back to Valdosta soon. It's a charming city and I'm near certain I spent time with two of its most charming citizens.

GRANDFATHER GREYBEARD

2011-04-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

[This photo courtesy of Robert Baxter]

I got an email yesterday, telling me of another friend, an older woman in Jacksonville, whose health has taken a turn for the worst. It seems I have so many sick and dying friends--and my friends who aren't sick also report they have sick and dying friends. Is it our age?

I first saw the Grandfather Greybeard tree behind the Alachua house with the yellow pine floors--in my own backyard in spring, 1976. That was my first spring in the house built in 1926 that had only two owners before me. The second owner was wild for plants and she'd been there fifty years: Professor Sargent and Pink Perfection camellias, walls of azaleas, red and pink roses and 50 square feet of white Cherokee, the climbing rose. Come spring, this tree of white beards appeared in the far back corner of the property. When my Gainesville boyfriend originally viewed the house and I asked what he thought I should do first, he replied, "Cut down this forest back here." I grew to love it, but I sold the place in 1990.

I didn't know how young I was in 1990, but I know now. I didn't know when I sold the Alachua house and moved to MS, that my mother would go right downhill and get a cancer diagnosis within the year. That's what the Jax friend has--cancer, and I think like Mother she's not going to fight it. I'm told that when her doctor informed my mother that if she didn't have surgery, the cancer would kill her, Mother stuck to her original "no," shook her head, and remarked, "Everybody's got to die of something." She was 86.

Just yesterday I decided to push my own estimated point of departure to 90 in order to finish these manuscripts. Until yesterday I thought I'd go at 86; I don't know which is more difficult, the knowledge my own death is coming at me, faster and faster, or the goodbyes I'm constantly saying to friends, falling fast, like today's bits of oak pollen flying through the air.

Yesterday I saw many smaller specimens of Grandfather Greybeard, dappling the newly-green woods on either side of the entrance to Suwannee Springs Park near Live Oak. There's also one a hundred yards upriver I have to lean out from the deck to see.

This morning I saw a huge (4-1/2")yellow and black butterfly sail past the kitchen window, got out binoculars, and identified it as the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus. The weather's been cool since our Big Rain two days ago that brought the river's water level up.

I believe tomorrow's prediction puts the high temp somewhere in the 80s; I hope we get a breeze along with it. And maybe I'll see some more Greybeards on my way to the reading at South Georgia Regional Library in Valdosta. I think I"ll count how many because I know they won't be with me long.

BOOK EVENT IN GEORGIA

2011-03-17T21:51:00.000-07:00

BOOK COVER PAINTING FOR MAGGIE RIDER BY JOHN RICE OF LIVE OAK, FL

2 p.m., 2 April 2011 - South Georgia Regional Library, Valdosta, GA: Reading/signing for THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokofta.

NEWS FOR FRIENDS OF NORTH FLORIDA CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES, INC.

2011-02-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

NFCDS,INC. officers Frank M. Cellon and Sudye Cauthen met today over huge plates of food at Lake City's Red Lobster, then split their dessert of Key Lime Pie. The meeting was useful, fattening, and pleasurable. It moved our next project--THE PLACE OF OUR REMEMBRANCE--forward. We made important decisions, leafed through old photos, considered inclusions, exclusions, attitude, and prospective dates of completion.

THE CENTER'S NEXT EVENTS:

Saturday, April 9 - Tower Road Library, Gainesville, FL 2-4 p.m. - WRITE. WRITE IT NOW! Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for the Writing Life, a Creative Writing Workshop led by Sudye Cauthen & open to the public. Reserve space at library.

Sunday, APRIL 17 - Tower Road Library, Gainesville, FL 2-4 p.m. - MEET MAGGIE RIDER 7 FRIENDS (a reading and signing) open to the public.

COME SUNDAY! Meet MAGGIE RIDER & FRIENDS & hear LLOYD BALDWIN'S MUSIC

2011-02-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

The hope for human civilization and the planet.

2011-02-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

"If human nature is materialist to the core--self-serving, utilitarian, and pleasure-seeking--then there is little hope of resolving the empathy/entropy paradox. But if human nature is, rather, at a more basic level, predisposed to affection, companionship, sociability, and empathic extension, then there is the possibility, at least, that we might yet escape the empathy/entropy dilemma and find an accommodation that will allow us to restore a sustainable balance with the biosphere.

A radical new view of human nature has been slowly emerging and gaining momentum, with revolutionary implications for the way we understand and organize our economic social and environmental relations in the centuries to come. We have discovered Homo empathicus."

IT'S A PARTY! Introduction MAGGIE RIDER & FRIENDS

2011-02-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

EVENT: 20 FEB 2 pm. ALACHUA LIBRARY. We are FIRM for the book event. Lloyd Baldwin will be there with his Old Time Tunes. Refreshments.

INTRODUCING MAGGIE RIDER & FRIENDS

2011-02-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

NORTH FLORIDA CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES, INC.
PRESENTS THE BOOK
THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokofta

SUNDAY 2:00 p.m. 20 FEBRUARY – ALACHUA LIBRARY

Alachua native, author of Florida Book Award Winner SOUTHERN COMFORTS Sudye Cauthen

Music --Refreshments

Readings from Maggie Rider, Southern Comforts, and her
next book, Voices from the Place of Our Remembrance

North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc.

www.sudyecauthen.com - 386-397-1284 – cauthen4196@earthlink.net

Visit us on Facebook and at sudyecauthen.blogspot.com

FEBRUARY EVENTS: ALACHUA, FLORIDA

2011-02-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

On 12 February for two hours (with a 20 min break), beginning at 2 p.m., I'll be at the Alachua Florida library, offering the WRITE. WRITE IT NOW! workshop. Then on 20 Fev 2011 I'll return to Alachua Library (also at 2 pm) for an event celebrating release of THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokofta. I'll also have copies of SOUTHERN COMFORTS: Rooted in a Florida Place along. Hope to see old friends and new friends. Coming home!

Here's the workshop description; it's a lot of fun:

WRITE IT. WRITE IT NOW!
Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for the Writing Life

Sudye Cauthen, author of Florida Book Award Winner SOUTHERN COMFORTS: Rooted in a Florida Place offers a workshop about incorporating writing into our busy lives: how to keep the words coming, whether poetry, fiction, or nonfiction; exercises to sharpen skills of observation; openings and closings. The creation of memoir and its rewards, syntax, tone, flashbacks, and the centrality of yearning. The value of timelines, recognizing soft underbellies, and feeding the muse. We will come away excited about language. This workshop is open to the public; please call the ALachua Library to reserve a seat as space is limited. This workshop is open to the public at no charge.

SOUTH, TO BREVARD: SAMARA, SAMARA, and BLUE SKY

2011-02-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

I was gone 3 days, 2 days on the road, 450 RT miles of road construction, devastated countryside, highways, interstate traffic, road repair, subdivisions, McMansions crowded like peas in a pod.

Florida was a beautiful state once and I suppose it still is, in places, for those who fly in and stay on a beach but I, and thousands of others, who live in the interior, have to fight one another’s cars for access to our waters and legendary sunsets, for the sight of Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis)

the Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanu)

and Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)

. The roads I traveled were thick with cars driven by some who live here, some who merely visit, and those, like me, who realize what we are seeing as we rush up and down the state isn’t what we came for. It’s not the Florida that’s advertised and it’s not the Florida that used to be, most assuredly not the one where my grandparents wintered on Marco Island in a little fishing cabin lit by oil lamps.

Driving U. S. 1 toward the "Space Coast," I passed through many small communities decorating each end of their city limits with imported palms: Are they importing the Everglades and Florida Silver Palms, the Florida Royal, the Washington Palm, bringing the "Florida look" of advertising north? Every time I observe this replacement of natural landscape with palms, I wonder who has connections at the road department. Palms have, I suppose, become synonymous with “Florida,” but, honestly, we do have other trees.

Mostly, I saw cars, traffic lanes, food franchises, and gas stations, but I did twice pass over the vast blue of the St. Johns River; and, oh! how I'd like to travel its length with Bill Belleville, author of RIVER of LAKES: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River. I also drove twice through the

potato fields of Bunnell where, on either side, rows of green plants alternate with rows of black soil, one site on this route that’s stayed the same over my lifetime. Someday, I’ll drive Hwy 100 and see condos in those potato fields; maybe actors decked out as Timucuans, paddling their dugout canoes in the St. Johns, posing for tourist photos.

I made this trip—averaging 30 mph on the way down to Brevard County—to see a convalescing friend, my father-in-law, Lee Covell, who came with Northrop to FL from California for the Snark Program of the 1950s at (what was then known as) Cape Canaveral. When Covell helped build John Glynn’s capsule for the first manned flight, he and his coworkers made history. I briefly worked in the space program myself, long ago during its early, glorious first days. I watched Neil Armstrong blast off on his trip to the moon and in 1967 I stood, transfixed, in my infant son’s room, hearing on the radio that astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee had just died in a fire on the launching pad.

It happened that during this recent visit I was in Brevard on the 25th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, that day in 1986 when, on the TV screen, a space capsule in a smoky sky broke in half. This week, in between news reports of street demonstrations in Tunisia and Cairo, commentators repeated the names of those who died in the Challenger; again and again, I heard Ronald Reagan say of the astronauts that they had “slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.”

Covell is still verbally quick and humorous, but he’s fighting for what’s left of his health and independence; shuttled to appointments on weekdays, he falls asleep with his head on the dining table, suddenly, in the middle of a sentence. For his country, he fought in the Pacific during World War II, and considers himself lucky to have been hit by a grenade, awakened on a hill some distance away, and sent home, alive. I wonder what he would make of world events now--the riots in Cairo today, the tank that swung into view on the TV screen as I ate my restaurant breakfast.

I am overwhelmed by the sense that history's tides routinely sweep me onto a beach, pull away, then lift and drop me again. Lee Covell’s memories of Titusville, Cocoa Beach, and Melbourne in the early 1950s are even older than mine. He was there when beachfront went for $35 an acre, before the Indian and Banana River bridges were cluttered with traffic and motels mounted fake satellites on their roofs, when the Apollo 12 astronauts drove Corvettes, and Covell’s grandson was allowed to order speared hummingbirds at Bernard’s Surf.

I was young once and so was my father-in-law; in fact, I realize now that he was still young when I thought him old, when we first met in 1961. The old could tell the young how beautifully the land once lay before us, the rattle of palms in the wind and the plop of large fish off starboard. Though I saw no ocean and very little natural landscape, as I drove I did look up as much as I could into the swath of blue above the road and on both sides saw the silver tops of bare trees interspersed with red samara, the winged seedpod of the Red Maple.

Those scarlet flags were everywhere I went, silver, red, and blue, above and on either side of me, up I-95 and inland on 100, all the way home. Over all those cell phones, the torturous traffic, airplanes, construction equipment, and moldy roadside motels, I am firmly imposing the memory of those maples flashing their red tops against a pure blue sky.

NEXT EVENT: 24 JAN 2011 - LAKE CITY, FL

2011-01-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

24 January at Lake City's Main Library, I'll be speaking about my work (writing, oral history collection, etc.) before Columbia County Historical Society. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and I'm looking forward to it. I will have books for sale.

RAIN PICTURE

2011-01-19T13:20:00.000-08:00

Hi, there,

We finally got some rain here and Robert Baxter has memorialized it with this beautiful photo of wild huckleberries at the edge of the Suwannee. The river's been at its lowest since anyone began measuring and, of late, the only time the water moves is when a wind pushes it back upstream. Still, yesterday's visitor, my friend Nancy Sorak, said it was peaceful.

Nancy and I hadn't met in almost two decades, yet we were the same. She said people don't change much; my jury's out on that one. We'll see. Meanwhile, if you'd like to see some of the art Nancy creates, jog over to Fleota in Bay St. Louis. Nancy's work has been amazing me for decades and grows only more beautiful and original.

EVENT NEXT WEEK: 24 January at Lake City's Main Library, I'll be speaking about my work (writing, oral history collection, etc.) before Columbia County Historical Society. The meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. and I'm looking forward to it.

TWO WEEKS, ALREADY . . .

2011-01-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

. . . since we've talked and North Florida Center has another shipment of books coming; they arrive tomorrow and there's at least one unsolicited review already up at amazon.com for THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokofta. The reviewer begins " The Salvation of Maggie Rider is a great story about life in Florida" and ends. . . you will find it almost impossible to put down once you start."

Here's a description of the book's contents: In the small southern pocket of a North Florida community called Nokofta, Cauthen's men and women move through lives no longer possible since the 1950s. At home, in church or at school, along paths and roads, in woods and fields, young Maggie Rider searches for an understanding of her hometown and her own place within it. She takes stock, too, of her uncle, the brokenhearted loner, whose secret existence in a converted hen house is a mystery she has dedicated herself to solving. In these layered stories we glimpse an early 20th century Florida that no longer exists and characters--in [the stories] "Maggie Rider," "Maudie May," and "Eva's Barn" united in their timeless and compelling need to make sense of what has gone before.

The blurb above is off the back of the book; not sure it makes clear that "The Salvation of Maggie Rider" is a novella accompanied by two short stories.

Remember we are a not-for-profit endeavoring to document north Florida while there's some of it still left and your purchase of our products go toward this work. I wrote this book, then donated it as a fundraising measure; I don't personally get a penny from its sales. Many thanks to all our supporters, subscribers, and readers. Here's a Robert Baxter documentary photo just in from his walk yesterday along the Suwannee on the Florida Trail:

All best to you as we approach the end of the first two weeks of 2011; I hope your work goes well and would love to hear from you.

scauthen
NFCDS, Inc.

ANTICIPATING 2011

2010-12-29T17:27:00.000-08:00

HERE'S A HEADS-UP for readers following the movements of our new book, THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokofta which appeared 1 November 2011. On 14 November, the book debuted with flowers, refreshments, and out-of-state guests in a standing-room-only crowd at the High Springs Branch of the Alachua County Library System. Many thanks to our hostess, Martha Roberts, and her staff in High Springs, and to Gail, Jeannie, Mary Alice, and Judy who furnished the food and to all those old friends and new friends who were there that Sunday afternoon. NFCDS, INC. has SOLD OUT its first shipment of books but more are on the way.

WRITING WORKSHOP:

WRITE IT. WRITE IT NOW!

Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for the Writing Life

Sudye Cauthen, author of Florida Book Award Winner SOUTHERN COMFORTS: Rooted in a Florida Place offers a workshop about incorporating writing into our busy lives: how to keep the words coming, whether poetry, fiction, or nonfiction; exercises to sharpen skills of observation; openings and closings. The creation of memoir and its rewards, syntax, tone, flashbacks, and the centrality of yearning. The value of timelines, recognizing soft underbellies, and feeding the muse. We will come away excited about language. This workshop is open to the public; please call to reserve a seat as space is limited.

I'll meet you here again soon. Hope your 2011 is off to a grand start!

scauthen for NFCDS, Inc.

0 comments:

WRITE IT. WRITE IT NOW - Lake City, FL - 23 OCT 2010

2010-09-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

WRITE IT. WRITE IT NOW!

Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for the Writing Life

Workshop and Book Debut

2010-09-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sudye Cauthen and North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc. are pleased to announce that THE SALVATION OF MAGGIE RIDER: Stories from Nokofta is set for debut at the High Springs Branch Library, High Springs, FL, on 14 November 2010, a Sunday afternoon from 1 - 4 p.m.

In advance of the book debut, Cauthen will lead a writing workshop open to the public at the High Springs Branch on Saturday, 6 November, from 10 a.m. 12 NOON, with coffee provided. Enrollment is limited; reserve a space by calling 386-454-2515. Workshop description:

WRITE IT. WRITE IT NOW!

Tips, Tricks, and Techniques for the Writing Life

NEW EVENT - OPEN TO ALL

2009-01-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

RIGHT HERE IN STEPHEN FOSTER PARK for four (4) Thursday evenings in February and one (1) in March, I'll be teaching a class in Poetic Technique called WRITE FROM THE HEART in which we'll explore ways of getting what we feel into words and onto the page. The class promises to be pure pleasure. For further information, email me at sac4196@earthlink.net or call the sponsor, Stephen Foster Park, at 386 397 1920. The class is limited to five poets.

Perhaps I should say I've taught creative writing, poetry, and fiction techniques in POETERY-IN-THE-SCHOOLS, at The University of Central Florida, The Art Center at Maitland, etc.

Personally, I'm looking forward to writing poetry myself; haven't given it much time lately.

scauthen
sac4196@earthlink.net
386 397 1284

SUPPORTING THE WORK OF NFCDS, INC.

2009-01-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

If you like what we're doing and want to help us and/or if you're just eager for the next book to come out, please let us know of your support with a contribution. Your totally tax-deductible contributions should go to NFCDS, INC. at 15295 SE 100 Way, White Springs, FL 32096.

Many thanks to the person who wrote by email to say "Where do I send the money?" I'd overlooked that.

Some might think that at this particular economic juncture in American life it's bold to be making books. We don't think so; we think books that deliver a sense of place, tell stories, and memorialize our beginnings are just what's needed at this moment.

Here's the lineup:

AN ANTHOLOGY OF ALACHUA VOICES: Guy Miles, Arthur Spencer, James Abbott, Sudye Cauthen, Ralph Cellon, Sr., etc.
ALL THE PRETTY CATTLE
LYNCH HAMMOCK
THE DAY THEY CAME FOR MISS TWILLA

Thanks for your interest and support.

sudyecauthen
www.sudyecauthen.com
386 397 1284
cauthen4196@earthlink.net

2009: January, February, March

2009-01-09T15:44:00.000-08:00

In January, Master of Ceremonies Will Irby and Gussie Lee's Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Mass Choir will join me for an appearance at Gainesville's Oak Hammock. Will will talk, Gussie's choir will sing, and I will read from SOUTHERN COMFORTS. We are all looking forward to being there at the invitation of Nikki Taylor who contributed so much to the Alachua Portrait Forums of 1983.

In February I'll visit Janet Moses & Co. in Madison, FL, for a Valentine's Day Tea at which I'll read my own poetry and, if Janet will let me, suggest a few from other poets I think crucial when we go to write about love.

In March there are two events: On March 6 Columbia County's Downtown Library will host a reading from the Bronze Medal Winner, SOUTHERN COMFORTS, and on March 8 Alachua County's High Springs Library will host another at which I have sworn that, in addition to dedicating a copy of SOUTHERN COMFORTS in honor of my great and unforgettable mentor, Elbridge G. Cann of the High Springs Herald I'll either bring copies of the new book with me or, if it hasn't yet arrived, read from it; we're now in the process of getting it off to a printer.

For the book's suggested titles, cast of characters, and an excerpt from its Prologue, go to JOIN US by simply clicking on the JOIN US tab at www.sudyecauthen.com; I'd love to have your comments at the JOIN US blog site or write to me by email at cauthen4196@earthlink.net or call 386 397 1284. Many thanks to those of you who've participated in getting the new book out. If anyone would like to weigh in on the its suggested titles, there's a window of time in which to do that. JOIN US is at http://eventsupdatesnorthfloridacenter.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for meeting up here.

scauthen
www.sudyecauthen.com
cauthen4196@earthlink.net

WRITE FROM THE HEART

Starting just before Valentine's I'm leading a class called WRITE FROM THE HEART, a five-session course in the tricks of the poetry trade which begins, I believe, on 3 February; for details and/or to sign up, call 386-397-1920. This course is for those who love words and people, for those who want to put their heart's truths down on paper, and for poets in hiding. Come on out! I expect to have a good time and so will you; write me with any questions.

scauthen
www.sudyecauthen.com
cauthen4196@earthlink.net

JUST A REMINDER WHAT WE'RE ABOUT

2008-10-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

JOIN US IN DOCUMENTING NORTH FLORIDA

"Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I will tell you who you are," says Jose Ortega y Gasset.

Our North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc., aims to record in writing and photographs the cultural strengths and beauty of our people and the landscape in which they live.

Thank you for your interest and support. Please check back for updates. We are planning ferociously.

scauthen
www.sudyecauthen.com

25 OCTOBER 2008 - STEPHEN FOSTER STATE FOLKLIFE CENTER

2008-09-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

SEE HERE WHAT'S MEANT BY "ILLUMINATION OF THE COMMONPLACE."This photo comes from my neighbor Robert Baxter who has a good camera and an excellent eye; here, rain on the leaves of the mimosa, Albizia julibrissin.

Here in White Springs, on 25 October 2008, our state park will celebrate its Second Annual Healing Arts Festival at which I've been invited to speak. See details at

http://www.floridastateparks.org/stephenfoster/Events.cfm

and join us if you can. The First Annual Healing Arts Festival drew 300 people. When you see what's offered, you'll know why.

For my part, I'm working on something tentatively titled, "The Idea of Sacred Space at White Springs." Where this might go I'm not yet certain (which is what makes the work interesting), but this is a topic I explore from time to time and now am tailoring to this particular audience.

Would love to see you there - Saturday, 25 October 2008, just a few days after I go to Valdosta State University on Tuesday, 21 October. In the meantime, look for me at my blog, “MORE SOUTHERN COMFORTS: Off Road in North Florida.” (sudyecauthen.blogspot.com)

FIRST DONOR - NFCDS, INC.

2008-09-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

We don't yet have our fundraising plan in place but this week The North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc. received its first contribution and, along with her check, our contributor sent a note that read "This is not a final check. I intend to be a supporter."

This unsolicited contribution and the words accompanying it are both encouragement and inspiration to NFCDS's officers, Florence Van Arnam, Frank Cellon, and me. More soon on the fundraising; I think we can make it fun. Many thanks to you, First Donor; we appreciate the confidence you have placed in us.

scauthen
www.sudyecauthen.com
cauthen4196@earthlink.net

THE INTENT OF THIS BLOG:

2008-09-20T20:26:00.000-07:00

The North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc., its officers and friends are presently studying options for fundraising that will cover the work of the Center and get the next book out as soon as possible. Please visit HERE for further information. If you have suggestions regarding fundraising or would like to contribute, please write to us at cauthen4196@earthlink.net

Thank you for your interest in our efforts to document and celebrate North Florida's people and their relationships to the land.

(In the meantime, here's a moth sent this morning by my friend Jen Fone of Jacksonville, FL.)

sudyecauthen
www.sudyecauthen.com

EVENTS/UPDATES

2008-09-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

UPDATES: Here you will find times/places of exhibitions and readings from The North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc.

THE NIGHT SKY

2008-09-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

This photo comes from my neighbor, Robert Baxter, who shot it on his walk along the Suwannee this past weekend.

Lot 22
16 September 2008

Outside, a full moon, even fuller than last night; it looks that way. The moss draperies, the faraway hoot of the owl, the crochet of crickets, the stars,planets, both yellow and white: this is my original experience, the year I lived in the trailer here and cracked the window by my small, thin mattress each night so I could fall asleep hearing all that.

Just reprinted the poetry I wrote that year--1997--collected in the chapbook, ALONE, ON THE RIVER THIS YEAR. Here's a sample:

THE FIRST SWIM OF SUMMER

A ten-foot drop from this clay ledge.
Too narrow for alligators.
Too late, anyway, for their
sunning themselves.
The wiry weeds slides from my grasp, and I fall backward
into a sky of marbled gold, a chirring
of insects; the moon, a white broach
on the evening sky. I stand--
squishing my toes in the muck--
then toss myself backward again,
a plump needle pointing north-south,
brief compass in this world
of water moccasins, snakes
thicker than vines, insistent buzz
of mosquitoes, and lightning storms.

This sweet violence we call the world.

Michael Branch’s piece in ORION has inspired me to go back to what I loved in the first place, so tonight I went down and stretched out on the plastic lawn chair and counted stars until a mosquito zoomed in. I hope we have a hard freeze this winter. Otherwise, I should tie ribbons to the mosquitoes so I can see them coming.

EVENT: VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY - 21 October 2008

2008-09-16T18:22:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to meeting faculty, students, and townspeople when I visit Valdosta State on October 21, 2008. The evening reading is open to the public; it starts at 7:00 p.m. More about this later.

scauthen
www.sudyecauthen.com

ILLUMINATING THE COMMONPLACE

2008-09-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Alachua, FLorida - 13 September 2008

Gussie Lee and her Greater New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Mass Choir rocked the entire Alachua Branch Library on Saturday afternoon and our Master of Ceremonies, native son and writer, Will Irby (now of Chiefland), deftly wove together a commentary that only he could have woven. “I’m Will Irby,” he said, “a character in Sudye’s book, page 110,” charming his audience with his understanding of Alachua, SOUTHERN COMFORTS, “the illumination of the commonplace,” and southern culture, its music, its literature, and what it might mean to an audience of 90 souls who gathered to sing along, visit over refreshments, admire the photographs of Barbara B. Gibbs, and hear bits from the book itself.

What any one of us sees as ordinary or "commonplace" may very well enchant someone who stumbles upon it for the first time. We take the day, the lights and sounds it brings, and our hours within it too much for granted; I did it today, myself, but when we situate ourselves firmly inside the moment, the commonplace turns sacred because we,by our exquisite attention to detail, have made it so.

Letha Wright DeCoursey, showing me sensitive briar, a small plant many ignore, that was such a moment, and they are still available to us. I get to write about some of those moments in my blog, “MORE SOUTHERN COMFORTS: Off Road in North Florida.” See for yourself at sudyecauthen.blogspot.com

sudyecauthen
www.sudyecauthen.com

EVENTS/UPDATES: Here you will find times/places of exhibitions and readings from The North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc.

2008-09-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

JOIN US IN DOCUMENTING NORTH FLORIDA

2008-09-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

"Tell me the landscape in which you live, and I will tell you who you are," says Jose Ortega y Gasset. Our North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc., aims to record in writing and photographs the cultural strengths and beauty of our people and the landscape in which they live.

North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc.

ACCOMPLISHED!

THE CENTRALITY OF STORY

MEMORIAL DAY - SUWANNEE RIVER -- 2011

ENRAPTURED, 21 May 2011

ENRAPTURED, 21 May 2011

DEAR FOLLOWERS,

GRANDFATHER GREYBEARD

BOOK EVENT IN GEORGIA

NEWS FOR FRIENDS OF NORTH FLORIDA CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES, INC.

COME SUNDAY! Meet MAGGIE RIDER & FRIENDS & hear LLOYD BALDWIN'S MUSIC

The hope for human civilization and the planet.

IT'S A PARTY! Introduction MAGGIE RIDER & FRIENDS

INTRODUCING MAGGIE RIDER & FRIENDS

FEBRUARY EVENTS: ALACHUA, FLORIDA

SOUTH, TO BREVARD: SAMARA, SAMARA, and BLUE SKY

NEXT EVENT: 24 JAN 2011 - LAKE CITY, FL

RAIN PICTURE

TWO WEEKS, ALREADY . . .

ANTICIPATING 2011

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Blog Archive

About Me

WRITE IT. WRITE IT NOW - Lake City, FL - 23 OCT 2010

Workshop and Book Debut

NEW EVENT - OPEN TO ALL

SUPPORTING THE WORK OF NFCDS, INC.

2009: January, February, March

JUST A REMINDER WHAT WE'RE ABOUT

25 OCTOBER 2008 - STEPHEN FOSTER STATE FOLKLIFE CENTER

FIRST DONOR - NFCDS, INC.

THE INTENT OF THIS BLOG:

EVENTS/UPDATES

THE NIGHT SKY

EVENT: VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY - 21 October 2008

ILLUMINATING THE COMMONPLACE

EVENTS/UPDATES: Here you will find times/places of exhibitions and readings from The North Florida Center for Documentary Studies, Inc.

JOIN US IN DOCUMENTING NORTH FLORIDA