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

THE CENTRALITY OF STORY

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

NEXT EVENT: 24 JAN 2011 - LAKE CITY, FL

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

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.

25 OCTOBER 2008 - STEPHEN FOSTER STATE FOLKLIFE CENTER

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)