The following clips were taken from readings I did with Larry Thomas at TAMU-CC and Del Mar College. Many years later I did a reading at DMC with Sara Kaplan and the Jacksons (Robb and Vanessa). Aaron Berecka did the camera work and editing on the TAMU-CC cuts, while the good folks at DMC-TV produced the other clips. For friends of Larry, if you listen close enough you can hear his rich baritone chuckle now and then. My college roommate Pete Merkl was in the crowd at TAMU-CC. Pete is the guy who picked the phrase we shouted at the pope in St. Peter’s Square. It’s him that I’m pointed at when I say something about a comic genius. Pete is one of the naturally funny humans that I have ever met.
God’s Radio at Del Mar College
St. Peter’s Square @ Del Mar College
For My Daughter as She Leaves Home
Why Matter Might Matter was recorded in Vilnius, Lithuania at the grand finale of the Lithuanian Writer’s Union festival. The event was broadcasted live in Lithuania. I was accompanied by my translator Aistis Zekevicius.
This video was taken at my daughter’s, Rachael Schaefer, wedding. She had asked me to write a poem for the occasion. She didn’t like the first one, so this poem was a second try at my homework. Rachael and BJ then asked me to read it during the ceremony. It was the hardest reading I ever did. I thought I was going to lose it at the point where the poem turns. The video was taken by my son on an old camera or perhaps a cell phone from our pew, so it’s not the greatest quality, but it is a good memory, and I wanted to share it. Hope you enjoy.
The Sacrament of Marriage read @ DMC
This video was taken of part of a performance of the Fall of the Leaf. It was the keynote presentation at the Scissortail Festival in 2019 at East Central University, Ada Oklahoma. The poems were written in response Imogen Holst’s cello suite. The project was the brainchild of Susan Sturman a cellist and friend from the DMC faculty.
The Music from the Fall of the Leaf Suite
Angling with D H Lawrence was recorded in Norman, Oklahoma as part of the Depot Series curated by the actor/director Paul Austin. I appeared with poets Hank Jones and Janice Francis-Smith. My favorite part of the this video is watching her react to the poem in the background. And for you Oklahoma poetry buff, it’s Ken Hada who can be heard laughing with the horrible cold.
To Build a Fire was part of a virtual reading I did. The poem was written during the great Texas freeze. The temperature in our house fell to point that we decided to use our fireplace. We had mesquite logs from a neighbor but no kindling. As the saying goes: desperate times….
Often when poets came to read at Del Mar College they would ask me to read with them. I always declined with two exceptions. Larry D. Thomas insisted I join him when we did the initial reading that turned into a series, and I read with Elizabeth Raby. At first I said no, but as she insisted, we hatched a plan to read a few poems that felt like they were in conversation with each other. Elizabeth was a wonderful poet and friend. She was so classy, a Vassar grad. She passed away a few years, I miss her greatly and when I unearthed this clip of us reading I was heartened and thought I’d put a link to it here.