Podcasts, Geospatial Poetry and Vienna Angels

The Cathedral in Pecs, Hungary

  
My colleague here at the University of Pecs, Joseph Horvath, produces a podcast called "Take Off," which features interviews with students and recordings of classic literature. I guess I fall somewhere in between. Joe interviewed me on one of the nicest days of autumn here; we sat outside at a cafe by the cathedral near my apartment. I read a brand new poem, "Dream Map-Vienna" at the end of the podcast. And we are laughing because earlier we had watched two girls walk past us wearing angel's wings.
 
Kathy featured on Horvath Joseph's podcast, Take Off

Here is a video I made inside the Alte Bibliotek in Vienna (the Old Library), which is basically a museum. It's quite a place--if you have 5 minutes (warning) I show the ornate painted ceiling, old globes, statues, huge book stacks, and treasures.

Vienna, Part I: Schlagobers

Two trips to Vienna (one solo in Sept and one with Bob in Oct). The train ride is 6 hours each way via Budapest.


When I visited Vienna alone I hit the last weekend of summer weather. I was able to sit outside with my plum cake and grosser brauner at Cafe Sperl.  I also tried the plum cake at the historic Cafe Hawelka. Better at Sperl.

When it rained on the next visit, Bob and I and everybody else in Vienna had the same idea: to go to Cafe Demel

The nut cake is almost gone but the cup in my hand contained hot chocolate with Bailey's and schlagobers
 one of the best words in the German language. I'm trying really hard not to blink at the flash.

 BUT the best dessert was at the Albertiner Keller:

Poppyseed-honey mousse with sour cherries. In a little glass preserves container. What??? You can see in the top left corner what was left of Bob's sachertorte.

More later on art and buildings!

I'm not going to make a joke about the word HUNGARY

though believe me, I erased a few puns before I took the high road. It's been a while since my last post. A lot has happened in my writing life, my academic life and my life-life. Bob and I both got faculty exchanges to teach at the University of Pécs, in Pécs, Hungary. It's still summer weather here, on the 4th of October. We arrived almost a month ago and since then I've taken the train to Vienna for the weekend,  hosted a party on our back patio for our colleagues, Bob has assisted in the grape harvest and we've settled in to watch the parade of feral cats cruise through the yard.

I'm teaching a Multi-Genre Writing Workshop to upper-division students at PTE and an online class for CWU.  I'm also working on a new book and training to run the Ljubljana Half Marathon this month.

Pécs is the fifth largest city of Hungary, located on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the south-west of the country, close to its border with Croatia.

Marian, Szabolcs, me and Bob after a Charity 3K run our first weekend in Pecs. The run was sponsored by Magyar Posta, the Hungarian Postal Service and benefited cancer research.

The cathedral in Pecs.

The school on our street.

Beautiful Morning, Beautiful Afternoon

I ran this morning up to high lookout at the top of the next valley over from Labastide Esparbairenque. The temperature was hot even at 9 and I hadn't done a longer run in a while, but I loved every minute of it. The runs here are so refreshing that I don't want to turn around--I come back feeling better and full of hope. Beauty erupts everywhere out on the trail--vistas open around each turn. I plan to have some new shots of the trail and the views to post later.

Then a long (3 1/2 hours) French lunch was devoured by our group at Sire de Cabaret  in Roqueferre-- with glorious desserts and duck, lamb, entrecote, etc. I have no photos of lunch but I think I was the only one not taking pictures.  Today was a day to look ahead to our last big project of the Creative Castle class and to enjoy being in France.

The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes

The angels on the grand entry to the Cathedrale of Ste.-Cecile have never flown with their burdens.  (French sentence).

Everything is Illuminated

 We had a beautiful day to explore the Cite (the medieval town) of Carcassonne. I hadn't visited the cathedral inside the Cite in the fall, so I appreciated having a tour led by Maria with the class this time.

We have been so fortunate with the weather during our stay in France. The air is dry, warm and fragrant (in a good way). I might even say we've been blessed.

The Day with One Photograph

John Fanning, who owns La Muse with his wife Kerry, let us in the ancient chapel today. This is a beautiful, peaceful space--it calms a person right down. This is John meditating in the chapel.

Today was also the book swap in La Muse's library. All of the students brought wonderful gifts to leave.

Alex Emmons, Aaron, Alex and I had a little adventure in the course of finding a place to buy bread and some necessities--we hit the epicerie in Mas Cabardes at just the time when it was closed and tooled up to Mazamet instead.

The Saint with a Book

In the village of books, Montolieu, Can you imagine--a village of books!

Montolieu village du livre,bouquinistes, librairie,livres d ...

French sentences return to France!

Today during our hike to Cubservies, I thought it would be fun to stop and write a short impression here in this place, having these experiences.


When I was in France last fall I wrote a series of what I called "french sentences," which were merely a riff on Allen Ginsberg's American sentences--a seventeen syllable sentence with the qualities of a haiku. I was writing about what it felt like to be in this part of France.


But this time around seventeen syllables felt way too short---and I set the parameters at 17 words, still with a concentration toward the qualities of a haiku.

Here's the one from yesterday:

L'eglise Saint-Sernin


We find the chapel after hiking steep miles, old stories pieced into walls, layer upon rocky layer.

Lucky Me!

 I'm back at La Muse in beautiful Labastide Esparbairenque, France with photography professor Alex Emmons and our class of eight students enrolled in "Creative Writing and Digital Photography in Medieval France."

Today was our first chance to get out into the sunshine and explore the area. Suzanne Blons and Brandy Dohrman (right) relax on the overlook before our extraordinarily long hike.

Respite in the Catskills

I've come to the end of my nearly week-long visit with my friends Mark and James. They live in an 18th century farmhouse in the Hudson Valley with chickens, bees and cats. I was so relaxed I don't even remember what we did during my stay.

I finished my sock project for February!

I made James a weird little bird to go with Mark's.

Here are the two cats: Ursula

and Gretchen!

Poets on the Beach Conference, September 9-11, 2011

Hey fellow poets! Are you longing to spend some inspiring days by the ocean?

In a literary-themed hotel on the coast of Oregon? Here's your chance.

“Dwell in Possibility” ~ Emily Dickinson

Join Kelli Russell Agodon and Susan Rich for the first Poets on the Coast Weekend Writing Retreat September 9-11th, 2011 at the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon on historic Nye Beach.

This retreat has been designed for women writers of all levels, from beginning poets to well published. Sessions on creativity, generating work, publication and one-on-one mentoring are included. 
 There are only have a limited number of spaces available and they will be filled on a first-come basis.

With the Sylvia Beach Hotel, designed to inspire writers with its literary-themed rooms, this retreat will offer you a unique experience to explore your writing and creativity. Come spend a weekend with other women poets. Be ready to be nurtured, inspired and creative.

For all the nitty-gritty info, see the official link:
Poets on the Beach Writing Conference

The Brie Scarf!