Now & In the Beginning

A few details

Welcome to POETCHRY, the place where all things POETCHRY will be unveiled.

I’d like to thank my son for setting up this Substack, where I can compose and publish to my heart’s contentment without fear of having the cyber rug pulled out from under me; the dreaded cancellation, the memory hole, the gated minds, the anti-dissidents. He also set up the ability to accept funds into the not-for-profit POETCHRY account. So now it’s over to me.

Write now, I can announce that four tables will be unveiled in front of the bandshell in Victoria Park, Cobourg, circa 1pm, July 1, Canada Day. The tables are:

1. POETRY, NATURALLY, curated by Kate Rogers, the second table of that series

2. SPIRIT OF THE HILLS WRITERS GROUP, second table consisting of four short stories composed by Reva Nelson, Antony Di Nardo, Sharon Stevens, and Karen Walker

3. PEACE ETC, a table of peace poems curated by Wally Keeler,

4. The Cobourg Collegiate Institute, Student Anthology.

The Cobourg Collegiate Institute, Student Anthology table will be presented in the Canada Day Parade, departing the Cobourg Library 11:30am, July 1, travelling down the main street. It will be transported in a shiny red truck decorated with poetic memes. It will be led by a banner reading, PICNIC ON POETRY. Wave an open book as it goes by. Wave an open book as each table is unveiled in Victoria Park.

And the accessibility table? Where is it? When will it be done? POETCHRY has received five boards, each 12ft long and highly unwieldy. They appear to be flat and straight. Heavy equipment must be moved around to plane the boards, bevel the boards, sand the boards. It requires that the garage door remain open. This requires good weather. We have yet to get this completed. It will have its own sole unveiling; perhaps fitting, because it was always to be designated as the Feature Table of the Year! Time and location tba.

This site is where I will maintain photos, vids, links, etc to the PICNIC ON POETRY project in Cobourg, Canada’s POEMTOWN. I have been away from social media for some time, so I will have a lot of catching up to do. I want to stay current, of course, but I must also refer to the past; past? POETCHRY is not yet one year old. Using lasers to burn poetry into picnic tabletops was an idea I had for a long time, just an idea until …

I identified the “xTool d1 pro 120w diode laser” as the perfect machine for such a project. And then I had a wonderful meeting with Dave Glennie, who agreed to partner in Project POETCHRY. We received the laser in kit form, learned to assemble it and turn it on. The machine had rail extensions, and risers to lift it high enough to burn poetry on the edge of a board. Dave bought a laptop to serve as his command post to the laser, then we both downloaded xTools Creative Space software, installed it in our respective laptops, then learned how to use it. Steep curve that was.

So … another steep learning curve this summer; monitoring the condition of the picnic tables, and learning the protocols of applying 1. UV protection, 2. Waterproofing, 3. Epoxy sealant, clear satin finish. Learning application protocols. Learning curing rates. Learning annual maintenance procedures. Ensuring the application of these substances can be done safely.

Please subscribe. Please recommend on your social media. Spread the Word. This is the place for all things POETCHRY and the municipal project, PICNIC ON POETRY.

Now, we shall see of I know how to make this my first Substack post.