Friday, August 28, 2009

sardine events


Herring Fishing in Castine, Maine
Orrin Dickey Collection
Belfast Historical Society
(see first comment for photo text)


We are hoping to put together a series of events for the summer of 2010. These events would celebrate the sardine, the sardine fishery, and the people and communities whose lives were so interconnected with the sardine fishery. We hope to have events taking place at the sites of sardine canneries, but would like to see the events branch out to libraries, historical societies, galleries, schools...We hope to include poets, musicians, dancers, painters, sculptors and other artists as well as oral history projects, showings of historical photographs, and first person accounts from those who were involved in the sardine industry. We are looking for people, ideas, locations...

Belfast is our epicenter, and the birthplace of our vision. We want to use the postmodern ruin of the sardine plant there, connected to the pedestrian bridge.We can see a sardine procession crossing the bridge, banners on the lightposts, poetry, song and dance all on site. We hope for artists collaborating with the sardine theme. Possibly bringing the sardine carrier Jacob Pike over from the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport to tie up in Belfast. There are many possibilities, and we would like to hear your ideas.

In Bass Harbor we hope to work with the Bass Harbor Library and the Tremont Historical Society to have a showing of Eleanor Mayo's photos of women workers at the sardine plant, connected to a reading of work by her cousin Ruth Moore (selections from The Weir and The Night Charlie Tended Weir) as well as readings, music, and art -

In Port Clyde we hope to work with the Herring Gut Learning Center and the Marshall Point Lighthouse and Museum to present a night of readings from our sardine literature and connected historical displays. The Marshall Point Museum has a display
featuring information on the night that the Port Clyde sardine plant burned down, the boiler exploding, sending sardine can shrapnel raining onto the town.

We hope to have other events in Lubec, Prospect Harbor, Rockland... but we want to involve people, and we want to hear your ideas. You can leave ideas, comments, suggestions here at this page, or you can email us:
Gary Lawless chimfarm@gwi.net
Karin Spitfire kspit@gwi.net
We really welcome input!

Current recommendations:
We are really excited about Joe Upton's beautiful book Amaretto, about his time in Penobscot Bay with his 60 year old sardine carrier Amaretto. Beautifully told, this book is now out of print. Get it from your library or buy a used copy.

Gordon Bok's CD Herrings in the Bay, especially the song Herring Croon.

Ruth Moore's novel The Weir. Her father was the last weir fisherman on Gott's Island, and this novel reflects that life.

Loretta Krupinski's show at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport (only on view until early September) A Voyage through Time,Coastal Marine Fishing 1850-1940. She has painted from old historical photos of Maine Coast fishing village scenes, and each painting is displayed next to the photo from which she has painted (adding a few details - a cat, the Rockland breakwater) This work will be presented next summer as a new book from Down East Books: Looking Astern - An Artist's View of Maine's Historic Working Waterfront (from Belfast to Bath) and we hope to include a booksigning event at one of our sardine events.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

new poems

K L Robyn
sent this poem:

THE BIRTH OF HERRING

When the Sun
first saw Oceania
he was smitten.
And she shone
back to him
such gold and silvery
ripples of delight
that he knew
she felt the same.
He made love to her
that morning
and again at the end
of the day.

Later, he came again
as a woman
and spilled a moonshower
so soft and rich
it brought her
ecstasy and comfort
all at once.

It was not long before
Oceania opened her
wide legs and let loose
ten thousand herring.

This is how it is when
you make love to me.
All those fishes
stirring and turning
in my ocean
this way and that
just waiting to flood
the seas.

K L Robyn
09 August 09



and Alan Casline sent this one:

Sardine

sardine small swam with the net

Old Salty says "Nobody baits a hook that small"

We'll build a soul factory
nothing smaller than a soul
mesh so tiny
it'll squeeze
love out like tooth paste

sardine small swam with the waste

for the protection of all beings
the axletrees are taken from the wagon
poets gather on the swale
there was a rainbow
out over the emerald sea

sardine small swam with the directions

only wishful thinking
a taste for fish
How they come back
How they come back
a few lifetimes left alone

sardine small swam with the beauty

Alan Casline
August 4, 2009