The Liar's Bench at City Lights Bookstore, Sylva, NC

The drive over the mountain to Sylva was lovely Saturday. Most of the colorful deciduous leaves are gone now,and the conifers stand out in their triangular glory, accented by the sycamores. I love the skeletal armatures of the sycamores - tall, majestic and filled with a rhythm of movement that seems more than alive in spite of its stillness...

I took a room at the Blue Ridge Inn - it was spotless - one of the cleanest motel rooms I've ever stayed in, and the price was right!

Lovers of story packed the Liar's Bench at the City Lights Bookstore Saturday night. We were honored to have both Jerry Wolfe's daughter and Lloyd Arneach's daughter and grandson there to represent their fathers who were unable to attend. It was a pleasure to meet them since having interviewed the two Cherokee storytellers, I felt I already knew them. We sold and signed some books, then talked about the process of finding the storytellers and interviewing them, and the excitement of hearing their life-journey stories. I am honored to have recorded them for all to read and learn from; their words will continue to teach the road to storytelling for many generations to come.

We watched a portion of Gary Carden's play, Prince of Dark Corners, which is a powerful and thought-provoking witness to one man's life, made all the more poignant in the close quarters of the Liar's Bench. Great music and stories filled the night, and when it was all done, I didn't really want to leave.

Storytelling in any form sparks memories from the listeners; I heard some really good stuff from those who shared with me that night that I hope I remember! I experienced the making of one when I gave my cd's to Chris to sell in the store. It seemed I had barely settled in when he came back with one of them and a slip of paper with two names on it.

"I just sold this cd to some folks on their way to Florida and they want you to sign it," he said. "No problem," I said, but as I wrote, I realized what an amazing thing it was - he put them out on the counter just as they came into the store. That they were from Florida and on their way to Tallahassee, my birthplace, was astonishing to me and it still is. I just hope they enjoy Legends of the Wild: Tales of North Florida.

The drive back over the mountain on Sunday was capped off by a visit with my good friend and fellow storyteller, Bobbie Pell, in Mars Hill, then it was home to my pound-poodle Geoffrey, and Veda, the great orange tabby cat. Those two always help me come down from the clouds and assume my proper role as provider for all their needs after a storytelling trip...