Penland was the Penultimate

The week at the Penland School of Crafts workshop on poetry, print and letter press was an intensive learning experience that tested my energy level. Could I still stay up 'til midnight and later, learn new things, be creative, and still walk? Yes, we can! We had two marvelous instructors who skillfully divided their time between poetry and print. They didn't lecture, they led. I learned a great deal about the way poetry can be constructed, deconstructed, and reconstructed. Enjoyed returning to letter press and typesetting. I foolishly chose the longest poem I had written to be included in the class poetry book, so it took a long time to set the type. And, as always, I remembered the printers that I had worked with in the past and grimaced as I recalled my constant changes ordered on the stone. (At least they were getting union wages.)

I'm recommitted to experiential learning and yearn for the day when young people will be able to commit to a study or craft or reading without the constraints of bells that direct them from one period to another. I hope all schools will one day be like Penland.