Two of the strongest and most beautiful women I know and love were together in the farmhouse this morning, planning a new book together for the third time. Our friend Mary Kellogg, the poet came by to meet with Maria and i and show us a stack of poems she found that she had written around the time when she was 12, they were beautiful and spare (she hid them from the world until she was 81, when she showed them to me at Bedlam Farm), they complete the circle in her life, we are thinking of calling the book “A Complete Life,” and publishing a book under the Bedlam Farm Books label.
This would be Mary’s third book of poems, and the third volume of Mary’s poetry that Maria has edited and organized. I would contribute photographs again, and take some that reflect the theme of the book, which we haven’t totally figure out yet. We hope to have the books published in time for the Bedlam Farm Open Houses next June and October.
It was quite inspiring to see Maria and Mary work together, they love and respect one another so much. Mary came with some friends to see Bedlam Farm a few years ago, and we became friends. She showed me some poems she had written as a child, I was the first person other than herself to see them. I showed them to Maria, who agreed to edit the book and organize it, our trips to the publisher together on behalf of Mary’s work began our friendship, which eventually led to our love.
Maria is a dear friend of ours, she has witnessed our story from the beginning. Our collaboration together resulted in two volumes of poetry – My Place On Earth, and Whistling Woman. Maria edited both volumes, I took the photos. Mary hand sold enough copies to pay us back for the money we spent publishing the books under the Bedlam Farm Books imprint and Mary eventually even made a few dollars, astonishing for a first book of poetry.
We are thinking of calling the new book A Complete Life as the poems would range from age 8 to 83. We hope to publish the new book in time for the Bedlam Farm Open Houses next June and October. Mary’s husband died more than a decade of ago of Alzheimer’s Disease, Mary cared for him for 10 years he never spent one night outside of his home. She lives on a 30-acre farm on a remote hillside, she cares for the property herself, riding around on an ancient lawn mower. During an awful blizzard I called her to ask if she was okay, could I bring her anything. “No thanks, dear, I am fine,” she said. An hour later she was at the back door of Bedlam Farm in the blinding snow holding a pot of soup. “I know you fall down all the time in the snow, dear,” she said, “I thought I’d bring you something to keep you warm.”
It was so beautiful to see these two strong women laughing and talking to one another, beginning the glorious process of making a book together. I am eager to get started on the photographs. A powerful trio.