Above: trying to wake up and prepare to make a YouTube thing for you babies — lots and lots of coffee…
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Hello again!
So I read one of my poems for you guys and made a video — which is always super awkward since watching/hearing oneself is jarring, unless you’re a complete narcissist — but it’s done. 😅
I chose the poem “Drinking With Ernest Hemingway” because it’s simple, short, and lighter in tone (even though the delivery and atmosphere appear “dark”, I’m obviously being funny and it was created with reverence and love — I’m the biggest fan of his work).
***THE STORY BEHIND THE POEM: I was sitting alone in a 100-year-old farmhouse in the middle of the night, at a table where Hemingway himself used to sit, looking down at the drink rings left by his bourbon glass decades ago 🥃…and this is what I wrote. In the poem, I’m basically both roasting and toasting him, having a conversation with the famous dead writer.***
The place is called Rose Dale Farm (it’s right here in Arkansas) and you can stay there as well, should you wish — I’ve included their contact info at the end of the video.
Fans of Hemingway will get the references, most obviously the end of the poem, which is a nod to the last line of “The Old Man and the Sea”. 🌊 🎣
To watch/listen to my poem, “Drinking With Ernest Hemingway, click here:
I hope to get to Ernest’s house in Key West, Florida one day — the one with all the famous “Hemingway Cats”! 🐈 🐱🐈🐱 🤣👏🏼
I hope you enjoy the poem, my friends. Staying at Rose Dale Farm (below) was magical, and definitely an inspiration. I’d highly recommend a stay overnight, and I also encourage you to pick up a book or two by “Big Papa” Hemingway — especially my favorite, already mentioned: “The Old Man and the Sea”. So much clarity, poignancy, and power in his prose.
Until next time,
Jenn 😊 ☕️ 📝 🕯
Jenn Howe 