Dead Poets Society of South Carolina

Grand Tour Breaks World Literary Land Speed Record

At 5:30 PM, at the grave of James Russell Lowell, in Mt. Auburn Cemetery, the crew of the USS Starship DEDGAR smashed the world literary land speed record by visiting the graves of 26 poets within 12 hours!

This epic journey, which had a sunrise start at the grave of Stanley Kunitz, in Provincetown, MA, was traveling at an average speed of 52 GPD (Graves Per Day), or, more than 2 GPH (Graves Per Hour).

Along the way we managed to visit two poetry landmarks: the Longfellow House and the Woodberry Poetry Room, both in Cambridge, MA. It was a truly phenomenal way to go out with a BANG on the Great Grand Tour 2010.

Digging Up the Grave of Elizabeth Oakes Smith

In a few minutes we are going to go digging for the grave of Maine-born and New York died 19th Century poet and activist, Elizabeth Oakes Smith.

There is a story online of a kind fireman who loving tends to her broken and utterly forgotten grave. The Dead Poets Society of America is seeking to rectify this situation, especially since Smith lived in Maine, New York, and  South Carolina, and all three of the Crew here on the Dead Poets Grand Tour have family connections to these places. She bought land in Monson, Maine; Peter Wentworth is from there. She was born in North Yarmouth: Walter Skold was married there and attends church there with his 5 children (when they fly back to the nest for a visit). Alice the cinematographer extraordinaire has sweet connections to Charleston, SC, where Smith lived for awhile. Hunter the Famous Dead Poet Hunter was born in Brooklyn, and Smith lived there.

Off on the journey!

7 PM Reading at Timrod Grave & Slavery Memorial

Tonight the Dead Poets Grand Tour will travel to the grave of Henry Timrod and then cross the street to the memorial to South Carolina's African-American citizens.

We'd like someone to read or sing the state song, "Carolina"

We'd like to invite a local bard to come out at 7 PM to read a Timrod poem and then to visit the memorial to the Africans and African-Americans with us. E-mail us at info @ deadpoes dot org  ,or just show up. Dedgar The Poemobile will be there.

Dedgar Visits SC Poetry Society Meeting

How cool for Dedgar to be able to visit the 87th PSCC Forum of the South Carolina Poetry Society at the amazing Charleston Library Society.

Hard to keep one's mind on the poems being read and discussed with so many books and manuscripts around. A hand-written copy of "Maryland, My Maryland" caught my eye. The Library President, Anne Cleveland, invited us back to see some manuscripts on our next visit to Charleston.

Charleston Rocks

Charleston Rocks! Dedgar The Poemobile has been very happy in SC. We had a fantastic reading on the 13th at Magnolia Cemetery, then at East Bay. Went back Saturday to film more poets' graves and the monument to the Confederate Dead and the graves of unknown sailors.