Home of the Pocket Bard

Pennsic 2011 diary is up!

pocketbard — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:48:05 +0000

Wondrous news! This year’s Pennsic diary, The Pocket Bard Takes the Stage is up and ready for your enjoyment! Clocking in at approximately 19,000 words, it’s a day-by-day, circle-by-circle account of how I spent this year’s War. Most excitingly: I got to take the stage in the “Heather Dale and Friends” show. Yes, the Pocket Bard up on stage before a packed house, for the very first time! Will I do it again? Only time will tell.

In any event, happy reading!

Pennsic diary update: real soon now!

pocketbard — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:44:41 +0000

I’ve been back from War for almost a week, and I know what many of you are thinking: “Pocket Bard, where’s this year’s Pennsic diary?” Never fear! I am hard at work. So far I’ve transcribed 11 days (up to War Week Tuesday) and have four to go. The current word count is about 13,000 words. Whew!

For the curious, I wrote one new piece at Pennsic (on commission) and I’ll be posting another that I wrote shortly beforehand. Look for everything to be up online by the end of this weekend or early next week. I miss Pennsic already!

(And if anyone has any pictures they may have take of me, I’d love to see them!)

Where to find the Pocket Bard at Pennsic

pocketbard — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:10:27 +0000

Pennsic is fast upon us, so it seems like the right time to post a list of places you’ll be able to find me. This is far from a complete list of the things I want to do — many evenings are double- or triple-booked — but it includes most of the things I’m pretty sure of, either because I’m in charge or because there’s nothing else I know happening at that time. *grin*

Where I’m camping: McGuire’s Marauder’s, N06. Stand in front of the Performing Arts Pavilion, face the battlefield, and look for the pink-and-white striped tents on your right. I’ll be arriving the evening of Land Grab Saturday and staying until the last weekend, time TBD and dependent on allergies.

Where I’ll be:
- Peace Week Monday (Aug 1), o’dark, Calontir Royal: Rhodri’s honeymoon bardic
- Peace Week Wednesday (Aug 3), noon, AS 10: teaching Your Persona in an Hour
- Peace Week Wednesday (Aug 3), o’dark, Aethelmearc Royal: Haakon’s bardic circle
- Peace Week Thursday (Aug 4), 10 a.m., AS 10: teaching Pennsic Without Breaking the Bank
- Peace Week Thursday (Aug 4), suppertime, McGuire’s Marauders: hosting Master Efenwealt Wystle and his family as they sing for their supper
- Middle Friday (Aug 5), 8:30 p.m., meeting at A&S tents: “Peerless” bardic amoeba
- Middle Saturday (Aug 6), 11 a.m., AS 11: teaching Your Group’s Persona in an Hour
- Middle Sunday (Aug 7), 1:30 p.m., Runestone Hill: “Peerless” bardic circle
- Middle Sunday (Aug 7), 4:00 p.m., AS 10: presenting a paper at the Boreal Master Symposium
- War Week Monday (Aug 8), 8:30 p.m., Trotheim N20: performing in Beowulf the Road Show
- War Week Tuesday (Aug 9), noon, AS 10: teaching Your Persona in an Hour
- War Week Tuesday (Aug 9), o’dark, various: some combination of Zsof’s vigil, Dahrien’s vigil, and the Harpwood Hall jam session
- War Week Wednesday (Aug 10), 6 p.m., Performing Arts: performing the intermezzos at the Lorelei Skye concert
- War Week Wednesday (Aug 10), 9 p.m., Performing Arts: taking in the Marian of Heatherdale concert

If you don’t see your event or class on this list, never fear! It’s probably on my schedule already, I just can’t be 100% sure I’ll be there. (Pennsic is Pennsic. Plans change with weather and whim.) If you think I *don’t* know about your event, comment! Let me know! I’ll try to make it!

And if you’d like to get together for an impromptu Your Inner Vagabond trip, want to join me in some singing and storytelling, or have a small child for me to play with, just let me know! So much to do, so little time to do it in!

No Longer Seventeen — at any age

pocketbard — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:20:20 +0000

It’s been a long time coming. For years, I’ve heard my loyal fans asking me, “Pocket Bard, I love your song No Longer Seventeen! I also look super-young and would love to perform it! But I’m not twenty-six! What do I do?”

Fear no more! I have just updated the No Longer Seventeen page to include alternate end verses to fit every age from twenty-one to twenty-nine, with an extra bonus verse for young-looking performers who are thirty years old or older. Enjoy!

Pennsic bardic – any requests?

pocketbard — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:28:04 +0000

Pennsic is fast approaching and I’ve started reviewing my bardic repertoire. Which leads me to an important question: Do I have any requests? If there’s a piece you’ve heard me perform that you absolutely want me to do again, or there’s a song in the Master Song List you’ve always wanted to hear, or there’s a piece I don’t do but you’d like me to learn… now’s your chance! Speak now or be satisfied with the 70-odd songs that are currently on my request list.

A week of poetry performance – Day 5

pocketbard — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:05:01 +0000

Today’s YouTube performance, The Tale of Reprobus, is an actual period story, and a popular one. It tells the tale of a man so blinded by his own pride that he leaves the service of a king to follow the devil, and only later does he realize the error of his ways. Be sure to watch all the way to the end to find out Reprobus’ secret superhero identity! (You can read the poem here.)

This piece, incidentally, earned me a silver bracelet from Duke Cariadoc of the Bow, one of my most treasured possessions.

A week of poetry performance – Day 4

pocketbard — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:15:58 +0000

Today’s YouTube performance is another piece for Casa Bardicci, entitled A New Home (lyrics here). It commemorates the Casa’s 2008 move (Pennsic 37) from it’s native Bologna to Venice. In other words, the Casa’s campsite was moved from its traditional spot to one a little further around the lake, that happened to have a river running through it. But they pulled it off! In fact, they placed the dance hall directly above the river! This, I thought, was surely deserving of poetry. Enjoy!

A week of poetry performance – Day 3

pocketbard — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:04:21 +0000

Today’s YouTube upload is a poem called The Clash of Three Armies (lyrics here). It tells the story of the regicide field battle at Pennsic 37 (2008), in which Calontir led an army of Eastern and Midrealm ex-allies against their former compatriots… and got soundly smashed. And then what happened after. This piece was commissioned by Countess Alethea of the East (then Princess), and features Kings Konrad of the East, Lutr of the Midrealm, and Anton of Calontir.

A week of poetry performance – day 2

pocketbard — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:23:09 +0000

Today’s Pocket Bard original performance is The Sign of the Duck. (Lyrics here.) It’s a fable-like piece describing the creation of Dione Sidhe’s kitchen house at Pennsic. The poem was commissioned by Mistress Brid, co-head of Dione Sidhe, and features Lord Geoffrey, the other co-head. For those who are interested, you can see a picture of the kitchen house here. Enjoy!

A week of poetry performance!

pocketbard — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:58:38 +0000

Every day this week, I’m going to post a video of one of my original poems up to my YouTube channel. Why? Because I can! The week starts off with an old classic, A Warning to Thieves. (Lyrics here.) In it, Domenico learns that it’s just not a good idea to steal from Casa Bardicci, as he’s subsequently demoted, plagued by diseases (including children!), killed, and snubbed by Christ himself. It’s one of those quintessential Pennsic stories, and it’s absolutely true! (Mostly.)

Come back tomorrow to see another original Pocket Bard poem, performed by the Pocket Bard herself!