Just back from a remarkable festival held in the wilds of West Texas

3 cars diverged to Lamesa We took the road most traveled arrived Thursday night to chat and chew West Texas Connie Williams hospitality 9.30am Friday 16 April KPET Radio live poetry and music Steve Brooks sang his SkyVue Drive in song Cowboy Poetry was enhanced by John Levacy West Yorkshire represented in West Texas by TrevCasLad Don our DJ both courteous and welcoming-and Forrest Fest 2011 begins! 10.15 am -on to SAGE NURSING HOME-where each year we serenade our elders present them with bouquets of poems and songs then ramble on to BEEHIVE#1 and #2 for more smiles 1-3pm @SOUTH ELEMENTARY where 3 waves of young poets were entranced by Environmental Music and poetry presentations They came,performed,wrote and remembered how poetry and music belong to every age in every community outreach Back to the Community Center,registering and signing up for a SLAM WORKSHOP led by bright young presenter DANIEL RAMOS 5pm on to the SKY-VUE DRIVEIN where STEVE BROOKS sang on top of that same projection booth BUDDY HOLLY sang upon RIO later,off to Lamesa Country Club for a poets welcome with Zach Harmon Morning  of Saturday 16th April to Lamesa Library for a Beat Poetry Workshop with CHRIS CARMONA-12 people learned how Texas and the Beat Poets were linked Then to JOHN LEVACY's COWBOY POETRY workshop in Dal Paso 16 folk learning how to write the REAL cowboy verses Forrest Fest plants trees-each year a new one in FORREST PARK so an open mike around last years tree found 30 folk singing and poeticising in the park Noon with the Chuck Wagon Gang from Big Spring -serving up BBQ brisket,sausage,and banana custard!-with cowboy music on the side! DELICIOUS! 1pm CONNIE LANE WILLIAMS released DANCING BACKWARDS IN TEXAS- a delightful new book full of wit  and wisdom -crowds loved ,applauded and bought copies 1.30-SADAQAH from Albuerqueque took all present on a dancing tour of Mediterranean countries,jamming internationally to extend our poetic and musical horizons Open mikes followed-where every poet in the room was heard in round robin format- followed by the Irish tones of ROAN INISH from Lubbock-complete with Irish dancers! Featured poets Candace Samuelson and Cathy Martin were followed by Zach Harmon Steve Brooks ,TrevCasLad,Shubh Bala Schiesser,Thomas Thompson,Nancy Membrez represented poetry and music)well-as did Bob Mud(from Australia),Donna Jean and Dr Charles Stone.SADAQAH returned ,followed by JAZZ ONE,Daniel Ramos,Kat Copland,Chris Carmona,Opalina Salis,Zach Harmon and Chuck Taylor Poets had pilgrimaged from all over Texas(College Station,San Antonio,Austin) from New Mexico,and Internationally from England and Australia-a truly local and International Poetry and music festival-making Lamesa an Annual West Texas Cultural Community event-unique,precious ,sustained by the love of volunteers 2012 will be the 12th year of this astonishing corroboree of poets and musicians! Thank you Connie Lane Williams!Keep dancing "backwards in Texas!"