Russell Eponym, Poet Laureate and Artist-in-Residence of Starry Night Island Books & Art, joined us on June 11 to read and ruminate in his delightful style. Reading from Roald Dahl, he brought lots of smiles to those gathered to celebrate literature, art, music – and Uncle Ǣon‘s birthday! Now, I won’t say WHICH birthday it was (on the 10th, actually, for this Gemini gem in our family), but Russell had fun ribbing him about aging gracelessly! It was so much fun! And dear Uncle was a good sport about it all.

The best part of the day was that Aunt Mireille was able to join us for the festivities! She was feeling rested and did not want to miss the fun. Besides, she has really missed being in-world and interacting with a long list of friends – many of whom were present today. We limit the number of family present for Russell‘s readings so that there is room for his large group of fans and friends who can break away at noon SLT each Thursday, so MoonDog and I (Willow) stayed at home and listened in so we wouldn’t miss it!

Russell often brings the guitar for a bit of serenading, as well as sharing from his extensive collection of music by others. Today’s selections were lovely Celtic tunes by a sweet lass – but I did not catch her name! He also shares prose and poetry and the Thought for the Day is always of interest and encouragement. A nice crowd gathered to enjoy!

Russell will join us again next Thursday (June 18) at noon SLT, so do come along! We’ve posted some of his beautiful watercolor paintings for you to enjoy along with his stellar readings. Plus, there is the calming Rockpools – a sweet spot at the shore that Aunt Mireille created in honor of Russell‘s gorgeous song by that name. Come relax awhile and feel the peace descend! We’ll see you HERE!