After a morning flurry of stops and stocking up, I’m off on 63 south with Dennis C. heading for Jackson and points south. Dennis is stalwart and I sleep part of the way, waking up in time for Memphis. Then it’s 200 miles of pine trees and small talk, trying to stay on course and awake. In Jackson, we wander a while, waiting for the Granik-Scheuer-Stewarts to arrive, then wander some more in search of a delightful holeinthewall Indian restaurant where we’re well fed as we try to catch up on the months between our meetings. Then we head south for Piney Woods School, about which I could write several posts, except that’s not what we’re about. Beautiful campus, a little dog-eared from lack of funding, but amazing nonetheless. We sleep then meet for breakfast and get briefed on the program. It’s Sundance’s Film Forward festival, and Winter’s Bone is one of the two films featured. We do a run back up to Jackson State for a showing, a discussion and getting acquainted. Dennis and I play with a young fiddler who goes by the name of Lazy Boy, then Dennis heads home while I join the crew officially and we begin what becomes daily discussions of what the story is, how to assimilate what we’re learning and what some potential outcomes might be. The task is enormous, and Piney Woods is just the beginning.

-m