Nashburg, PA

AUGUST 2014

SPECIAL EXHIBIT: NASHBURG, PA, AND THE HISTORY OF COUNTRY POETRY

Join us in August of 2014 for a special exhibit on nearby Nashburg, Pennsylvania --
home of the
Grand Ole Po'try Show
on WELD radio!

The exhibit will feature information on the following:

* Country poet and singer Emmy Lee Dickinson, distant relative of Emily Dickinson and Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request).

* Emmy Lee's father, singer and poet Li'l Jimmy Dickinson (the grandson of the town's founder, Nashton Burg).

* Information on the history and sites of Nashburg, PA -- sister city to Nashville, TN.

* Information on the world-famous Rhymin Auditorium, home to the weekly broadcast of the Grand Ole Po'try on WELD radio.

August 1st: Nashton Euripides Burg -- Founder of Nashburg & Country Poet

Like every city in Pennsylvania, Nashburg is located west of Philadelphia, east of Pittsburgh, north of Maryland, and south of New York. Named for its founder, Nashton Euripides Burg -- a kitty litter miner from Washerst turned country poet -- Nashburg is home to the Grand Old Po'try Radio Hour on NPR station WELD.

Pictured at the right: Nashton Euripides Burg -- kitty litter miner, mountain poet, and the founder of Nashburg, Pennsylvania.

Nashton Burg's daughter Laritta Linn Burg married Bucephelus Garth Dickinson. Bucepheulus Dickinson was the son of Merton Dickinson, the uncle of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request).

Laritta Linn Burg Dickinson had eight children: Li'l Jimmy Dickinson (who later in life fathered country po'try legend Emmy Lee Dickinson), Bucephelus Garth Dickinson, Cambria Jo Dickinson, Jazlinn Beth Dickinson, Jerleecia Jo Dickinson, Jo Beth Amaleen Dickinson, Delmont D'wayne Dickinson, and Pervis Roy Dickinson.

Anyone who knows the history of Washerst , PA, knows that Washerst is home to the global headquarters for Kleen Kitty Kat LItter (pictured at the left in a vintage postcard).

At the turn of the 19th century, one of the town's founders, Alojzy Wasniewski, discovered that nearby Mount Wasniewskiherstikovnovstiffikoff held an immense vein of calcium bentonite. As a result, Washerst became the world’s leading producer of clumping kitty litter -- and Nashton Burg was a kitty litter miner for the company.

Late in life, Nashton Euripides Burg gave up kitty litter mining and moved away from Washerst to pursue a higher calling -- poetry. He founded a poetry colony, and it grew to become what is now Nashburg, Pennsylvania, the fourth largest city in Pennsylvania. Nashton Burg is known around the world as one of the finest mountain poets ever, and he is recognized as "the Father of Country Po'try."

Below: One of Nashton Burg's most famous poems:

By Nashton Burg:

I lost m’dawg t’other day!
Has anybody found?
You’ll know ’im by the row o’studs
Around his collar bound.

City folk might not notice ’im –
Yet to my meager eye
Of more esteem than moonshine –
Oh, track ’im – Friend – for me!

Below: Emily Dickinson was greatly influenced by the poetry of Nashton Burg. Her poem "I lost a World the other day" was inspired by Burg's poem:

By Emily Dickinson:

I lost a World - the other day!
Has Anybody found?
You'll know it by the Row of Stars
Around its forehead bound.

A Rich man — might not notice it –
Yet — to my frugal Eye,
Of more Esteem than Ducats –
Oh find it – Sir – for me!

Besides being a kitty litter miner and mountain poet, Nashton Burg was also an inventor. He is credited with inventing the use of a wad of paper to steady a wobbly table.

His invention -- known as a "wobble wedge" -- inspired the poem below on the left. His poem prompted Emily Dickinson to write her poem "There is no Frigate like a Book" below on the right.

By Nashton Burg:

There ain't no Vessel like a Book
To halt a table's Sway
Nor any Cushions like a Page
When wadded up that way –
This Packin' may the poorest own
Wif'out oppress o'Toll –
How thrifty is the Paper Wad
That bears the Table's pole

By Emily Dickinson:

There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry –
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without opress of Toll –
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human soul

August 2: The Country Po'try of Li'l Jimmy Dickinson, Nashton Burg's Grandson

Li'l Jimmy Dickinson, Nashton Burg's grandson, followed in his grandfather's footsteps by becoming a country poet, helping to establish Nashburg, PA, as the country po'try capital of the world. He also began the Grand Ole Po'try broadcasts at the Rhymin Auditorium now heard around the world on NPR station WELD.

Pictured above left and right: Li'l Jimmy Dickinson. Pictured above center: Li'l Jimmy Dickinson's debut country po'try album "Iffin I Can Stop One Heart From Bustin.'"

Below on the left: Li'l Jimmy Dickinson's classic country po'try poem "Iffin' I Can Stop One Heart From Bustin.'" Below on the right: Li'l Jimmy Dickinson's poem inspired Emily Dickinson to write her poem "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking."

By Li'l Jimmy Dickinson:

Iffin’ I can stop one heart from bustin’
But cain't never did cuz cain't never tried;
Iffin' I help ya when you feel you've been knocked into
next week
Or cure what ails ya,
Or help tow yer old truck
Into the back yard,
But cain't never did cuz cain't never tried.

By Emily Dickinson:

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

Pictured at the right and far right: Two of Li'l Jimmy Dickinson's classic country po'try albums.

Below left: Li'l Jimmy Dickinson's classic poem "'Hope' Is The Thing With Antlers" -- the title poem of the album at the far right.

Below right: Emily Dickinson's poem "'Hope' Is The Thing With Feathers" which was inspired by the poem by Li'l Jimmy Dicknson.

By Li'l Jimmy Dickinson:

“Hope” is the thing with antlers –
That rambles in the wood –
And wanders roun’ wif’out a sound –
To where it is – I’ve stood –

And sweetest – is the Shot – that’s heard –
And sore must be the buck –
Cuz if it’s brown it’s going down
Iffin I have enny luck.

I’ve said it when it’s airish –
I’ve said it when it’s hot –
Tonight we’re havin’ vittles –
Cuz we’re fixin’ t’ fill – the Pot!

By Emily Dickinson:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I've heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of Me.

August 3: Country Po'try Legend Emmy Lee Dickinson

While Nashton Burg is considered the Father of Country Po'try, and his grandson Li'l Jimmy Dickinson founded the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour, it is Li'l Jimmy Dickinson's daughter Emmy Lee Dickinson who established country po'try as a bona fide art form. Her country poems are recognized around the world as masterpieces of country po'try, and her works are often compared to the works of her distant cousin Emily Dickinson.

Pictured at the left: Country Po'try Legend Emmy Lee Dickinson

Pictured below: Emmy Lee Dickinson's hit album "A Coffin Is A Small Domain -- and other songs to lift your spirits" holds the record for being in the top spot for poetry albums on the Top 40 charts.

Pictured below: Emmy Lee Dickinson won fourteen Grammy Awards for her work on her classic po'try album "It Might Be Lonelier Without the Loneliness."

Pictured below: Emmy Lee Dickinson won a Pullet Surprise for her work on her unforgettable album "There Is A Pain So Utter."

Below: Poetry scholars often compare Emily Dickinson's poem "I heard a Fly buzz - when I died" (on the right) to Emmy Lee Dickinson's classic poem "I heared a M'skeeteer buzz" (on the left).

By Emmy Lee Dickinson:

I heared a M’skeeter buzz– when I smackt it –
The stillness in the Holler
Wuz like the Stilliness in a Cornfield –
In the heat o’ July –

We wuz sittin’ round granma’s deathbed – cried our
eyes out dry –
Holdin’ our breaths firm
Wonderin’ if the baby Jesus t’were t’be
Witnessed – in the Room –

She’d willed away what warn’t sold at the yardsale –
What portion was left
Warn’t bigger than a cake o’ soap –
Then there interposed this Skeeter –

With a Blue – uncertain stumblin’ Buzz –
’S if he was drunker than Cooter Brown –
And then he settled – on m’Knee –
And my Hand came down – Hard –

By Emily Dickinson:

I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –
The Stillness in the Room
Was like the Stillness in the Air –
Between the Heaves of Storm –

The Eyes around – had wrung them dry –
And Breaths were gathering firm
For that last Onset – when the King
Be witnessed – in the Room –

I willed my Keepsakes – Signed away
What portion of me be
Assignable – and then it was
There interposed a Fly –

With Blue – uncertain stumbling Buzz –
Between the light – and me –
And then the Windows failed — and then
I could not see to see –

August 4: More of Emmy Lee Dickinson's Po'try

Below: The "Belle of the Ball" album played on Emmy Lee's nickname, the "Belle of Nashburg."

Below: "A Flannel Feelin' Comes" comes from a classic poem by Emmy Lee.

Below: Emmy Lee recorded one album with her brother Dallas.

By Emmy Lee Dickinson:

After wurkin’ the livelong day, a flannel feelin’
          comes –
M’dawgs throbbin’ relentless, like sumpin fierce –
M’wits strung tighter than a banjo string, I wisht
Fo’ Yesterday, or Centuries before.

M’ Mind, mechanical goes numb –
’Bout as Funkshunal as a back pocket on a shirt –
A Wooden way
Halfhearted groan,
A coarse presentiment, pert neer like I’m stone –

This is the Hour o’ Lead –
Survived, iffin I don’t kick the bucket,
Like a Dairy farmer recollects the Milk Cow –
First – Milked – then’s got to be milked again –
            so cain’t let go –

By Emily Dickinson:

After great pain, a formal feeling comes –
The Nerves sit ceremonious, like Tombs –
The stiff Heart questions was it He, that bore,
And Yesterday, or Centuries before?

The Feet, mechanical, go round –
Of Ground, or Air, or Ought –
A Wooden way
Regardless grown,
A Quartz contentment, like a stone –

This is the Hour of Lead –
Remembered, if outlived,
As Freezing persons, recollect the Snow –
First – Chill – then Stupor – then the letting go –

August 5: Nashburg, Po'try City USA

In the late 1800s, Nashton Euripides Burg was a kitty litter miner in Washerst, Pennsylvania. However, he pulled up roots and traversed the mountains of Pennsylvania in search of a site to establish a poetry commune. From that community grew what is now the fourth largest city in Pennsylvania, Nashburg, named after its mountain poet founder.

Pictured below and right: Postcards of Nashburg note that the city is home to the "Grand Ole Po'etry Radio Hour" which is broadcast on NPR station WELD every Saturday night.

Pictured at the left: A top tourist attraction in Nashburg is the Country Po'try Hall of Fame in the heart of town. Throughout this month's exhibit, we will feature many of the Country Poets who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Barnyard Billy Buckley, Wild Betty Pearl, Li'l Joey Brooks, Singin' Birdie Klinker, and -- of course -- Nashton Burg, Li'l Jimmy Dickinson, and Emmy Lee Dickinson.

Pictured at the right: A postcard of Nashburg notes one of the town's mottos: "Country Po'try...and so MULCH More!" Nashburg is home to the world famous Museum of Mulch, Compost, and Organic Residues.

Pictured below on the left: Nashburg -- often called "the Athens, Georgia, of the North" -- has many replicas of buildings located in Athens, Georgia. The world renowned Museum of Mulch, Compost, and Organic Residues is a replica of Memorial Hall at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Pictured below on the right: Inside the Museum of Mulch, Compost, and Organic Residues.

August 6: More Po'try By Emmy Lee Dickinson

Below: Three of Emmy Lee Dickinson's classic albums --
some of the reasons why Emmy Lee has won more Grammy awards than any other recording artist.

Below: Poetry scholars often compare Emily Dickinson's poem on the right to Emmy Lee Dickinson's poem on the left. Po'etry scholars do too.

By Emmy Lee Dickinson:

The light can git all catty-wampus
When it’s colder than a well digger's bum,
It oppresses like the weight
Of an out o’key church hymn.

Good Heavens to Betsy;
We’re fit to be tied
But it don’t mean diddly squat
Iffin we all git addled beside.

None is learnin' nothing
And we’re feelin’ much despair –
Be deader than a doornail
Iffin we don’t take care.

It seems that hell is freezin’ over
As the shadows are all froze;
For it’s like the distant look on gramma’s face
When she settled after throes.

By Emily Dickinson:

There's a certain slant of light,
On winter afternoons,
That oppresses, like the weight
Of cathedral tunes.

Heavenly hurt it gives us;
We can find no scar,
But internal difference
Where the meanings are.

None may teach it anything,
'T is the seal, despair –
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the air.

When it comes, the landscape listens,
Shadows hold their breath;
When it goes, 't is like the distance
On the look of death.

August 7: The Rhymin Auditorium

The Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour is a weekly country po'try slam in Nashburg, Pennsylvania, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre. Founded on November 28, 1925 by Li'l Jimmy Dickinson as a one-hour radio "po'try slam" on NPR station WELD, it is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history. Now a live, three-hour program on WELD, the show originates each week from the Rhymin Auditorium, a 2,362-seat live performance venue, located on Nashton Avenue in historic Nashburg.

Pictured below left to right: Postcards of the Rhymin Auditorium, home to WELD's weekly live broadcast of the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour. Click the images to enlarge.

Pictured at the left: A souvenir album from a past Grand Ole Po'try show.

Pictured at the right: NPR station WELD broadcasts the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour every Saturday night.

August 8: Barnyard Billy Buckley

One of the top readers of country po'try at the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour is Barnyard Billy Buckley. His renditions of poems by Nashton Burg are always a crowd favorite!

Pictured at the left: Barnyard Billy Buckley's top-selling album, "I Know I Know the Swamp." The title poem refers to a classic poem by county poet and founder of Nashburg, Nashton Burg.

Below: The classic poem by Nashton Burg (on the left) was the inspiration for Barnyard Billy Buckley's top-selling album (above left) and Emily Dickinson's poem "I never saw a moor" (below right).

By Nashton Burg:

I know I know the swamp.
I know I know the bog.
I know I know the forest
With m’trusty huntin’ dawg.

And Iffin you talk hell about
The kids of neighbors born
I’m certain what you say
’ll get back to yo’rn.

By Emily Dickinson:

I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea ;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.

I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.

August 9: Sweet Pea and the Corndogs

Recognized around the world as consummate interpreters of love po'try, Sweet Pea and the Corndogs appear regularly at the Rhymin Auditorium for the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour.

Pictured at the right: Sweet Pea & The Corndogs top-rated album "We Learn'd The Whole Of Love."

Below on the left: The title poem for Sweet Pea and the Corndogs' album "We Learn'd The Whole Of Love" by Nashton Burg. Below on the right: Burg's poem inspired Emily Dickinson to write her poem "We learned the Whole of Love."

By Nashton Burg:

We learn’d the Whole of Love –
The Hearsay – the Talk –
The Rumors – the mighty rich Report –
Then – our Lips wuz sealed –

But in Each Other’s eyes –
A knowing glance beheld –
Connected with a Subtle nod –
And each to each, we Smiled –

Attempted to expound
Both of us wuz eager –
Aint’ no use beatin’ a dead horse –
But it cain’t hurt – neither!

By Emily Dickinson:

We learned the Whole of Love –
The Alphabet – the Words –
A Chapter – then the mighty Book –
Then – Revelation closed –

But in Each Other's eyes
An Ignorance beheld –
Diviner than the Childhood's –
And each to each, a Child –

Attempted to expound
What Neither – understood –
Alas, that Wisdom is so large –
And Truth – so manifold!

August 10: Joyce "Singin' Birdie" Klinker

Joyce "Singin' Birdie" Klinker said she knew all her life that she wanted to read -- and sing -- country po'try for WELD's Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour at the Rhymin Auditorium in Nashburg. Fortunately for the world, she achieved her goal!

Pictured at the left: Joyce Klinker's debut country po'try album "Joyce" featured poems she had written based on her life stories. The title poem of the album, "A Prison Gets To Be A Friend" recounts her loneliness in the Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri, after she was convicted of twenty-three counts of arson.

Pictured at the right: Joyce Klinker with her parents, Delmont and Faylene Klinker, and older sister Kathy.

Below: Joyce Klinker said that Emily Dickinson's poem "A Prison gets to be a friend" (on the right) inspired her to pen her poem with the same first line (on the left).

By Joyce “Singin’ Birdie” Klinker:

A Prison gets to be a friend –
When ya bin hit with th’ ugly stick –
Like Me – and Relationships expire –
Fast as lickety-split –

I’d gladly show some gratitude
If someone’d even Smile
But I’m alone – and I’m hungry –
And so I sit – wif'in my fire –

By Emily Dickinson:

A Prison gets to be a friend –
Between its Ponderous face
And Ours – a Kinsmanship express –
And in its narrow Eyes –

We come to look with gratitude
For the appointed Beam
It deal us – stated as our food –
And hungered for – the same –

August 11: Li'l Joey Brooks

Country Po'try -- like Country Music -- has more than its fair share of ex-convicts in the ranks of celebrities. Of course, one example is Joyce "Singin' Birdie" Klinker (above), and another prime example is Li'l Joey Brooks, the country poet with more Grammies than any other.

Li'l Joey Brooks spent many years in the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the secret disinterment of corpses from graveyards and for an unusually high number of illegal dissections. However, Brooks said that it was this time in prison that allowed him "to understand the human emotions, feelings, and understandings of country po'try fans."

By Li'l Joey Brooks:

Eden is that double-wide
We dwell in every day
Planted in the trailer park
So it can't drive away.

The latest patch-up work we've done's
Our brand new screened-in Door
So now at night raccoons won't
Wander in much anymore.

By Emily Dickinson:

Eden is that old-fashioned House
We dwell in every day
Without suspecting our abode
Until we drive away.

How fair on looking back, the Day
We sauntered from the Door --
Unconscious our returning,
But discover it no more.

August 12: Gaga Clusters

Gaga Cluster, a candy created by Pyek Dorley Germanotta (Lady Gaga's father), is the proud sponsor of the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour on NPR station WELD.

Created in 1905, the disk shaped contains marshmallow, nougat, caramel, corn meal mush, and roasted beer nuts covered in milk chocolate. Variations include Gaga Supreme (hominy replaces the corn meal mush) and Peanut Butter GooGoo (peanut butter replaces marshmallow nougat and caramel).

Pictured left and right: Gaga Clusters

Pictured at the right: The Gaga Cluster Candy Factory in Nashburg. The Gaga Cluster Candy Factory has sponsored the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour since it premiered on NPR station WELD.

Pictured below left and right: Lady Gaga is known for her wild costumes, but a crowd favorite is when she appears on the red carpet wearing a Gaga Cluster hat.

Pictured below center: Lady Gaga paid tribute to the Gaga Cluster in a Gaga Cluster face mask at the 2013 Grammy Awards. She presented the award in the category of Best Country Po'try Album.

August 13: Clay Pidgin

Clay Pidgin was a shop teacher at the Winifred "Windy" Rump Middle School in Canfield, Ohio, until he gave it all up to pursue a career in county po'try. He moved to Nashburg with a dollar in his pocket and a dream in his heart, and the rest -- as they say -- is history!

Pictured at the left: Clay Pidgin's debut country po'try album, "I Never Drank As Much But Twice."

Below: Clay Pidgin's classic poem "I never drank as much but twice." Some believe that Pidgin was influenced by Emily Dickinson's poem "I never lost as much but twice." Pidgin denied this and claimed he never heard of Emily Dickinson or read any of her poetry.

By Clay Pidgin:

I never drank as much but twice
And I landed in the sod.
Twice I’ve been a drunkard
Before the check-point Squad!

Bar tabs – twice ascending
Reimbursed my store –
Barback! Barmaid – Barkeep!
I am drunk once more!

By Emily Dickinson:

I never lost as much but twice,
And that was in the sod.
Twice have I stood a beggar
Before the door of God!

Angels — twice descending
Reimbursed my store --
Burglar! Banker — Father!
I am poor once more!

August 14: Shim Bentley

Shim Bentley was a meat trimmer at the Piggly Wiggly supermarket in Boonshill, Tennessee, when he was discovered by record producer Bradley Owen who, along with Chat Etkins and Ferg Robertson, was one of the chief architects of the 'Nashburg Sound" in country po'try.

Below left to right: Bradley Owen, Chat Etkins, and Ferg Roberston, the architects of the "Nashburg Sound."

Below: Shim Bentley is recognized around the world as a master of country po'try, and he has often been compared to the likes of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). His classic poem "Because I Would Not Stop For My Mother-In-Law" is recognized as one of the definitive works in the genre.

By Shim Bentley

Because I would not stop for my Mother-in-Law –
She “kindly” stopped for me –
The pick-up held but just Ourselves
And her irrationality.

We slowly drove – She knew no haste,
’Cept fo' that big flappin' mouth o’ hers –
It labored on and on wif’out a break
Or any sort o’ Civility –

We passed a passel of young’uns at the Schoolhouse –
Playin’ cornhole – out on the blacktop –
We passed the Walmart Distribution Center–
We passed her good-fer-nuttin Ex –

Or rather – He passed Us –
And her shrill vituperations sent a chill –
Straight down m’ spine –
She is meaner than a striped Snake –

We paused before a Double-wide
Parked atop the Ground –
The Roof was visibly rustin’ through –
The Porch – was quite Unsound –

Since then – ’s bin a blue moon – and yet
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised her heady Ass
Like a bat out of Hell –

By Emily Dickinson:

Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –

We passed the School, where Children strove
At recess – in the ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –

Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –

We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice –in the Ground –

Since then – 'tis centuries – and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –

August 15: Wild Betty Pearl

"Wild Betty" Pearl was the manager of the 24-hour Dunkin' Donuts in Nashburg, the place to see and be seen on Po'try Row. In the 1980s, she introduced Po'try Slams at the Dunkin Donuts, and she soon became recognized for her own brand of country po'try which poked fun at her sister Earlene and her nephew Sudley (who, she always joked, was "dumb as a rock").

Pictured at the right: Wild Betty Pearl's debut country po'try album "Dumb As A Rock," all about her nephew Sudley.

Pictured at the left: Wild Betty Pearl's 24-hour Dunkin' Donuts is now a museum about Nashburg's world-famous Po'try Row.

Below: Wild Betty Pearl built a career around poems about her sister Earlene and her nephew Sudley, including the poem on the left, "Earlene's boy is 'bout as dumb as a Rock." Similarly, Emily Dickinson's poem "How happy is the little stone" (on the right) was about her nephew Edward "Ned" Dickinson.

By Wild Betty Pearl:

Earlene’s boy is ‘bout as dumb as a Rock
Rambin’ aimlessly like a blind mule in a dark field,
And he never even thinks about lookin’ for a Job
Though he’s certainly not afraid of watchin’ others do all the work –
He kin lay around the live long day in his dang boxers
With the TV perpet’chilly on
Sittin’ alone in the glow o’dat idiot box,
Fulfillin’ absolute decree
In bein’ simple – the boy is jest plain simple –

By Emily Dickinson:

How happy is the little Stone
That rambles in the Road alone,
And doesn’t care about Careers
And Exigencies never fears –
Whose Coat of elemental Brown
A passing Universe put on,
And independent as the Sun
Associates or glows alone,
Fulfilling absolute Decree
In casual simplicity –

August 16: Jinx Jackson

In the late 1990s, Jorma “Jinx” Jackson gave up his job as the District Functionality Applications Developer and Lead Branding Designer at the corporate headquarters for eHarmony.com in Burkittsville, Maryland, to pursue a career in Country Po’try – and it was the best decision her ever made! Today, Jinx Jackson is one of the top names in Country Po’try, and his concerts and events sell out meeting rooms across the country in Holiday Inn Express hotels and motels and more!

Below: Jinx Jackson's classic poem "Is it too late to touch you, Babe?" (on the left) has often been compared to Emily Dickinson's poem "Is it too late to touch you, Dear?" (on the right).

By Jinx Jackson:

Is it too late to touch you, Babe?
We knew this moment would come –
When the bartender’d announce “Last call”
And our lack of propriety is numb –

By Emily Dickinson:

Is it too late to touch you, Dear?
We this moment knew –
Love Marine and Love Terrene –
Love celestial too –

August 17: Country Po'try Music

Nashburg, of course, is the mecca for Country Po'try. However, the Country Po'try industry brought about the Country Po'try Lyrics industry, and that produced Country Po'try Music -- which then developed into Country Music -- which spread to Nashville, Tennessee; Branson, Missouri; Austin, Texas; Chugwater, Wyoming; and beyond!

One of the first big names to emerge in Country Po'try Music was Nashton Burg's daughter Laritta Linn Burg (who later married Bucepheulus Dickinson and gave birth to Li'l Jimmy Dickinson). Her father Nashton Burg was a kitty litter miner in Washerst, PA, before founding Nashburg, PA -- and her debut album (after a long and lauded career as a dry cleaning clerk at the Po'try City One Hour Dry Cleaners in the heart of Nashburg) was entitled "A Kitty Litter Miner's Daughter."

Pictured at the right: Laritta Linn Burg Dickinson's debut album, "A Kitty Litter Miner's Daughter."

Below: Nashburg, PA, has produced some of the biggest names in Country Po'try Music: Owen Buck owed just about everybody in town due to his gambling addiction, so his debut album (left) was entitled "Owen 'Em"; Country Po'try Music superstar Tammy Wynott's biggest hit was "My p-r-e-n-u-p was final today" (center); Johnny Credit hit it big in Country Po'try Music after his release from the Nashburg Federal Correctional Complex for Violent and Psychotic Criminals, and his top selling album (right) included his hit, "A Bird Walked Down The Line."

August 18: The Pump Kin Trio

Three "country cousins" from Chubbuck, Idaho -- Vinton Pump, Vicki Lynn Pump, and Loribelle Pump (the children of three brothers) pulled up roots and moved to Nashburg, PA, to pursue a career in Country Po'try. They formed the group "The Pump Kin Trio,' and now they perform frequently on NPR station WELD's broadcast of the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour on Saturday nights.

Pictured at the far left: The Pump Kin Trio's debut album "Katie Bar The Door.'

Pictured at the left: The Pump Kin Trio's album "The Mob With The Heart The Police Cannot Suppress" incudes their hit "I Love A Look of Agony."

Below: The Pump Kin Trio's debut album featured a country poem by Nashton Burg (on the left), which they read in three part harmony. Burg's poem also inspired Emily Dickinon to pen her poem "We never know we go when we are going" (on the right).

By Nashton Burg:

M’ brother-in-law always overstays his welcome –
Good riddance – Katie bar the Door –
“Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya” –
Please accost us no more –

By Emily Dickinson:

We never know we go when we are going –
We jest and shut the Door –
Fate – following – behind us bolts it –
And we accost no more –

August 19: The Knobstick Quartet

The Knobstick Quartet is a group of former prison guards who formed a Country Po'try quartet, and early on they performed witty and ribald poetry. In recent years their tone turned a bit more sullen and dark.

Pictured at the left: The Knobstick Quartet top-selling album "I Saw Her Cleavage In My Mind."

Pictured at the right: A more recent album by the Knobstick Quartet, "The Frost of Death Is On The Pane."

Below: The Knobstick Quartet often performs poetry written by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Dickinson's poem "I saw her Cleavage in my mind" was the title poem of the group's top selling album. Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem (on the left) inspired his third cousin to pen her poem "I felt a Cleaving in my Mind" (on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

I saw her Cleavage in my mind –
My widened Eyes were lit –
I tried to watch to ascertain –
The Letter of the fit.

I caught a glimpse, but strove to hide
My curiosity –
Just thankful for – though out of Reach –
Her generosity.

By Emily Dickinson:

I felt a Cleaving in my Mind –
As if my Brain had split –
I tried to match it – Seam by Seam –
But could not make them fit.

The thought behind, I strove to join
Unto the thought before –
But Sequence ravelled out of Sound
Like Balls – upon a Floor.

August 20: The Social Chameleons

The Social Chameleons is a Country Po'try trio that appears regularly on NPR station WELD's weekly broadcast of the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour.

The group is made up of three sisters, Larlene, Nylette, and Rubyjane Bowes. The three worked for their father, Lazarus Bowes, at his pest control company.

Larlene Bowes was an expert at eliminating breeding grounds. Nylette specialized in hunting, traps, and field burning. Rubyjane was an authority in natural rodent control and sterilization. All of that changed, though, with the release of the group's debut Country Po'try album "Some Fair or Stormy Day (This Me -- That Walks and Works -- Must Die)" (pictured above on the left).

Since that date, crowds cannot get enough of the Social Chameleons. Nylette Bowes now jokes that the group needs someone to help them with "pest control" due to the constant aggravation and harassment brought on by the unrelenting paparazzi.

Pictured above on the right: The Social Chameleons' top selling album featuring their hit "This Dirty Little Heart Is Freely Mine."

Pictured at the left: Bowes' Pest Control, where it all began for the Social Chameleons. The sisters sill work there occasionally as they are continuing research they have begun in developing animal repellents.

August 21: Crawdad Shifflett and the Shifflett Brothers' 8 Ball Brass Band

Dale "Crawdad" Shifflett has been combining Country Po'try with brass band music for decades, and he and his brothers are one of the most popular draws at NPR station WELD's weekly broadcast of the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour.

Pictured at the right: Crawdad Shifflett and the Shifflett Brother's 8-Ball Brass Band. In the picture, Dale "Crawdad" Shifflett is playing the trumpet in the coffin; his brothers are behind him (left to right): Coy, Clyde, Clint, Cody, Cooper, Cooter, and Bedrich.

Below: One of Crawdad Shifflett's classic country poems has often been compared to Langston Hughes' poem "A Dream Deferred":

By Dale “Crawdad” Shifflett:

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it ride off in a truck?
What happens to a dream deferred?
When you’re down and out of luck.

Does it dry up like an over-baked squirrel pot pie?
Does it stink like rotten deer meat?
Does it wind up tighter than the girdle of a Baptist minister's wife at an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast?

Or does it just wander off all confused –
Like a cow on Astroturf?

By Langston Hughes:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

August 22: Delmont Kinkaid

Delmont Kinkaid was a Bereavement Coordinator and Counselor at Happy Hunting Grounds Hound Dog Cemetery in Opelika, Alabama. He was discovered by NPR producer Graham Smith when Kinkaid was reciting one of his poems at a funeral for Smith's hound dog Hoagie. Smith convinced Kinkaid to travel to Nashburg to read some of his poems on WELD's Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour, and Kinkaid was an immediate hit.

August 23: Country Po'try Themes

Do you have what it takes to write Country Po'try? There are some common themes, so if you write poetry about any of these, the "Top Ten" themes of Country Po'try, maybe one day you'll be a star on NPR station WELD's Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour:

10. Irrational Women
9. Revenge
8. Misery
7. Love & Loss
6. Prison

5. Mothers-in-Law / Ex-Wives
4. Huntin'
3. Huntin' Dogs
2. Pick-up Trucks
1. Beer / Alcohol

Below: Some of the many albums centered on the top theme of Country Po'try, beer, alcohol, and drinking, include the following:

Above: Cleon Gubbin's "The Test Detects The Soul's Sobriety" features the poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson that inspired Emily Dickinson to write "The Soul Selects Her Own Society."

Above: An album by Richard "Dickey" Dixon and his partners, sisters Tabitha and Kandy Lynn Grissel, featured a poem often compared to Emily Dickinson's "Frequently The Woods Are Pink."

Above: Wayne Lee Firkin's top selling album highlighted a country poem, "How Far Is It To Heaven (As Close As The Nearest Bar)."

August 24: More Po'try About Beer & Alcohol

Below: More albums of country poets who focus on the theme of beer and alcohol:

Above: Frances "Frannie" Oxter was a geriatric dentist when he met puppeteer Frankie Scrod. They began writing and reciting po'try about alcohol, and the two were an instant success!

Above: The Convicts of Love are known as the ultimate party group in the world of Country Po'try. Their album "I Got a Buzz -- and Then I Died" flew to the top of the Country Po'try charts.

Above: As therapy in the Little Rock Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, Alondra Matt wrote poems about alcohol. She involved her family in recitations of her work after her fourth stay in the clinic and said that is what it took to stay sober.

Below: The honest and straightforward po'try of Alondra Matt (on the left) is why critics refer to her as a modern dayEmily Dickinson (whose poem appears on the right).

By Alondra Matt:

Will there really be a “morning”?
Is there such a thing as “Day”?
Could I see it from the bar room
For it’s where I plan to stay.

By Emily Dickinson:

Will there really be a "Morning"?
Is there such a thing as "Day"?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?

August 25: Jagobert Lebensabschnittpartner

Jagobert Lebensabschnittpartner was a shoe salesman at the Payless Shoes in Ohatchee, Alabama until he was discovered by Bradley Owen (see the entry dated August 14th).

Pictured at the left: Jagobert Lebensabschnittpartner's top selling album of Country Po'try, "It's All I Have to Bring Today."

Pictured at the right: Lebensabschnittpartner's debut album of Country Po'try, "Most She Touched Me By Her Muteness."

Below: Jagobert Lebensabschnittparter said he began writing country po'try as therapy from having to sell women shoes at Payless Shoes in Ohatchee, Alabama. "S.O.D. (Shoe Obsession Disorder) is devastating to the 83% of the female population it affects, but it is absolutely debilitating to each and every shoe sales clerk who has to serve them." As a result, Lebensabschnittpartner turned to country po'try to keep his sanity. His poem 'It's all I have to bring today" (on the left) is often compared to a similar poem by Emily Dickinson (on the right):

By Jagobert Lebensabschnittpartner:

It’s all I have to bring today –
This, and my truck beside –
This, and my truck, and all m’dogs –
And all the beer inside –

By Emily Dickinson:

It's all I have to bring today –
This, and my heart beside –
This, and my heart, and all the fields –
And all the meadows wide –

August 26: Leelaysha Smudge

After graduating from the renowned Bristerville College of Podiatry in Bristerville, Mississippi, Leelaysha Smudge relocated to Nashburg, PA, where she started her practice at the Nashburg Ankle and Foot Care Center (NAFCC).

Now, by day, Smudge is a world-famous chiropodist at the NAFCC specializing in the treatment of plantar warts and pitted keratolysis (a skin condition affecting the soles of the feet). By night, she is a celebrity on the country po'try slam circuit and a star on NPR station WELD's Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour.

Pictured at the left: Leelaysha Smudge's top selling country po'try album "Heart, We Will Remember Him." Her poem (below on the left) is often compared to one by Emily Dickinson (below on the right).

By Leelaysha Smudge:

Heart, we will remember him!
Me 'n you, tonight!
You may remember that he’s not worth a hoot an’ a holler,
I will remember he squeaks when he walks cuz he’s so tight.

By Emily Dickinson:

Heart, we will forget him!
You and I, tonight!
You may forget the warmth he gave,
I will forget the light.

August 27: Bronx Wentworth

Bronx Wentworth is a man's man in the world of country po'try as his country poems are typically about trucks, beer, belt buckles, bowling, and bacon.

Born Marion Prissman in Dorton, KY, he later moved to Lake Waconda, Nebraska where he made a name for himself as a sod farmer.

He entered and won a country po'try contest sponsored by NPR station WELD, and he appeared on the station's Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour.

He adopted the stage name "Bronx Wentworth," and ever since, he's been a popular regular at the Rhymin Auditorium in Nashburg, PA.

Above: Bronx Wentworth's country po'try album "If I Can't Stop My Truck From Braking."

Above: Bronx Wentworth's debut album of country po'try: "He Put The Belt Around My Life (I Heard The Buckle Snap)."

August 28: Foreign Country Po'try Poets

Below: NPR station WELD's The Grand Ole Poetry Radio Hour attracts country po'try poets from all over the world.

Below: Russia's premiere country po'try poet Yegor Krupin is known for his poems of teen heartbreak, drama, friendship, love, and life.

Below: The Polish country po'try trio "The Minko Twins and Natka" consists of twins Slawek and Gita Minko and Natka Sypek.

Below: Swedish Country Po'try poet Hampus Larrson is known for his whimsical poems about pain and death.

August 29: Ryder Möer

Another foreign poet in the manly vein of Bronx Wentworth (see the post dated August 27) is Canadian Ryder Möer. Born as Fay Babineaux in Sissipoo Falls, Nova Scotia, he gave up a management career in the striped bass fishing industry and moved to Nashburg, PA, where he took the name Ryder Möer and pursued a career in country po'try.

Below: Ryder Möer's debut album of country po'try included the title poem by Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). Dickinson's poem (on the left) inspired his third cousin's poem "Ample make this Bed" (on the right).

By Emmett Lee Dickinson:

Simple make this Blond –
Make this Blond with Flaw –
Common Judgment she’ll forsake
For the tanning Spa.

But for Matters great –
Here’s the Bimbo’s rub:
Like the Blond Owl’s meadow call
Not “Who,” but rather– “What?”

By Emily Dickinson:

Ample make this Bed –
Make this Bed with Awe –
In it wait till Judgment break
Excellent and Fair.

Be its Mattress straight –
Be its Pillow round –
Let no Sunrise' yellow noise
Interrupt this Ground –

August 30: More Of Emmy Lee Dickinson

The world-wide popularity of County Po'try has grown today due to the extensive regard for country poet Emmy Lee Dickinson. Her grandfather Nashton Burg established country po'try as a legitimate art form, and her father Li'l Jimmy Dickinson started the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour -- but it was Emmy Lee Dickinson's country po'try that put Nashburg on the map!

Below: The ten most common themes of the country po'try of Emmy Lee Dickinson:

1. Death
2. Dying
3. Death & Dying
4. Anguish
5. Pain

6. Grief
7. Birds
8. Torment
9. Suffering & Sorrow
10. Joy

August 31: Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear?

Just because this is the last post in our exhibit doesn't mean you have to stop your look into country po'try! We've only scratched the surface -- so why not visit historic Nashburg, PA?

Stay in the beautiful Po'tryland Motel (pictured below on the left), visit the Homestoop, the former home of country poet Emmy Lee Dickinson (pictured below on the right), and attend a broadcast of the Grand Ole Po'try Radio Hour at the Rhymin Auditorium!

Then drive up the road a bit to visit historic Washerst, PA, birthplace of America's greatest poet, Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request). We hope to see you soon!