My morning post is late because I got distracted by my husband, who is home today instead of building a porch in Skowhegan. He won't be home for long, however, because he is on his way to Belfast to deliver our collaborative display for the Belfast Poetry Festival. Tom will have six large photographs on the library walls, accompanied by three of my poems. They'll be up for the month of October, in case you feel like wandering into Belfast and looking at them. We'll also be doing a performance at the library on October 16 that involves reading and video. This is a new venture for us, and we're a little keyed up . . . though right now he's doing most of the work, while I hover and make coffee. I imagine he's relieved to know that on the 16th he'll get to recede (slightly) into the background while I don the poetry tap shoes and do the talking.

Tom also has an opening this Saturday at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art. He's one of 150 artists featured in a giant retrospective of Maine photography over the past decade. As an added bonus, the snacks at CMCA openings are usually excellent. Just ask my children.

Meanwhile, I've reached chapter 16 in Great Expectations and chapter 14 in Moby-Dick. How are the rest of you readers doing? Should we slow down to let you catch up? Or press forward?