There are so many things he has written that are unforgettable but one of my favorites is a wee short story called The Day It Rained Forever.
I play the Celtic harp you see, and it is about a woman who comes to a house in the desert and plays her harp for the old men who live there. As my harp is a wire strung harp, and very uncommon, I can say, that it does sound like tinkling bells and when played, the heart grows lighter.The story resonated with me.

When Ray was receiving his plaque honoring F451 having been written in the basement of the Powell Library at UCLA they had a harpest playing for the invited guests. Ray took the time to stop and enjoy her playing. When she was done he made sure to get her business card so he could send her a copy of that very short story.

Awww, that is sooo sweet!

Thank you both for your comments. How amazing to have one of his stories sent to you. That harpest must have been so delighted. I know I would have been.

quote:

Originally posted by jkt:
When Ray was receiving his plaque honoring F451 having been written in the basement of the Powell Library at UCLA they had a harpest playing for the invited guests.

Also at Falling Upward.

The Day It Rained Forever is also the title of the UK version of A Medicine For Melancholy:

I have to laugh here because that title would fit a book in Scotland since it DOES rain forever there! I should know, I lived there for a year!

hi lassie,
not checked into forum for a while though i often read yours and others in-sightful comments ....
regarding my favorites, one has to be dandilion wine, had it on my shelf for a while, but only started reading this, but what a fantastic, magical book ! it blows me away it's poetry,liquid words, a memory , that brings back childhood, i'm still bolded over,,,
like a dream i don't won't to wake from...
and i'm almost finished it, about 2o pages to go, thou i think this will be my fav bradbury book ever, even thou i've been reading ray's stories for over 20 years now; this is one book that stay's with me if you know what i mean,guess you can tell....(and something wicked , amongst so many others too.
with regards to your harp playing, i don't know alot about the harp, but as a guitarist/musician i've really got into listening to it recently, i wonder have you heard of a group called norland wind/ if not check them out, they are pretty fantastic too, their music is so pure snd inspirational, if you log onto www.deezer.com (a free online jukebox) you can hear their albums,
that's what i love about ray's work it can create so much and this forum shows it can go on for ever,,,,
just though i'd share this with you while it was strong in me , i remrmber reading you do short story writing , how is it going ? good luck dave powell
ps would you recommend me buying a portable harp(lap) / and is it only in the key of c ? i.e no sharps or flat notes? any advice would be welcome cheers

quote:

Originally posted by dave/l'pool artist:

regarding my favorites, one has to be dandilion wine, had it on my shelf for a while, but only started reading this, but what a fantastic, magical book ! it blows me away it's poetry,liquid words, a memory , that brings back childhood, i'm still bolded over,,,
like a dream i don't won't to wake from...
and i'm almost finished it, about 2o pages to go, thou i think this will be my fav bradbury book ever...

Isn't it an amazing piece of work?

It is hard to isolate just one work. His writing is so evocative. Since I grew up in Waukegan, Dandelion Wine reminds me of home. Not home as it is now, but home as it was. Home as it was for me was far removed from Rays home in the 1920's. Nothing stays the same. People change, places change. Sadly, usually not for the better. That is the heartbreak of it all. That is why Dandelion Wine is such an important work. It is a snapshot in words that will endure long after Waukegan has ceased to be the town of our memories.

Dave/l'poolartist
Sorry where was my mind? Thank you for the web site, I'll look at it today. (Hard to stay indoors when you live on the beach of Lake Michigan and it's gonna be 75º)
You asked about a lap harp. Mine is a Celtic harp with levers (wire strung) The first thing you need to look at is who is the maker. There are a great many crap imports that you don't want to waste your money on. Next, take lessons. I know you are a musician, but there is technique to learn that is unique to the harp. Also, unlike guitar, you have to read music as it is much like learning piano. Some lucky folks have the knack to play without that but they suffer in performance without knowing technique.
Yes, I am writing. It flows sometimes and other times when the well is dry, I just walk away from the computer and smell the flowers as it were. Rays comments on how he writes helps me a great deal. I started with poetry as a kind of catharsis, but now I just put my life experiences into sentences and assign new names.
Thank you for commenting. All of you, I must say, are the nicest folk I have met on any forum!

dave...not my kind of music site. I prefer www.gourd.com
Check it out.

hi weelassie,
Thanks for your advice and tips on the harp, i'll shop around and do a lot of research first though.
you're right there are so many brilliant books by ray and others too, it's hard to pick out a true favorite,i guess that's why we keep reading,playing,listening and writing.....
good luck with the writing yourself, sounds a good way to use your own experiences, etc. i write songs and they work pretty must the same way, sometimes they flows and other times not so many new ideas.
thanks for info on gourd.com checked it out some great stuff on there especially harp material, why not check out the norland wind's own website it's got lot of their songs samples
www.norlandwind.eu/cds.(they're based in germany europe but have band members from Clanad). i'm sure you'd like them as simalar to stuff on gourd..
thanks for your comments too

Dave, go to www.triplettharps.com That is the company that made my harp. Another good one is Dusty Strings or Thormahlen Harps (www.thorharp.com)I'm not sure if Thormahlen has lap harps. These are 3 of the best in the USA. Glad you liked Gourd. I own about half of the CDs that are on the site, and trying to get out of my financial bind so I can get the rest! LOL. I love Clanad. When I was in Ireland I used to go to the Caliegh's. It was so awesome. Sadly much of the Scottish and Irish folk music is vanishing over there but alive and well in the USA. Go figure? I know Ray loved Ireland when he was there. Who could blame him? Both feel ancient and other worldly in places.

quote:

Originally posted by WeeLassie:
Dave, go to www.triplettharps.com That is the company that made my harp. Another good one is Dusty Strings or Thormahlen Harps (www.thorharp.com)I'm not sure if Thormahlen has lap harps. These are 3 of the best in the USA. Glad you liked Gourd. I own about half of the CDs that are on the site, and trying to get out of my financial bind so I can get the rest! LOL. I love Clanad. When I was in Ireland I used to go to the Caliegh's. It was so awesome. Sadly much of the Scottish and Irish folk music is vanishing over there but alive and well in the USA. Go figure? I know Ray loved Ireland when he was there. Who could blame him? Both feel ancient and other worldly in places.

Here is my local harp lady: www.harpcenter.com