One of the things that made the Open House special for me and for Maria was Jackie Thorne, who read from her new and quite wonderful book, Gone To Ground, published last week. About 60 people were gathered around her when she read three poems and talked about her connection to nature.

Jackie is the real deal, she knows how to write, her poetry is expressive and haunting, she writes with a quiet grace that sinks deep into the reader. It was beautiful to see her reading in the Poetry Corner under our apple tree, and to see the rapt faces of the people listening. You can check out her book  here.