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1960 (continued) (centered)

Did illustrations for What Are legends by Dick Higgins: much correspondence with he and Ray Johnson. Harry Kiakis, author of Venice: Beatnik Capitol and The Watts Towers visited us, went with him to Frederickton to see Winston Churchill paintings, museum and university, hence to St. John, returning to Calais and hence south to visit father at Lincolnville Center as he returned to Massachusetts and California. Offered job teaching english and french at the Ashland Community School District, Ashland, Maine, covering several small townships in that area. High point in Calais was hearing on tidal power at Passamamquotty(sp) and my speech for a combine of tide and the atom, to preserve norther Maine river areas; also a spirited defense against raising water rates . . . was frequently interviewed for Calais and St. Stephen papers . . attended making of movie Sunrise at Campabello in Eastport (sseing same later in Moscow) left Calais by bus late August, train through New Brunswick and up St. John stopping in Woodstock to relive earlier visits as a boy, often visiting for a day from Houlton with my parents, Uncle Dick, Aunt Dora, Harold and sometimes alone via train from Houlton. (Feel a great kinship with the St. John, among the world's rivers, as ancestors came up it in early days crossing over into Maine form Porter Settlement where I was born . . would like to spend a summer in Woodstock). Visited writers there and was interviewed on radio. Continued up St. John by train to Perth, crossed by taxi beautiful ex glacier country to Ashland. Seemed to antagonize older natives, unconsciously turned daily classroom to own views of what discipline, teaching could be; thus there were many unorthodox happenings for classroom procedures. Stressed writing heavily as a profession one could pursue and still remain there . . otherwise a bleak future for the young . . many poor. Entire experience and reactions . . really used place as a Intsitute of Advanced Thinking test laboratory of own ideas . . was written as SCIED later for a newspaper in Sweden and as projected extension chapter for I've Left. Students took part in a national poetry writing plan for high schools; some work was accepted from my group. During three-week "potatoe picking vacation" during which schools close so students can help their parents harvest the fall crops wife and I went north by bus to Fort Kent and west to the Allagash, hence by bus around tip of northern Maine to St. Leonard, hence eastward around the outer edge of New Brunswick (had gone around Gaspe Peninsula earlier from New York City, circa 1933) hence to Moncton home of Grandfather Rogers' relatives and pleasant memories of my boyhood visits there reseeing his relatives for the first time in 30 years, hence by air to Halifax, Nova Scotia (ammunition ship blew up there . . heard in Houlton when very young), by air to Gander Newfoundland, by train to St. John's, hence by air back to Sydney, by bus and ferries to Prince Edward Island (missing Pugwash learned later . . home of science-thought, national cooperation school by industrialist born there, name unceratin now), hence to Moncton for more visits, then by private car to Portland for Maine Teachers's Convention, and bus back to Ashland with interview for press in Houlton. Using a study table in gym for leverage a group of farm boys threw me several feet. Landed on my back. Had exiting french classes with no english allowed. Class debates, etc. with complications involving much destruction of living quarters during Halloween and a student-led investigation.

Stayed on at 10 Presque Isle Road until after Xmas, writing what Henry Miller Said & Why It Is Important, hiked country-side and started pages of The Wastemaker. Left by hired car for Madawaska in January. Hiked hills, river's side, Edmundston. lived first over beauty