County Corner: Bly was a welcome and welcoming presence here

The passing of Robert Bly, a well-known poet and author of "Iron John," brought back many memories for me as a longtime reporter and resident of the Moose Lake area.

Bly lived in the Twin Cities area with his wife, Ruth, but the couple had a second home in Moose Lake on the shore of Moosehead Lake. His first wife, Carol Bly, also lived in the Moose Lake area for a number of years. They shared children and co-parented them until they were grown.

I remember when Bly once brought a request to the Moose Lake city council. He wanted to move a log cabin to his property in town and set it between his house and the lakeshore. But there was a platted road along the lakeshore that had never been developed.

After the city conducted the proper hearings and there were no protests, the city vacated the road, and Bly had his cabin moved to the site.

That is where Bly did his writing, I later learned. No one was allowed to come to the cabin to disrupt his writing environment.

My former boss, Skip Hanson, told me of the time that Bly came to the newspaper office and faxed 88 pages of handwritten copy to his publisher. The charge for each page faxed at the time was $2.

"No one but someone like him could get by sending in handwritten pages," Skip said.

Bly appeared on the same stage as Bob Dylan when he was invited to share his poetry in Russia. It was quite an honor for him to share his work with the Russians and to meet Dylan.

I interviewed him about the trip later. Meeting Robert Bly in person was an honor for this small-town journalist. I felt humbled and in another world there in his home. I couldn't believe that I was still in Moose Lake.

There would be other visits and another interview after Bly published "Iron John: A Book About Men."

Bly brought his "Valentine's Gift to the Community" by sharing a reading of his poems and work with interested community members at Hope Lutheran Church. Several people were invited to Bly's home for a social gathering after the performance.

I remember when Bly spoke about just one part of the brain being used when someone read a poem. And then he picked up a stringed instrument and played it. He told the group to notice how the other half of their brains opened up when music was played when he recited his poem.

Bly shared his work with members of the community for many years on or around Valentine's Day, first at Hope Lutheran and later at Joe Jitters Coffee House.

"He was of the old order," said Automba resident and writer Dan Reed, after he learned of Bly's passing. "I liked him a lot. He asked very probing questions. He was the kind of guy that when you spoke to him, you had his undivided attention. He maintained eye contact. He was interested in every individual and had a quick wit. He was very personable and very warm. He had a great sense of humor."

Dan's aunt Laverne had Bly come to her home and speak for a women's retreat. He told about fairy tales that were 10,000 years old or older. They were originally recited not as children's stories, but stories about life for adults.

Bly recited several fairy tales and told what each one meant.

I was there, too. Women sat all around the room and at his feet. Bly liked intimate audiences where each person sat close and listened intently.

Reed remembered that Bly's Moose Lake home was damaged in the 2012 flood. "That curtailed his coming to Moose Lake," Dan said.

But the memories of spending time with Bly remain. Those were times I felt I was in the presence of greatness.

"He truly was a gift to our area," Reed said.