He lent it to me when I visited the Poughkeepsie station. I still have it in my possession because he wanted the readers to sign it, show it some love.
Back in the day, when I first wrote Poughkeepsie, the image of a handsome man playing a piece of cardboard like a piano captured me.
As the story developed, the cardboard piano even developed its own back story. It was also one of the hardest chapters I ever wrote. (And Mouse's chapter, of course.)
I still remember writing with tears rolling down my face when Blake made a huge decision involving the piano.
So when I was arranging pictures for the book's trailer, I tried and tried to find an image of a keyboard sketched on cardboard. Finally, I broke down and drew it myself. I was at my in-law's house and my husband and I were going to stop at the Poughkeepsie station for some pictures. I went down to my in-law's basement and found a fairly beat up cardboard box. I ripped off a piece, grabbed a Sharpie, and went to town. I sucked at it. I went downstairs and tore at that poor box again and handed the marker to my husband.
"You need to draw this. Pretend to be a teenager. And write manly." He did a good job (he always writes manly- I was just busting his chops.) Then I spent a few minutes adding age to it by sandpapering warn spots on the cardboard, imagining Blake's repetitive touch at the station. Then I rolled and unrolled it a million times.
Next, it was time for the piano's photo shoot. It was a liquid hot day in New York. (We come visiting up from Maryland twice a year.) My husband was the photographer and I was in charge of the model. To get the shots I wanted, I found myself crawling over metal guardrails that had been baking all day. I could almost hear my pale, wimpy skin sizzling.
We took some dumb pictures and we took some that worked.
Here are some of both types. I was very pleased that we weren't arrested.
So now I'm letting this baby out in the world.
I'm so very excited to see the piano with you!
The piano has been touring since January, 2012. If you'd like to request a stop, fill in the contact form and enter your snail mail address in the message section. We'll add you to the list. Currently, we're booked through the end of 2013, but we want everyone to have the opportunity to be a part of the wonder that is Poughkeepsie.
When it's your turn, take the piano out and about to your favorite local landmarks. Please take a picture of it in your town or by something you love.
Write a short note to Blake sharing your adventure with the piano. Email your pictures and Piano tale to wheres.pough@gmail.com and we'll add them to Blake's Piano Tour!
A few important points to note if you choose to join us:
Please be considerate.
By signing up for the piano tour, you're agreeing to share your snail mail address with other members. (It will in no way be posted publicly on this page or shared in any other way.)
More than forty people have signed up and in order for everyone to have a turn with the piano, we ask that you PLEASE plan your piano tour in advance so that you can be shipping it to the next person in a timely manner. We will do everything in our power to ensure that you know ahead of time when you'll be receiving the piano.
If you have an event coming up that will preclude you from participating at a certain time, please leave a note in the message with your address, so the date can be taken into consideration when scheduling piano visits.
If this doesn't sound right for you, please refrain from signing up.
And finally... Blake's Cardboard Piano Tour is meant to be a fun way for readers to interact with one another.
While you've got Blake's Piano, have fun!!
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