james dickey

Last weekend I was asked to attend a conference at the University of South Carolina on the 10th anniversary of James Dickey's death. Acclaimed poet, author of Deliverance, and mentor to hundreds, Dickey taught in Columbia for nearly thirty years. Along with Pat Conroy, James Dickey is one of the two great literary figures South Carolina has produced since World War II. Their poetry and prose form gigantic rocky peaks still looming over all aspiring writers wanting to float their voices out on South Carolina's literary waters.

Earlier this month I was asked to be on a panel in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with poet and novelist James Dickey's oldest son, Christopher, and Payson Kennedy, the founder of the Nantahala Outdoor Center and one of the stunt doubles for the filming of "Deliverance." Next year "Deliverance" will be 35 years old, and it continues to resonate with those who remember seeing it the first time or have come to view it since its release. Over a hundred people came out, and when the moderator asked for a show of hands everyone present had seen the film.