But its clear that the oral tradition is here to stay. Legends of giant bears, poems of sweet love and magical fairy tales are passed down from aged men to excited youth year after year.
Words transport the thoughts and dreams of wise men and magnificently strong-willed women.
For the ninth-consecutive summer the Beach Bards Bonfire is providing Glen Arbor with its transport of words. Every Friday night, on the beach of Lake Michigan, a faint little rumble is audible through the rustling leaves and lapping of water. It's the sound of anxious people inheriting the words dealt them by others around the fire. And like participants in a new fashion trend, many of the onlookers at the weekly bonfire feel compelled to join the cause, thus upholding the tradition. Over the course of its nine-year existence, crowd participation has increased dramatically at the affair, which takes place on the Leelanau School beach.