Life after homelessness in Santa Cruz: honoring the work of Stephen Nelson

Forgive the sudden change of tone, my four loyal readers, but I have a story with serious import to share. Here is a bit of inspiration for you this morning. It’s about a man who thought he’d lost everything, only to wake up one day and realize that his life of misfortune contained a template for actual change — not just his change but other people’s, too. I interviewed him at some length on Monday and based my story on our talk, and my conversations with several other folks who know him well. Meanwhile,  mark your calendars for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation. And in case you missed it, here is my interview with the 2012 keynote speaker Nikki Giovanni and my story about the upcoming ceremony, featuring activist and educational activist Robert Moses. And yes, it goes without saying that I will be there at the ceremony….

Another update

I did, in fact, get completely lost on the way to the big Catamaran reception. I thought I could take a shortcut by going on Graham Hill Road, but I ended up behind a locked, residents-only security gate so I had to dogleg over Highway 17 and ask directions at the hotel near Pasatiempo. I finally figured it out, and it was a great evening. I had a nice talk with Belle Yang, a wonderful graphic novelist (her most recent book is Forget Sorrow) who designed a gorgeous cover for the upcoming Catamaran. Just wait until you see it. I also had a chance to talk with Robert Sward and his work in progress. He’ll have a poem in an upcoming issue of the magazine — not the next one but the one after that. There was a lot of excitement about our soon-to-be-published next issue, which focuses on the West Coast…

Update

My three readers (all of whom I know on a first name basis) should feel less self-conscious about writing in. Here is the latest update. I was very pleased with the turnout and reception to Amy’s class. Very heartening to see. I finished up the Q and A that will appear in the next issue of Catamaran, featuring Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, and tonight I am going to a special reception for the magazine and its supporters. Slightly nervous that I will get lost on the way to the party. It will be up in Pasatiempo — I hardly know that area at all. Still reading many books — especially Katherine Boo’s Behind The Beautiful Forevers, though I’ve been cheating on it with other things — and juggling  projects, though I’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to finish every long form and short form piece that I begin. This means that I’ll need…

Amy Ettinger in praise of “slacker parenting” with update at the bottom

My talented wife, Amy Ettinger, has a thought-provoking story up in the Huffington Post in praise of “slacker parenting.” (note the scare quotes. Our kid is the opposite of slacker!!) I loved this story, and so will you. By the way, Amy will be teaching a class on writing about parenthood at the Capitola Book Cafe from 1 to 4 p.m. on January 26.  And here is that story in the Huffington Post for your reading pleasure. She is getting tons of positive feedback for this one. And this just in — a new story about Amy, her writing and upcoming workshop in today’s Santa Cruz Sentinel. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default

Reading these now ….

Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston: Farewell To Manzanar. I am interviewing Jeanne Houston tomorrow in person in Santa Cruz. Among other things, we’ll talk about the 40th anniversary of a memoir that  sold about a million copies, went through more than 60 printings, and forced generations of Americans (including countless thousands of young readers) to remember a shameful episode of World War II history.   I just read it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was blown away by its combination of straight-up journalistic style and lyrical, fantastical flourishes. It is easy to see why the book has so much staying power. Hard to believe, but the mass relocation of an entire group of loyal Americans to Manzanar and other desert prison encampments took place a mere seven decades ago. Looking forward to our conversation, which you will be able to read in excerpted form…

Sandwich ruins “Argo”

It is just my luck that the woman sitting me during the 1:10 p.m. Sunday showing of “Argo” at Century Cinemas 16 (in Mountain View) was eating an extremely loud, crunchy,  drippy, soggy, pickle-filled, oniony sandwich throughout the duration of Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort. Every so often, the smell would die down, and I could concentrate on the enjoyable movie, a mixture of comedy, skullduggery, and old-fashioned suspense. But just when I was getting into it, really losing myself in the film, another wave of oily stench would rise up above the crowded theater. My row-mate noisily unwrapped and masticated her foot-long grinder, sending showers of sauerkraut,  secret sauce and ham all over the people sitting near her.   One man sitting close to me was so thoroughly festooned with lettuce and onions that I could not make out his facial features.  “Argo” was a fine movie,  based on what…

Writing about parenthood with Amy Ettinger at the Capitola Book Cafe

“Have you cracked the parenting code for how to turn your kids into little angels who share toys and play on their own for hours? Have you battled the Tiger Mom who lives next door and won? Do you have some special insight about raising well-adjusted kids, but need an audience to share it with? Then don’t miss the writer Amy Ettinger’s upcoming class on this thorny topic, entitled “Diapers, Sleep Deprivation and Dating Daughters.”  The class is starting to fill up — and right now, Amy is getting heaps of publicity and great feedback for her recent, button-pushing story in the Huffington Post, explaining why she is raising our daughter to be a ‘slacker’ (note the strategically placed square quotation marks). Expect to hear some no-holds-barred juicy insider tidbits about parent-lit and the writing life, and get great feedback about your own writings in this intensive course. Here is…

Insidious Gomphitis and more: Santa Cruz Fungus Festival 2013

My God. Has the time come around so quickly? Is it time for me to gear up, for the thousandth time, and head out to the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair? My eyes bugged out when I realized that the fair is now in its 39th year! That means 19 years have passed since I first set foot in this festival dedicated entirely to fungus. That year I went to an event called “Fungal Favorites: A Taste Test” and watched bearded, Guatemalan-sweater-wearing locals manhandle, squeeze and even sniff such fungi as the “big laughing mushroom,” the “insidious gomphidius,” the “sheep’s head floccularia,” the “cute conic waxy cap” along with the “poison pie” and the “cloudy clitocybe.” As I recall, some of the edible mushrooms had less-than-edible-sounding descriptions. Take, for instance, the ‘delicious milk cap,” which is “thought to be more delicious by Europeans than Americans. This sturdy orange mushroom becomes slimy…

Coming soon (I have not forgotten about you)

Thanks for checking this every day, even though I haven’t put an update on here for a while. Check back for my New Year’s resolution, and news of my recent trip to a remote desert in Southern Calfornia, where I stumbled, unexpectedly, on various scenes from The Cactus Eaters (and stumbled into the book itself! Crazy. I wasn’t even thinking about the book in any way, shape or form during this trip and yet I kept colliding with it. It was like being caught up in a wormhole through time.) I hope you are doing well and resting up after your long, crazy holiday celebrations. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default