Hi, everyone. I am very excited to announce that my wife, Amy Ettinger, will read with me on October 10, 7 p.m, at the Schiro Room, adjacent to the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, located in Martin Luther King, Jr. Library at SJSU, not to be confused, under any circumstances, with the Steinbeck Museum down in Salinas, although my mentioning of this distinction will probably cause even more confusion. A reception will follow. Amy Ettinger has written for the New York Times, New York Magazine, the Huffington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, Sierra, Backpacker and other publications. Her personal essays delve into issues ranging from parenthood, childhood, mortality, creative competition among spouses and growing up on “the other side” of Silicon Valley. She will read a selection from her recent work. I am a former Steinbeck Fellow, an occasional teacher and freelance travel writer, the institutional voice of…
Month: June 2012
Cheryl Strayed at the Capitola Book Cafe: “My feet are fine. They’ve been restored to their original beauty. It’s taken a while for my toenails to grow back.”
Plus: Mary Karr sings and dances, and much more. Well, it’s been a very eventful month here in Santa Cruz, and since I always bring my little black notebooks to all these events anyhow, I figured I’d share a few journal highlights with you. Never, in all my years, did I think I’d get to see the great memoirist and poet Mary Karr shimmying, shaking her hair, stomping her boots and singing back-up vocals — and in one case, lead vocals! — with songwriting legend Rodney Crowell at the Rio Theatre right here in Santa Cruz. In a couple of instances, I had to pinch myself to see if I was hallucinating. Was Mary Karr really up there on the stage, enthusiastically harmonizing to –>“It’s Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night that Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long?” Karr, who must have very good genes — she looked…
Mary Karr and Rodney Crowell at the Rio Theater
I live almost across the street from the Rio; how could I not go? If I have a spare moment I will try to give you a report right here. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
Cactus Eaters reader photo of the week: reading in the highest peaks
Thank you, John Murray, for sharing this picture with me today (it’s his daughter, Chelsea, reading my book out in the Himalayas. As far as I know, that is the second farthest point my book has ever traveled.) And thank you, readers — keep those photos and messages coming. http://cactuseaters.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default