Add snow and turn up the heat.
OK, so we’ve finally had our “cold”snap and it’s not 110 in the shade any more. But before that happened I needed a different kind 
of steamy to take my mind off the heat. What better than Christmas romance. Turn to Christine Rimmer’s Scrooge and the Single Girl. Snow covered cabin, grumpy but hunky guy, Christmas music on the radio, and the lead lady complete with scumptious holiday fixings and junk food. Toss in ghostly appearances, cat and dog drama and you’ve got the perfect diversion from the heat. Christine Rimmer does a great job serving up romance through her Bravo family stories. This one is part of the Sons of Caitlin Bravo. If you don’t know about the Bravo books, here’s a handy list and summary of titles straight from Christine. All excellent for summer reading. (And she’s an Oklahoma Author)
Recently someone questioned my reading romances. Just when you think everyone has gotten past that sort of silliness. So I was talking to one of my romance reading colleagues about this and she didn’t get it either. Here’s why we think women continue to read romance (and the statistics prove it); the women are always strong characters, they don’t settle for second best. They usually have a good sense of humor, and interesting jobs. The men are strong and good looking, but once caught are devoted to the one girl. (no off to Argentina with a soulmate for these guys) They are not afraid to be romantic. And we know It’s all going to work out in the end, the right girl, the right guy. Nothing wrong with Happily Ever After. If you need unhappily ever after just turn on the television, pick up a celebrity rag or surf the net.
I do get the reality of relationships, I just like to take a break. So for those scrooges of romance, here’s my favorite poem by Marge Piercy.
What’s That Smell in the Kitchen?
All over America women are burning dinners.
It’s lambchops in Peoria: it’s haddock
in Providence; it’s steak in Chicago:
tofu delight in Big Sur; red rice and beans in Dallas.
All over America women are burning food they’re supposed to bring with calico smile on
platters glittering like wax.
Anger sputters in her brainpan, confined but spewing out missiles of hot fat.
Carbonized despair presses like a clinker
from a barbecue against the back of her eyes.
If she wants to grill anything, it’s
her husband spitted over a slow fire.
If she wants to serve him anything it’s a dead rat with a bomb in its belly ticking like the
heart of an insomniac.
Her life is cooked and digested,
nothing but leftovers in Tupperware.
Look, she says, once I was roast duck
on your platter with parsley but now I am Spam.
Burning dinner is not incompetence but war.
What’s on Your Nightstand?
What have you been reading these last dog days of summer? Like Kitty, I’m usually reading more than one book at a time.
Here’s what’s on my nightstand:
• Supersense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable by Bruce Hood (Beyond culture and the handing down of beliefs, Hood thinks there is something inherent in our nature that makes us believe the unbelievable.)
• The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (An adventure in an alternate world, where people really–I mean, *really*–value literature. What kind of drugs is this author taking?)
• The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham. (Latest installment of maybe the best comic/graphic novel series ever!)
(If you’ve been following this blog, you may be interested to know that Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land is no longer on the nightstand!)
And what has been taking up Miss Kitty’s time?
• No Going Back by Lyndon Stacey (An ex-cop and his retired police dog solve a crime.)
• Women, Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything by Geneen Roth (It’s about our relationship with food.)
• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (A modern-day woman discovers she has a connection to the Salem Witch Trials.)
Plus, Kitty says she’s so fed up with this weather she’s getting ready to read a Christmas romance: Scrooge and the Single Girl by Oklahoma’s own Christine Rimmer.
OK, now it’s your turn. What have you been reading this hot, hot season?
Hmmm… with all these titles, I wonder how many categories I should tag? Let’s see…
Sugar Mule’s Oklahoma Writing edition
Need some quick summer Okie reading,
M.L. Weber, editor of Sugar Mule: A Literary Magazine, announces a special double-edition of Oklahoma Writing, edited by Jeanetta Calhoun Mish. The issue is now online at http://www.sugarmule.com/35frame.htm or you can enter through the home page, at www.sugarmule.com. Keep a look out for the print edition, to be published by Mongrel Empire Press (Norman, OK) in early 2011.
Take a taste of Alvin Turner’s fare,
Ranch Proprieties
She keeps a 22 rifle on her dining room table
loaded with bird shot
that she uses to
“teach manners to the varmints”
who might hope to savor
her cats or chicks.
Others may conclude rightly,
hers is not the place to forget
one’s raising, or how to act
in the presence of a lady.
Take a Letter
Young Bill Young here.
I’ve read three books recently that are composed as letters to the reader from the author. Rather than traditional scholarly works, these are opinion pieces where the author is specifically arguing a point of view. In each case, the author has felt the need to “respond” to a particular issue. Interestingly, the approach of addressing the readers via this format begs the audience (much more than traditional non-fiction books) to have a reaction: to nod in agreement, shake their head in disagreement, and to think about the issues themselves.
David Boren’s A Letter to America is in response to the cynical bipartisanship in American government. It’s a thoughtful read that calls for a truce between the waring parties to solve the problems our country faces.
Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation is in response to the many letters he received following the publication of his book The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. Harris argues against the dangers of religion. Not surprisingly, members of the faith community have offered their own letters in response: Letter to a Christian Nation: Counter Point by RC Metcalf and Letter from a Christian Citizen by Douglas Wilson.
In The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot, author Naomi Wolf warns that the Bush administration’s post-911 policies threaten our civil rights and our way of life.
I don’t know if these books have changed any minds, but I started wondering if their success was turning into a trend in literature: the book as letter as opinion piece. A search on the Internet says “probably not.” Recent titles do include Hill Harper’s Letters to a Young Brother and Letters to a Young Sister, but Harper’s works were inspired by Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke, a recent compilation of correspondence written in 1903. These books, like Maya Angelou’s Letter to My Daughter, are about inspiration and the passing on of wisdom and advice, not about changing public opinion or arguing for new policies.
My online search did turn up a wonderful book that I’m definitely going to investigate: Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain. This compilation of fragments, short stories and essays was published in 1962. The title piece includes “letters written by Satan to his fellow angels about the shameless pride and foolishness of humans,” according to a review on the Amazon.com site. Now, those are some letters I want to read!
It’s Pride Week! Read a Book!
Young Bill Young here.
Once upon a time, there was a gay teenager in America who would not share his “secret” with anyone; not his teachers, not his friends, not his siblings, and (God forbid!) certainly not his parents. Instead, he kept this part of his identity completely to himself, waiting for the day when he met like-minded individuals, when he could finally and openly share and discuss his unique nature in this world.
Even when he was a child, before he knew he was gay, there were other boys in school who saw he was different, and they called him names and bullied him. But he hung on, because he had a loving family, because he had good friends, because he was curious, because he could read, and because he did read. His father had a collection of books and magazines about science and the natural world. His mother signed him up for a children’s book club and read to him. His sister introduced him to the world of comic books and short stories. When he became a teenager, he went to the library and investigated many things, including a natural phenomenon known as “homosexuality.”
Eventually, he grew to adulthood and finally did meet those like minded individuals. He discovered he was not alone (he always knew this) and that most people, whether straight or gay, were loving and accepting, and ready to welcome him. And he lived happily ever after.
This is not a fairy tale. (Pun most definitely intended.) It’s real, and I lived it. And it’s a story that goes on even today in our country. It’s encouraging that society is increasingly becoming more knowledgeable and understanding of human sexuality, and I know it must be much easier for many young gay teenagers today. But I also know that there is a darker story that continues to play out across the states; one where rejection by loved ones, ostracization, isolation, and hateful speech from the pulpit and the political arena can lead young people to very different ends: depression, drug and alcohol abuse, risky behavior, and even suicide.
We know that reading entertains. It educates, it inspires, and sometimes it is a literal lifeline. How many of us turn to books, be they spiritual or secular, for solace and assistance when times are tough? The intellectual pursuit of knowledge and understanding helps. Books help. I remember how popular The Lord is my Shepherd and He Knows I’m Gay, by Reverend Troy G. Perry, was with some of my crowd. It helped these people bridge the gap between their religious upbringing and the truth of their nature.
Today’s gay teenagers have a wealth of literary lifelines to explore and to help them find their place in the world. The Today Show’s website has an excellent article: Teen books with gay themes take off. The article includes a quote from a 15-year-old teen that makes me burst with joy:
“I see the characters trickling into the mainstream genres. I really like that,” Brent said. “It makes being gay feel natural, which it is, of course. Books give you hope.”
Books give you hope. It sounds like a marketing slogan for the publishing industry, yet we know it to be profound and true.
It’s Gay Pride Week in OKC. The gay pride events across the nation have always been about hope: hope that the world will change and the LGBT community will soon enjoy the same rights and freedoms as other citizens. Today, gay Americans are discovering this hope at a much earlier age.
(By the way, don’t miss the reference to the House of Night series by Oklahoma’s own mother-daughter writing team, P.C. and Kristen Cast, in the article.)
One Hit Wonders
Nope, I’m not talking about pop music. Huffington Post has a slide show of the 12 most famous one hit literary wonders, including our very own Ralph Ellison. Take a gander and then talk amongst yourselves.
News from Oklahoma Authors
Carolyn Leonard has sent out a Writers reminder for May 2010. Have a peek to see all the writing news, events and workshops going on. Thanks Carolyn for keeping us updated.
I talked to Una Belle Townsend at the Oklahoma Library Association meeting . If you haven’t met Una Belle, then you missed meeting a fantastic person as well as a great children’s book author. She gave me a business card with a new Oklahoma authors website for Childrens Authors and Illustrators.
First entry are great pictures from the Oklahoma Center for the Book Awards, I hope they don’t mind my sharing these here. There’s biographical information, upcoming events, works by the different authors, a one stop shopping for Oklahoma Children’s Authors.
Tammi Sauer and George Edward Stanley with their medals.
Rock’n'Roll is here to stay
Two books by two Oklahoma authors that rock and roll Baby Boomers should be heading out to get.
First, is a fictional account of small town Oklahoma musician (Sally Moore), and her journey in search of the big dream. Confessions of a Former Rock Queen by Kirk Bjornsgaard is her story; her accomplishments, her drive to succeed, her relationships with the men in her life, and her final understanding of what’s important. Kirk shows his musical expertise throughout the writing of this book. It flows as smoothly as a good song. It’s important to me that male authors can write believable female characters, and Kirk does an excellent job; especially in his portrayal of Sally during the rapidly changing social and family roles of the sixties.
It’s a nostalgic read for us Baby Boomers; “garage bands”, Janis Joplin, the Beatles, country music v. rock, the draft and the women’s movement, and the fact that every event in our life has a song playing in the background. This book is a finalist in the 2010 Oklahoma Center for the Book, Oklahoma Book Award Fiction category. It’s also a reminder to remember our true self, and the importance of family and friends.
Next book for you rock and rollers, Rock Band Name Origins: The Stories of 240 Groups and Performers. Greg Metzer, Edmond attorney has set out to detail the origin of 240 band names from the 1960′s through today. This book has gathered interesting tidbits about each band including year the act formed, band names considered and rejected , the original members and the band’s best known hit. The bands are listed in alphabetical order and include everyone from Buffalo Springfield, Meat Loaf to Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains and everyone in between. Looking for some fun rock trivia, want to remember your rock and roll past, give both these books a read.
Here’s Bam’s take on the book and a nice picture of the author.
The Yard Dog by Sheldon Russell
I like reading about places I’ve visited. I’ve been to the railroad depot in Waynoka, had a nice lunch at the Mexican restaurant (the Harvey House no longer exists) but hospitality is still prevalent in Waynoka. Historically Waynoka is very interesting. Home to Okahoma’s largest rail yard, Santa Fe’s Railway Ice Company, the Transcontinental Air Transport, and branch camp for Camp Alva Prisoner of War facility. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture, “ Clothed in surplus military fatigues conspicuously stenciled with “PW,” German soldiers picked row crops and cotton, harvested wheat and broom corn, manned the Santa Fe Railroad’s ice plant at Waynoka, cut underbrush and timber in the basin of Lake Texoma, served as hospital orderlies, and worked on ranches.” The rail yard and the POW’s are the basis for Russell’s engaging mystery, The Yard Dog. (link to James A. Moore review)
Spark Dugan, living on the outskirts of town, on the outskirts of life, a little slow but well meaning ends his life under a reefer train. Reefer trains haul perishable products; fruits and vegetables, stopping for ice at the Waynoka yards.
Everyone is ready to dismiss his death as a little too much drink, except the Yard Dog, Hook Runyon. So we have our detective, well he is law enforcement, well sorta. He’s hired to keep out bums, rail jumpers and pick pockets. But instead he feels everyone is turning a blind eye to what has been happening at the Waynoka railyard and how some people want to keep the POWs from answering his questions about Dugan’s death. Why does everyone seem to have something to hide?
Then of course there is the arrival of Dr. Reina Kaplan, suddening in charge of re-educating the “Nazi” prisoners at Camp Alva pending America’s winning the war. She’s been banquished to Oklahoma as surely as Hook has been banquished to the rail yards. But Hook is a surprising character. Honest, feisty, self deprecating but a survivor, fond of a little too much moonshine from his friend and confidant, Runt. He is determined to solve the mystery of Spark’s murder.
The plot twists and turns, we look at obsession and greed. Why one man’s desire for possessions proves his salvation and the same desire leads to another man’s destruction. I like the characters, the setting, the plot and obviously two thumbs up for this mystery.
There are a few historical anachronisms that even a history dolt like myself can identify. It takes a little away from the story and I’m surprised they exist with such a strong showing by Russell. But don’t hesitate to give this book a read, I loved it, passing it along to colleagues, it’s an Oklahoma author and story you won’t want to miss.
Hot theater for a cold Oklahoma, August: Osage County
Young Bill Young and I ventured forth through the snowy, icy mess into Tulsa for the Sunday matinee performance of August: Osage County. (Actually the Turner Turnpike was in good shape) I am so glad we perservered, exchanged our Thursday night tickets and finally arrived at the theater to find they thought we should have been there on Saturday. But with the help of the Performing Arts Center staff we got great seats on the third row right in the middle!!
The stage setting is a three story cut away house. All the action takes place on various floors of the house, starting with Beverly Weston sitting in his office explaining to the new hired help the eccentricities of the Weston household. Beverly Weston drinks, Violet Weston takes pills. The play unfolds as Beverly disappears; the impetus for the return of the Weston girls, with husband, child and fiance and Violet’s sister, husband and grown son. The return of the family to the Pawhuska home reveals a tinderbox of hostility and every dysfunction imaginable.
The acting was superb. The play program has an article on Estelle Parsons who wonderfully portrays a drugged up, foul mouthed, controlling Violet. Shannon Cochran plays Barb Fordham, the oldest daugher, going through a failing marriage, accompanied by an angry daughter and a desire to strangle her mother (which she almost accomplishes in the second act). Ivy Weston (Angelica Torn) is the family doormat, and Karen Weston (Amy Warren) the non-stop talking, self absorbed, but needy last child.
The play has plenty of comedy, we couldn’t survive the three hour drama unfolding without it. Some of the most memorable lines are the funniest. Most I can’t repeat here because NewsOk might censor the language, but take my word on it.
I’ve read the play but it’s so much better when you see it performed. But if you’ve missed your chance to go see it, head on out to the bookstore, or library and get yourself a copy. (I think they should have sold copies of the play at the play.)
Bill and I talked this morning about how much it stays with you. The images, dialogue and characters linger. Oklahoma’s own Tracy Letts has delivered the real thing with this play, and thanks for letting it come to Oklahoma.
For an opening night review read the Tulsa World.
