Catching Up

…or trying to.

We’ve been sick, on and off, for the past three weeks, with Patrick’s surgery (a man-thing he had to get fixed), three bouts with the flu plus that nasty cold with the cough. It’s been yucky. And lately I think I might have a kidney stone. So it’s oodles of fun down here on the health farm.

But I’m officially self-employed now with a couple of great clients who make me happy, working on their PR needs. I’ll post links to them as their events happen.

The Red Hills Review spiritual readings event Nov. 30 went off beautifully, though not with a huge audience. It was really nice. The readers and participants were as follows:

Julia Park, “Ruah” (poem)
Jack Buckley, Psalm 13 “How long, O Lord?”
Natasha Chacon, St Joseph Notre Dame High School, “I am Afraid” (Honorable Mention Poetry, Alameda Literati Youth Writing Contest 2005) (poem)
David Baker, “When the Sun Turns Blood Red” (poem)
Henry Leung, Alameda Community Learning Center, “Even the Little Fish Love to Swim” (First Place Poetry, Alameda Literati Youth Writing Contest 2005)
Natasha Miller, “Air on the G String,” Johann Sebastian Bach (violin)
Shawna Lisk-Sprester, “Villanelle: Not My Country, October 2001” (poem) [note – did not make it to the event]Nick Petrulakis, “High Fidelity” (short first-person essay)
Mia Romero, “Scarecrow” (dance)
Julia Park, “Questions of Immense Significance” (short first-person essay)
Henry Leung, “The Little Things” (poem)
David Baker ,”Christ Said” (poem)
Elizabeth Peláez Norris, “After the Rain” (poem)
Michael Denten, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” Traditional Advent antiphon (a capella)

I had also created a musical soundtrack with a number of popular songs for before the event and afterward, which added to the experience. They included:
One Love/People Get Ready, Bob Marley; Spirit in the Sky, The Kentucky Headhunters; Lake of Fire (Unplugged), Nirvana; Counting Blue Cars, Dishwalla; Flood, Jars of Clay; If God is a DJ, Pink; Personal Jesus, Depeche Mode; St. Teresa, Joan Osborne; Dear God, XTC; Jesus Walks, Kanye West; Hallelujah, Rufus Wainwright; Scarecrow, Melissa Ethridge; All You Need is Love, David Linden Hall; Over the Rainbow, Iz.

(Thanks to my fiance Patrick Tracey, my new friend Dan Jewett and my youngest daughter Ana for their assistance in selecting the songs.)

As you can see, it was a truly beautiful evening. Here’s what I wrote about the content of the event in the program:

“From Shawna Lisk-Sprester’s disenchantment in a post-Sept. 11 world to Henry Leung’s awe and wonder at the sound of the word “hope”; from the torture of Matthew Shepard on a fence in Laramie,Wyoming, to Melissa Ethridge’s plea for love and forgiveness; from Kanye West’s stand against racism, terrorism and corporate greed to Natasha Chacon’s prayer for strength in the voice of a young Muslim boy, we call to the Creator. Joan Osborne compares a homeless heroin addict to the ecstasy of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, while Elizabeth Peláez Norris’s poem feels like a psalm. David Baker’s celebration of life amidst personal pain echoes the hope in Psalm 13, and in the traditional antiphons found in the hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel. In these many voices, we reach, we ache, we aspire to believe.

“May you find faith, hope and love as you celebrate your winter holidays.”

So that was it, and very sorry if you missed it. Next time, if there is a next time, will be completely different.

Lots to yak about here but my hands are freezing (no heat in my apartment — yet — PG&E comes Tuesday to light my fire). I could go on a rant — but my hands are too cold. So let’s just say brrrrr and get on with it.

Note to Aspiring Writers: Learn how to type with gloves. The garret gets cold.

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