tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67819935648735976272024-03-12T19:50:22.322-07:00 Jim Provenzano - AuthorThemes and inspiration from the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of the novels <br>Finding Tulsa, Now I'm Here, Every Time I Think of You, its sequel Message of Love, plus Cyclizen, <br>Monkey Suits, PINS and the short story collection Forty Wild Crushes. Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-62443645490134657432024-01-15T14:05:00.000-08:002024-01-15T14:12:52.418-08:00"The Lost of New York" - Family history, authorial advances, and technological hindrances<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoS8b0Bhqd5U_YFdTN_Ps7Uiedub6rysMG0R8usiztZbuofO4Wq_MxUfOSeeB3_GGpeRAeLcNTCgNB_SD_0GdP3M_iT5czMH78QGCePTes58-3hRqMX5qAjuYxeZ08sy2aDb0gE1FgZc07FYzKv0pzzxUmW3Jk1cCHsJ8rlvG9kiVA02xI0I07BI6Xo_D2/s432/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%20trailer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="432" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoS8b0Bhqd5U_YFdTN_Ps7Uiedub6rysMG0R8usiztZbuofO4Wq_MxUfOSeeB3_GGpeRAeLcNTCgNB_SD_0GdP3M_iT5czMH78QGCePTes58-3hRqMX5qAjuYxeZ08sy2aDb0gE1FgZc07FYzKv0pzzxUmW3Jk1cCHsJ8rlvG9kiVA02xI0I07BI6Xo_D2/s320/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%20trailer.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />I finally completed the trailer for my late uncle, John Rigney Jr.'s novel, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-New-York-John-Rigney/dp/1087918685/">The Lost of New York</a>." Yes, it was published in May 2022, but as the saying goes, better late than never.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In putting it all together, I realized there was a vast difference between my uncle's ability to hand-type his novel, as well as other stories, never knowing if they'd ever be published. Compare that to my spending a few hours on an upgraded video editing application to try to capture the tone and spirit of his book. This is after spending months scanning, editing and twice formatting it in book form!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you didn't know the background of this book, you can <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/about-5-2" target="_blank">read more on my website</a>, which talks more about uncle Butch's story, and how he managed to assemble a novel, a few short stories, and parts of an incomplete novel. At the time he was dealing with drug addiction, unemployment, and being apparently shipped off to Alaska for a government job in lieu of a federal prison sentence.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFev7RwpWK6GxpDW_FS8P5E8JzzgYv5cGjTip8O8j8ZkBXL4-5AAHqzvaJguylIP9EgEn8d0Uhs03SmsGj3f04L0OAIOLgOZv4DAzLCDyQ13oEMDgg6E5nDU9_vEMoGsR-7VKVtQ5r7zfaEpOMB10Q4hh94SSsjv6pt93f54R_zr_JBbJXZWWUg2_8kd0/s438/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%20manuscript.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFev7RwpWK6GxpDW_FS8P5E8JzzgYv5cGjTip8O8j8ZkBXL4-5AAHqzvaJguylIP9EgEn8d0Uhs03SmsGj3f04L0OAIOLgOZv4DAzLCDyQ13oEMDgg6E5nDU9_vEMoGsR-7VKVtQ5r7zfaEpOMB10Q4hh94SSsjv6pt93f54R_zr_JBbJXZWWUg2_8kd0/s320/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%20manuscript.png" width="241" /></a></div><br />So how did he manage to save all these pages with no such thing as a photocopier in the late 1950s and early '60s? He must've held onto it dearly. Did he own a typewriter? I don't know how he managed to do all this. His history is kind of lost, other than stories from my mother, and remembrances of repeated stories via my brother.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But his sheer determination is what inspires me. I'm pretty sure that the writing instinct comes from my mother's side of the family, although Uncle Butch was the only one who actually got this far. The fact that he'll never know that I actually ended up publishing his book –and made a few editorial changes, but basically tried to get the spirit of it and clean it up a lot– might amuse him. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In putting together the trailer, I was noting how technological advances have made it so much easier to put together a book and promote it. I'm part of the last generation that spans these two eras, the hand-typed manuscript, which I actually did a few times before I had a computer in the 1980s, to the now-commonplace ebook and audiobook. And then we have artificial intelligence that's basically rewriting books in a bootleg style and robots are selling them online.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">For my technological advances over the years, I've had to make changes and adjustments and adapt. I have a website. I have a blog. I have social media. I've made video trailers for almost all of my books, because I can. Also, I learned all these skills after literary agents failed me, and publishers ghosted me, or were occasionally polite enough to reply with a 'No thanks.'<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo4RGbDFVaizn_v7O8QdI1kDV_INPoVrBo-4fVgSv7DqhpSR3bvPBGQMDwlfhx4Cki7bsAOfxq3YVmm21OhmznKwHbMXsjzFN26LvlXLrirywkbedtmsQ5OJiY0QVL-fHn8qTueRfNQFIHEifskmddDmqSQV9ommTM3sJy8Z11-SLRMNEnCjSbT3d2L-g/s423/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%20author.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSo4RGbDFVaizn_v7O8QdI1kDV_INPoVrBo-4fVgSv7DqhpSR3bvPBGQMDwlfhx4Cki7bsAOfxq3YVmm21OhmznKwHbMXsjzFN26LvlXLrirywkbedtmsQ5OJiY0QVL-fHn8qTueRfNQFIHEifskmddDmqSQV9ommTM3sJy8Z11-SLRMNEnCjSbT3d2L-g/s320/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%20author.png" width="276" /></a></div><br />For Christmas, I bought myself a new Macintosh Mini after 11 years of dealing with an old one from work that was sluggish, but functional. So when I bought the new computer, I knew there would be a lot of changes to make. Specifically the video editing software, which is terrific (Filmora Wondershare; not a plug, but it actually works.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Oh, I also composed the music! I did a lot of that back in the 1980s, and fortunately the song I use totally fits the mood of Butch's book. When I composed and recorded it, we used cassette tapes, kids. The internet was not widely used by the public, and Uncle Butch manuscript sat hidden in a box in my parents' house in the attic.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Anyway, there are a lot of adjustments to make the basic things; moving text, old video, as well as lots of new doodads and ways to move things around. So it's a good thing that I waited to make this trailer, because there were certain things I wanted to do that we're unable to do in the previous version. And in Uncle Butch's time, I don't think there was any kind of book trailer.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXj1dXeCpefwyc1P4DpjzfUARplvstPsJy3_jjxRxkaV4rvrpiQduhMzXRqSGJbx8EeeZflbgHBjw__uF6922eI2O_NRL_m3jyu_nO50mZPi81X-NJzFwYrEBTTaA5Z8PT5oCvUY9J5m4H5M46WfGsHKj8jqQ_DVP-9EZVYvdk5A50X49YKggWny5T_keF/s476/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%20title.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="476" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXj1dXeCpefwyc1P4DpjzfUARplvstPsJy3_jjxRxkaV4rvrpiQduhMzXRqSGJbx8EeeZflbgHBjw__uF6922eI2O_NRL_m3jyu_nO50mZPi81X-NJzFwYrEBTTaA5Z8PT5oCvUY9J5m4H5M46WfGsHKj8jqQ_DVP-9EZVYvdk5A50X49YKggWny5T_keF/s320/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%20title.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />The downside is that with the new computer, I forgot to export my bookmarks, so my passwords for virtually every single website that I use had to be updated and changed and verified, along all that other baloney that goes along with 21st-century technology.<p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not that I'm complaining. Thanks for double-checking to make sure it's actually me doing this blog post, Google!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">As I share my new book trailer on the Internet, perhaps even boost it on social media here and there, I'm happy that I was able to actually get this done. I've actually made a few hundred dollars off of Uncle Butch, so thanks for that. It's basically paid for the cost of publishing, etc. Mostly, it's libraries that have purchased it, another advancement that would make Uncle Butch proud. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I encourage you to give it a try. In <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-of-new-york-jr-john-rigney/1141354568" target="_blank">paperback or e-book</a>, it's a bargain because it's an archival document of lost era in our history, specifically, New York history and that of my family.</span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2GQW7B3bFjU?si=57jW8UyWcq40f4pS" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-66057025207488642292023-12-28T21:04:00.000-08:002023-12-28T21:04:16.668-08:00New book outlets and the "disappearance" of PINS<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbe1jOEI8TQEWFI6pFw81sib17aHNyGEKG_fqRoLiSjwiNl_vURVDhDNMxhMeDouU3Zj2vFidYNgRem07N0J4nQAc8oXKnU4L5s7VMSTKUeHNgNKggiSptIyCYfQB5iVGfen6mNaDd4dVN7DzfxX1Pk2p_pvkfWeC4GI9isL2q876X3zT4LirbA3V4axp/s1208/PINS%20Jim%20Provenzano%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="1208" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizbe1jOEI8TQEWFI6pFw81sib17aHNyGEKG_fqRoLiSjwiNl_vURVDhDNMxhMeDouU3Zj2vFidYNgRem07N0J4nQAc8oXKnU4L5s7VMSTKUeHNgNKggiSptIyCYfQB5iVGfen6mNaDd4dVN7DzfxX1Pk2p_pvkfWeC4GI9isL2q876X3zT4LirbA3V4axp/w391-h264/PINS%20Jim%20Provenzano%20.png" width="391" /></a></div><br />While the holiday shopping season may be over, authors like myself hope that you still consider buying books. A new outlet, along with a recently developed one, provide the opportunity to purchase books like mine from independent booksellers online. <p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">One book that you won't find among those is my first novel <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">PINS</a>. I'll explain why, but first the good news.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://shopqueer.co/search?q=Provenzano">ShopQueer.co</a> is a new LGBTQ-owned online shop co-created by author Eric Servini. They're growing their inventory evevry day, and you can find the best recent LGBTQ books there.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It was very easy to use as an author. I simply entered my ISBNs of my books and in a matter of days they were (almost) all listed. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDG7o8VGCgij5VhWktI7jcupadICCW05iXV1V3pJ7wDMoOGox69UYmfJmQPx8m_AqUYw72vPp9nx4vbzXUgEfZt_r5ZP045j5-husCacdn9K_Ky_I5MlzQ2XnqCIH8ebdKLihUgkP8PrsXoh3bpoQEjP3vljoj9m8kXRSEuVtY9dpKHqzcKWscDQR6Rypq/s196/ShopQueer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="196" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDG7o8VGCgij5VhWktI7jcupadICCW05iXV1V3pJ7wDMoOGox69UYmfJmQPx8m_AqUYw72vPp9nx4vbzXUgEfZt_r5ZP045j5-husCacdn9K_Ky_I5MlzQ2XnqCIH8ebdKLihUgkP8PrsXoh3bpoQEjP3vljoj9m8kXRSEuVtY9dpKHqzcKWscDQR6Rypq/s1600/ShopQueer.png" width="196" /></a></div><br />And with <a href="https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=%22jim+provenzano%22">Bookshop.org</a>, I was able to list almost all my books, including <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/about-5-2" target="_blank">The Lost of New York</a>, <span style="font-family: georgia;">written by my uncle seventy years ago. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The straight-themed novel, which I edited and self-published, doesn't quite fit into a queer-focused seller's inventory (You can read more about that <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/about-5-2" target="_blank">on my website</a>).</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But why is my debut novel far and wide missing from these lists? That's because if you ask a bookseller for the copy, they'll look it up on the wholesalers list like Ingram and Baker and Taylor, which consider it out of print. But that's not true. In fact I still have about 150 copies left.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The problem is, since I closed Myrmidude Press as a DBA, I stopped shipping to Ingram, Baker and Taylor and other smaller book distributors. So, according to them, the book has run its course. You can also find use copies on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/PINS-Jim-Provenzano/dp/096723820X/" target="_blank">Amazon </a>and elsewhere, of course. And via e-books/Kindle, all my other books are available as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Having contacted wholesale buyers/resellers, they don't buy a case full of old books, especially more than 20 years old. Which make sense, but it would be nice if some smart professor added the book to their curriculum lesson that I can to ship some free copies to some university. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">PINS</a></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> was part of nearly a dozen college courses years ago.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But with the flood of new LGBTQ literature, there's really no need for it right now and most people are reading online, and even on their phones. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJx44d3v7RlZwkCMj0-P9hfgaplpZgX_ytlnQB4fnldJZb-0s7XrobLWP_sMDaHz5EhxKIFebqjiuaTZSR-PfqD2mu3UnM430ilg7onLCEdp-2f_dmKmhTvEWUvJM0mX3O-8CHH1K_O7ZN7QNXiB7wAlkhhhkk92b7KIExCmy3ptX6_2s5iYxY0KmMyFA/s468/headlocks%20nutpulls.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJx44d3v7RlZwkCMj0-P9hfgaplpZgX_ytlnQB4fnldJZb-0s7XrobLWP_sMDaHz5EhxKIFebqjiuaTZSR-PfqD2mu3UnM430ilg7onLCEdp-2f_dmKmhTvEWUvJM0mX3O-8CHH1K_O7ZN7QNXiB7wAlkhhhkk92b7KIExCmy3ptX6_2s5iYxY0KmMyFA/s320/headlocks%20nutpulls.png" width="216" /></a></div><br />But what bugs me is the idea that <span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">PINS</a></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> is considered out of print when it actually isn't. Having self-published in a variety of formats, I have found that Ingram is the most dependable and easy for bookstores to find your books. Also, by not publishing through (evil) Amazon, indie booksellers are happier to carry your books. It is a bit of a hassle; you have to input chapter by chapter and the formatting can be difficult with a limited array of fonts. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And if you didn't know, PINS actually had two printings. The first edition was only a thousand copies. It was all just a big experiment to see if it would work. It did. After the success and reviews, I then ordered five thousand copies from the printer in Michigan. I review excerpts to the front and back cover; well, most of them. There were so many! And then cleaned up all the typos and adjusted the coloring on the cover art. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The idea of doing a third printing would put it back in circulation in any bookstore in the world. I'm considering it now and I understand that it's a lot of work when I have other books already in the process. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the meantime, however, if you're reading this, and I know people aren't reading blogs much anymore, but feel free to inquire, send me an e-mail or a DM on my<a href="https://www.facebook.com/JimProvenzanoAuthor/" target="_blank"> Facebook author page</a>, and I'll be happy to send you a few free paperback copies of </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">PINS</a></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> while they last. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Or you could just go to your local library. I recently checked, and was happy to see that <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3D%22Provenzano%2C+Jim%22&limit=10&offset=11&orderBy=publicationDateDesc" target="_blank">84 U.S. libraries have a copy</a>. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So until the next book project is under way, I'll consider revamping PINS one more time. It's done me well with a translation, a stage adaptation and an <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/PINS-Audiobook/B00DQZES4U" target="_blank">audiobook</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Until then, buy my other books, and other authors' books, on </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://shopqueer.co/search?q=Provenzano">ShopQueer.co</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=%22jim+provenzano%22">Bookshop.org</a> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFYZmQZtRJemCMq1nG8ZbGGGU7VlfB-QPujMBhD0nn1nf_RIaCC0OggZdjUS63jsBhShwJJA7ZqdRFhnSR9VzVYksjlZh-5A1ygdhC_GcDYcinbOpVoWBKR9lTMhXH-JRt5dzAo6ocm6QwBLoIlwcCLBBJpz4ZYYz6Bk3oXAMxdQhgq7EdTDVt-T5Wh0h/s1386/PINS%20Jim%20Provenzano%20print%20ebook%20play%20translation%20audiobook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1386" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFYZmQZtRJemCMq1nG8ZbGGGU7VlfB-QPujMBhD0nn1nf_RIaCC0OggZdjUS63jsBhShwJJA7ZqdRFhnSR9VzVYksjlZh-5A1ygdhC_GcDYcinbOpVoWBKR9lTMhXH-JRt5dzAo6ocm6QwBLoIlwcCLBBJpz4ZYYz6Bk3oXAMxdQhgq7EdTDVt-T5Wh0h/w390-h182/PINS%20Jim%20Provenzano%20print%20ebook%20play%20translation%20audiobook.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Among the recent reviews on Amazon, I'll leave you with this expanded insightful rave (with spoilers!) from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3QM0MW6C6J0OX/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B005BZL36O" target="_blank">reader Philip</a>:</span></p><p><span class="cr-widget-FocalReviews" data-hook="cr-widget-FocalReviews" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="a-size-base review-text" data-hook="review-body"><span>"Jim
Provenzano explores the homophobic teenage jock culture which sometimes
can escalate to ugly incidents in his 1999 first novel PINS. The
story is told through the eyes of 15-year-old sophomore Joey Nicci ("his
name was not pronounced Nitchey, but Nee-Chee, after which he was
dubbed Neech") who has just made the varsity squad wrestling team and
fallen for teammate Donald "Dink" Kohrs ("everybody called him Dink
because his penis was small -- Dinky Dick -- but the way it pushed up in
his sweat pants, Joey figured that wasn't always true"). While Neech
and Dink explore their mutual attraction, the team's bullies direct
their homophobic wrath against Anthony "The Whiner" Lambros who not only
is gay but perhaps more damning is a poor athlete who never wins a
match. It's a brutal ending for poor Anthony, and that tragic moment
becomes a turning point for Joey Nicci.</span></span></span></p><p><span class="cr-widget-FocalReviews" data-hook="cr-widget-FocalReviews" style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="a-size-base review-text" data-hook="review-body"><span>"Provenzano provides
an authentic voice in portraying the high school locker room, and
accurately captures every nuanced dynamic in this complex environment.
PINS honestly portrays wrestling's homoerotism and how that can result
into homophobic defenses among teenage boys, and captures the innocent
rough-and-tumble world of boys and how that can escalate into sinister
over-the-line violence.<br /><br />"Joey Nicci is a
likable kid with a Jersey accent -- he wrestles in the "one-twenny-six"
weight class -- that makes me smile each time it comes out but it's not
so constant that you have to be fluent in "Nerk" (translated as "Newark"
in the King's English) in order to understand him. Neech is as nuanced
as the book. He's no choir boy but he's a good kid who in the end does
the right thing after appreciating that one doesn't go along just in
order to belong. It's also refreshing to see a teen character who
genuinely loves his family which is there for him in both the triumphant
and the trying times. "It's an Italian thing," as Joey says.<br /><br />"God
bless Joey Nicci in PINS. Notwithstanding all the homophobic crap that
Neech went through on his high school wrestling team, he found love and
kissed a boy."</span></span></span></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-88948297422374333222023-11-16T11:26:00.000-08:002023-11-16T11:26:45.920-08:00Queen + Adam Lambert - Rhapsodising over the ‘Rhapsody’ tour<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7GV8V_rLabEXTeL00YGKQQA45Yg-0BpCUlchQ1NlaLf3oaFo9WVam7wIIGWmAZv8J-oDcfFCD8J-Mqfl5yul6VUDABPq-CwucJjDHA69E4P5-uGEK9t0PNf1qGsdEt0Uy8DtM1VI4ZS9li7j4H4jK9Y41Zw00Ep75VFJJxPCLd3Eb-pd5Z8Kd_0cHDB1/s705/Queen%20Adam%20Lambert%20Chase%20Center%20Nov%202023%20photo%20Dana%20Jacobs1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="519" data-original-width="705" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7GV8V_rLabEXTeL00YGKQQA45Yg-0BpCUlchQ1NlaLf3oaFo9WVam7wIIGWmAZv8J-oDcfFCD8J-Mqfl5yul6VUDABPq-CwucJjDHA69E4P5-uGEK9t0PNf1qGsdEt0Uy8DtM1VI4ZS9li7j4H4jK9Y41Zw00Ep75VFJJxPCLd3Eb-pd5Z8Kd_0cHDB1/w320-h236/Queen%20Adam%20Lambert%20Chase%20Center%20Nov%202023%20photo%20Dana%20Jacobs1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo: Dana Jacobs<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />If you know even a little bit about my books, you know my sixth novel, "<a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/now-i-m-here" target="_blank">Now I'm Here</a>," is infused with Queen's music and song titles. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But it took the reminder from guitarist-composer <a href="https://brianmay.com/queen-news/2023/11/q-al-north-american-tour-reviews-4/" target="_blank">Brian May himself </a>(okay, one of his staff assistants) who shared my <a href="https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=arts__culture&sc=music&id=329636" target="_blank">Bay Area Reporter review </a>of their November 8 Chase Center concert, to remind me to share it here: <br /></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Themes of science fiction, steampunk and outer space
projected onto multiple screens did not upstage the musical artistry of Queen +
Adam Lambert at their Chase Center concert November 8. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">With additional
musicians – <span class="hgkelc"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">keyboard player and musical director Spike Edney,
bass guitarist Neil Fairclough and percussionist Tyler Warren</span></span> –
the band performed an array of classic hits, with recorded audio and video
tributes to the late Freddie Mercury.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Even before the concert, a sense of giddiness was in the air
as people posed in front of the large billboard outside the Chase Center. The
staff was friendly and courteous as we entered and found our seats. While they
were fewer festively-dressed fans than at the recent Elton John concert, I
learned quickly to not judge by appearances. Two burly men who could have been
truck drivers sat in front of us and complimented my vintage Queen t-shirt and
my friend’s glam garb as we regaled our tales of 1970s arena rock attendances,
including Queen.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In fact, most of the patrons seemed to be in their 50s or
60s and have been Queen fans for decades. There were a few young folks who
possibly had yet to enjoy the thrill of seeing guitarist Brian May and drummer
Roger Taylor joined with Adam Lambert, who proudly announced that he’s been
touring with Queen for ten years.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span>His entrance in the first of several glamorous
costumes took on a silver gladiator science fiction theme.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtU2HjtmIJUolstu55lG3UelHIsfQEfWaBK_HL897hnKPAMDPz4Axk4DxeRbFKVOxOOQAsn71mQxGPNSPg5r5tCZV6O0YawDuWhals8qRpEFLeFr0qFVepLibY2iPrbscirIRHM1PX6HGHIjZPRzeJIBzHb7QUqgR63q44imIoXsof85G43jc1Qqz0-laR/s786/Queen%20Adam%20Lambert%20Chase%20Center%20Nov%202023%20photo%20Dana%20Jacobs2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="786" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtU2HjtmIJUolstu55lG3UelHIsfQEfWaBK_HL897hnKPAMDPz4Axk4DxeRbFKVOxOOQAsn71mQxGPNSPg5r5tCZV6O0YawDuWhals8qRpEFLeFr0qFVepLibY2iPrbscirIRHM1PX6HGHIjZPRzeJIBzHb7QUqgR63q44imIoXsof85G43jc1Qqz0-laR/w370-h245/Queen%20Adam%20Lambert%20Chase%20Center%20Nov%202023%20photo%20Dana%20Jacobs2.png" width="370" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo: Dana Jacobs<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The setlist started off in the first section with a bit of “Radio
Gaga,” followed by “Hammer to Fall,” a “Stone Cold Crazy” excerpt, and “Another
One Bites the Dust.”<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Drummer Rodger Taylor took to the mic and drums with
his classic, “I’m in Love With My Car” from the “A Night at the Opera”
album. Then Lambert reappeared on the extended runway atop a glistening
silver motorcycle, in yet more glamorous garb. With a camera set in front of
him on the handlebars, his amusing close-ups and hip thrusts brought high camp
style.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Fat Bottomed Girls” and “I Want It All” proved to be
sing-along favorites after that. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The third section included “A Kind of Magic” (and Brian
May’s “magic” sparks-shooting guitar!), “Don't Stop Me Now,” and a rousing sing-along
“Somebody to Love,” where Lambert’s stellar vocals outshone any of the amusing
pyrotechnics. <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A highlight of that section was also Lambert’s use a
close-up camera in front of a “mirror” as he primped and sipped champagne
(naturally) for “Killer Queen,” yet another song where his camp sensibility and
sense of humor really shined.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As they’ve done since the 1970s, Brian May, still a
master of guitar at 76, then took to a solo moment for an acoustic set with the
very romantic “Love of My Life” and his futuristic folk classic, “‘39.”<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 10pt;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwL2MyaHFTJT0XD3q7d-xy0KXrtvZI9pkE8r-pePni5EteERbwv2NMHRFjzqcVhs8t5MAn0J8lDvzYsOK1PmVsZ3U6WzJZXCEfB6f1hAl5a-Y5PPoNUoxs7RNTrJzVMC17dTwvz5uwXjMXTu0b1aktXtSaztQWVU2wDQy8BPaTGG9DDhQPDmEumnR4NIu/s744/Queen%20Adam%20Lambert%20Chase%20Center%20Nov%202023%20photo%20Dana%20Jacobs3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="744" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwL2MyaHFTJT0XD3q7d-xy0KXrtvZI9pkE8r-pePni5EteERbwv2NMHRFjzqcVhs8t5MAn0J8lDvzYsOK1PmVsZ3U6WzJZXCEfB6f1hAl5a-Y5PPoNUoxs7RNTrJzVMC17dTwvz5uwXjMXTu0b1aktXtSaztQWVU2wDQy8BPaTGG9DDhQPDmEumnR4NIu/s320/Queen%20Adam%20Lambert%20Chase%20Center%20Nov%202023%20photo%20Dana%20Jacobs3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo: Dana Jacobs<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Roger Taylor then banged out an impressive drum solo,
which led into the finger-snapping classic, “Under Pressure.” While former bassist
John Deacon was not acknowledged onstage, his presence was felt as the famous
bass hook began.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The band then segued into a slightly altered version of “Tie
Your Mother Down,” followed by the traditional rhythm, then the Elvis-esque “Crazy
Little Thing Called Love,” which Lambert <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>completely mastered. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The fifth section of the concert started with “I Want to Break
Free.” The song’s witty drag music video was a hit on European TV but did
not work well for American audiences back in the day. Fortunately, those
attitudes are long-gone, at least for Queen fans, who’ve embraced Lambert, an
out gay artist. <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In this concert version, some lucky (and probably wealthy)
fans enjoyed box seats behind the stage as the projections turned the stage
into a rococo theater. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Brian May then indulged in an expanded guitar solo as he
rose up through (projected video of) outer space as a huge meteor and various
planets rose and fell as he guided them. Many fans know that Brian May’s early
college studies were in astrophysics, so the outer space theme was totally
appropriate and visually stunning.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 10pt;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Originally created for Live Aid, Freddie Mercury’s song, “Is
This the World We Created?,” co-written with May, offered a somber tone,
followed by the rousing yet haunting anthem, “The Show Must Go On.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsuWfbmpN3WUrMg6rFS3YeXjNNVm125TQAsEe8FYnHSyGO4homnmOmXgi5xCOMkfY4xP9kR5NLwvIVpS7XMY_ZGJ9xljCC35pAojQtIC8G2nTKX56ndUlGWYVEgC7F9t47rkVIO-6lqA0GA2hOSOa6c_FekIjFT6M8qbQRWOLLcxn0dCZqu21OTW79w3u/s704/Queen%20Adam%20Lambert%20Chase%20Center%20Nov%202023%20photo%20Dana%20Jacobs4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="704" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsuWfbmpN3WUrMg6rFS3YeXjNNVm125TQAsEe8FYnHSyGO4homnmOmXgi5xCOMkfY4xP9kR5NLwvIVpS7XMY_ZGJ9xljCC35pAojQtIC8G2nTKX56ndUlGWYVEgC7F9t47rkVIO-6lqA0GA2hOSOa6c_FekIjFT6M8qbQRWOLLcxn0dCZqu21OTW79w3u/s320/Queen%20Adam%20Lambert%20Chase%20Center%20Nov%202023%20photo%20Dana%20Jacobs4.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo: Dana Jacobs<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />And then, the bands ultimate classic, “Bohemian Rhapsody,”
began.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span>As
they have done since their original concerts in the ’70s, parts were recorded
while the band waited in darkness to resume for the rousing finale. But with
this new multimedia tour, we got to not only hear but also see excerpts of the
classic music video that brought Queen to great fame.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 10pt;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After a pause, in a digitized version, Freddie Mercury, who
died of AIDS in 1991, got to make another appearance with his famous
“Ayo!” call and response. And of course, everyone joined in, even the
stage crew we could see from a distance.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For the rousing encore of “We Will Rock You,” the projection
screens showed an animated version of the iconic giant robot from the “News of
the World” album cover.<span style="font-size: 10pt;">
</span>The audience double-clapped along to the reprise of “Radio Gaga” and then
sang along to the expected closer, “We Are the Champions.”<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 10pt;"> <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After the band took their bows for the traditional recorded
playing of “God Save the Queen,” you could feel the sense of warm satisfaction
that patrons had as they left the Chase Center. Even the packed Muni train was
still full of good cheer as people commented on the show.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.chasecenter.com/events" style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.chasecenter.com/events</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.queenonline.com/upcoming_shows" style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.queenonline.com/upcoming_shows</a>
</p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</span></style></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-28747330100489322752023-09-27T12:39:00.002-07:002023-09-27T12:39:36.020-07:00Fabulosa to host banned books reading marathon<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4_d0DToT_6lSmI7H8-hA7yoyhW4fT66In2K4rhhta6l9CKuhJ13L_40vknze75hN5jegSwwi9c4sTJ_xKsyvLz8Qvyc1KOCcMh7nWvoMGbzCN-7jlK8gNHU0eApPQcvaIlYqP18Cpg66GzftYZV6O4Xirpwq1t00xz1f461ocfwz4IAjvP4tb8kbPyvc/s700/Fabulosa%20Books%20not%20Bans1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4_d0DToT_6lSmI7H8-hA7yoyhW4fT66In2K4rhhta6l9CKuhJ13L_40vknze75hN5jegSwwi9c4sTJ_xKsyvLz8Qvyc1KOCcMh7nWvoMGbzCN-7jlK8gNHU0eApPQcvaIlYqP18Cpg66GzftYZV6O4Xirpwq1t00xz1f461ocfwz4IAjvP4tb8kbPyvc/s320/Fabulosa%20Books%20not%20Bans1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Books with LGBTQ themes are under attack while anti-gay harassment is
spiking nationwide. To counter the book bans, Castro district Fabulosa
Books has organized Read For Filth, a 24-hour celebration of queer
literature, on October 7-8. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The event is a fundraiser for Books Not Bans, the store's
program to send queer books to LGBT centers and groups in red states.
It's timed with the national <a href="https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/banned" target="_blank">Banned Books Week</a>, Oct. 1-7, created by the American Library Association, with bookstores and libraries highlighting censored books.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">(photos: </span>Authors Rasheed Newson with Jonathan Escoffery at a recent Fabulosa
Books event; a stack of banned books to be shipped to LGBTQ community
centers. (photos: Fabulosa Books))</p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So far, Fabulosa Books has shipped 15 boxes to groups in Tulsa,
OK, Cheyenne, WY, Charleston, NC, Ft. Meyers, FL, Hattiesburg MS, and
Montgomery, AL. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOOShOH3d5ztxLHJk6XQERUEui9fcRQdBW7Z4pO0aoGZG4J0f2ZUhYdIOIkyCxzN7bJVPiGlg4YNO32YBoB08gj3twEIdVJ5iafUExrRYi-d_gru0qjsyu0LFpKQnoUe-oONoadVuNRu6_jJWxnN6OkY95Ie-YYuWlk4sLnQW6ipYiHAZfnbd2wx66Gpk/s314/Fabulosa%20Books%20not%20Bans%20Sister%20Roma.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="225" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOOShOH3d5ztxLHJk6XQERUEui9fcRQdBW7Z4pO0aoGZG4J0f2ZUhYdIOIkyCxzN7bJVPiGlg4YNO32YBoB08gj3twEIdVJ5iafUExrRYi-d_gru0qjsyu0LFpKQnoUe-oONoadVuNRu6_jJWxnN6OkY95Ie-YYuWlk4sLnQW6ipYiHAZfnbd2wx66Gpk/s1600/Fabulosa%20Books%20not%20Bans%20Sister%20Roma.png" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Roma<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />"We fill each box with 20 new and popular queer books that are a
mix of current titles and classics," said Bex Hexagon, events manager
for Fabulosa, and the creator of Books Not Bans. "It is very easy to
feel powerless, but books show us a road to what is possible, and
stories save lives. This event is an affirmation of hope and our
resilience as a community."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fabulosa Books owner Alvin Orloff said, "We may be far from the
worst of the book bans and anti-LGBT bigotry, but we can do our part to
support our community. If I can help the kids of today weather the
stupidities of Ron DeSantis and Don't Say Gay, you bet I'm going to do
it."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fabulosa's round-the-clock series of events will include activities for
all ages to celebrate stories with, and written by, LGBTQ authors. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The
various events begin on Oct. 7, 10:30am with Drag Story Hour for
families, with San Francisco Library staff in attendance to register
people for library cards. Sister Roma will guest-host part of the event.<br /><br />"We'll have a parklet in front of the
store for the day of the event and events in-store all night long and
the next morning," added Hexagon. <br /><br />From 2:30pm to 6:00pm, an
expansive lineup of authors, performers and members of community groups
will read poetry and stories, and musicians and attendees will perform
and read as well. The celebration of books will include a diverse lineup
of community leaders, Castro merchants, and other community members.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBA5xux0OTe2hpnISYATjjDSnD7m7XFgnl8_FNlFhVpiBV3xgPKItlVUNi7fZPFr3WfH6ebz0_OupfL8aRZvMCDSyxNUPPrp3vKo1012Qdo5VXheKqSoY5V6e_kzRAOo6RGd-4MdrKHbpTnZlEQZeLdoU2O_mi8cu0ZS7bbUSVYxCeGg1K3wihF6eVexIS/s391/Fabulosa%20Books%20not%20Bans3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="254" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBA5xux0OTe2hpnISYATjjDSnD7m7XFgnl8_FNlFhVpiBV3xgPKItlVUNi7fZPFr3WfH6ebz0_OupfL8aRZvMCDSyxNUPPrp3vKo1012Qdo5VXheKqSoY5V6e_kzRAOo6RGd-4MdrKHbpTnZlEQZeLdoU2O_mi8cu0ZS7bbUSVYxCeGg1K3wihF6eVexIS/s320/Fabulosa%20Books%20not%20Bans3.png" width="208" /></a></div><br />The event will also include a full group reading of George M. Johnson's
"All Boys Aren't Blue: a Memoir Manifesto," which is currently one of
the most banned books in America. <p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">For the full schedule of events, read my full article on <a href="https://www.ebar.com/story.php?ch=arts__culture&sc=books&id=328621" target="_blank">www.ebar.com</a> and visit <a href="https://www.fabulosabooks.com/">https://www.fabulosabooks.com/</a></span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-53411027883873763112023-08-22T20:35:00.006-07:002023-08-23T15:59:43.237-07:00'Red, White & Royal Blue's adaptive elements
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_ScldOEthEp_nZxBlR-VkXaVfH4X-eDvwBRd9VVVLrLT2dFwXZLmHXlIzqNTDDD3yfTKD8QxWkz4_C8h7EYt7V4NdxRX-8ZDh6YCCErRBEhvYJBu2G-AhDtk1KtnxGRVxWWFMKubL2y-_PpPRplcslcCQo8lIxvpljrtZU5jBZTRXQe2AGt8Up-Ouryj/s359/Red%20White%20&%20Royal%20Blue%20book.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="239" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_ScldOEthEp_nZxBlR-VkXaVfH4X-eDvwBRd9VVVLrLT2dFwXZLmHXlIzqNTDDD3yfTKD8QxWkz4_C8h7EYt7V4NdxRX-8ZDh6YCCErRBEhvYJBu2G-AhDtk1KtnxGRVxWWFMKubL2y-_PpPRplcslcCQo8lIxvpljrtZU5jBZTRXQe2AGt8Up-Ouryj/s320/Red%20White%20&%20Royal%20Blue%20book.png" width="213" /></a></div><br />Gay romance novels have never been more
popular than they are today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most
popular example is of course “Red, White and Royal Blue,” Casey McQuiston's
bestselling 2019 novel. The recent premiere of its film adaptation became the
number one viewed film on Amazon Prime. And it's well deserved.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">Having recently assigned both a review and an
interview with the film’s director for my day job with the Bay Area Reporter as
Arts Editor, I was happy to receive an unsolicited complimentary press packet
of not only a book, but a pair of socks as shown in the main poster, along with
a bookbag, a copy of the paperback tie-in and a red white and blue blanket.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">But what surprised me more than the swag
package, was how well the film adapted to the book by limiting it to the most
essential parts of it and combining other aspects to make it fit into the
two-hour time slot.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">The film is directed, co-written, and
executive-produced by Matthew Lopez, playwright of the gay seven-hour Tony
Award-winning opus "The Inheritance," based on E.M. Forster's
"Howard's End." </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82QatYOpTBjYt_uaIDUh9L7lLvC7uAQexXhjjbMuPymLmWLMk5GpzyKyqbiXOb_mepa8Ni_BDLCHPCH3OqOj8UcSK3brwWsSDmxUH9Dm1Mm-9oljbGQldz72yjHbuFUvKowtNwDmJ3nnM3UY3ApQjiqJmZvTUt6ijrHm_C3FiZwSlAHb6t94qYTATwZ7r/s321/Red%20White%20&%20Royal%20Blue.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="321" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82QatYOpTBjYt_uaIDUh9L7lLvC7uAQexXhjjbMuPymLmWLMk5GpzyKyqbiXOb_mepa8Ni_BDLCHPCH3OqOj8UcSK3brwWsSDmxUH9Dm1Mm-9oljbGQldz72yjHbuFUvKowtNwDmJ3nnM3UY3ApQjiqJmZvTUt6ijrHm_C3FiZwSlAHb6t94qYTATwZ7r/s320/Red%20White%20&%20Royal%20Blue.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Of course, some elements had to be shortened,
like the extensive emails and texts that Henry and Alex, the two lovers, send
to each other, as well as the expansive quotes by prominent other figures and
authors that they share, which compare the two's budding romance to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>becoming “History, huh?”<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">So instead of just showing the text to appear
to talk to each other in proximity which visualizes their growing intimacy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">I noticed a few changes that paralleled my own
adaptation of my first novel “PINS” when in 2002 I was commissioned to turn it
into a play for New Conservatory Theatre Center here in San Francisco.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">Along with reducing entire wrestling
tournaments to a mere sound effect with a few characters there were very large
scenes that had to be cut (the criminal trial) or referenced instead of
dramatized.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">The additional change of having a queen and
instead casting Stephen Fry as the king of England proved a clever casting
decision.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasuuK0IGBbMgE2U0K7dmtsQ7Bw3_yv5j58dmTtBZ1L0f00PiJXClxx_tKHDmpCPOYpV6kC7SougHCbEqBvxDITDOnzY7rUDJ4fOYy5fRC7ce-vrCOjD8ibBsxMoB52A_wkFTO1MBvTxX9ZUfPDinTWqPyBRcRkHzxl1hab_9kSSBk3uSBeZye7QK258pu/s316/Red%20White%20&%20Royal%20Blue%20kiss.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="316" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasuuK0IGBbMgE2U0K7dmtsQ7Bw3_yv5j58dmTtBZ1L0f00PiJXClxx_tKHDmpCPOYpV6kC7SougHCbEqBvxDITDOnzY7rUDJ4fOYy5fRC7ce-vrCOjD8ibBsxMoB52A_wkFTO1MBvTxX9ZUfPDinTWqPyBRcRkHzxl1hab_9kSSBk3uSBeZye7QK258pu/s1600/Red%20White%20&%20Royal%20Blue%20kiss.png" width="316" /></a></div><br />One element that happened in both “Red, White
& Royal Blue” and my own script was the removal of a younger sibling that
had something to do with the story but was not essential. I mean the casting of
a 10-year-old sister would not have been essential in my play. Similarly, in
Lopez's co-written screenplay, Alex's sister is removed and all the things that
she serves in the story are combined with other characters.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">And –spoiler alert– the nemesis in the book is
melded into a former liaison of Alex, who is in the film also journalist. The
book version where the affair was leaked was very involved and not exactly
cinematic.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">Adaptations of good novels have always been a
fascination for me. In a few cases when I had writer's block or structural
problems, I would switch to reducing my story to a screenplay in order to get
to the point. A novel can ramble but a screenplay has to make sense
structurally and get to the point.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">I'm thinking back to my days before I was even
a published writer. As a teenager, the Peter Bogdanovich film adaptation of “The
Last Picture Show” is a prime example of a terrific film adaptation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwp6KejOU8uHKDJdoSG5z2gUYPuT0O0sYyackrCXJIHHd2_QXh6E8w7XiOWKF-ixO-cA_IZRwY5BqSXgC8qAXp8_4zURzf5x_mQM9Eo70gnX_D2zHOSHE9YPIZfAMxsKYxNfynn9h52ToupxXm4AHyoi73CbbRgfx8ScYSKiFSEeyLbOl62EP1_nN2UAcg/s478/the%20last%20picture%20show.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="348" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwp6KejOU8uHKDJdoSG5z2gUYPuT0O0sYyackrCXJIHHd2_QXh6E8w7XiOWKF-ixO-cA_IZRwY5BqSXgC8qAXp8_4zURzf5x_mQM9Eo70gnX_D2zHOSHE9YPIZfAMxsKYxNfynn9h52ToupxXm4AHyoi73CbbRgfx8ScYSKiFSEeyLbOl62EP1_nN2UAcg/s320/the%20last%20picture%20show.png" width="233" /></a></div><br />In the old days of before streaming and
Netflix, when a movie was shown on network TV or a local affiliate, you watched
it when you could. I remember taking a paperback version of “The Last Picture
Show" and through repeated viewings, highlighting lines in yellow that
were spoken in the film I was taking a screenwriting course, I guess, without
even knowing it. It taught me the importance of what's essential in terms of
image versus dialogue or description.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">But what about the aspects of romance and
sexuality? While my two romance novels, “Every Time I Think of You" and
its sequel “Message of Love” are –spoiler alert– pretty graphic in terms of its
sexuality, it's because those scenes further the plot and the difficult
relationship between two main characters, Reid and Everett, as ever becomes a
paraplegic. How they are manage to have sex is a storyline that is essential to
the rest of it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">For “Red, White & Royal Blue,” the kissing
scenes, romance and eventual actual sex are shown in a way that's tasteful not
graphic but also informative to the characters’ development. While my book
includes a museum scene, it involved a comic abruptly interrupted blow job,
while “RW&RB”’s museum scene is more solemn. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjU90A2KcD3FYIsjbYy9IwWVctE8p73Rlcvs6W1gbg9dvoFUheN6QWvkMfoTeYdy5R0xdNCDE4kHeVwChvjtaQusS-8GQyqdNbpbFH7MWwGe6Yn0D5T6CdLsIuA_ONq2o25_WNMLGrFmfvbhTLWBfuFZtE-wE7_kzmGJ5AZOjhSKC7MqP5wmIUMAGVRpj/s254/20220607_164941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="250" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjU90A2KcD3FYIsjbYy9IwWVctE8p73Rlcvs6W1gbg9dvoFUheN6QWvkMfoTeYdy5R0xdNCDE4kHeVwChvjtaQusS-8GQyqdNbpbFH7MWwGe6Yn0D5T6CdLsIuA_ONq2o25_WNMLGrFmfvbhTLWBfuFZtE-wE7_kzmGJ5AZOjhSKC7MqP5wmIUMAGVRpj/s1600/20220607_164941.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><br />But as in her novel, McQuiston dodges the
graphic specifics or “plumbing” with references and ellipses that usually jump
to “Afterward,” meaning after they had sex.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">My own books, which are more descriptive, are
probably never going to be adapted into films. But hey it could happen. I did
mention that I have a few screenplays ready to go!. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">One essential part would be to have sexual
scenes that develop the story, not just gratuitous showing of body parts. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">Despite its mainstream style, it is actually
quite surprising how far “Red, White & Royal Blue” goes in terms of
depicting the sexuality.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmM1LYoO_ge9tlqubVYXOa_JuoimhuhO3XHiJ0Z6CfzL_-2G0Q-_yla6Ba0zIF0sRfIfDpuuJxB1UdPvEg1A7dhiOxEZ7UFnrjYs_Rh6JG3IBJsxty71q7kC6JPM--K3ls0d70rz93mqunSdrj9m9XkGV6IAPAxuZUlg7W5lONyGt_szMTHbloUbpdDGzV/s659/RW&RB%20Amazon%20Prime.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="659" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmM1LYoO_ge9tlqubVYXOa_JuoimhuhO3XHiJ0Z6CfzL_-2G0Q-_yla6Ba0zIF0sRfIfDpuuJxB1UdPvEg1A7dhiOxEZ7UFnrjYs_Rh6JG3IBJsxty71q7kC6JPM--K3ls0d70rz93mqunSdrj9m9XkGV6IAPAxuZUlg7W5lONyGt_szMTHbloUbpdDGzV/s320/RW&RB%20Amazon%20Prime.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />The fact that it's become such a huge hit
gives me hope. Since “Every Time I Think of You" was one of my most
successful books, it actually took me the least amount of time to write because
it was so inspired. I'm certainly open to any adaptation that does it justice.
Of course any writer would want that.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;">Anyway, I hope you enjoy my books as well as
Casey's and check out the Amazon Prime adaptation. I don't know where you can
get those socks, but I enjoy the ones that I received.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</span></style>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-82221330905294385302022-11-01T20:16:00.003-07:002022-11-01T21:33:01.707-07:00Welcome to the Orange & Black; living a literary allegory<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXKZInJvK2kfG57UOs8aQnCsrDsssbxtsofAvlndzjX3LF9hX2PuqXotVJXgk5X-r4SjfDoTh7WacmFXT31fansTEkU9_nXdegA6YaCIQ8-2fCZQ5Pf8NwFtwlPZFwusdiCOi_XJad1PnPMhMJg9ww7OJImnMSxzyQrK2iEARFG5kKl6KxoIep1pOhQ/s324/PINS%20play%20NCTC.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="324" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXKZInJvK2kfG57UOs8aQnCsrDsssbxtsofAvlndzjX3LF9hX2PuqXotVJXgk5X-r4SjfDoTh7WacmFXT31fansTEkU9_nXdegA6YaCIQ8-2fCZQ5Pf8NwFtwlPZFwusdiCOi_XJad1PnPMhMJg9ww7OJImnMSxzyQrK2iEARFG5kKl6KxoIep1pOhQ/s320/PINS%20play%20NCTC.png" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br />Dink: “Welcome to the Orange and Black.”<br />Joey: “Huh?”<br />Dink: “It’s always Halloween.”<br /><br />That’s one of my favorite lines from<a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank"> my debut novel PINS </a>and this week –actually last month– is the 23rd anniversary of its publication. It’s not a very auspicious anniversary except to say that I should’ve posted this before Halloween, but I didn’t.<br /><br />Holidays and all are good for annual reminders. But I’ve been really busy.<br /><br />The reason Dink’s remark is one my favorite lines is because it’s multilayered. Dink is warning Joey, new to his also new school’s wrestling team, that he needs to prepare for the pressure and actual pain of training, to put on a mask to hide it, and cryptically, to hide being gay, which Dink intuits, because he is as well.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIhnoXMdlPv7FQtxGazLB_aGUtVe9gQcRKnQuwKj4P3xrxgkeUYy4Y-bgo5nJEQYdhmFN_JtVnbb1Tcanky5bQiayUpwWYqATAyw6hAoiCg4Eu91PvuRaizxoWDp6LKJZLzIRQyut4J8pzuuAkgkuy6PHX0U3wA7FRPns5agFC-EynEWkJ8qX0tDASA/s287/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-01%20at%208.00.20%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="244" data-original-width="287" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIhnoXMdlPv7FQtxGazLB_aGUtVe9gQcRKnQuwKj4P3xrxgkeUYy4Y-bgo5nJEQYdhmFN_JtVnbb1Tcanky5bQiayUpwWYqATAyw6hAoiCg4Eu91PvuRaizxoWDp6LKJZLzIRQyut4J8pzuuAkgkuy6PHX0U3wA7FRPns5agFC-EynEWkJ8qX0tDASA/w228-h193/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-01%20at%208.00.20%20PM.png" width="228" /></a></div><br />But it also has a secret autobiographical color code that means more to me.<br /><br />You see, in high school, our school colors were also orange and black.<br /><br />I didn't use the same mascot because of our high school mascot was an inanimate object; an arrow.<br /> </span></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKqKDCZCM6N_Da7_UdTfgNoqQmJ6xv-P7BwbdtqV95twNfKyJcU0xCz9N-J4sg2BFEtzPRLf6UR-hwR74iobkFR6ZJ2yELgpfVkFNC2vm6U51RQ2MSIDdPbrJA0B4tGCfQ7fAswwUZh72FfZC1V4PqhVAj256nqLU5jQi1D_K0x66k46c7AUz9mMozg/s406/Ashland%20Arrows%20old%20tshirt.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="305" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKqKDCZCM6N_Da7_UdTfgNoqQmJ6xv-P7BwbdtqV95twNfKyJcU0xCz9N-J4sg2BFEtzPRLf6UR-hwR74iobkFR6ZJ2yELgpfVkFNC2vm6U51RQ2MSIDdPbrJA0B4tGCfQ7fAswwUZh72FfZC1V4PqhVAj256nqLU5jQi1D_K0x66k46c7AUz9mMozg/w214-h285/Ashland%20Arrows%20old%20tshirt.png" width="214" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">We did have a human mascot; Arry the Arrow. For pep rallies and football games, a girl from the cheer squad would play Arry with a big papier-mâché head, Sometimes a guy would do it, too. We used to have T-shirts with his illustration version resembling a little Mighty Mouse-style flying superhero.<br /><br />But the arrow symbol was derived from the fact that in Northern Ohio, particularly near burial mounds, one used to be able to randomly find arrowheads sculpted from rock. Obviously now that you think about it, it’s a bit of cultural appropriation, but what mascot isn’t? Our junior high version was The Darts. The Arrows even made a list of <a href="https://www.topic.com/when-school-spirit-is-a-slur" target="_blank">problematic/racist mascots</a>.<br /><br /><br />Of course, if you read the book <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">PINS</a>, you know that there’s a religious allegory in it that has a parallel to the tale of Saint Sebastian. I could’ve use the arrows as a symbol or a mascot in the book but it would’ve been overkill, with Joey/St. Sebastian being stuck with arrows metaphorically by his numerous wrestling injuries. <br /></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Besides, back in the new internet area, and even with the help of some history books, I didn’t find references to arrowheads as easily discovered in suburban New Jersey, despite the abundance of cities and towns with First Nation terms.<br /><br />Instead I chose horses; colts in particular, because that was another symbol of animal symbol that runs throughout the book. These are all things that I don't care if you notice or appreciate or understand. They’re merely aspects woven into the book over the nine years it took me to complete it.<br /><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdarA_j0rsFjKK623CxJ_6Avx1AyvNqJ_is9ExjP2AjI38ZqAna3mBZ2yg-SBeEZ8ld60n7mQcj149_eZdNswYjsgiRPsOkr2vD9ONZSQqMyL67liU0ZYRoCzXQdI-lWwH03iGp4dnfsj3K7VKd7KVGyPL02wHjuh_wLFLXEnfsf9KFgBj2PMTsMPkeA/s392/PINS%20stage%20Jim%20Provenzano.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdarA_j0rsFjKK623CxJ_6Avx1AyvNqJ_is9ExjP2AjI38ZqAna3mBZ2yg-SBeEZ8ld60n7mQcj149_eZdNswYjsgiRPsOkr2vD9ONZSQqMyL67liU0ZYRoCzXQdI-lWwH03iGp4dnfsj3K7VKd7KVGyPL02wHjuh_wLFLXEnfsf9KFgBj2PMTsMPkeA/s320/PINS%20stage%20Jim%20Provenzano.png" width="214" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />It’s the same for the holiday moment of November 1; All Saints Day, which is the actual date where the book starts. Everything before in Chapter 1 is past/previous tense by the mysterious unnamed narrator. The action actually begins on November 1, near the Day of the Dead for some Latino cultures.<br /><br />I’m reminded of all this, because a few weeks ago I hosted the 12th –or 13th?– Lit Crawl event at Martuni’s, a bar in San Francisco where I’ve hosted Litquake events for a dozen years or so. I’ve lost track of how long it's been.<br /><br />Anyway, I decided that I and the other authors would do book giveaways for trivia questions, mostly because I still have a box or two of <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">PINS</a> in my basement and I really want to get rid of them.<br /><br />I’ve tried hand-selling them for cheap. I even went back on eBay for a while but that's tiresome. Since I closed my DBA Myrmidude Press, I can't reconnect with wholesale distributors because they’re not interested in a 23-year-old book that’s already sold more than 5500 copies. So basically, according to Baker and Taylor and Ingram, my book is out-of-print.<br /><br />But it’s not; if you want a free copy just mail me the postage, I guess. It would be great if some smart literature professor added it to their syllabus, then I could ship an entire box, which I did several times years back.<br /><br />One of the curses of self-publishing old school-style is that, when you print out 6000 copies, you do end up having some leftovers. But after that, print on demand led to an easier formatting and I don't have boxes of other books lying in wait.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvCp9HhkrexGgxol1TdXP3dlaf-D8xTAq28oOOwZEuDHFTPGM7Hfl4AXJiAKA5OmmmHu3U5LdQTvWcl_poAW71s3bZDqE7GyBqZr8cSJW0MEuGFSoUgwS9DPgdieAPFtBsY44ZPd_nrrhXEkm71dCBxpCESdgY_E1JNIS1EglH00vnQne9FTCAzNAMA/s1255/PINS%20Jim%20Provenzano%20all%20editions.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="1255" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvCp9HhkrexGgxol1TdXP3dlaf-D8xTAq28oOOwZEuDHFTPGM7Hfl4AXJiAKA5OmmmHu3U5LdQTvWcl_poAW71s3bZDqE7GyBqZr8cSJW0MEuGFSoUgwS9DPgdieAPFtBsY44ZPd_nrrhXEkm71dCBxpCESdgY_E1JNIS1EglH00vnQne9FTCAzNAMA/s320/PINS%20Jim%20Provenzano%20all%20editions.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />There are so many newfangled ways of getting a book out that first-time self-published authors can access. I’m a bit envious actually of their naïveté and not understanding how the old school formatting works; hiring a printer, shipping cartons by UPS, etc. I’ve described that elsewhere in other posts.<br /><br />But even six books later –actually seven including the short story anthology, and three audiobooks and a play make a lucky 13, and the <a href="https://www.biblio.com/book/wrestling-team-provenzano-jim/d/712369436" target="_blank">German translation of PINS</a> makes 14– I still get people who tag me with the wrestling badge of honor. <br /><br />I recently posted an old Halloween picture of me as Wolverine from the X-Men movies. I even sported it at a Philadelphia literary conference in 2000 when I was coasting on PINS’ success. <br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEy4cdXY29qsUogNwqkZBU3vt9QToiwGe-CK2pb-Qn1Z1RMJU3QRijK1naY9PKnHraH74pZMpYpa6y8M9ddH2KpFy4yIXL8yU3ToyEJkQ8n4i6mQ0Q9OZ4QS5KVQfFE4ZKRtCf7B_w1KqTDowM-3gzNMdpUopgot4moNpsPnBprDcjc2H1zdDF_VL87g/s309/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-01%20at%208.13.58%20PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="309" data-original-width="195" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEy4cdXY29qsUogNwqkZBU3vt9QToiwGe-CK2pb-Qn1Z1RMJU3QRijK1naY9PKnHraH74pZMpYpa6y8M9ddH2KpFy4yIXL8yU3ToyEJkQ8n4i6mQ0Q9OZ4QS5KVQfFE4ZKRtCf7B_w1KqTDowM-3gzNMdpUopgot4moNpsPnBprDcjc2H1zdDF_VL87g/s1600/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-01%20at%208.13.58%20PM.png" width="195" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Yet just today some literary friend had to make a wrestling comparison as if I'm still running around in the singlet at age 60. I’m not embarrassed by my age. It’s in my Wikipedia entry.<br />(Truth: the last time I wore a singlet for actual competition was 2006, other than a later Halloween costume as a wrestler/werewolf.) <br /><br />But to still be tagged by something you completed more than two decades ago is a bit limiting. I still have people who complement me on that book, but haven’t read any of the others, which is a bit frustrating.<br /><br />So, please read this book and then maybe the six or seven others I’ve cranked out over the years. I hope you had a happy Halloween and you have a nice autumn and I hope to post more frequently in the future now that I’ve discovered the magic of voice-to-text. And buy my damn books, bub!<br /><br /></span><p></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-45575377750865148522022-10-05T18:48:00.001-07:002022-11-01T20:17:44.600-07:00'Now I'm Here' - prize pumpkins and fall fiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEaY_rR8tSRuzcEvJUD-sMqnE91qjmzSJ6M0h70zcuPhEC057QlvUzxyYJ3CQsOQNYMsmJy5Dcyfddda1l8HVQdmd8pA7VcO2O8Fb3VsDkRUH4DZ272D6a4j5zm7Chu1_GpCU2eLCowF012BzJ1VgzUmOAm9lrSc1rxP1xQnBswMY_2auSfBBb1_KYA/s479/Now%20Im%20Here-a%20novel-pumpkins.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="479" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEaY_rR8tSRuzcEvJUD-sMqnE91qjmzSJ6M0h70zcuPhEC057QlvUzxyYJ3CQsOQNYMsmJy5Dcyfddda1l8HVQdmd8pA7VcO2O8Fb3VsDkRUH4DZ272D6a4j5zm7Chu1_GpCU2eLCowF012BzJ1VgzUmOAm9lrSc1rxP1xQnBswMY_2auSfBBb1_KYA/s320/Now%20Im%20Here-a%20novel-pumpkins.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4c777145-7fff-d16e-7d0d-cd844cca024f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">October is underway and that means it's time for pumpkins! </span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4c777145-7fff-d16e-7d0d-cd844cca024f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I'm not just talking about pumpkin spice and all its stereotypical memes and humor, </span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4c777145-7fff-d16e-7d0d-cd844cca024f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">but the actual gourds that I go crazy for. </span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4c777145-7fff-d16e-7d0d-cd844cca024f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Allow me to explain how my love of pumpkins stems (pun!) </span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4c777145-7fff-d16e-7d0d-cd844cca024f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">from working on a pumpkin farm and led to help developing my sixth novel,</span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4c777145-7fff-d16e-7d0d-cd844cca024f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> ‘<a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/now-i-m-here" target="_blank">Now I'm Here</a>.’</span></b></p><b id="docs-internal-guid-4c777145-7fff-d16e-7d0d-cd844cca024f" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">As you may recall, in 2018 the novel was published by <a href="https://www.beautifuldreamerpress.com/" target="_blank">Beautiful Dreamer Press</a>. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">‘<a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/now-i-m-here" target="_blank">Now I'm Here</a>’ involves Joshua, a piano prodigy, who becomes a little </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">bit famous by playing a piano solo of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He falls for a brooding rough boy in his school, David, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">who works on his dad's pumpkin farm.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I sat on this novel for years as it was incomplete. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I didn't know what else to do with David, the second character </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in the book. But at one time I put together a short story, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">actually more of a novella, barely fictionalizing my own experience </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">working on a small Ohio pumpkin farm </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">through the fall of 1981 when I was in between colleges. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Kn8NpfUB41ma-8aYUXb3ZGeJVFD9b6AXiiPjdvfRSWnueN_wzHX8cin98T8UCjVdpz1HPF9lRUPRWOnRdV6iMIJlhYQNg0Bpxc8UPjR9DkXABeaHXpQbK_Ma3hG19dRx896IFW7iIpvVV4maIWaSo97zv9wQLlp88VanvbDX5UmAOvPLJ6JsJVfVzw/s426/pumpkin%20field.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="426" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Kn8NpfUB41ma-8aYUXb3ZGeJVFD9b6AXiiPjdvfRSWnueN_wzHX8cin98T8UCjVdpz1HPF9lRUPRWOnRdV6iMIJlhYQNg0Bpxc8UPjR9DkXABeaHXpQbK_Ma3hG19dRx896IFW7iIpvVV4maIWaSo97zv9wQLlp88VanvbDX5UmAOvPLJ6JsJVfVzw/s320/pumpkin%20field.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br />I dropped out of Kent State in the theater department and had yet to </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">figure out what to do. I would eventually switch to dance and </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">continued studies at Ohio State. But that one Autumn was a pivotal time. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It wasn't very enjoyable at the time but looking back I turned it into </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">a dramatic long short story called “Tractor Pull.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Part of my job, along with picking produce and packing it into crates </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in a truck on a weekly basis, was selling produce on a roadside stand and </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">at shopping malls around my hometown. We were up against big </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">agribusiness produce in grocery stores, selling similar produce. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But some people still like the homegrown stuff. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In a way that compares to supporting an independent small presses and authors.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Do you want fresh organic produce sold by one person or are you </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">going to buy from a corporation at a supermarket?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWKZLFjwpcNyBXWiPtVAdRCG2OLya4DJt2aeDIqPQIXMKuWO8a90iu6D8_2QzDVi2TFHoBoOeuDYQSazNiH4UozbD_aEpLaIOPwwUpGb1_VuLwz0rEO-0fLQq3Y2fg-Gpm_RLGJPfH---C3nrU0UcNcis2oqDnq3Nze0AVIvHd39B8bmL4OBA30eG8Q/s425/Now%20Im%20Here%20photo%20shoot.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="425" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRWKZLFjwpcNyBXWiPtVAdRCG2OLya4DJt2aeDIqPQIXMKuWO8a90iu6D8_2QzDVi2TFHoBoOeuDYQSazNiH4UozbD_aEpLaIOPwwUpGb1_VuLwz0rEO-0fLQq3Y2fg-Gpm_RLGJPfH---C3nrU0UcNcis2oqDnq3Nze0AVIvHd39B8bmL4OBA30eG8Q/s320/Now%20Im%20Here%20photo%20shoot.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>outtake from the cover photo shoot</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /> </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You can read that version in my short story collection, ‘<a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/short-stories" target="_blank">Forty Wild Crushes</a>.’ </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But then I expanded the story into multiple chapters for David's adventures </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and experiences, working for his abusive father but then also escaping the farm. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He later inherits it and he and Joshua live on the farm together.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But what is it about pumpkins that is so fascinating, aside from the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">beautiful colors? Well, they're Hardy and they represent the harvest </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in autumn in most American cultures. I’m not sure about European cultures.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Did you know that if you don't carve a pumpkin it can last for months? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I discovered this when I saved some pumpkin –small and large ones– </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">from the fall of 2017 and eventually used them for the photo shoot of the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">book cover for ‘<a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/now-i-m-here" target="_blank">Now I'm Here</a>.’</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Since then I haven't really carved pumpkins so much as just display them </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and buy them and occasionally cook them. More recently, after finishing </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">fixing up my bicycle that had been sitting in my basement for a few too </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">many weeks, the first place I rode to was the SoMa Trader Joe’s for their </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">variety of pumpkin flavor treats from snacks; cookies, ice cream and bread.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBR7PL-vsn_EsRYwJ-91Z4vp_q9f-JA-0QZp9Y2nBSHimbfVeDuP6OOjI87e2Fv9Hy-MAXzm5el3qOUzDSuADnw5jLvTeHONHJgIKmHx4zTuL_h6sfW34hztiumG46aejzLmmBDiR5sBXtLhfsNxU4xS7jiI__ktmhGoGVdTcwTQiEcRtGp3Wu8cqrLQ/s979/Now%20Im%20Here%20article%20south%20florida%20gay%20news.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="898" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBR7PL-vsn_EsRYwJ-91Z4vp_q9f-JA-0QZp9Y2nBSHimbfVeDuP6OOjI87e2Fv9Hy-MAXzm5el3qOUzDSuADnw5jLvTeHONHJgIKmHx4zTuL_h6sfW34hztiumG46aejzLmmBDiR5sBXtLhfsNxU4xS7jiI__ktmhGoGVdTcwTQiEcRtGp3Wu8cqrLQ/s320/Now%20Im%20Here%20article%20south%20florida%20gay%20news.png" width="294" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br />So pumpkins end up having the kind of pivotal seed if you will to the story line, </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">particularly towards the end.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I’m also giving a nod to this book because although it came out four years ago </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I’m still hoping to find new readers. At my day job at the <a href="https://www.ebar.com/channel.php?ch=arts__culture&sc=books" target="_blank">Bay Area Reporter </a> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I receive dozens of press releases for really high quality LGBTQ novels </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and memoirs. It seems like a lot of people got work done during the pandemic. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I work hard to get as many as possible assigned for reviews. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But there simply isn’t room for all of them. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">My own seventh novel, ‘<a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">Finding Tulsa</a>,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-4c777145-7fff-d16e-7d0d-cd844cca024f" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">’</span></b> kind of got lost in the shuffle in 2020 as well.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It’s been a very difficult time getting small press books to see any attention, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">especially after they've been out for a few years. But I think of them as like </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">pumpkins; if they're not damaged, they do end up having a long shelf life.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You’re welcome to add reviews to any of the books you may have read. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">That's what keeps literature going, finding new readers. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So heat up your pumpkin spice treats with a nice cuppa, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and post your own harvest of reviews.</span></p><br /></b><span><a name='more'></a></span><span><!--more--></span><p></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Qd-tr0hl0U" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-8676185239787649092022-09-17T17:26:00.003-07:002022-10-05T18:49:29.525-07:00Censoring LGBTQ books is stupid, wrong, and downright evil.<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYel8YVWRrt1YfK63nCltPYUowHBElWBL53AUDYEnepuyPpkJBZxsS4fHaSIsLNifvWhR9pyRuXDXPtw-5fvEMWG_dbgKjHB8teD4ViAiRUTIHEbZnfR3OXNi0KzLLvZmTqVYSiMQeo8-wMCFAye7XNCkQIB-jsdk2En3JqZ3Xfvolyqi2KvNCGsPcPw/s689/banned%20bookshelf-%20books%20a%20million%20Rapid%20City%20SD.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYel8YVWRrt1YfK63nCltPYUowHBElWBL53AUDYEnepuyPpkJBZxsS4fHaSIsLNifvWhR9pyRuXDXPtw-5fvEMWG_dbgKjHB8teD4ViAiRUTIHEbZnfR3OXNi0KzLLvZmTqVYSiMQeo8-wMCFAye7XNCkQIB-jsdk2En3JqZ3Xfvolyqi2KvNCGsPcPw/s320/banned%20bookshelf-%20books%20a%20million%20Rapid%20City%20SD.png" width="234" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bookshelf at Books a Million, Rapid City SD <br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Read any banned books lately? The list of literary works under attack by right wing idiots continues to expand. But the stupid thing is of course that the more that they try to suppress these books, the more people are curious to read them. And people, particularly librarians, are fighting back.</span></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It all comes at an odd time while we’re allegedly under a Democratic presidential administration. But bitter right-wingers still worshiping their deposed king Trump continue to infiltrate school boards, library staffs and find other ways to suppress literary works, some of them Pulitzer Prize winners.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rare-move-school-librarian-fights-back-court-conservative-activists-rcna42800" target="_blank">NBC News reports</a>, “nationwide, school districts have been bombarded</span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/critical-race-theory-invades-school-boards-help-conservative-groups-n1270794" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by conservative activists</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and parents over the past year</span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-library-books-banned-schools-rcna12986" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">demanding that books</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with sexual references or that discuss racial conflict, often by</span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/debate-over-black-author-s-book-texas-highlights-concerns-over-n1281647" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">authors of color</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or those who are LGBTQ, be purged from campuses. Those demands have slowly moved</span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/residents-raise-almost-100000-michigan-library-defunded-lgbtq-books-rcna42035" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">toward public libraries</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in recent months. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many conservative activists have referred to people who defend the books as “</span><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/lgbtq-abuse-spikes-online-fueled-intensifying-culture-war-rcna24904" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">groomers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” comparing them to child molesters. The Proud Boys, an extremist hate group,</span><a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article262475427.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">has barged into</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> LGBTQ-themed reading events in</span><a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article262802363.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">several libraries</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, insisting they need to protect children. Some librarians</span><a href="https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/story/threatened-by-armed-anti-lgbtqia-extremists-in-coeur-dalene-id-a-childrens-librarian-leaves-her-job-first-person" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">have said</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> they no longer feel safe serving in their roles.”</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnv36PrHmzgP6P0YXWEVSyLGJuSx7F_o3Ed36tFsfjoDbXobY5NJ15aKVy9RtQRETdwpfhi6QQ4BgBcfMi552kOekoib8nNXsNuMEuThfc2uAtYV4aoOdRWCFlD6GmyOcrEJfeTRQhO7Rt3VkwFnuDOfR8x9K7VHOSgHQQU9BceQuV8Du_OUJnX8sGUg/s384/mockingbird%20play.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="384" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnv36PrHmzgP6P0YXWEVSyLGJuSx7F_o3Ed36tFsfjoDbXobY5NJ15aKVy9RtQRETdwpfhi6QQ4BgBcfMi552kOekoib8nNXsNuMEuThfc2uAtYV4aoOdRWCFlD6GmyOcrEJfeTRQhO7Rt3VkwFnuDOfR8x9K7VHOSgHQQU9BceQuV8Du_OUJnX8sGUg/s320/mockingbird%20play.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard Thomas in the stage adaptation of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Locally, as a touring production of the stage adaptation of <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> runs here in San Francisco (presented by <a href="https://www.broadwaysf.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=04F56E5B-D2E0-45FF-A27E-BC5E159AA507" target="_blank">BroadwaySF</a>), local librarians and the play’s production team, led by playwright Aaron Sorkin, are working together to get books in the hands of kids, particularly copies of <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>, one of the most contested literary works of the age (<a href="https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/theater/to-kill-a-mockingbird-playwright-aaron-sorkin-handing-out-books-instead-of-banning-them" target="_blank">SF Chronicle</a>).</span></b></span></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;">As <a href="https://reason.com/2022/08/18/to-kill-a-mockingbird/" target="_blank">Reason reports</a>, censoring Mockingbird is an epic fail. "</b></span><span><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;">Despite decades of censorship attempts in the public sector, the private
sector has met consumer demand for the book. More than 40 million
copies have been sold worldwide."</b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This all relates to the attacks on Critical Race Theory, or, basically, factual accounts of racism in American history. Right-wingers are determined to rewrite history to make it seem like white oppressors were the good guys. Some are so extreme that they're banning books that <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/conservative-activists-want-ban-400-books-library-arent-even-shelves-rcna44026" target="_blank">aren't even on shelves</a>.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course LGBTQ titles are under attack.. The <a href="https://www.washingtonblade.com/2022/08/11/over-100-lgbtq-themed-books-in-a-florida-school-district-labeled-with-advisory-warning/" target="_blank">Washington Blade </a>reports about a hundred books that have been either disappeared from library shelves or outright band on skin schools in Florida, where the heinous “Don’t Say Gay” ruling now stretches to “Don’t Read Gay either.”</span></b></span></p><span><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The measures, described as a “compromise,” happened after the district’s legal representative talked with the Florida Citizens Alliance, a conservative group which initiated a “</span><a href="https://floridacitizensalliance.org/porn-in-schools-report/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Porn in Schools Report</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” project last year. The report included a list of books that “promote gender self-identification and same-sex marriage” as well as titles that include “indecent and offensive material,” as the group explained “</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXZcYF6BqHYO2x8KBnlMhvvhayGxZgZY_hC3qDT9-hITvM0q3nVNhVkJYYRm8X1D8VlaypezJoJZ9lVGFdlgenkUaycX4gkEd0kBPAffryyEnrPsDe81IwKxknBzJUG9C8v_QMyxa1-7yvCpk735NiyIRGKr_Q4wo10-mINMXfKhXgVSGHL10wG2_sQ/s900/banned%20books%20in%20Oklahoma.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="469" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXZcYF6BqHYO2x8KBnlMhvvhayGxZgZY_hC3qDT9-hITvM0q3nVNhVkJYYRm8X1D8VlaypezJoJZ9lVGFdlgenkUaycX4gkEd0kBPAffryyEnrPsDe81IwKxknBzJUG9C8v_QMyxa1-7yvCpk735NiyIRGKr_Q4wo10-mINMXfKhXgVSGHL10wG2_sQ/s320/banned%20books%20in%20Oklahoma.jpg" width="167" /></a></div><br />As <a href="https://mombian.com/2022/08/16/unsuitable-warnings-on-books-are-really-about-erasing-identities/ " target="_blank">Mombian, Sustenance for Lesbian Moms</a> astutely wrote, “Providing books and media that depict LGBTQ families and identities (and those of other marginalized identities) in positive ways is not inappropriate; it is </b></span><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">necessary</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. All children benefit greatly from seeing positive representations of families like theirs and people like them—as well as seeing people like others in their communities and the wider world. Labeling these depictions as “unsuitable” tells these children that they and their families are likewise unsuitable. It also implies that any mentions of LGBTQ families or identities outside of books—say, when a child talks about their own family or gender—are likewise unsuitable and should be silenced.”</span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br /></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In its most extreme, authors are also getting violently attacked, as the August <a href="https://apnews.com/article/salman-rushdie-attacked-9eae99aea82cb0d39628851ecd42227a" target="_blank">stabbing of Salman Rushdie</a> proved. The author had long been under a fatwah by extremist Islamic leaders, and in August was repeatedly stabbed by a crazed man onstage at a book conference.</span></b></p><b id="docs-internal-guid-78983ac4-7fff-1633-3428-79716af06ec9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The website <a href="https://bannedbooksweek.org/" target="_blank">Banned Books Week</a> keeps track of censorship efforts and counters it by celebrating "controversial" books. <a href="https://www.advocate.com/news/2022/9/20/least-50-groups-us-advocated-banning-books-year?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=news" target="_blank">The Advocate </a>reports on the high number of LGBT titles under siege.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUwBcaWm73Nc_E5Z6jFA6rxdVEiAhwLtAN5ypvCVHWGU-zOXTpvD1wR_A9ZKW0DdqF1IFz7kWXbQdoAm7QAcy3kk-8FslcAvghUrMVIQ3YQXIX44Y2VehpjK-74F766OYoUKNV7w0HSS9V2EBlha6OhggtUIlnr22lSpBKqstyZIWaWA76Dr8U8ByYQ/s377/George%20M%20Johnson.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYUwBcaWm73Nc_E5Z6jFA6rxdVEiAhwLtAN5ypvCVHWGU-zOXTpvD1wR_A9ZKW0DdqF1IFz7kWXbQdoAm7QAcy3kk-8FslcAvghUrMVIQ3YQXIX44Y2VehpjK-74F766OYoUKNV7w0HSS9V2EBlha6OhggtUIlnr22lSpBKqstyZIWaWA76Dr8U8ByYQ/s320/George%20M%20Johnson.png" width="285" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Of course, some prominent authors somewhat benefit from being banned, by turning negative responses into good publicity. <a href="https://twitter.com/IamGMJohnson" target="_blank">George M. Johnson</a>'s Black queer memoir, "All Boys Aren't Blue," is soon to become adapted as a TV series, so there's plenty of notoriety for his acclaimed work. Johnson was interviewed on <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/author-speaks-book-banned-us/story?id=89468889" target="_blank">ABC News</a>. Read Johnson's expansive interview in <a href="http://theglitterguide.com/2020/10/07/george-m-johnson/" target="_blank">Glitter Guide.</a> <br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Personally, I've never been attacked, other than by a few nutbags on GoodReads.com. And I have yet to have any of my books banned. I'd once joked that people should send copies of my <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">debut novel PINS</a> to their local archdiocese to see if it could get banned just for publicity purposes. The novel is a loose allegory of the Saint Sebastian story (or myth, if you don't believe in it), which could get some Catholics up riled up because of the heretical interpretation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the more common instance for smaller books like mine are simply being ignored, not censored. While the chief tactic of some right-wingers is to simply take out books that they find offensive and never return them, in my case, particularly with the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library, multiple copies of <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">PINS</a> just went missing or were stolen. I like to think that they were just obsessive fans, but who can say.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One very smart effort to counter oppression of literary works is libraries are offering free copies online to students who simply check a QR code (<a href="https://www.rd.com/article/librarians-fighting-book-bans/" target="_blank">Readers Digest</a>). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Librarians are fighting back against book challenges by showing up every day and simply doing their jobs,: said </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peter Bromberg, associate director of political action committee EveryLibrary, in the Readers Digest article. “It’s not flashy, but school librarians and library directors across the country are doing the important work of talking to their community, helping their boards understand the mission of the library, the importance of following policy and defending the <a href="https://www.rd.com/article/first-amendment-rights/" rel="noopener noreferrer">First Amendment rights</a> of all community members and all students.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The freedom to read what people and especially students choose has never been more under attack since Nazis actually burn piles of books. Of course that's probably next on the agenda for MAGAcidal idiots.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyway, support your local libraries and bookstores who are showcasing banned books and helping them find audiences despite attacks on the freedom to read.</span></p></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-15125685210234997872022-04-17T17:27:00.002-07:002022-11-01T20:18:10.973-07:00'The Lost of New York,' a novel by John Rigney, Jr. - how a hidden manuscript became a novel 70 years later<p class="font_8" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LAYkkrbKqBGiyHSEy5ndACer4kebIKazJr1qG2H52Qa-eM4M0qlVjNv_t-K9wKeqdTXFaNCURmkINezL_VSiSo3STa55Nuod9qP9vtAAXI2K4FDjXZ3DD_3DxmJWPzaDKC3luVQqXmsOp1ylwDTpa2zMJUQtE6beAZfDI4paSdgrsOZoutsSgQdAVQ/s563/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20author%20John%20Rigney%20Jr.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="563" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9LAYkkrbKqBGiyHSEy5ndACer4kebIKazJr1qG2H52Qa-eM4M0qlVjNv_t-K9wKeqdTXFaNCURmkINezL_VSiSo3STa55Nuod9qP9vtAAXI2K4FDjXZ3DD_3DxmJWPzaDKC3luVQqXmsOp1ylwDTpa2zMJUQtE6beAZfDI4paSdgrsOZoutsSgQdAVQ/s320/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20-%20author%20John%20Rigney%20Jr.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span>Hidden away for more than half a century, my late uncle’s novel, </span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/about-5-2" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lost of New York</span></a>, is finally a book (May 6, 2022).</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>So,
why did I task myself with the arduous process of converting a faded
stack of chapters into an actual book? Mostly because it fascinated me. I
also felt a sense of familial loyalty, seeing as my late uncle, John
“Butch” Rigney, Jr., preceded me as the first writer in the family,
albeit unpublished. His hand-typed writing made its way across country
–twice– before being published. The gritty and sad urban tale, set in
early 1960s Bronx, New York, may be unfinished, but is a captivating
time capsule. </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></span></p><p class="font_8" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>It’s also a revealing roman a clef of Butch’s own life, cut too short in 1967.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="color_11"><span style="font-size: 18px;">from the novel’s Introduction:</span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">John “Butch” Rigney wanted to be
a writer.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFXbiXqbFA0EqYVp8iB7JfgLU5qmYEMnHMvTfz4MrDIKFEX8xmWb72ieCmUWg3u8VUCT9W0KvOn6Ar8E53LKwld6ibiTS7O8P0zHk6EfnIF9p_ryFdME0gE88uZ-JNuqwNyFEcG5mXD_7pjhj2vnO5gsZoBbOtOzgs8BEKKp9FAP8_VCwfhOo3wmFDw/s356/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20author%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%202.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: georgia;">Stories remain amusing about his young life, growing up with
a brother, Maureen, and brother, Kevin. His two sometimes abusive often drunk
parents, helped him become what his sister called “a throw-away kid. Nobody
ever gave him a chance, helped him out.”</span></div><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZnp3MgsYGwiYnH6u9AWoU9AeczBT9xVAAf0AU82wTWP-3q73-p34I-YtK6888F9gpIluIEn7IpXUIO9FfN4mmQRD30qIcEBpYewdKOyMjTLu7gh1qO5gc6krGUhi4G9CZ71rf4YwlcBGUuHfdYdLPU65ca-zEQnDeya7p3LG80BlL3zjO5xTMp2mqA/s356/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20author%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%202.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="356" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZnp3MgsYGwiYnH6u9AWoU9AeczBT9xVAAf0AU82wTWP-3q73-p34I-YtK6888F9gpIluIEn7IpXUIO9FfN4mmQRD30qIcEBpYewdKOyMjTLu7gh1qO5gc6krGUhi4G9CZ71rf4YwlcBGUuHfdYdLPU65ca-zEQnDeya7p3LG80BlL3zjO5xTMp2mqA/w307-h223/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20author%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%202.png" title="John "Butch" Rigney, Jr." width="307" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John "Butch" Rigney, Jr.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As a youth, Butch went in and out of a series of reform
schools for stealing, and jumping in a river from the <span style="color: black; font-size: 13pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Teufelberg</span> Bridge, named
after the Dutch Devil’s Mountain.</span></p><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">His brother was also a petty thief, <br />robbing a neighborhood
diner. </span></p><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the early 1960s, Butch also served in the Air Force,
possibly as a bargain for another jail sentence. He was stationed in Anchorage,
and got out with an honorable discharge</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A letter was sent to his mother –Mrs. John M. Rigney-
mistakenly presumed to be his wife, of a package of papers that were left at
McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The early writings of Rigney are dated 1963. These “papers”
may have been his early drafts of short stories (not in this edition), perhaps
the letter and scant scribbled notes. A few of the short stories are signed
D.Cno. with J.M. Rigney as the mailing name.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia;">Back in New York, Butch took writing classes, hand-wrote
pages of multi-syllabic words as practice. He continued writing what became the
unfinished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bugs in a Jar</i>, the content
of which is this edition. Some of those chapter are dated 1967, so it can be
assumed that this work was his final. Another less complete work includes
chapters <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for The Damned Deceived</i>. An
impressive novella-length short story, “Flat-Leavers” will be in the second
edition.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sSTF6WgIuxgxyTPJUe_1ZxUKS3S56PbrQfIXkh-KIObLdf-buEFvKDvW-744Q4v52fY4v4a7URP8LrPu02bHqSQorSsHhYUq9LF_vsRJyJeAseNgYI3z5DRTDLsDc3-DjtnD-oz8f7xrKzbEhTJTSqOIxddiQ5BNpH61ELe3ghl3ICu234nXpdAfKg/s655/John%20Rigney%20Jr%20manuscript%201.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="486" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9sSTF6WgIuxgxyTPJUe_1ZxUKS3S56PbrQfIXkh-KIObLdf-buEFvKDvW-744Q4v52fY4v4a7URP8LrPu02bHqSQorSsHhYUq9LF_vsRJyJeAseNgYI3z5DRTDLsDc3-DjtnD-oz8f7xrKzbEhTJTSqOIxddiQ5BNpH61ELe3ghl3ICu234nXpdAfKg/s320/John%20Rigney%20Jr%20manuscript%201.png" width="237" /></a></div><br />How Butch managed to stay alive and work, his social
interactions with fellow parolees, and the desperate needy romances of the
women in his life, are captured in muted colors, and –between the self-taught
grammatical limitations– often poignant lyricism.<p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">By the mid-1960s then married, his sister Maureen took Butch
to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, where a well-known speaker dared anyone
who wanted to have a drink that he would give them two dollars. Butch responded
to the offer a bit too enthusiastically, and was asked to leave.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">His sister managed to attend the High School of Performing
Arts, and soon escaped the impoverished ennui of Rigney’s world, with a
marriage and move to Ohio, where she and my father raised our family.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">While nearly every other family member visited us, and we
them in the following decades, Butch remained a mystery. Rigney wanted to be a
published writer. He had even sent one work to a literary agency, but it was returned
by American Authors Inc. of Madison Avenue. Did he continue writing, give up,
or did the reality of his life overtake any ambition? Or was it simply his
addictions to alcohol, heroin and other drugs that took over?</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span></span></span></p><!--more--><span style="font-family: georgia;">The entire box of original pages was allegedly with Butch at
his Bailey Place home when he died, of an overdose, with two ladies of the
evening at his bedside, on December 6, 1967.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmaRRpfSVEnCJnSUqymqNAPuK2HfsUziQkPzzlJykVUGFUdbBbfjQIRz0A6a5x9bCc1Gi4ZyC_h22MZ1mfTUzDT1cyW3xoGYhZ3NcTo7d-Taa51__wMJDItxF1OBjcjrpnorHW5W5gaqxnKEZyHLH3fTdKm_9weblsQkJiJFvBmzbAv-3PfVEYtomuA/s413/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20author%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%204.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="270" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmaRRpfSVEnCJnSUqymqNAPuK2HfsUziQkPzzlJykVUGFUdbBbfjQIRz0A6a5x9bCc1Gi4ZyC_h22MZ1mfTUzDT1cyW3xoGYhZ3NcTo7d-Taa51__wMJDItxF1OBjcjrpnorHW5W5gaqxnKEZyHLH3fTdKm_9weblsQkJiJFvBmzbAv-3PfVEYtomuA/s320/The%20Lost%20of%20New%20York%20author%20John%20Rigney%20Jr%204.png" width="209" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">John "Butch" Rigney <br />leaves reform school</span></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span>The manuscripts and letters were shipped to my parent’s house
after they attended his funeral. The box of his writing remained there for
decades, in a yellow plastic box. My curiosity, and penchant for annual
cleaning and sorting of our home’s treasure trove of memorabilia and toys in
our attic, led me to the box full of hand-typed pages held together by rusty
paper clips, stained, with letters, and a few rent receipts for 3422 Bailey
Place, The Bronx, 63, New York.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I couldn’t see which chapter went with which story, or if
any of it made any sense, but it fascinated me before I was even a published
writer. In 2005, I shipped them to my apartment in San Francisco. A few years
later, they were sorted, scanned, converted to text, and edited mostly for
punctuation and grammar, while retaining Butch’s unique self-taught literary
style. The sad tone of desperation pervades the characters of Rigney’s stories,
each intertwined with a needy sorrow and a naïve glimmer of hope.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">John “Butch” Rigney wanted to be a writer, but died thinking
he never could be. The sad thing is, he already was.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="color_11"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: eb garamond,serif;">Order <i>The Lost of New York</i> (publication date May 6, 2022; paperback $16.95, ebook $8.99) from your favorite bookseller, on<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank"> Bookshop.org</a></span>, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-of-new-york-jr-john-rigney/1141354568" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a></span>, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-New-York-John-Rigney/dp/1087918685/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Amazon.com</a></span></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p><style><span style="font-family: georgia;">@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</span></style></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-50294091164341183872022-03-19T15:59:00.003-07:002022-04-17T17:28:17.908-07:00Artists fight back for Ukraine; what would you do?<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgC29-yL8nNGRGLf0LTTfKPhLFL-5gFwYLsZwE-7Y00Y1vpT6iF_FJ8v3Dpf4kKottrWCXAD_XLC4TrtxW37IShHL78E6RLOd1zHJjkC1R3Hbbg43MYbOFG0bYrTchXX1LVWOW4JqmQv32H6wrwPEjIBOw4370o_byJeTjZccHfF21yu9Uo42PaeyC18A=s999" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="999" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgC29-yL8nNGRGLf0LTTfKPhLFL-5gFwYLsZwE-7Y00Y1vpT6iF_FJ8v3Dpf4kKottrWCXAD_XLC4TrtxW37IShHL78E6RLOd1zHJjkC1R3Hbbg43MYbOFG0bYrTchXX1LVWOW4JqmQv32H6wrwPEjIBOw4370o_byJeTjZccHfF21yu9Uo42PaeyC18A=s320" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />When someone posted on Twitter asking how artists, specifically fiction writers, could continue to create while bad things happen in the world, the responses were numerous. While I haven't been flooded with the creative spark recently, I have done some work, and thought I'd share a few of the many things artists around the world, and in Ukraine, are doing to protest the heinous Russian invasion of Ukraine.<br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Via <a href="https://observers.france24.com/en/europe/20220304-ukraine-artists-in-kyiv-work-12-hours-a-day-making-anti-tank-obstacles" target="_blank">France's Observer</a>: metal sculptors have made barricades on roads, soldered from girders. <br /></span></span></p><h2><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">'Everyone is doing what they can to defend our city, our country'</span></span></h2><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Russia
invaded Ukraine on February 24, beginning a war that, to some
Ukrainians, felt improbable until the first explosions went off. The
resistance effort was immediate. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On February 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky <a href="https://observers.france24.com/en/europe/20220225-thousands-of-ukrainians-sign-up-to-fight-for-their-country-as-russia-invasion-continues" target="_self">urged citizens</a> across the country to mobilize against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Thousands of people lined up to enlist in the military.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Meanwhile, everyday citizens were told to take up arms to defend their cities. The Ukrainian defence ministry <a href="https://twitter.com/DefenceU/status/1497118323372265476" target="_blank">encouraged residents</a> of a Kyiv suburb to “make Molotov cocktails” and “destroy the occupier.” <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-isolation-intensifies-ukraine-fighting-rages-2022-03-01/" target="_blank">Analysts say</a>
the Russian military may have been caught off guard by Ukraine’s strong
resistance. Bodia said that everyone has become involved in the war
effort.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Journalists are also stepping beyond 'objective' lines, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/14/russian-tv-employee-interrupts-news-broadcast-marina-ovsyannikova" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reports:<br /></span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOgwaYqOPfTrFzW3N3QB5IJ7iGbDOc9hUxt9qsWYNy-C38KNUgUE4vquwrof5SE48wKfykCQnuM4yE3y4Hktm4Ypwg6I9uNG5mZmnBsPoox1hb3p3RXJNPJN63Tvdg9rSE_RfjwnuiEsi5tHRj6cfMr6RG2pRv7UG5z6tAfU08wWy96yK611rSbL34rA=s630" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="630" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOgwaYqOPfTrFzW3N3QB5IJ7iGbDOc9hUxt9qsWYNy-C38KNUgUE4vquwrof5SE48wKfykCQnuM4yE3y4Hktm4Ypwg6I9uNG5mZmnBsPoox1hb3p3RXJNPJN63Tvdg9rSE_RfjwnuiEsi5tHRj6cfMr6RG2pRv7UG5z6tAfU08wWy96yK611rSbL34rA=s320" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One,
burst on to the set of the live broadcast of the nightly news on Monday
evening, shouting: “Stop the war. No to war.”</span></span><p></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She
also held a sign saying: “Don’t believe the propaganda. They’re lying
to you here.” It was signed in English: “Russians against the war.”</span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The
news anchor continued to read from her teleprompter speaking louder in
an attempt to drown out Ovsyannikova, but her protest could be seen and
heard for several seconds before the channel switched to a recorded
segment.</span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Ovsyannikova also released a
pre-recorded video via the OVD-Info human rights group in which she
expressed her shame at working for Channel One and spreading “Kremlin
propaganda.”</span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Regrettably, for a number of
years, I worked on Channel One and worked on Kremlin propaganda, I am
very ashamed of this right now. Ashamed that I was allowed to tell lies
from the television screen. Ashamed that I allowed the zombification of
the Russian people. We were silent in 2014 when this was just beginning.
We did not go out to protest when the Kremlin poisoned [opposition
leader Alexei] Navalny,” she said.</span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“We are
just silently watching this anti-human regime. And now the whole world
has turned away from us and the next 10 generations won’t be able to
clean themselves from the shame of this fratricidal war.”</span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wearing
a necklace in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag, Ovsyannikova
said in her video statement that her father is Ukrainian and her mother
is Russian.</span></span><p></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“What is happening in Ukraine is a
crime and Russia is the aggressor,” she said. “The responsibility of
this aggression lies on the shoulders of only one person: Vladimir
Putin.”</span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">CNN reports on a Russian rapper's protest concert:</span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hW7ZbOHprz4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <br /></span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Arts venues and civilians have become victims of violent attacks when <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/17/europe/ukraine-mariupol-bombing-theater-russia-intl/index.html" target="_blank">Russia attacked a theatre sheltering civilians</a>.</span></span></p><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-1vejudh-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3">Russian
forces dropped a bomb on a theatre where civilians were being sheltered
in the besieged city of Mariupol, local officials said.</span></span></span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-1vejudh-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Deputy
Mayor Sergei Orlov told the BBC between 1,000 and 1,200 people had
sought refuge in the building. The number of casualties was still
unknown.</span></span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-1vejudh-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Russia's airstrikes and shells have previously hit a maternity hospital, a church and apartment towers.</span></span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-1vejudh-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuxGDIm7EnGv4q5ytf-eVG1O2WjA6F9PVaB2X_tovbMtHmQYcmF5uR58c9kybUOpCHW9K4FuvtO79uzx4fHFJcBxMQb_afVLv1WOkAFdBJ0EENEayPp640VFARNfQoH2YgRfHVrlinxOM2JtqobDbY3H9N9UShvK-CTLEQxvbuekCvZ23pNdM1rW5_iQ=s635" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="635" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuxGDIm7EnGv4q5ytf-eVG1O2WjA6F9PVaB2X_tovbMtHmQYcmF5uR58c9kybUOpCHW9K4FuvtO79uzx4fHFJcBxMQb_afVLv1WOkAFdBJ0EENEayPp640VFARNfQoH2YgRfHVrlinxOM2JtqobDbY3H9N9UShvK-CTLEQxvbuekCvZ23pNdM1rW5_iQ=s320" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Local
authorities say at least 2,400 people have been killed in Mariupol
since the start of the war, although they acknowledge this is likely to
be an underestimate. Many of the dead are being buried in mass graves.</span></span><p></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-1vejudh-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">An
estimated 300,000 residents are trapped inside the city, where running
water, electricity and gas have been cut off. Food and water supplies
are running low, as Russian troops have not allowed the delivery of
humanitarian aid.</span></span></p></div></div><div class="ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper e1xue1i86" data-component="text-block"><div class="ssrcss-1vejudh-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1"><p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph eq5iqo00"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mariupol's
city council said in a statement that Russian forces "deliberately and
cynically destroyed" the theatre, saying a "plane dropped a bomb on a
building where hundreds of peaceful Mariupol residents were hiding." (Also on BBC.)<br /></span></span></p></div></div><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">How quickly can one become a viral war meme? If you're a ballet dancee who takes up arms, rather quickly. (<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/03/11/ballet-dancers-ukraine-fighting/" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>)<br /></span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"Side-by-side photos of Ukrainian dancer <a href="https://opera.com.ua/en/persons/balerini-i-premieri" target="_blank">Oleksii Potiomkin</a>,
posted recently on Twitter, capture the stark irony of his life. In one
shot, he’s an elegant ballet prince, snapped midair in a magnificent
leap. In the other, he’s standing in the snow, wearing military fatigues
and carrying a weapon.</span></span></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxid1_FOqFEu20q2SzXseqdtvbDf_wfay3ChxDeObJiqwIlJSU1_fN0ERmV9RcLxBGhphOODvABXv1m5l_RJlOvsVUNQEIWyrmuJBPEK56pSU6PJW5UwFN9xuMgxHnAUracIyWgFoxaJB1R9REKLknCdmiFqkNmXMC6vhL3nE8CEBEu73PWkk2kBSsvA=s882" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="691" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxid1_FOqFEu20q2SzXseqdtvbDf_wfay3ChxDeObJiqwIlJSU1_fN0ERmV9RcLxBGhphOODvABXv1m5l_RJlOvsVUNQEIWyrmuJBPEK56pSU6PJW5UwFN9xuMgxHnAUracIyWgFoxaJB1R9REKLknCdmiFqkNmXMC6vhL3nE8CEBEu73PWkk2kBSsvA=s320" width="251" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />"In Russia, <a href="https://www.gramilano.com/2022/03/principal-dancers-leave-mariinsky-and-bolshoi/" target="_blank">two principal dancers have broken ties</a>, at least temporarily, with the famed Bolshoi and Mariinsky companies. <a href="https://xanderparish.com/en" target="_blank">Xander Parish</a>
has quit the Mariinsky, his artistic home since 2010, when he became
the first English dancer invited to join the legendary St. Petersburg
company, where such ballet royalty as Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail
Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova once danced. <br /></span></span><p></p><p class="dcr-1wj398p"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">"His decision and those of other dancers protesting Russia’s aggression have impressed<a href="https://www.washingtonballet.org/people/kateryna-derechyna/" target="_blank"> Kateryna Derechyna</a>, a Ukrainian member of the Washington Ballet who grew up in Odessa and trained at the Odessa Ballet Academy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“It is unbelievable to go from all the grace and beauty of creating this
art form,” she said, “and then to have the complete opposite, standing
with a gun. It’s just unbelievable to see that <i>that</i> would be your
reality when one week ago you were dancing onstage. But that’s the
fearlessness — doesn’t matter, women or men. We are very strong and
fearless. I’m not shocked that the women are willing to do anything for
their country and their family.” <br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Meanwhile, stateside, protests have taken place in many cities. This is while our former heinous president spent years sucking up to Putin, and in 2018, some <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-on-russia-trip-face-scorn-and-ridicule-from-critics-at-home/2018/07/05/68f0f810-807e-11e8-b0ef-fffcabeff946_story.html" target="_blank">Republicans even went to Russia</a> on July 4 weekend for clearly nefarious traitorous reasons.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But what can we do now? <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/02/25/1082992947/ukraine-support-help " target="_blank">NPR shared a list</a> of nonprofits to donate funds.</span></span></p><p><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCtK3wYqQDIszQYCklrYC4TkZeKQ2tSTleHPyTpjn5fIcELlToHbfmIPKUmScNCEwVmgD5N3rZ5D5pGOpeTTlls9Wev7eODzEFYyg5N9Lfa-SFw2fxKteO5smnWXTMMLvXnt9QfApuGKYpOKjpQVP2YbqJhBNf9yXQeJiVjicixMxpFlZZOKCQtSPzJA=s588" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="588" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCtK3wYqQDIszQYCklrYC4TkZeKQ2tSTleHPyTpjn5fIcELlToHbfmIPKUmScNCEwVmgD5N3rZ5D5pGOpeTTlls9Wev7eODzEFYyg5N9Lfa-SFw2fxKteO5smnWXTMMLvXnt9QfApuGKYpOKjpQVP2YbqJhBNf9yXQeJiVjicixMxpFlZZOKCQtSPzJA=s320" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Stars in the House, the hit YouTube series hosted by Seth
Rudetsky and James Wesley, announced today that they will host a 10-hour
telethon to raise money and awareness for those affected by the ongoing
war in Ukraine. Donations from the event will benefit the International
Rescue Committee and their humanitarian efforts. <br /><br />The show will air live on Saturday, March 26 from 9am PT - 7pm PT. It can be viewed and listened to at <a href="https://www.starsinthehouse.com/" target="new">www.starsinthehouse.com</a>, Stars In The House's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/StarsInTheHouse" target="new">YouTube channel</a>, as well as SiriusXM Stars109. More info's in my short article for the <a href="https://www.ebar.com/bartab/fundraiser/313971" target="_blank">Bay Area Reporter</a>. <br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhW2h4w1h3EgZPlt3-TieVmPAFOC93JwmuHAvPKD0zVmQJZXnaa8AltXFoUd_Zy9JloX9lMvlPeqA_BJD3f7jxfPAI1cakYwAy_Du2LeSAtowcfilmp2KpCD4gTRr3epmgG-1wS461hzPs_A76COa0mcpMTsqC50YG7nc7tIqajqHcRRurcJMNXrcyzIQ=s874" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="769" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhW2h4w1h3EgZPlt3-TieVmPAFOC93JwmuHAvPKD0zVmQJZXnaa8AltXFoUd_Zy9JloX9lMvlPeqA_BJD3f7jxfPAI1cakYwAy_Du2LeSAtowcfilmp2KpCD4gTRr3epmgG-1wS461hzPs_A76COa0mcpMTsqC50YG7nc7tIqajqHcRRurcJMNXrcyzIQ=s320" width="282" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Every little bit helps, as actor-musician John Cameron Mitchell did in <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CbNmqdkLYjx/" target="_blank">an Instagram post </a>about his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gsg_art/" target="_blank">Ukrainian artist pal Lurii,</a> who's selling stained glass art to raise funds.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">When Queen performed with Paul Rodgers in Ukraine in 2008, the free Life Must Go On AIDS awareness concert in Kharkiv’s historic Freedom Square drew a live audience of over 350,000. More than 10 million watched the show live on television. In support of relief efforts in Ukraine’s challenges against a new affliction, Queen is returning to that historic concert with a YouTube special screening aimed at drawing donations for international relief efforts. “Queen + Paul Rodgers Live In Ukraine” plays on YouTube Saturday, March 19 at 10A PDT / 1P EDT / 5P GMT. Please make your donations to: UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PGCTQTZXGXs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto"> <br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">More music: in this moving video, 94 violinists from around the world come together to accompany violinists in Ukraine, some in basement shelters, in a Ukrainian folk song.
London-based violinist Kerenza Peacock coordinated the effort: </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">"In the space of 48 hours, I received videos from 94 violinists, representing over 25 different countries." If you look closely you can spot LSO violinists Carmine Lauri, Maxine Kwok, Clare Duckworth, Julián Gil Rodríguez, Alix Lagasse and Sarah Quinn.
On the website you can read the whole story, donate to charities working in the region and even download the score to record your own contribution: </span><a class="yt-simple-endpoint style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto" href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkpFbEtIazFQeDN0SGp1UHZOTXhfaUFBYmRHUXxBQ3Jtc0tuUzRVY2VNeFdLWGl3UE5TWUprT21XYS13LTQwYS1QV1lDTkhPanhsVF9ldmlsby1zZVMzQ0ZDRUYwVGtiOXZ3b0RMb1NvSHRpNTZBbWZWZURtZm1oMjJpZFE5bkJMcm5VZDlZM09qRGxqUzBkeklCSQ&q=http%3A%2F%2Fviolinistssupportukraine.com%2F" rel="nofollow" spellcheck="false" target="_blank">http://violinistssupportukraine.com/</a><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto">
</span><a class="yt-simple-endpoint style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto" href="https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/violinistssupportukraine" spellcheck="false">#ViolinistsSupportUkraine</a><span class="style-scope yt-formatted-string" dir="auto"> 💙💛</span></span></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VCYsjcOrK7U" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></span></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-90538585708093348762022-01-01T18:14:00.011-08:002022-04-17T17:28:46.427-07:00 Finding the Real Tulsa: chorus boys, lost and found <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaLUa7ONj-zM72eEugvq1EE4Rw4Z_mbJU4--qlwsULdNw-6IQPkdBZ9KeW1-UMXj251yJKPcx_ls0pHnuIhsqMDzq952OXrIL1HqMh-ujFJlS_ah5CY07wwSc0zBfygfVHTgPQepZkDUkx9mTlrip1dG8xu43YLBVNHb4shsdKK-KbWpPGFS6etBiq1Q=s945" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div></span></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">While we mourn the loss of some great stars of stage, TV and film,</span></b></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I’m thinking about an actor-dancer who was more forgotten than most, </span></b></span></div><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and undeservedly so.</span></b></span></p></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBIDaT6APyO1_dgubIyf9h9GmLD4rYf9cYWHSYmODLNCRJ8ETa3mKN-OG7WF5dS5tjmmRme2x38681toYimqGMxbnsj9YuXnQ3CPItVWgCfW8JU3kdIGq9ss27xylMc-UGbD7ktNZ_Y0NzGeBu-D7QOUqhZ1XzlgQzUW-ynyLacWpdAF7LRCu_aLTIqA=s945" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="945" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBIDaT6APyO1_dgubIyf9h9GmLD4rYf9cYWHSYmODLNCRJ8ETa3mKN-OG7WF5dS5tjmmRme2x38681toYimqGMxbnsj9YuXnQ3CPItVWgCfW8JU3kdIGq9ss27xylMc-UGbD7ktNZ_Y0NzGeBu-D7QOUqhZ1XzlgQzUW-ynyLacWpdAF7LRCu_aLTIqA=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Wallace and Natalie Wood in <i>Gypsy</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">2021 had some major celebrity deaths, including most prominently </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://www.biography.com/musician/stephen-sondheim" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Stephen Sondheim</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> and Betty White, mostly because of the timing. </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Sondheim died just before a revival of his musical </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Company</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> was </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">hitting the stages on Broadway. And </span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/betty-white-dead-golden-girls-television-5818585387f6e5b4d5ea55ac380118aa" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Betty White </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">died on New Year's Eve </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">at nearly 100 years old.</span></b></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Another prominent death in the Broadway world was </span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2021-12-26/harvey-evans-broadway-golden-years-theater" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Harvey Evans</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">who was one of the Jets as a first replacement in the original stage production </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">West Side Story</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> as well as the 1961 film version. By focusing on the two musicals </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">that featured the lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">West Side Story</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Gypsy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I found a loss, a surprising survivor, and another tragic death that happened long ago.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Harvey Evans recently died and was celebrated for his long career in many musicals </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">including </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and a touring </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">production of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">La Cage aux Folles</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, in which he played ZaZa. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He even posed nude on the cover of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">After Dark</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> magazine in a very sexy pose.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In the multiple times that I watched the original film</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055614/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">West Side Story</span><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">–on television as a kid, in theaters (including a 1988 screening in New York City </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">where I had the pleasure of meeting director Robert Wise), and then on the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">50th anniversary DVD, I basically followed one dancer after another </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">with each viewing. </span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I'd be fascinated by every one of Russ Tamblyn's gymnastic tumbling moves. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In another viewing (including three times at a Columbus repertory cinema </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">while a Dance major at Ohio State University, one time bringing a few classmates), </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I would focus on the stunningly handsome Tucker Smith (Ice). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Evans was another Crush as well, as was George Chakiris.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j7TT4jnnWys" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A touchin’ good story</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> One actor-dancer who continuously intrigued me was </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0063774/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">David Bean</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">who played Tiger, a renamed role from his original performance as </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Big Deal in the London production of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">West Side Story</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> and then later in the film. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">His bright red hair, sturdy looks and dancing abilities beguiled me, including </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">his comic flair as the dopey cop in “Gee, Officer Krupke.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But for years I couldn't find any information about him.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoA_3fTKr4gKI4ARCbeFAfzGLoT_NS_bbfI79xuk3tJfzuviLVVlnpAUhwKBEVvEgE12C_CMLVvbttiFxNVieqQk9nvMq0gmWDGIVkJrBWjzMJO5uKHdz0RwIBaAmDUsBKAarRODHl_W1kIOPfBwVWCn5KDguz0ZeNmQsF_GfOkoEp8CqKA_jtAA-KkQ=s476" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoA_3fTKr4gKI4ARCbeFAfzGLoT_NS_bbfI79xuk3tJfzuviLVVlnpAUhwKBEVvEgE12C_CMLVvbttiFxNVieqQk9nvMq0gmWDGIVkJrBWjzMJO5uKHdz0RwIBaAmDUsBKAarRODHl_W1kIOPfBwVWCn5KDguz0ZeNmQsF_GfOkoEp8CqKA_jtAA-KkQ=s320" width="218" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br />That all changed with his endearing new memoir, </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Youre-West-Side-Story/dp/1883551218/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N9C63L4BNBZ4&keywords=when+you%27re+a+jet&qid=1641087449&s=books&sprefix=when+you%27re+a+jet%2Cstripbooks%2C229&sr=1-1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When You're a Jet</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">which was recently published. In it, Bean discusses his early career </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">as one of the Lost Boys in a production of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Peter Pan</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> with Mary Martin, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">his friendship with British actor Cyril Ritchard, who played Captain Hook, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and his touring life as a dancer.<span></span></span></p><!--more--><p></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">His romance with dancer Jean Deeks (who played Anybodys) led to a marriage </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and a life beyond dancing as a shopkeeper, farm owner, among other career moves </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">at various homes in Upstate New York. Bean caps off his memoir with a recent update </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and a well-timed description of his cameo role as a fabric seller in the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">2021 Steven Spielberg production of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">West Side Story</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Imagine being a young dancer in such a prestigious film and </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">getting to meet one of the original dancers and hear stories about </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">working with greats like Jerome Robbins.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Bean's memoir never goes too far into dishy gossip; </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">he's respectful of all his colleagues and his life is far from the fictional version </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of a gang member in 1950s New York City. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But considering that his good friend George Chakiris, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">as well as his boss, Jerome Robbins, and the show’s dance captain </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">(and Robbins’ boyfriend) Tommy Abbott (Gee-tar), were gay, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Bean never mentions that. But, hey, it was the late ’50s and early ’60s.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_goAlQ5s_vAD56kB6Uau9-bjJxEDFZNRdVwVduJMiXmqWCG2ruzwjQZchFgUncDTo7igevviZ2LZG60ctOPW1HSZMXQ6IbuOljbalo66s0OmFZWwPjTWk4_B-SbQ9U1sKzqicpxiT98CAcw5baUAqDzmfpBfPSHU5b_JPxBM6xem-Jj2wmQZaB0A7RQ=s681" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="681" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_goAlQ5s_vAD56kB6Uau9-bjJxEDFZNRdVwVduJMiXmqWCG2ruzwjQZchFgUncDTo7igevviZ2LZG60ctOPW1HSZMXQ6IbuOljbalo66s0OmFZWwPjTWk4_B-SbQ9U1sKzqicpxiT98CAcw5baUAqDzmfpBfPSHU5b_JPxBM6xem-Jj2wmQZaB0A7RQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Wallace (2nd left) in the Broadway <i>Gypsy</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Historical news</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Let's go back to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Gypsy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. My seventh novel</span><a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Finding Tulsa</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> is about a gay 1990s </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">film director who reconnects with his summer theater crush from a production </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of the musical based on the life of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">My fictional narrator, Stan Grozniak, played the young Tulsa while </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Lance Holtzer played the young adult version. Their reunion years later </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">leads to an unusual romance as Stan navigates his Hollywood comeback and </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Lance gets finally gets a starring role in Stan’s film.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">While I did a lot of research about the 1990s Los Angeles scene and film </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">directing as well, I didn't need to do much research about being a boy in a </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">production of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Gypsy </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">because that actually happened at a small College </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in Ohio where I was raised.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">And while my fictional novel focuses on the two versions of Tulsa, in real life </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I actually played Yonkers, another newsboy. While I did have a crush on the actor </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">who played the older Yonkers, I actually realized while looking through the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">old program from 1976 that pretty much all the older newsboys were the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">objects of my teenage affection. I couldn't find much information about them </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">(except for one guy who is still a social media friend), but it led me down another </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">path of research that I could have done while finishing the novel </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Finding Tulsa</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But what I found would not have been searchable exactly in the 1990s </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">when most of the novel is set.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I'm talking mostly about </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0908813/?ref_=tt_cl_t_7" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Paul Wallace</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, who played Tulsa in the original </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Broadway cast that starred Ethel Merman. Wallace also recreated his role as Tulsa </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in the film version in which starred Natalie Wood </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">(side note: Bert Michaels was in both shows and films of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Gypsy</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">West Side Story</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">.)
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yrokEBz5xns" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</span></p></b><br /></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">All I need now is…</span></p></b></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In recently re-reading </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Memoir-Rose-Lee/dp/1883319951/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Gypsy Rose Lee's memoir,</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> I enjoyed discovering certain </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">scenes that were different from the film and stage play, but also some that matched </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">it very closely. For example, Tessie Tura the stripper is in the memoir, whereas the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">other two strippers are made up. But some lines in the musical were directly taken </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">from Lee’s memoir, like “Maybe there’s somethin’ wrong with your bumper.”</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirRYE8nNj7zEAfeGnN5eYTe3NHIA2Hh594KEspf3K2jnzFhsqgmatpgtuTQSfGhZI1uujIrS4K2cmFq7JOKTHKq530NX5rWL0XTdZdjVNWtTDOPX5MbZRfLU86LCBrSdbs_A1muDJvAE13KGMhiL9R3p4gOJp08s7J_MpRzBkxEmJPiaWD35So0pwOMw=s456" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="302" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEirRYE8nNj7zEAfeGnN5eYTe3NHIA2Hh594KEspf3K2jnzFhsqgmatpgtuTQSfGhZI1uujIrS4K2cmFq7JOKTHKq530NX5rWL0XTdZdjVNWtTDOPX5MbZRfLU86LCBrSdbs_A1muDJvAE13KGMhiL9R3p4gOJp08s7J_MpRzBkxEmJPiaWD35So0pwOMw=w162-h244" width="162" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /> </span></b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But here's an interesting discovery; in the memoir, Lee discusses how one</span></b></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">male dancer is discovered in a back alley working on a routine and Louise </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">discovers him. That dancer's name was actually Stanley, which is ironic considering </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">the narrator in my novel is named Stanley as well. </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The dancer who ends up running away with June was actually a different guy, </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">but of course in the stage script and screenplay, combining the two made for </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">better dramatic intent.</span></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This all led me down a path I could have taken while finishing my novel, </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">that of the life of Paul Wallace. The death of Evans, White and Sondheim </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">didn't induce grief as much as cause for a celebration of their lengthy </span></b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">accomplished lives. Wallace did not enjoy that privilege.</span></b></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Little can be found about Paul Norton Willens (stage name Paul Wallace), </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">except that he was born on May 26, 1938 in Los Angeles, California, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and is known for his work on</span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056048?ref_=nmbio_mbio" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Gypsy</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (1962),</span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050568?ref_=nmbio_mbio" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Johnny Trouble</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (1957) </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and</span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058855?ref_=nmbio_mbio" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Wild Wild West</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (1965). He died on November 30, 2001 </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">at age 63 in Cathedral City, California. Wallace also had a recurring role </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">as Kippy in the TV series </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Father Knows Best</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Here he is with Ethel Merman in the 1960 TV special, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ford Star Time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/df8e89UH_uM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</p></b><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">That the city of his death is known for a large gay male community might be a clue </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">that my preteen gaydar may have been accurate in his case, whereas it went haywire </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in my real-life summer theater days.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But what did Wallace do in the subsequent decades of his life? Who, if anyone, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">were his boyfriends, friends, and who attended his memorial, if there even was one?</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">An </span><a href="https://community-imdb.sprinklr.com/conversations/data-issues-policy-discussions/missing-information-on-actors-profile-for-paul-wallace/5fa25e6dbd25505315508f53" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">IMDB comment</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> notes, “A fan [on a Father Knows Best Facebook page] </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">responded to my post stating that sadly Paul Wallace died of AIDS a long time ago.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span></span></span></p><!--more--><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><p></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizctoJ3P-r59-h9i2XuPnpioYCzmSJA1TPn96QxhRIfQjzrJup_-qWO7iByj0L514TUF18c1_PAM0o6gtKBfvd45RWXSuTJeklHhlmPM4wfAR8i8uQNlXhvBGraaTSz1arwjFGrRwjGoJRGfbgfpT-q0pXkGPlpeqKQImPvyUxmLBjSZLVmB7mqmimLw=s446" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizctoJ3P-r59-h9i2XuPnpioYCzmSJA1TPn96QxhRIfQjzrJup_-qWO7iByj0L514TUF18c1_PAM0o6gtKBfvd45RWXSuTJeklHhlmPM4wfAR8i8uQNlXhvBGraaTSz1arwjFGrRwjGoJRGfbgfpT-q0pXkGPlpeqKQImPvyUxmLBjSZLVmB7mqmimLw=s320" width="214" /></a></span></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br />While in </span><a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Finding Tulsa</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> I did include characters who die of AIDS, </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and an openly HIV-positive character, I did not go down an obsessive path where </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Stan tries to find out what happened to Wallace himself. In the mid-1990s, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">the internet was in a very early stage, and there's no way he could have even </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">discovered that Wallace had died. This could have taken on a theme not unlike</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/ryman-geoff-1951" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Geoff Ryman</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">'s magnificent novel </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Was</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, which is partially about an actor who </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">plays the Scarecrow from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Wizard of Oz </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and slowly dies of AIDS.</span></p></b><br /><b id="docs-internal-guid-cefd516d-7fff-2eb7-798c-9916b624ead2" style="font-weight: normal;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Instead I chose a path of reunions, rediscovery and hope. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">My point is that while it's great to honor those who lived full lives </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and accomplished a lot, it’s not ‘tragic’ when someone dies at nearly 100. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The true tragedy is people like Paul Wallace, who seemingly disappeared.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></b>***UPDATE*** </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fellow writer Jim Baxter shared some rare news clippings about Paul Wallace from 1962, 1972 and 1977. He had quite a career after being the show-stopping Tulsa on Broadway, starring in regional musicals, becoming a choreographer, and giving private dance lessons to other performers. Click on the images or download them to read. Of course, there's no mention of his personal life, so I still consider his later years to be remain a mystery.<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBgJRoO7W6ybm2bqrn1RTH4e2mft3pON3DP-HHcBTcRCTDWmQ5gF1_ynNPZXHnVIrRe47Vao2mwsaI1wKvR51Sbt03vrxEO6uWoG2ksd0hGa_jHuoJHxWPUj3V4mO4mPqmBBrc-HZLXocN9GJEdWTuMQF00_tuI70B0ReayfYOECstLQOlhaA4dww1JA=s934" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="450" height="704" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBgJRoO7W6ybm2bqrn1RTH4e2mft3pON3DP-HHcBTcRCTDWmQ5gF1_ynNPZXHnVIrRe47Vao2mwsaI1wKvR51Sbt03vrxEO6uWoG2ksd0hGa_jHuoJHxWPUj3V4mO4mPqmBBrc-HZLXocN9GJEdWTuMQF00_tuI70B0ReayfYOECstLQOlhaA4dww1JA=w339-h704" width="339" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5QyC-3XpNGo7itEgojWJ_0wbpTFAi5wKNe0Mp-XQD6g6cwWly9UbimTU7tteBUmBy7Hb0cnSFrlb-QbhqPE97tXx04dlglbcVqHYQ15U-88AB03x8LJIJJDJPGipGkSfbvhqMwXVQxNWk_B7pIIllGl2_0slKyImaf5XpvfD4Wr0TrQ0nXaS4qkKTwQ=s922" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="922" data-original-width="485" height="693" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5QyC-3XpNGo7itEgojWJ_0wbpTFAi5wKNe0Mp-XQD6g6cwWly9UbimTU7tteBUmBy7Hb0cnSFrlb-QbhqPE97tXx04dlglbcVqHYQ15U-88AB03x8LJIJJDJPGipGkSfbvhqMwXVQxNWk_B7pIIllGl2_0slKyImaf5XpvfD4Wr0TrQ0nXaS4qkKTwQ=w364-h693" width="364" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhyn65SBEmzFIaUUEn_NcfSPXg1uEiy0t1OvcDkJGcghaFZqz8_65yngj9epXV3-tMR2-nrJ8c599PFJonV5RZkbRq7iwQacSz6t42TuJbT66-Ly3DOk8D_F8Hc1vub4-jNOsLHfvXXgVu3o4SIkAQdeNHxWV5U5BoHOY_Qc0EQAi5Bt48uCnPTQ4J_w=s983" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="983" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhyn65SBEmzFIaUUEn_NcfSPXg1uEiy0t1OvcDkJGcghaFZqz8_65yngj9epXV3-tMR2-nrJ8c599PFJonV5RZkbRq7iwQacSz6t42TuJbT66-Ly3DOk8D_F8Hc1vub4-jNOsLHfvXXgVu3o4SIkAQdeNHxWV5U5BoHOY_Qc0EQAi5Bt48uCnPTQ4J_w=w469-h442" width="469" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5gfwMOJOC1M" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></p><p></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-28154383269419550282021-12-21T10:42:00.000-08:002021-12-21T10:42:22.944-08:00'Cabin Fervor,' your gay gift for the holidays<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhONGe_tIjwbKkP1DmZIOrkRdNugH0BKru_SvhtPS7S-Q7FVi_X5nnMQ8PquBtCMXPLC2OXa-xSKDWGaXAEJEe4KSANtfe2TthtddtmA9UKyMTVi7zTNvi1YL2sajNDA66Wpavkx1UOXQLtSdENioiAMdMHL9rWWHvt14UWQtBX1_oAd2iOyhUM0ZQSlg=s630" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="630" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhONGe_tIjwbKkP1DmZIOrkRdNugH0BKru_SvhtPS7S-Q7FVi_X5nnMQ8PquBtCMXPLC2OXa-xSKDWGaXAEJEe4KSANtfe2TthtddtmA9UKyMTVi7zTNvi1YL2sajNDA66Wpavkx1UOXQLtSdENioiAMdMHL9rWWHvt14UWQtBX1_oAd2iOyhUM0ZQSlg=w394-h243" width="394" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Happy Holidays! I got you something.</span><p></p><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_9l"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb d3f4x2em iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> My short story, "Cabin Fervor," is free today through Dec. 25.</div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Ernie and Jase, two unemployed Broadway dancer boyfriends, escape
pandemic-ridden Manhattan for a friend’s upstate cabin. After a few
months of interactions with wild animals and eccentric townsfolk, they
impulsively decide to make a series of sexy videos with musical theater
themes that become a surprise hit online. Combining humor, current
events, and erotic exhibitionism, 'Cabin Fervor' captures a strange
moment in time with wry wit and affection. </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span>"'Cabin Fervor' is a great short that takes a peek at how one
special couple copes with the unique struggles of staying happy and
healthy during a pandemic. This story offers heart, humor, and just a
touch of political commentary." - JeffandWill.com</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">Download the Kindle on Amazon at<br /></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 py34i1dx" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TWJTXXJ/?fbclid=IwAR0DkJYVqIC9HYPa_Ibbz9Tp9YzxJ2ziO67f6WoTCtuyMeySMTwzzp_QI5A" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08TWJTXXJ/</a></span></div></div></span></span></div></div></div></div>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-59982026822642934332021-11-27T23:49:00.007-08:002022-01-04T15:49:28.971-08:00Stephen Sondheim's legacy and little links to my life<div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKkQyEdjH89wgfJ-8olCaRM_RaS2qUmgHFgUkot3gVBDfIYM7Szc7dU3DGjFHIRZ9qQlIERUFYyk2ZjWUAeGrkvEX-Xs6vJxU8Nm8HckjRku3HmwkXTv0PS7C9rfz44UYw9-kq3858iDo/s581/Stephen+Sondheim+1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="556" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXKkQyEdjH89wgfJ-8olCaRM_RaS2qUmgHFgUkot3gVBDfIYM7Szc7dU3DGjFHIRZ9qQlIERUFYyk2ZjWUAeGrkvEX-Xs6vJxU8Nm8HckjRku3HmwkXTv0PS7C9rfz44UYw9-kq3858iDo/s320/Stephen+Sondheim+1.png" width="306" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />It's impossible to imagine a world without the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim. The prolific composer-lyricist died on November 26 at age 91. His passing got me reeling through my years on and offstage, and how, like so many other fans, his work wove its way into our lives, and for me, as the eventual inspiration for an entire novel.<br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The
world-renowned lyricist and composer won eight Tony Awards
throughout his extensive career, alongside an Academy Award, seven
Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and a Laurence Olivier Award.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The first Broadway show that Sondheim composed both the lyrics and
music for proved to be a winner out the gate. He scored a Tony Award for
Best Musical for that show, the 1962 comedy <i>A Funny Thing Happened on
the Way to the Forum,</i> which ran for more than two years. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As a former actor and dancer, now a writer, his art had a strong influence, despite my never having exactly performed in any productions of his shows. But before I reminisce about Sondheim, and my briefly meeting him, here are some other reflections from more prominent voices.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NZJdn2UNIy-EydF3HWO7vMmKCMd5vrDWlCWXfcD4OhVi6gOKr8_wHLlyysx2Vol643wvIfXKZOgSjj6SP7Q5j_6uRrB0pMPNYQastDWB13ejYg-FNdvEpCEkGNR57ffUaOo08BTOjY3N/s669/Stephen+Sondheim+bw.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="669" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NZJdn2UNIy-EydF3HWO7vMmKCMd5vrDWlCWXfcD4OhVi6gOKr8_wHLlyysx2Vol643wvIfXKZOgSjj6SP7Q5j_6uRrB0pMPNYQastDWB13ejYg-FNdvEpCEkGNR57ffUaOo08BTOjY3N/s320/Stephen+Sondheim+bw.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />In comes company</b><br />Bernadette Peters, who performed in six of his shows, tweeted, “He
gave me so much to sing about. I loved him dearly and will miss him so
much. Thank you for all the gifts you gave the world, Steve.”<p></p></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto">
</span></span></p><p><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto">Star of Rob Marshall’s 2014 film version of “Into the Woods” Anna Kendrick <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnaKendrick47/status/1464363649103847425" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">tweeted</a>,
“I was just talking to someone a few nights ago about how much fun (and
f – – king difficult) it is to sing Stephen Sondheim. Performing his
work has been among the greatest privileges of my career. A devastating
loss.” <br /></span></p><p>Other performers shared online tributes to Sondheim, including <a class="person-link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://www.playbill.com/person/mandy-patinkin-vault-0000066186" rel="external">Mandy Patinkin</a>, <a class="person-link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://www.playbill.com/person/carol-burnett-vault-0000012972" rel="external">Carol Burnett</a>, George Hearn, and others. <a href="https://www.playbill.com/article/from-the-archives-barbara-cook-patti-lupone-donna-mckechnie-donna-murphy-bernadette-peters-and-elaine-stritch-celebrate-sondheim" target="_blank">Playbill has a great round-up </a>of quotes from the 2010 celebratory concert in his honor. <a href="https://soundsofbroadway.com/" target="_blank">Sounds of Broadway</a>'s hosting a weekend mix tribute of Sondheim songs. I'm sure they're not the only ones binging on Sondheim's music.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjauIEEx02z2rSGxoC95mZpvSEY4vj8Wi_8D_6uQng4lZ5TcxBO5aNwlrpsZpDQVUAsKE4vYQXqyDH1lJmxVcVxXDAklSdV5sY-4xJPfpgSViFvxjtwtQrs6DqUyizQYHkiLeqFM3UATR7wTvLnYeReCa6lsNC8324IV7ga_O31j0StfH2C_cKnCfVhVQ=s466" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="466" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjauIEEx02z2rSGxoC95mZpvSEY4vj8Wi_8D_6uQng4lZ5TcxBO5aNwlrpsZpDQVUAsKE4vYQXqyDH1lJmxVcVxXDAklSdV5sY-4xJPfpgSViFvxjtwtQrs6DqUyizQYHkiLeqFM3UATR7wTvLnYeReCa6lsNC8324IV7ga_O31j0StfH2C_cKnCfVhVQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>Womb to Tomb </b><br />My first dose of Sondheim's talent was allegedly prenatal. My parents attended a New York City screening of the film <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Story_(1961_film)" target="_blank">West Side Story</a> while my mother was several months pregnant with me (my brother and sister were left with a babysitter). <p></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Before the film made its eagerly anticipated network TV premiere, the promo commercials had me excited (the crotch-level shot of three Sharks may have had something to do with it), and with the album and a used record player, I spent many a night dancing and singing along in our Ohio home's basement.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Our parents encouraged their kids' artistic inclinations. My sister took ballet lessons, and my brother and I tagged along for shows at Ashland College with our parents sometimes participating; my father in two shows. When the college produced <i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,</i> with no kids needed in the cast, I instead snuck into dress rehearsals and shows, mostly to ogle the hunky student playing Miles Glorioso.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But <i>Gypsy </i>became a more immersive experience. The film adaptation being a regular Sunday matinee on a local TV station, we already knew the show. As young newsboys, my brother, me and a few other boys were a small part of the cast, but I watched the rest of it through almost every rehearsal, with a few of the older guys becoming the subjects of my intense preteen crushes.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'd love to see how good this production was, but in my child's eye, it seemed terrific. My collected memories were slightly fictionalized in my seventh novel, <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">Finding Tulsa</a>. The fictional part of the story is about a gay film director in the 1990s who gets a big break on a serious TV movie, only to rediscover the hunky student actor from his childhood production of<i> Gypsy.</i> What then happens is complete fiction.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGUUxcKrcqj7mrqF1pE2aOaET5fWSHKzGvkTkrEt3Wo5UqySBzmJrMFVDKYTi_CogkWVClr95sMhe63U6_nV5x0XK7IlwpVW5zUzurrNNIAklFh34qQvcFMseGjkR2IPvMJL3P8-rN3uw/s570/Sweeney+Todd.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="570" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGUUxcKrcqj7mrqF1pE2aOaET5fWSHKzGvkTkrEt3Wo5UqySBzmJrMFVDKYTi_CogkWVClr95sMhe63U6_nV5x0XK7IlwpVW5zUzurrNNIAklFh34qQvcFMseGjkR2IPvMJL3P8-rN3uw/s320/Sweeney+Todd.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />Something amusing</b><br />One particularly sweet memory was on a 1976 trip back to New York, where, while the rest of my family was elsewhere, my mom and I attended four different Broadway show in one weekend (Thanks to bargain TKTS), including seeing Dorothy Loudon and George Hearn in <i>Sweeney Todd</i>. I had no idea what to expect; I was 14!<br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Some of Sondheim's works didn't register for me as a young adult. At only 19, I had yet to 'get' <i>Company</i>, and although I could sing, I didn't audition for a role in the Kent State University Theatre department's production (whose set featured rotating apartment set pieces to resemble a sort-of birthday cake. When the hand-shifted set failed to rotate one night, I figured I'd dodged a bullet). <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Donna MacKechnie had better insight on the new maturity of <i>Company</i>, and told <a href="https://www.playbill.com/article/from-the-archives-barbara-cook-patti-lupone-donna-mckechnie-donna-murphy-bernadette-peters-and-elaine-stritch-celebrate-sondheim" target="_blank">Playbill</a>, "I was coming out of shows where they had singing boys, dancing boys,
singing girls, dancing girls," she explains, "and this was an ensemble
piece, and I felt like a grown-up for the first time on stage, because
we were adults and we were talking about adult themes and relationships.
This was the first adult-themed musical about contemporary
relationships in New York City." </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">"When we heard [Sondheim's] score for the first time, we all just knew
that it was this rare thing, this kind of cutting-edge [work]. I mean,
everything was there. Everything was in place for the most part, and
very exciting. . . . Is there anything more beautiful than 'Being Alive'
or melodic as 'Someone Is Waiting' or 'Sorry-Grateful?' These gorgeous,
heartbreaking melodies fit so perfectly to the character." <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another work I considered too mature for my eighteen-year-old self was <i>A Little Night Music</i>. Instead of auditioning, even for the youthful role of Henrick, I fulfilled my technical credits at Kent State University by working backstage as a rigger, pulling painted backdrops up and down between scenes while speed-reading The Bard's plays with a tiny light, for my Shakespeare elective. I learned that studying plays while backstage at another play was not the best learning experience (I got a C in the lit class). Still, my love of Sondheim's works later grew. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnHHvPsm4NlJMURUZDewwl3pme6W7sVkHO0_qzjZMcdaeOkCzLStq6kKamdE7cWJ5Nlc9fNPXxOD3tkt3IXZFeWitvAotEKJUoMwtuP_mXOYMILTA-BwsPzny_kwvCqmf51i7qlDxWNAs/s480/into+woods.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="332" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnHHvPsm4NlJMURUZDewwl3pme6W7sVkHO0_qzjZMcdaeOkCzLStq6kKamdE7cWJ5Nlc9fNPXxOD3tkt3IXZFeWitvAotEKJUoMwtuP_mXOYMILTA-BwsPzny_kwvCqmf51i7qlDxWNAs/s320/into+woods.png" width="221" /></a></b></div><b><br />Time to leave the woods</b><br />The third time I shied away from being in a Sondheim show was after my two years at Kent State, as I'd transferred to Ohio State's Dance department, which had a friendly relationship with the theatre department when they staged musicals. When auditions were set for <i>West Side Story,</i> the choreographer taught a few classes with his movement for the show (Amateur productions had to either pay to license Jerome Robbins' choreography or make up their own, risking fines if they 'borrowed' his). <p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I didn't like the 'new' dances, the choreographer was a bit of a jerk, and even though I knew I could belt out a solid version of "The Jet Song," I knew I'd never get a major role. Those went to the theatre students, despite their talent. I didn't want to spend weeks rehearsing a mediocre version of my sacrosanct favorite. And although I cried on the day of missing auditions, later watching the production, with some of my white dance colleagues in "Latin" make-up in the cluttered messy version, offered some relief.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>You decide what's good</b><br />Author <a href="https://ronfassler.scrollstack.com/post/13475/THANK-YOU-SO-MUCH" target="_blank">Ron Fassler wrote </a>in a lovely essay, "Sondheim provided a benchmark for creativity, if not total success;
perseverance in the face of critical setbacks; joy in mentorship and
outsourcing of his teaching; giving back to a theatrical community to
which he owed his life's blood; answering every letter a fan wrote him."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMpMaYB1HMjxaS7hzwTT0y5dYVhHV0eG3TfMRnLQgQr4CF5mRUDgjWsoVvjkUv4lO6S7dUVzYOB3-zQxHNw0t72Cx4xYnWzOSV0JuuYOH1ZvwdFZuk0y0s6pvtshFZPRACpRR_K3DAQhP/s438/Gypsy+chorus+boys.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="438" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMpMaYB1HMjxaS7hzwTT0y5dYVhHV0eG3TfMRnLQgQr4CF5mRUDgjWsoVvjkUv4lO6S7dUVzYOB3-zQxHNw0t72Cx4xYnWzOSV0JuuYOH1ZvwdFZuk0y0s6pvtshFZPRACpRR_K3DAQhP/s320/Gypsy+chorus+boys.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">One of those fans was Mike Salinas, the co-founder and editor of <i>TheatreWeek.</i> When he later became the News Editor of SF's <a href="http://www.ebar.com" target="_blank">Bay Area Reporter,</a> with myself as an assistant editor, Mike showed me his letters from Sondheim on one of many nights where we listened his many original cast albums of Sondheim shows, and Mike encouraged me to pen a fan letter. Sadly, I never did.</span><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But before then, in 1988, as a lowly administrative assistant taking customer ticket orders and attempting to solve their ticket problems for the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/03/28/ny-planning-major-arts-festival-for-1988/ba67ac7b-e151-4e13-ac3f-a68a18673f27/" target="_blank">New York International Festival of the Arts,</a> I got to attend a small reception with Sondheim as an honored guest. I completely forget what I said –undoubtedly gushing praise for his work, some attempt to be clever, which I do recall he politely accepted in those few rare minutes. Being young and cute at the time possibly held his attention.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">About a year later, after having done a bang-up job choreographing a small student production of <i>Little Shop of Horrors</i> for NYC's Fashion Institute of Technology –and stepping in as the offstage voice of Audrey II when a student dropped out– I was asked by a friend who was the school's play producer to also choreograph their ambitious production of <i>Into the Woods</i>. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I quickly realized that the Fashion kids couldn't sing and dance at the same time, let alone sing adequately, and reduced the movements to blocking with a few arm gestures. A week before opening, Tony, said "producer," abruptly fired me, refused to pay my $800 fee, removed me from the program credits, but ended up using my choreography anyway. The bastard later tried to resume our friendship. Nope. 'Sometimes people leave you halfway through the woods.'<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8giU9rJ3O0YAs6t5YpY8_bTbwJxs8W8QKOYciV_MkuK_BDUuevM7v-Qnn8axjKnPgqTz8Ame3Kt8lFXYHA1m0zBWb87c3rBwLc1KTLEmCR9O4UqFkL3X9hsAchFuEXK9LNSmwRWaJJ3kO/s479/sunday.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="479" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8giU9rJ3O0YAs6t5YpY8_bTbwJxs8W8QKOYciV_MkuK_BDUuevM7v-Qnn8axjKnPgqTz8Ame3Kt8lFXYHA1m0zBWb87c3rBwLc1KTLEmCR9O4UqFkL3X9hsAchFuEXK9LNSmwRWaJJ3kO/s320/sunday.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finishing the hat</span></b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Fortunately, during my New York years, watching other Broadway versions of <i>Into the Woods,</i> and <i>Sunday in the Park With George</i> (absolutely heart-crushingly inspiring for any artist), and later remarkable San Francisco concert version of <i>Sweeney Todd </i>with Patti Lupone and the SF Symphony (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Az9pJd-tgY" target="_blank">watch the full concert here</a>), the 'asylum' revival touring production in SF, and seeing Patti Lupone's superb Mama Rose in <i>Gypsy </i>on a visit back to New York, renewed my deep affection for Sondheim's greatness. In fact, that production served as a spark for me to return to finishing <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">Finding Tulsa.</a></span><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">No matter the level of expertise, productions of musicals by 'our Shakespeare' will continue to be performed. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">"Sondheim elevated the field by not bowing to writing “jazz hands” musicals — but for challenging his audiences with complex lyrics and difficult themes that resonated for decades through myriad revivals across the globe." (<a href="https://nypost.com/2021/11/26/broadway-legend-stephen-sondheim-dead-at-91/" target="_blank">New York Post</a>)<span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"></span></span></p><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">A friend from my New York days, Brian Zapcik, who, like me, also studied piano, wrote in a Facebook post which he kindly allowed me to excerpt:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="font-size: small;">"The heart of
Sondheim's genius lays in the constant tension between his desire to write
music that audiences will love, versus his desire to write music that's
different from anything before. I've already written about how he was a student
of Milton Babbit, one of the pioneers of contemporary classical music in the
20th century. In other interviews, Sondheim has talked about being a fan of
avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson and minimalist composer Steve Reich.</span></span></span></p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLbjsMdvRK07f7n_plqbCodgTVCtic1JHQNJm2QJKNgzMbvRAJpvgTDccONBnVFTgDaL_Sl6xsJ9zsXBJs0vVHTK9j21JlXn5bBzAq7ysU4GW38MFliGMGj_vocKPEA3Fp9meUJD8PahK/s841/Sondheim.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="755" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLbjsMdvRK07f7n_plqbCodgTVCtic1JHQNJm2QJKNgzMbvRAJpvgTDccONBnVFTgDaL_Sl6xsJ9zsXBJs0vVHTK9j21JlXn5bBzAq7ysU4GW38MFliGMGj_vocKPEA3Fp9meUJD8PahK/s320/Sondheim.png" width="287" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />"The tension between conventionality and
experimentation in Sondheim's music is so obvious that it's already been
discussed endlessly. I'm just explaining that the at times uneasy relationship
between these two aspects of his music is why I've slowly grown to love it so much.
The conventionality makes his experimentation easier to listen to; the
experimentation gives a fresh take to his conventionality. His music is most
successful when he's been able to balance these two aspects." </span><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"> </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><style> </style></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto">Currently, two recently revived Sondheim shows are running both on and off-Broadway: <i>Assassins</i> at off-Broadway’s Classic Stage Company on on E. 13th Street, and <i>Company </i>at Broadway’s Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on W. 45th Street. And Sondheim was seen at the Jacobs Theatre just last week for a preview of <i>Company. </i>And the director and cast spoke kindly of Sondheim in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH2HpkDm3tI" target="_blank">pre-curtain speeches on Nov. 26</a>.<i><br /></i></span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><i> </i></span></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql oi732d6d ik7dh3pa ht8s03o8 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you're anywhere near these stages, or any production of a Sondheim musical, go. </span><i><br /></i></span></div></div><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><p></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q7ppy2D7_M4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-41841861222951402262021-11-07T12:17:00.003-08:002021-11-07T12:17:53.807-08:00 Scribe, unsubscribe<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Dwyn1l6ygO7-2LGp35f09UfVL7OUAUttntF13_m8ANm__nXMzD4VioMVuZAptGoHj4yHCpvQ3Re6We2lqh2pTSCZp2K2HPxnILykhZ5RaWaXi8NvTEgqkjbSbCcwQg6QmKxVkLA5zyPe/s1359/Jim+Provenzano+8+books+banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="1359" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Dwyn1l6ygO7-2LGp35f09UfVL7OUAUttntF13_m8ANm__nXMzD4VioMVuZAptGoHj4yHCpvQ3Re6We2lqh2pTSCZp2K2HPxnILykhZ5RaWaXi8NvTEgqkjbSbCcwQg6QmKxVkLA5zyPe/w609-h156/Jim+Provenzano+8+books+banner.png" width="609" /></a></div><br />I recently unsubscribed
from a lot of the writers’ newsletters I’d been getting for years, and most of
the authors’ Facebook groups, and Twitter groups that happen to have been
cluttering up my inbox and my news feed for the past few years.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Why? Because, while I’m
always interested in learning new techniques for writing and book promotion,
after nine mostly self-published book releases over 20+ years, I know what works:
writing a great book. I also know what doesn’t work: not having a huge
corporation to promote your book.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">So, please buy my books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">It’s also been said that one
shouldn’t be too blunt about promoting yourself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">F- that. Buy my books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’m tired of listening to
chats about promoting books that dance around the truth; famous authors sell
more books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I hosted a Lit Crawl event
for the (lucky) thirteenth time. Readings don’t sell books. But buy our books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I stopped accepting invitations
to seminars online, particularly one hosted by authors whose books I don’t want
to read, but who says, ‘It isn’t a competition, support other authors.’</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">To that, I say, don’t buy
their books; buy mine.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8WN2-yVwrlDWvQz7tXIFjHe9BMajo_5jR4HMvo6FZOFTtkPY_768nQB2It1H1eV4tSPLe5JQO2-hwZNlnitZ9F7dcdUnX5VJZzf9WAPOzc9MEYSiT-yoGOn9TQT5waF1BX5UgawDzWOF/s1616/all+books+long+banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="1616" height="98" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8WN2-yVwrlDWvQz7tXIFjHe9BMajo_5jR4HMvo6FZOFTtkPY_768nQB2It1H1eV4tSPLe5JQO2-hwZNlnitZ9F7dcdUnX5VJZzf9WAPOzc9MEYSiT-yoGOn9TQT5waF1BX5UgawDzWOF/w560-h98/all+books+long+banner.png" width="560" /></a></div><br />I stopped attending online
seminars because they just repeated what I knew already; if you want to write,
good for you.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you want to get a lot
of readers, write a commercial book and promote the hell out of it. Pay a
billion-dollar corporation (Goodreads, owned by Amazon) $100-plus to give your
book away.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Myself? Nope. Done that;
complete strangers unfamiliar with gay fiction or books like mine will almost
always dismiss or dislike something thy never would have paid to read. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Just buy my books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I don’t do a newsletter,
because I don’t care what you think about me, and I don’t have anything to say
that would interest you. Did you know that I clipped my nails yesterday, and
that typing the day after always hurts my fingers a little?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59-pYTzzzvWRujzy_ZNxXLSTMct-sIWemkzhQucpkBIsiD1WcPRtAHfSOg63mg15pShUZEQJrGBCDl0xGAPhLYHDgmNBSmr_RQJd5IHUOni5_4JZAnUfX7RNf4zEBweLYNScwb-5U8kak/s903/all+books+n+short+quotes+banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="903" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59-pYTzzzvWRujzy_ZNxXLSTMct-sIWemkzhQucpkBIsiD1WcPRtAHfSOg63mg15pShUZEQJrGBCDl0xGAPhLYHDgmNBSmr_RQJd5IHUOni5_4JZAnUfX7RNf4zEBweLYNScwb-5U8kak/w518-h201/all+books+n+short+quotes+banner.png" width="518" /></a></div><br />The interesting stuff is
in my books.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Writing is difficult. I
won’t be doling out advice to novices on spreadsheets.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you don’t have a
compulsion to write fiction or memoir or historical books, then do something
else.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you’re completely
obsessed to the point of compulsion to write then do it. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you ‘have an idea for a
sort of book,’ then take up knitting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Get out of the way. The
future is crowded. </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Buy my books, and my
fellow authors’ books, and my frenemies’ books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Go to an actual bookstore
and buy books.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The underlying motivation
for anyone to communicate is to sell their stuff. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">And if you’re not buying
my books, have never read any of my books, then go somewhere else.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">It’s that simple. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span></p>
<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-9068901019664365312021-08-24T21:06:00.008-07:002021-11-27T23:54:49.816-08:00Louise Fitzhugh’s truth and lies – 'Harriet the Spy' author’s revelatory biography <div class="Headline" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7ZPl8c7W7XsO7t3iE6LzkJioiJL0uiotsNcuP-QB6TYpfwtQwUJYeDNuExmeDPyONKq5X-v3Kt-k9qa-wADEq97nuFX8o0ahbeLgxThtJBNMVmgErEGmermjZ8x0X4Ms1FsHjpeiwAQO/s633/Sometimes+You+Have+to+Lie.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="408" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7ZPl8c7W7XsO7t3iE6LzkJioiJL0uiotsNcuP-QB6TYpfwtQwUJYeDNuExmeDPyONKq5X-v3Kt-k9qa-wADEq97nuFX8o0ahbeLgxThtJBNMVmgErEGmermjZ8x0X4Ms1FsHjpeiwAQO/s320/Sometimes+You+Have+to+Lie.png" width="206" /></a></div><br /></span></div><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thousands of teenage aspiring writers found inspiration from
the notebook-scribbling eleven-year-old girl in the best-selling 1964 novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harriet the Spy</i>. Some, myself included,
became especially aware of the irascible protagonist’s gender-nonconforming
attire and demeanor. But only years later did fans discover that the book’s
author, Louise Fitzhugh, was a lesbian. </span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>In a thoroughly researched and utterly fascinating
biography, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sometime You Have to Lie: The
Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy</i>,
Leslie Brody shares intimate details of the writer’s sometimes fabulous,
sometimes troubled life.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Like nearly all biographies, Brody begins with her subject’s
family, an affluent Memphis-based lineage before her birth in 1928. But
Fitzhugh had no ordinary heritage. When she was an infant, her parents’
contentious divorce proceedings rivaled the Scopes ‘Monkey’ trail, and the days
in the packed courthouse made newspaper headlines for weeks.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This all later left a young Fitzhugh bereft, particularly
when her father lied that her mother had died. Dissolute and determined to
escape the tainted traditions of her family and the antiquated debutante rites
other young women took on, Fitzhugh impulsively eloped with a man before the
marriage was abruptly annulled.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq15hcocVMNAa4aIG62YENxG4YOjA-E88pMTx7V_v1cr52Sl2UGeY7MpDpkYHh5M_jfNwghPNyYF-S5vklfn0Tr3Ja6zlwrsrWJ2W-lMtwPuS7CTkVJfY1SJxVlaHbhz8HLEeuhCrWFHSe/s413/Louise+Fitzhugh.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="369" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq15hcocVMNAa4aIG62YENxG4YOjA-E88pMTx7V_v1cr52Sl2UGeY7MpDpkYHh5M_jfNwghPNyYF-S5vklfn0Tr3Ja6zlwrsrWJ2W-lMtwPuS7CTkVJfY1SJxVlaHbhz8HLEeuhCrWFHSe/s320/Louise+Fitzhugh.png" width="286" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Louise Fitzhugh<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />She took to more rebellious behavior, and even a love affair
with Amelia Brent, a young woman whose premature death would later inspire a
lesbian-themed unfinished novel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mimi.</i></span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The inspiration for what would later become the fictional
Harriet’s obsession may have begun when Fitzhugh interned at the local
newspaper, filing old articles, including reports of her own family, specifically
her estranged mother (a later reunion would prove to be unsettling).</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">After studies at Bard College, Fitzhugh’s eventual trek
north to New York City led her to the West Village’s bohemian artist circles,
where she befriended authors Maurice Sendak and Loraine Hansberry.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia;">After a few initial projects, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Suzuki Beane</i>, an illustrated children’s book that took on Beatnik
life, and the anti-war-themed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bang, Bang
You’re Dead</i> (with Sandra Scoppettone), Fitzhugh struggled with a few play
scripts, one of which, to one agent, too closely resembled her dread-filled
Southern family life.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fitzhugh was also an accomplished visual artist who had
dreams of prominent gallery exhibitions, which didn’t work out. Not taking well
to criticism, she travelled to Italy and France (alone, when her
then-girlfriend decided to attend college instead) and hung out with other
artistic exiles.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64DvbUZcazX6kRbl3SDmP8n3Tjgr62OFpd_uzZPlNb7iIhyphenhyphentBxEsgG16uR6JalXpGTDegfnxs7cemHIsJ-Xl129olzoTVVuSR9ix_ZZeNs76q3JB1DAoYnQX5w0mPPRtM9i8ixx-gEiz6/s272/Leslie+Brody.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="265" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg64DvbUZcazX6kRbl3SDmP8n3Tjgr62OFpd_uzZPlNb7iIhyphenhyphentBxEsgG16uR6JalXpGTDegfnxs7cemHIsJ-Xl129olzoTVVuSR9ix_ZZeNs76q3JB1DAoYnQX5w0mPPRtM9i8ixx-gEiz6/w259-h266/Leslie+Brody.png" width="259" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Leslie Brody<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Returning to New York, the frustrated artist became
determined to make her mark amid the tumultuous early 1960s. Brody details the
development of Fitzhugh’s novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harriet
the Spy</i> and how it initially was received with skepticism by her agent and
editor. No other children’s book featured such a main character, whose
copiously-penned notebooks eventually get her in trouble with her schoolmates. But
readers enjoyed Harriet’s uniquely unfeminine style and curious nature.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Brody details the difficulties Fitzhugh faced from the
publishing industry, which, at the time, including few women editors, often
treated women authors with condescension. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">To fully enjoy this extensive biography, required re-reading
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harriet the Spy</i> –and even possibly
the two affable yet less popular sequels based on other characters (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sport </i>was published posthumously)– would
be essential. Brody makes multiple comparisons between Harriet as a character
and Fitzhugh’s actual demeanor, including her alternately “spritely” and
“irascible” behavior toward others.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZXNHpat8draY66bTS-R18HCgqwotcIw-a2ksP4jj-kPi-nlKNdRL3_XqlmtAS7PjbIZ9bRr6aLUYgBg6FvBXAc1JV-LIdjSldUFf8sLG2ByioqUnW6R04TJQsPQYu8Apy74IaaazuGbs/s563/Harriet+the+Spy.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="378" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZXNHpat8draY66bTS-R18HCgqwotcIw-a2ksP4jj-kPi-nlKNdRL3_XqlmtAS7PjbIZ9bRr6aLUYgBg6FvBXAc1JV-LIdjSldUFf8sLG2ByioqUnW6R04TJQsPQYu8Apy74IaaazuGbs/s320/Harriet+the+Spy.png" width="215" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Despite the book’s eventual success, Fitzhugh refused to
attend author events or readings. Her publisher’s marketing remained oblique in
portraying Fitzhugh’s life, and she gave very few interviews. At one point, her
publisher’s marketing campaigns failed to keep up with the public’s desire for
the book.</span><p></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rereading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harriet the
Spy</i> through the context of this fascinating biography reveals much more
adult themes in the sometimes critiqued novel, which at one point in a later
printing was rejected by national school library buyers, despite being a
best-seller in the public market.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Having lived her adult life out of the closet, Fitzhugh seemed
to have understood the saying from Harriet’s fictional nanny, Ole Golly; “Sometimes
you have to lie.” While this could be applied to Fitzhugh’s lesbianism, Ole
Golly followed that with “But to yourself you must always tell the truth.”</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In an age before online anything, Fitzhugh managed to live
openly until her death in 1974, eight days before the publication of her
then-third novel, <i>Nobody's Family Is Going To Change</i>.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At fault in the big lie, the author’s estate, however, was
protective of their property and the reputation of the works by hiding details
of Fitzhugh’s private life. It’s a testament to Brody’s Harriet-like
investigative journalism that reveals so many personal details through letters
and other documents. Brody has created a flowing, fascinating story about a
woman who defied traditions to create a classic modern work of literature that
thoroughly broke the mold.</span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Seal Press $30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://lesliebrodyauthor.com">https://lesliebrodyauthor.com</a></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
</span><p><style><span style="font-family: georgia;">@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</span></style></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-36791726205819111632021-05-16T14:02:00.002-07:002021-05-16T14:02:19.631-07:00Writing as an excuse for not 'Writing'<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWpwZXhHy03QMACcEjiwbW_6SkB6ohdGImhAWyT5RkTar4B5W6W0nZODCbvQG0b9zyCL49SoXc_mRKPIVBSNxNWuRu0Pm-zay52WFFauEf_h3cK3cyD_Xk9BuMzouJvUp67RzS_2F_jon/s667/Mike+Salinas-Jim+Provenzano+2001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="667" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWpwZXhHy03QMACcEjiwbW_6SkB6ohdGImhAWyT5RkTar4B5W6W0nZODCbvQG0b9zyCL49SoXc_mRKPIVBSNxNWuRu0Pm-zay52WFFauEf_h3cK3cyD_Xk9BuMzouJvUp67RzS_2F_jon/s320/Mike+Salinas-Jim+Provenzano+2001.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />While I'm very lucky to have been employed through the past year, the additional writing and editing assignments for my day job have somewhat overtaken my fiction writing. But here's why that's okay.<p></p><p>While following a lot of author blogs and advice posts on social media, I've had to come to terms with the timing of my seventh novel <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">Finding Tulsa </a>being released during a pandemic and the most contention presidential election in twenty years. The mild critical acclaim and lack of sales were predictable. People have been distracted by the pandemic and it's understandable. </p><p>Like many authors I adjusted and did online chats and readings all of which you can find on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Cyclizen" target="_blank">my YouTube channel</a>. The views, subscriptions and likes are always appreciated. <br /></p><p>But it's also disappointing to have completed and published one of my better works so far and have it be either ignored or just get the occasional virtual pat on the back on social media posts promoting it. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZH6APQ6oZhVxn3V88_NI1A47ApYxvAgYscmTKt_N55a9fLCujNjzybgJiTMfhCnWfF3nEjnnLsuX-o2k9rtRLPiS0P6anAwBiph3TWH-1WvQHR1gm0mQB_qhabJfge6p3U-LIpCKUnhv/s462/Finding+Tulsa+-+Jim+Provenzano.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZH6APQ6oZhVxn3V88_NI1A47ApYxvAgYscmTKt_N55a9fLCujNjzybgJiTMfhCnWfF3nEjnnLsuX-o2k9rtRLPiS0P6anAwBiph3TWH-1WvQHR1gm0mQB_qhabJfge6p3U-LIpCKUnhv/s320/Finding+Tulsa+-+Jim+Provenzano.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />The important thing is that, like me, many of us have endured. Perhaps we've written about our situation amid the pandemic or even taken a dive into escapist forms of not writing about it.<p></p><p>Fortunately for me, the obligation of editing and writing many stories a week for my day job –yes, while mostly working from home– has kept my creative juices flowing. It's also improved my skills, not just writing, but editing for our website; deciding on photos and videos to use, and promoting hundreds of LGBTQ artists in visual media, film, comedy, theater and nightlife. <br /></p><p>Possibly the most momentous aspect this year is the <a href="https://www.ebar.com/special_issues/" target="_blank">50th anniversary</a> of the <a href="https://www.ebar.com" target="_blank">Bay Area Reporter</a>. I got to assign almost a dozen lengthy feature articles in different media in the arts and nightlife in the B.A.R.'s history that recounted the decades of journalistic accomplishments in the newspaper I've worked with on and off for 30 years. I even created a short video promoting the anniversary, and will produce
monthly video chats with our writers, photographers and special guests,
all viewable on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_WSavcwZVE3ciFM8yCwkBw" target="_blank">B.A.R.'s new YouTube channel</a>.</p><p>My own <a href="https://www.ebar.com/arts_&_culture/culture/303544" target="_blank">personal essay </a>is excerpted here, and you can read the full version on <a href="http://www.ebar.com.">www.ebar.com.</a> I talk about my early employment and changes in my duties from an assistant editor to a freelance sports columnist and, in the past year, due to some unfortunate staff cuts, being promoted to the Arts Editor as well as doing nightlife coverage.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1dLHXCX-aCMjYBYJZwknwBo3LLsn7Ar38FDOXcwXosxygIWuPLtgHHiLHgZutCAW1i7bEusM77k6iZ1i0P9xhbdVRuJbalIXriHdo49tXBDA4r1jH_a1rdjl1_8A2ZkATz8YKgL36fQS/s497/Bay+Area+Reporter+1975+photo+Ron+Williams.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1dLHXCX-aCMjYBYJZwknwBo3LLsn7Ar38FDOXcwXosxygIWuPLtgHHiLHgZutCAW1i7bEusM77k6iZ1i0P9xhbdVRuJbalIXriHdo49tXBDA4r1jH_a1rdjl1_8A2ZkATz8YKgL36fQS/s320/Bay+Area+Reporter+1975+photo+Ron+Williams.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />It's been an amazing three decades, particularly when I think about that career day in junior high school where I said I wanted to be a writer (meaning books) and my misinformed English teacher said there were no novelists in my small town. So I ended up following a photojournalist that day and learned that it was a good entryway into learning how to write. That's proven to be a good recipe; having daily and weekly deadlines improves one's writing and is highly recommended. <p></p><p>So here's an excerpt from my essay honoring the 50th anniversary of the <i>Bay Area Reporter.</i> Read more on the website, along with the many other <a href="https://www.ebar.com/special_issues/" target="_blank">anniversary features</a> I assigned, plus News history articles.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Go West: How the B.A.R. brought me to California and halfway around the world, twice</h4><div style="text-align: left;">With more than 900 articles penned for the <i>Bay Area Reporter</i>, I
feel a strong connection as the newspaper celebrates its 50th
anniversary this week. I've written columns, listings and reviews since
1992. Having assigned and edited the expansive features in this section,
I thought to share some behind the scenes tales as well.<br /><br />My career in journalism started in 1989 in New York City with <i>OutWeek</i>, the revolutionary weekly publication that emerged from ACT UP, Queer Nation, but didn't last long. <br /><br />After
a 1990 visit for the OutWrite literary festival, my second working
visit to San Francisco was in early 1992, on a freelance assignment for <i>Frontiers</i>
magazine to cover Ggreg Taylor's Lavender Tortoise bus trip to Reno. I
got to witness the 'marriage' of 'Elvis Herselvis' Leigh Crow and Justin
(not then Vivian) Bond. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzNFq0paTLv23WZ4lN4TNWinzmzplqDznk9VnW2jTSKkQKb_U_WGPHMyr4adCLqQ8AdqEmk8K0CQ2X5RGDY58IlosK7nPaZ8RGlQzM42lcKKvPV9XXxdPzNyMWRQzYRQThggEmpLnvhuw/s349/Jim+Provenzano+1994-photo+Marcus+Hernandez.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzNFq0paTLv23WZ4lN4TNWinzmzplqDznk9VnW2jTSKkQKb_U_WGPHMyr4adCLqQ8AdqEmk8K0CQ2X5RGDY58IlosK7nPaZ8RGlQzM42lcKKvPV9XXxdPzNyMWRQzYRQThggEmpLnvhuw/s320/Jim+Provenzano+1994-photo+Marcus+Hernandez.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Along my immersion course on wheels
into the Bay Area's cleverest nightlife folks, I'd also brought a few
resumes. While a Guardian editor offered me an internship (as if!), the
B.A.R.'s publisher Bob Ross offered me a trial run to replace Mike
Yamashita, who was compiling event listings and had a month's vacation
planned. While my start as a San Francisco resident and B.A.R. reporter
was initially tentative, my residence and the fill-in job became a
permanent one.</div><p>From 1992 to 1994, along with assembling events with multi-colored
fliers from Josie's Juice Joint and Theatre Rhino, I also typed up the
BARtalk personals ads, a duty that revealed the varied desires of
multiple anonymous San Francisco men. I revamped the listings to be more
visual, assisting production guys Robert Dietz and Robert Hold in the
drafty downstairs back room that sometimes smelled of Photostat
chemicals and the burning waxer machine, still used for assembling
printed-out 'boards' of the newspaper's pages. I'd also retrieve
computer floppy discs and print-outs from visiting freelancers like
Michael Botkin and Kate Bornstein.<br /><br />I also had the more serious
task of writing up handwritten obituaries, some of them of men I knew
who had died of AIDS. I'd often have to call back surviving partners
who'd omitted their own names.<br /><br />Daily staff lunches were gossipy
and fun, particularly with assistant editor Patrick Hochtel,
advertising's David McBrayer, and assistant news editor Dennis Conkin.
But the shining inspiration to me —for many others at the time, and
years later— was the late Mike Salinas, the B.A.R. News Editor from 1992
to 1999.</p><p>Mike Salinas had been creator of <i>Theater Week</i>
back in New York. He and I shared a love of Stephen Sondheim and other
musical theater. His deft ability to create what he called 'the
triple-entendre headline' was an inspiration, as was his focus on
celebrating the community as well as critiquing it where deserved. He
took no prisoners in his sassy responses to Letters to the Editor, a
standard response being: "If you are dissatisfied with our publication,
you may return it for a full refund."</p><p>Read more on <a href="https://www.ebar.com/arts_&_culture/culture/303544" target="_blank">www.ebar.com </a></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wrn1r2YaAcI" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-77578996217662298932021-04-19T18:27:00.003-07:002021-04-19T18:27:49.629-07:00Little Free Libraries and Giveaways<p><span class=""></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl06tSXYTbsJzPdGEO581kyvmeKaBNUhFA0HAtjcKI_UGw3fuG9xNdBHWijPeX395i_6HJ57r9qvXVLilxNlB0bVs0E_-lr7mHDfvJ_jgJd5UgH7PWAkf4ewDZ-X9u3hLE5oi9seoNFGdn/s594/Little+Free+Library+-+Jim+Provenzano+PINS.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl06tSXYTbsJzPdGEO581kyvmeKaBNUhFA0HAtjcKI_UGw3fuG9xNdBHWijPeX395i_6HJ57r9qvXVLilxNlB0bVs0E_-lr7mHDfvJ_jgJd5UgH7PWAkf4ewDZ-X9u3hLE5oi9seoNFGdn/s320/Little+Free+Library+-+Jim+Provenzano+PINS.png" /></a></div><br />Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I've been secretly donating copies
of my first novel <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-pins" target="_blank">PINS </a>at little public libraries around town. If you
want a copy just let me know. When I shared this elsewhere, I was surprised by the response, and shipped off half a dozen signed copies.<br /><p></p><p><span class="">If you want to pay for postage, I'll let
you know how to send $3 (U.S.) </span></p><p><span class="">I still have a box or two left
from the old pre-print-on-demand days. You can read about the books history in my <a href="https://jimprovenzano.blogspot.com/2019/10/pins-20th-anniversary-wrestling-with.html" target="_blank">20th anniversary blog post</a>.<br /></span></p><p><span class=""></span></p><p><span class="">Of course, you could just buy a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pins-Jim-Provenzano/dp/096723820X" target="_blank">used copy online</a>. </span></p><p><span class="">But the gift is the point. It is fun to peruse the selections at little public libraries. I often donate other books, but wonder who among random browsers might be interested in my own.<br /></span></p><p><span class="">Anyway, to get your copy, just follow me and contact me on any of my social media: </span></p><p><span class=""><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jimprovenzano/">https://www.instagram.com/jimprovenzano/</a></span></p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JimProvenzanoAuthor/"><span class="">https://www.facebook.com/JimProvenzanoAuthor/</span></a></p><p><span class=""><a href="https://twitter.com/jim_provenzano" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/jim_provenzano </a><br /><br />Read all the fabulous reviews on <a href="http://www.jimprovenzano.com">www.jimprovenzano.com</a></span></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-39929115169615630852021-03-06T13:04:00.006-08:002021-03-06T13:14:09.929-08:00Saints & Sinners Literary Festival online March 11-14; including my panel and reading<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp50DaHbRR4YNVl_HJKEccgsS2Iex_Il1WVwMlPlDycNBHvbzQ4ldo_eZZxB6HW9ih7G2QGmJQ9AlPP7-of4eM6m0rAXZBQQL744a3iiVMk1pKXzfEEzlpPd4Ssl9yTFyZwEvNYvoXOx3C/s2048/SASfest+2021+-+Memoir+vs+Fiction+Panel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp50DaHbRR4YNVl_HJKEccgsS2Iex_Il1WVwMlPlDycNBHvbzQ4ldo_eZZxB6HW9ih7G2QGmJQ9AlPP7-of4eM6m0rAXZBQQL744a3iiVMk1pKXzfEEzlpPd4Ssl9yTFyZwEvNYvoXOx3C/w398-h224/SASfest+2021+-+Memoir+vs+Fiction+Panel.png" width="398" /></a></div>Literature online is now nothing new, but with
an entire literary festival, from readings to panels, all online, the 18th
annual <a href="https://www.sasfest.org/" target="_blank">Saints & Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival</a>, usually held in New
Orleans, returns with a robust roster on March
11-14, and most events are free to the public. I’ll be participating with a
panel on Memoir & Fiction, and as part of the reading line-up.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The virtual <a href="https://www.sasfest.org/" target="_blank">SASFest </a>will include
literary discussions, writing workshops, readings, and special events, all via
Zoom or YouTube. While the convivial gatherings at previous SASfests at New
Orleans restaurants and bars will be missed, the online version packs the
talent with literary legends and acclaimed new writers. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Literary panels and discussion topics include a wide array of
genres: mystery, romance, young adult, poetry, memoir vs. fiction, and short
fiction. <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"></span></span></p>
<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since 2003, Saints + Sinners Literary Festival
brings together the who’s who of the LGBTQ literary world. The Festival
features panel discussions and writing workshops by authors, editors, and
publishers for emerging writers and LGBTQ literature fans.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Among the highlights are a discussion with the
Literary Luminaries of the Violet Quill —<b>Andrew Holleran</b>, <b>Felice
Picano</b>, and <b>Edmund White</b>–<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>and a discussion of Jewish Lesbian Literature and Activism with <b>Elana
Dykewomon</b>, <b>Judith Katz</b>, <b>Irena Klepfisz</b>, and <b>Michele
Karlsberg</b>. <br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Reading Series includes new voices
and literary icons sharing their work including <b>Meredith Doench</b>, <b>Cheryl
Head</b>, <b>Michael Lowenthal, Daniel W.K. Lee, David S. Pederson</b>, <b>JD
Scott</b>, <b>Tammy Lynne Stoner</b>, and
<b>Sassafras Lowrey.</b></span></p><p></p>Also reading: the winners from the festival’s
first annual poetry contest —<b>Danielle Bero</b>, <b>Ezra Adamo</b>, and <b>Steven
Riel</b> and three contributors to the festival’s 12th annual short fiction
contest: <b>Colby Byrne</b>, <b>Lisa Hines</b>, and <b>Laura Price Steele</b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">.</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDN0pw30wivquRc7HfjbhFNHe2zJ67Amol-Da2p0mxUy-yOIqeBpln39lhWcUN2502G01D2shvlgPSdTKYfEXEnWBEzsS3IHGLy0houzetFBSC5K3_QaKU0Bh0BjhddI6oONX06YSiWfc/s663/SASfesst+2021+featured+authors.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="663" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHDN0pw30wivquRc7HfjbhFNHe2zJ67Amol-Da2p0mxUy-yOIqeBpln39lhWcUN2502G01D2shvlgPSdTKYfEXEnWBEzsS3IHGLy0houzetFBSC5K3_QaKU0Bh0BjhddI6oONX06YSiWfc/w415-h268/SASfesst+2021+featured+authors.png" width="415" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(from upper left) Farzana Doctor, Colby Byrne, Dorothy
Allison, Bryan Washington (from lower left) Phil Gambone, Regie Cabico and Judy
Grahn are just seven of the many authors participating in SASfest 2021.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A new addition to the Festival lineup is a Conversation
Series featuring authors interviewing authors. <b>Bryan Washington</b> will
discuss his acclaimed first novel <i>Memorial</i>, a <i>New York Times</i>
Noteable Book of 2020, with author <b>Matthew Griffin</b>.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Scholar & Poet <b>Julie R. Enszer</b> will
host a talk with literary icon <b>Judy Grahn </b>regarding<b> </b>her new book,
<i>Eruptions of Inanna: Justice, Gender and Erotic Power</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjARNX3g-ryhKLRWzJ_IigWV7N7J-RwMKIy5mmN-WHEQrDNmMCMql9OTXHe2j3-D9YkLwHBvEqdFehzHl4Mk3vaGcfAJLvWftTwddBrh8XUvifYL-siPHjeb7jWt4HS5Kbgx7en5Fsw2K/s357/Violet+Quill+authors.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjARNX3g-ryhKLRWzJ_IigWV7N7J-RwMKIy5mmN-WHEQrDNmMCMql9OTXHe2j3-D9YkLwHBvEqdFehzHl4Mk3vaGcfAJLvWftTwddBrh8XUvifYL-siPHjeb7jWt4HS5Kbgx7en5Fsw2K/s320/Violet+Quill+authors.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Founder of the Son of Baldwin media community,
<b>Robert Jones, Jr.</b> discusses his groundbreaking new novel <i>The
Prophets,</i> recently featured in the <i>New York Times</i>, with The Reading
Life’s <b>Susan Larson</b>.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Journalist <b>Merryn Johns</b> will discuss
sex and censorship and the modern gay rights movement with author and political
activist <b>Naomi Wolf</b>; and <b>Jenn Shapland</b> and <b>Carlos Dews</b>
discuss their passion for the work of Carson McCullers. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Special Events</span></b><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SASfest this year will be more than books. Bay
Area favorite <b>Fauxnique</b> (Monique Jenkinson) will perform excerpts from her provocative cabaret
works and will read passages from her forthcoming drag memoir <i>Faux Queen</i></span><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. <br /></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The New Orleans-based<b> </b>band <b>The</b> <b>Slick
Skillet Serenaders </b>play a set of their 1920s and ‘30s-era Ragtime, Blues,
and Jazz music stylings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjeMceXGKACsDX2CPdN1XzSR3nENXvUqm0lId3h-sY3YIsOAG3rUWOD2mjotNl942uTuOVm-CEYJD828LPZwMha3TXUMLQGl3kX3vIKbLBQB7uqohNZzqrg9xgO_6tIxvDgEVOI95X3Iq/s222/Jewelle+Gomez.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjeMceXGKACsDX2CPdN1XzSR3nENXvUqm0lId3h-sY3YIsOAG3rUWOD2mjotNl942uTuOVm-CEYJD828LPZwMha3TXUMLQGl3kX3vIKbLBQB7uqohNZzqrg9xgO_6tIxvDgEVOI95X3Iq/s0/Jewelle+Gomez.png" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jewelle Gomez<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />Members and donors to the festival can also
view a<b> </b>partial screening and discussion of the Project Legacies
documentary, <i>In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction.</i><b> </b></span><p></p><b><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SASFest also offers established and emerging
LGBTQ authors, as well as students and readers, an opportunity to network via
Padlet, a free community building app,</span><span style="color: #fb0007; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and nurture their craft with a diverse array of artistic and
educational offerings.</span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Writing Workshop Series will
feature <b>Dorothy Allison</b>, <b>Michael Nava</b>, <b>Matthew Clark Davison</b>,
and <b>Radclyffe</b>. Acclaimed writer <b>Jewelle Gomez</b> will lead a poetry
workshop, and also included is an instructional workshop from Kindle Direct
Publishing to familiarize authors with their services and self-publishing
options. Workshops will have a fee.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City
Book Shop</b> is the official bookstore of Saints and Sinners. Buy authors’ books
from the shop via <a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/festival-speakers" target="_blank">BookShop </a>and the store will donate a portion of
sales back to the Festival. All events are free this year with the exception of
the Writing Workshops. Tickets on sale at </p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/t\.e2ma\.net\/click\/fagake\/3g5gjvi\/n8nhkw\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><u><span style="color: #103cc0; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">www.sasfest.org</span></u></span></span><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span> (Reprinted from my article in the <a href="https://www.ebar.com/arts_&_culture/books/302488" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bay Area Reporter</i></a>.)<p><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-82787550268426025682021-01-25T21:00:00.000-08:002021-01-25T21:00:43.029-08:00Cabin Fervor: a new short story about hunky Broadway dancers who escape to the woods<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0KH-R30YL2-SHLf2Hf-TLLjDNO6LlohmoymwWVFQQiD0ANHqkvIC5GKOLGCiHFAF2fYUGrZ3ylS2LR0on6W5bFYkK5O7JitAympYl86sYNFfgQ13V9R8qExsecQ-RVyWImxG6vjFuIHR/s565/Cabin+Fervor+-+Jim+Provenzano.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0KH-R30YL2-SHLf2Hf-TLLjDNO6LlohmoymwWVFQQiD0ANHqkvIC5GKOLGCiHFAF2fYUGrZ3ylS2LR0on6W5bFYkK5O7JitAympYl86sYNFfgQ13V9R8qExsecQ-RVyWImxG6vjFuIHR/s320/Cabin+Fervor+-+Jim+Provenzano.png" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Wild animals in cities, Broadway dancers, OnlyFans and the pandemic might seem like unlikely story ideas, together at least. But these four topics blended together in an inspired writing spell, so I cranked out a fun tale called "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TWJTXXJ" target="_blank">Cabin Fervor</a>."<br /></span></span></span><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>Here's the story line: </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>Ernie
and Jase, two unemployed Broadway dancer boyfriends, escape
pandemic-ridden Manhattan for a friend’s upstate cabin. After a few
months of interactions with wild animals and eccentric townsfolk, they
impulsively decide to make a series of sexy videos with musical theater
themes that become a surprise hit online. Combining humor, current
events, and erotic exhibitionism, "Cabin Fervor" captures a strange
moment in time with wry wit and affection. </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>While there are some serious issues taking place now, some are able to see a hint of, yes, humor in it. The very cute cover art is by illustrator and author <a href="https://www.davidcantero.com/" target="_blank">David Cantero</a>.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>First; the COVID-19 pandemic is not funny. The heinous mismanagement of the pandemic by the inept and corrupt previous administration is obvious. Yet somehow, people have been able to find hope and a bit of dark humor to get through it. And as in the story, I do have some old New York City pals who've decided to temporarily leave the city. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-economy-nyc/fleeing-new-yorkers-resulted-in-an-estimated-34-billion-in-lost-income-study-idUSKBN28P1Q8" target="_blank">Reuters reports</a> that it's effected NYC's economy to more than a billion dollars in losses.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>Second; wild animals roaming through cities. Long before the pandemic, I longed to write a story about what I wrongly termed "bioconvergence." </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>This <a href="https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-12/why-wild-animals-are-moving-cities-and-what-do-about-it/" target="_blank">PopSci article</a> explores the phenomenon. Animal wildlife's habitats have long been decimated by human populations. What happens when they in turn, invade, or –more accurately– reclaim human spaces? <a href="https://www.treehugger.com/animals-return-humans-coronavirus-lockdown-4859365" target="_blank">Treehugger</a> explores the days when animals roamed urban streets while humans huddled indoors. <br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vAum1OQVjTw" width="381" youtube-src-id="vAum1OQVjTw"></iframe></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>"</span></span></span><span><span><span>Animals are not dramatically rebounding in the absence of humans, but
they are timidly pushing their boundaries, with sika deer showing up
outside their normal habitat in the park in Nara, Japan, wild turkeys
showing up in a park in Oakland, California, and <a data-component="link" data-ordinal="1" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="externalLink" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/killer-whales-indian-arm-1.5513870" rel="noopener" target="_blank">orcas venturing farther up</a> Vancouver's Burrell Inlet than they typically do."</span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>So when a common occurrence we've seen in countless YouTube videos temporarily becomes a <i>12 Monkeys </i>norm, we take notice. When a fiction idea becomes a greater reality, it's time to get writing.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qJXj_9qRclJdlIXXHwyuALYf2L4U0kvbqsrju3kp996OL3cT-j8r9V7kl6ABvVXc6SecpMzodOR0CrWru_WiUDXe-Kg9rmQV0II_vomh_yoNO8QZdyBHb0YpmI4SO5bKqvMTcQ95MIA3/s465/Taylor+Collins.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="412" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2qJXj_9qRclJdlIXXHwyuALYf2L4U0kvbqsrju3kp996OL3cT-j8r9V7kl6ABvVXc6SecpMzodOR0CrWru_WiUDXe-Kg9rmQV0II_vomh_yoNO8QZdyBHb0YpmI4SO5bKqvMTcQ95MIA3/s320/Taylor+Collins.png" /></a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Alessio Vega & Taylor Collins <br /></span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span><br /><b>Striportunities</b></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>But wait (third and fourth); what about Broadway dancers and OnlyFans? Let's just say that I may follow a few hunky Broadway male dancer-actor-singers on social media. Being trained exhibitionists, they're performed a few times in <a href="https://broadwaycares.org/category/post-event/broadway-bares/" target="_blank">Broadway Bares</a> fundraisers. But under lockdown, they miss work, of course, but also their inner exhibitionism's quite inhibited!<br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>Let's also assume that I may have visited a few gay adult websites that revealed a few racy photos and videos of a few male performers who, facing a complete shutdown of their performing opportunities, chose to 'pivot' into <a href="https://omg.blog/naked-actor-taylor-collins/" target="_blank">personalized adult entertainment</a> (NSFW!). Some celebs are using it in <a href="https://hornet.com/stories/male-celebrities-on-onlyfans/" target="_blank">less adult ways</a>, too.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>"I'm somebody who stresses about a lot of things," says David Pevsner in an interview with the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-onlyfans-has-become-hollywoods-risque-pandemic-side-hustle" target="_blank">Hollywood Reporter</a>. </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>The actor who has appeared on <i>Silicon Valley</i> and <i>Modern Family</i>.
Thanks in large part to OnlyFans, where he's been posting X-rated
content for his subscribers since 2018, he says, "Right now money is not
stressing me out." </span></span></span></span></span></p><p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mDFa_OU3SMQ" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span> </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qmIA8AmrbWs" width="560"></iframe> </span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>Put them all together, and you've got an oddly funny, sometimes sad, very sexy, and very contemporary tale.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>Enjoy "Cabin Fervor." You can get it on (the evil, but whaddaya gonna do?) <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TWJTXXJ" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span><span>Wear your mask, make your own entertainment, as I did, and stay safe. <br /></span></span></span></span></span></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-15168302291008304812021-01-10T21:46:00.003-08:002021-01-12T12:49:58.202-08:00Finding Tulsa: two more reviews. 'E meglio tarde que mai.'<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZ9uY3I07pIqIpXo4W8UUDZ24e83hEKbauHRTSUUAEDybROA7Qm-UT_B7_3YXtKSIJ9nlzD502CPZHAXZFWH-8jDbmV1STy5h-QTiFsbMEIzg4O-_p997dq2wmHZ5bNK29D0Pa0gJHM8f/s960/Finding+Tulsa-Jim+Provenzano-Echo+mag.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="698" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZ9uY3I07pIqIpXo4W8UUDZ24e83hEKbauHRTSUUAEDybROA7Qm-UT_B7_3YXtKSIJ9nlzD502CPZHAXZFWH-8jDbmV1STy5h-QTiFsbMEIzg4O-_p997dq2wmHZ5bNK29D0Pa0gJHM8f/s320/Finding+Tulsa-Jim+Provenzano-Echo+mag.png" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><br />Considering the current state of things, I should be amazed anyone's buying or reviewing my books. But three months after being published, two more reviews of my seventh novel <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">Finding Tulsa</a> popped up. To translate the Italian phrase in this post's title, "Better late than never."<br /></span></span></span><p class="font_8"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span class="color_21">“It’s
not easy writing a novel in the first person and relying on the sole
perspective of your narrator, but Jim Provenzano pulls it off
beautifully in <span style="font-style: italic;">Finding Tulsa</span>. He
brings us the remarkable voice and life experience of Stan Grozniak, a
struggling Hollywood director and a nuanced gay man in a town where so
many live on the surface of things...<span style="font-style: italic;">Finding Tulsa</span>
is both a unique and satisfying read that gives much perspective on the
AIDS pandemic and living through it as a modern gay man.”</span><span class="color_21"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>
</span></span></span></span><p class="font_8"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span class="color_21"> – <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://aumag.org/2021/01/08/finding-tulsa-review/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Art & Understanding</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>Also this:</span></span><span><span>
</span></span></span></span></p><p class="font_8"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span class="color_21">“</span><span style="color: black;">Written
as an autobiography, this entertaining work of fiction tells the story
of Stan, a gay film director making a film about his past. Cast in the
movie is Lance, a boyhood crush who Stan reconnects with in Hollywood. <span style="font-style: italic;">Finding Tulsa</span> is an intense story, yet it’s an easy read due to the author’s vivid writing.</span><span class="color_21">”</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">– <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://echomag.com/finding-tulsa-a-tale-of-memory-and-desire/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Echo Magazine</a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>
</span></span></span></span><p class="font_8"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span class="wixGuard">And here are the other two published reviews.<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>
</span></span></span></span><p class="font_8"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span class="color_21">“</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Finding Tulsa</span>
is more than just the pseudo-memoir of a Hollywood hotshot and his
sexual escapades (however exciting they are to read about — and in
lurid, delicious detail), but also an unexpected, endearing love story.
... Whether it</span></span><span><span style="color: black;">’</span></span><span><span style="color: black;">s a small town production of <span style="font-style: italic;">Gypsy</span>
or a porno movie set in the desert, Stan's limitless passion for
creativity and the artistic process remains intact, and guides him
throughout.</span><span class="color_21">”</span><span style="color: black;"> – <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/news.php?ch=entertainment&sc=books&id=295556&review%3A__finding_tulsa&fbclid=IwAR3j17ffXLqts9TFkK5bwYnpruzXNxpxCUXUVI3h8LZ5MdTow9B0UCh--kI" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Edge Media Network</a></span></span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span style="color: black;"><span class="wixGuard"></span></span></span></span></span><span><span>
</span></span></span></span></p><p class="font_8"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span><span><span class="color_21">“</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Finding Tulsa</span>
is a smashing exploration of what it would be like to be a gay film
director of some renown living his best life. Mostly, I loved how
recognizably messy Stan is, yet still makes his life work—which, for
Stan, includes finding love with his unrequited high school crush and
making a living through film; an excellent read for anyone who is
interested in complex, first-person narratives.</span><span class="color_21">”</span><span style="color: black;"> – <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://joyfullyjay.com/2020/09/review-finding-tulsa-by-jim-provenzano/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Joyfully Jay</a> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>Scant few for what should have been noticed by the many publications that were sent review copies.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span>Anyway, enjoy the fun trailer below, and listen & watch my <i>Finding Tulsa</i> playlist, as well as recent online readings and author chats, and my other books' related music playlists on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Cyclizen" target="_blank">my YouTube channel. </a><br /></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: small;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P39UrLLLdJo" width="560"></iframe></span></span>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-53960424428939179902021-01-05T09:13:00.003-08:002021-01-05T09:16:36.333-08:00Epiphanies and Epigrams; when you're too distracted to promote your own book, don't be surprised if no one buys it.<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXwaTzJPmLUeyzDf4btN3ALJpzl3-ruYZEeiHHpOvKNo02fPFhubCjHphna_RRRKbdsnXzz1Z753m4xGpVU-4tynp9jJom6dGLOYeYJbvOHCHSszYMtzeA_KggyLBDA68guM1WeglSBIo/s584/Finding+Tulsa+-+Jim+Provenzano.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXwaTzJPmLUeyzDf4btN3ALJpzl3-ruYZEeiHHpOvKNo02fPFhubCjHphna_RRRKbdsnXzz1Z753m4xGpVU-4tynp9jJom6dGLOYeYJbvOHCHSszYMtzeA_KggyLBDA68guM1WeglSBIo/s320/Finding+Tulsa+-+Jim+Provenzano.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />I understand, dear reader, fan or accidental visitor to my blog who was actually looking for celebrity nude photos; you haven't had time to read my seventh novel, <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">Finding Tulsa,</a> because it's been such a crazy time, and by 'crazy' I don't mean to disparage those struggling with mental health issues by reducing it to a Kathy comic ("Bleah!"), but actually, seriously insane times, what with a hundred-plus seditious GOP politicians still madly clinging to the baloney conspiracy of election fraud as they prop up their completely deranged outgoing president (and plan a heinous 'revolt' on Jan. 6, Epiphany Day, if you're Catholic), to the screeching store-invading anti-mask MAGAts threatening the lives of cashiers and barristas, to the billionaires hoarding their profits during a global plague as millions of vaccines lay dormant in freezers and COVID-19 victims' corpses lay stacked in bags inside refrigerator trucks.</span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>So, yeah; buy my books, right? </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Or listen to <a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Jim-Provenzano/B000APM4MW" target="_blank">my audiobooks</a>; kind of a tough sell right now (I've actually tried to give away free copies, to little interest), which makes no sense to me, because you don't event have to touch a book if you're virus-wary.<br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>But why not self-promote? Other books are being promoted, and have been, right through the pandemic and elections, the holidays ("The holidays; bleah" insert another Kathy comic), but for the most part, I've felt like this is all a case of bad timing; my best, most mature novel, published by a <a href="http://palmdrivepublishing.com/" target="_blank">respected small press</a>, has been largely ignored (again), while most media continues to lap up praise for corporate-published books, which I know because, as an arts editor, I know how persistent the well-paid publicists for conglomo publishers can be. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3c-n-KXHUP0PpTMT9pJmlD6g4kKU2_U6pYXLZ9L2SwH2Ed1X_xHcIQ1vm8ooihdhp15GxxbCvhw-reVOvabazkFl7ZRN3Icyv3mnBYNlCNU-KuR_DZVszHMCegSooa-ioqFFuh7flzwM/s537/Sydney+Gay+Games+2002+water+polo+1.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="401" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3c-n-KXHUP0PpTMT9pJmlD6g4kKU2_U6pYXLZ9L2SwH2Ed1X_xHcIQ1vm8ooihdhp15GxxbCvhw-reVOvabazkFl7ZRN3Icyv3mnBYNlCNU-KuR_DZVszHMCegSooa-ioqFFuh7flzwM/s320/Sydney+Gay+Games+2002+water+polo+1.png" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sydney Gay Games 2002. photo: Jim Provenzano</span><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br />But except for said day-job's duties, and jotting down events in a journal (the 202o edition just PDFed, saved and archived), including dreams, like last night's which involved a dream variation of a real event, frolicking in an Olympic pool facility in Sydney, Australia with a dozen gay water polo players -yes, that happened, why don't I write a story about that? <a href="https://homeo.tripod.com/Games2002.html" target="_blank">Wait, I did, in 2002</a>, but you don't remember), I have not been promoting my book!</span></span><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Having grown tired to #writerslist threads on <a href="https://twitter.com/jim_provenzano" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, because having more followers doesn't do anything if they won't read your books, despite thee fact that book sales are very much a popularity contest. Gaining followers on Twitter doesn't amount to a hill of beans if the five of them who followed you on Monday unfollow you on Tuesday, or whenever you post something slightly political (gasp!) or too gay (double-gasp!). And what's with all the Amazon links? You do know they've made 2.6 billion during the pandemic as independent bookstores cling to life? This is why I prefer that you buy from indies via <a href="http://Bookshop.org">Bookshop.org</a>, and then use the corporate sites to share reviews.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>But no, most authors blindly bow to Amazon, which mistreats their workers, and Facebook, which obscures your posts unless you pay to boost them, and yes, I'm on all the 'evil' social media sites even though it all has minimal effect on sales, because, well, you know, 'things are crazy.'</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Which they are. I'd love to just go back to bed and dream of frisky water polo players, since I'm writing this early in the morning, but I've already slurped down a cup of leftover coffee, which still has a bit of a zing to it, as you can tell, and I might even bathe before noon and put on clothes, and perhaps even write something else, in spite of it all. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>And if you want a few hours of joyful literary distraction, <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">go for it.</a></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P39UrLLLdJo" width="560"></iframe></span>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-30264366691392480122020-11-13T10:13:00.007-08:002020-11-13T10:13:52.050-08:00Author talk: Jim Provenzano & Felice Picano, hosted by Bureau of General Services—Queer Division<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8gSqGvitIM_ziRrpyNMRyC8DyB6_KkvlL75kajjiF2oQVER75rWAayCtROFW5sXyNUo5uTJEQfBTCFTFLCFJYLnT3pYzttGfuQs1zHlm_lA-k81vLrMY-nSrmTK3NtcHN1SVOc-PaqE_/s637/Jim+Provenzano-Felice+Picano-Bureau+of+General+Services%25E2%2580%2594Queer+Division.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="637" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN8gSqGvitIM_ziRrpyNMRyC8DyB6_KkvlL75kajjiF2oQVER75rWAayCtROFW5sXyNUo5uTJEQfBTCFTFLCFJYLnT3pYzttGfuQs1zHlm_lA-k81vLrMY-nSrmTK3NtcHN1SVOc-PaqE_/s320/Jim+Provenzano-Felice+Picano-Bureau+of+General+Services%25E2%2580%2594Queer+Division.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div data-contents="true"><div data-block="true" data-editor="6423a" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span data-text="true">Watch my Nov. 12 chat with author Felice Picano, hosted by Greg Newton at NYC's Bureau of General Services—Queer Division. </span></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span data-text="true">We discussed our new novels about gay Hollywood: </span></span><span style="color: #1b95e0;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-1-0"><span data-text="true">https://youtu.be/gdH4PMl1knw</span></span></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="color: #1b95e0;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-1-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="color: #1b95e0;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-1-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="color: #1b95e0;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-1-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="color: #1b95e0;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-1-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="color: #1b95e0;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-1-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></span></div><div class="public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="4p7nf-0-0"><span style="color: #1b95e0;"><span data-offset-key="4p7nf-1-0"><span data-text="true"> </span></span></span></div></div></div>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gdH4PMl1knw" width="560"></iframe>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-75638889153306694422020-11-04T18:27:00.000-08:002020-11-04T18:27:05.632-08:00Finding Tulsa - author talk on NewsUpNow<p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's my recent interview on the Bay Area news website, <a href="https://www.newsupnow.org/news/author-jim-provenzano-talks-about-his-new-book-finding-tulsa" target="_blank">News Up Now</a>, with affable host Gleidson Martins:</span> </p><p>
</p><p></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nAHu267DQvQ" width="560"></iframe></p>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-34740347880163989482020-10-21T12:46:00.001-07:002021-01-10T21:48:27.054-08:00Felice Picano & Jim Provenzano talk Gay Hollywood, hosted online by Bureau of General Services-Queer Division Nov. 12<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHyYtueMAaYYb4qdhWPw5i5bifMCMXF4SU__ThIvCzTEFiJNdvrnKOwcjdxXIkC3tp0HI1cOhbAYJrODiBPucCrwDT6NuKERs8kbr0tD5F8i7iJkEMGTXmXcGYhvmB2PMW4KP-Ac9-ouh/s663/Felice+Picano+%2526+Jim+Provenzano+talk+Gay+Hollywood+Nov+12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="663" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHyYtueMAaYYb4qdhWPw5i5bifMCMXF4SU__ThIvCzTEFiJNdvrnKOwcjdxXIkC3tp0HI1cOhbAYJrODiBPucCrwDT6NuKERs8kbr0tD5F8i7iJkEMGTXmXcGYhvmB2PMW4KP-Ac9-ouh/w449-h226/Felice+Picano+%2526+Jim+Provenzano+talk+Gay+Hollywood+Nov+12.png" width="449" /></a></div><br />These days, it's difficult to plan in advance. Will your favorite restaurant re-open? What are the revised hours of your local bookstore? Will November 3 welcome a days-long Biden/Harris Happy Dance, or a rightwing hellscape of violence? Who can say? fortunately, it helps to stay hopeful, make plans, like the November 12 online chat I scheduled with best-selling author Felice Picano, hosted by the Bureau of General Services-Queer Division in New York City (3pm PST, 6pm EST).<br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">On my last two trips to New York (for Lambda Literary Awards), I tried to schedule a reading, but it didn't happen. While I plan a book's publication date months in advance, like many independent authors who self-publish or work with small presses, virtually knocking on a bookstore or community center's doors doesn't always get a good response, or any reply. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So, I'm super-happy to connect with Felice and BGSQD for this event. Here is more info:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Best-selling author <a href="https://www.felicepicano.net/" target="_blank"><b>Felice Picano</b></a> and Lambda Literary Award-winning author <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/" target="_blank"><b>Jim Provenzano</b> </a>will discuss gay writers, actors and directors in Hollywood framed through their two novels, Picano’s <a href="https://bgsqd.com/store/#!/Justify-My-Sins-A-Hollywood-Novel-in-Three-Acts-Felice-Picano/p/246530273/category=0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><i>Justify My Sins: A Hollywood Novel in Three Acts</i> </a>(Beautiful Dreamer Press, 2019) and Provenzano’s <a href="https://bgsqd.com/store/#!/Finding-Tulsa-Jim-Provenzano/p/246055477" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><i>Finding Tulsa</i> </a>(Palm Drive Publishing, 2020).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">With
two similar yet unique perspectives on the filmmaking industry told in
gay fiction, the two authors will share the inspiration for their new
and recent novels. Both fully explore the behind-the-scenes process of
film industry success –and failure– via two very different narrators. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Along
with his prolific authorship, Picano has given PowerPoint lectures
about historic LGBT figures in Hollywood more than a dozen times at
colleges, historical societies, religious groups, and major libraries
across the U.S. and also in Canada.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In addition to being an
author, Provenzano has been a photographer and journalist in LGBT media
for three decades. His film experience includes production work on short
films and numerous music videos in the 1980s. He also wrote and
directed several plays and choreographed dozens of dance and multimedia
works.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is a free event, but donations of any amount to
support the Bureau’s work are very much appreciated! You can make a
donation when you register for the event. Thank you for your support!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/3422118584549931/" target="_blank">Facebook event page</a>.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here's the <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/felice-picano-and-jim-provenzano-on-gay-hollywood-tickets-126300262485" target="_blank">EventBrite page</a> to also RSVP.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">And visit the Bureau of General Services-Queer Division to buy our books directly from the bookstore. If you're in New York, you can get it in-person.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://bgsqd.com/store/#!/Finding-Tulsa-Jim-Provenzano/p/246055477/category=0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Purchase Jim Provenzano's <i><b>Finding Tulsa</b></i> (Palm Drive Publishing, 2020, paperback, $24.95) from the Bureau.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://bgsqd.com/store/#!/Justify-My-Sins-A-Hollywood-Novel-in-Three-Acts-Felice-Picano/p/246530273/category=0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Purchase Felice Picano's <i><b>Justify My Sins: A Hollywood Novel in Three Acts</b></i> (Beautiful Dreamer Press, 2019, paperback, $19.95) from the Bureau.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Make a note in your calendar, be it on your phone, your Google list, or other device, even a paper appointment book (my preferred format). See you, virtually, on November 12!</span></span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P39UrLLLdJo" width="560"></iframe>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6781993564873597627.post-83582869330574332372020-10-07T18:06:00.003-07:002020-10-07T18:09:46.549-07:00Sinking the Pirates, Part 2: the Audiobook Edition<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOIl_1epkidFrt07CKnf_Vm2Xoy2Y59iEEWVeurHjXQ3WSCdJCwWVCKW1C4jMBVrME8CvWa2ccgFZdhdq4FYqXZ0VPehutYaD616bOvr7r-KoXUbgS3nPyj9E_BRijH64sJJtgk70OYG8/s306/YouTube+audiobook+pirate3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOIl_1epkidFrt07CKnf_Vm2Xoy2Y59iEEWVeurHjXQ3WSCdJCwWVCKW1C4jMBVrME8CvWa2ccgFZdhdq4FYqXZ0VPehutYaD616bOvr7r-KoXUbgS3nPyj9E_BRijH64sJJtgk70OYG8/s0/YouTube+audiobook+pirate3.png" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is how I single-handedly shut down two thieving audiobook pirates on YouTube. Yes, thousands of illegally shared audiobooks are still on YouTube, converted to mp4s. If you're a fan of stolen property, piss off. If, however, you are an author, narrator, or a fan who respects artists, read on.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I've <a href="https://jimprovenzano.blogspot.com/2013/02/sinking-pirates.html" target="_blank">written about piracy before</a>, of ebooks, back in 2013, after my fourth novel, <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/more-about-every-time-i-think-of-yo" target="_blank">Every Time I Think of You</a>, had received a good amount of sales and publicity. It was also the time when I converted all four of my books published at the time, to ebooks for sale on various websites.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But I hadn't known, or forgotten, that hundreds, if not thousands, of audiobooks, converted to 'videos' with just the cover as a visual, are all over YouTube.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">While looking up any posts about my seventh novel, <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">Finding Tulsa</a>, I checked for any mentions of the audiobook adaptations of <a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Jim-Provenzano/B000APM4MW" target="_blank">Every Time I Think of You</a> and its sequel, <a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Jim-Provenzano/B000APM4MW" target="_blank">Message of Love</a>, which I coproduced with talented voiceover actor <a href="https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Michael+Wetherbee&ref=a_author_Ji_c19_lNarrator_1_2_1&pf_rd_p=1ae0e65e-ad09-4aa7-aa73-772cefb1b5e1&pf_rd_r=GM7XM3283J35TZGK6VAQ" target="_blank">Michael Wetherbee</a>. Co-producing means we split the profits.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Imagine my surprise when I found a 'video' of <i>Every Time...</i> on YouTube! Wow, thanks. No, wait, it's not a review, but the complete seven-hour audiobook converted into a movie! WTF?</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinzumDOBK9hvPBMpgRg7_DkO-FlMn53qJZj1akKbfuafl8V3-6PpihkWlE88WUKob077t8mY7UONHQBEDhfURsznCBPMRhMefeCOVf2IHzJHXRC4pwysvvW_RzqV4Ui2koWUJ9yMp0_cV/s1140/YouTube+audiobook+pirate2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhinzumDOBK9hvPBMpgRg7_DkO-FlMn53qJZj1akKbfuafl8V3-6PpihkWlE88WUKob077t8mY7UONHQBEDhfURsznCBPMRhMefeCOVf2IHzJHXRC4pwysvvW_RzqV4Ui2koWUJ9yMp0_cV/s320/YouTube+audiobook+pirate2.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />After saving link, making screencaps, and clearing the smoke blowing out of my ears, I reported it to YouTube. After only a few hours, it had been deleted. Then I found another copy on a different account with about 1500 other M/M (code word for 'gay' in the romance book world. Don't get started on that again). I reported that one, too, and noticed several others in the pirate's playlist/uploads had also been deleted. So at least a few other authors are aware of this problem.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then I thought to contact a few other authors, but the list was too long. I posted a short account of the situation on a private writers' support Facebook group; no replies. Fine. You don't care, but I do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So I went deep. I found contact emails for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Provenzano/e/B000APM4MW/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Jim-Provenzano/B000APM4MW" target="_blank">Audible</a>, <a href="https://www.acx.com/" target="_blank">ACX</a> (the Audible program for creating audiobooks) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Cyclizen" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. Amazon's legal department replied within an hour. YouTube's autoreply was that they could only delete specific copyright claims from individuals.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbyRdOi3ebOEeNx-VxRCzu51AVJjzKfDH9KAvF8WQzmOxu3PNHhzCHA7bJPC_SsR19jiR6WSwug_41H6ak8cReMHvUKIiAXYE7wlQr6i2EZd5XxjA3heD4sqi87KpUfzOs6vZs9Kye8Xg/s1166/Sinking+the+Pirate+the+sequel+Audiobooks.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="1166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbyRdOi3ebOEeNx-VxRCzu51AVJjzKfDH9KAvF8WQzmOxu3PNHhzCHA7bJPC_SsR19jiR6WSwug_41H6ak8cReMHvUKIiAXYE7wlQr6i2EZd5XxjA3heD4sqi87KpUfzOs6vZs9Kye8Xg/s320/Sinking+the+Pirate+the+sequel+Audiobooks.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Anyway, someone took this seriously, and the two YouTube accounts that had uploaded my audiobooks were completely deleted.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-gtaP7Zqa5bN4a97-IE9g" target="_blank">Gone</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiwKXiBBK3Y" target="_blank">Wiped</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiwKXiBBK3Y" target="_blank">Done</a>. Gurl, bye.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the words of Joan Crawford, "Don't fuck with me, fellas. This isn't my first time at the rodeo."<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Get my money back</b><br />So, why did I go to all this trouble? Because I spent years writing these books, and worked for months with my narrators to complete these projects. And in the two weeks the pirated version of <i>Every Time</i>... was on YouTube, I noticed a sharp drop in sales of that title.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ot-H9yuA60UQZic2KAEX-wmnIuqZLMa893y6NtjiXyLWkb8VXgSkEhnjQd0oEI2HlzYtpykfQmvm5gzpNysfSuyDl8zLxfWNp4HwriqSFmh9jkeCbivfYcxCjLlZ4LI84CFmjnRmzFw6/s551/Screen+Shot+2020-10-06+at+1.02.24+PM.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="461" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ot-H9yuA60UQZic2KAEX-wmnIuqZLMa893y6NtjiXyLWkb8VXgSkEhnjQd0oEI2HlzYtpykfQmvm5gzpNysfSuyDl8zLxfWNp4HwriqSFmh9jkeCbivfYcxCjLlZ4LI84CFmjnRmzFw6/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-10-06+at+1.02.24+PM.png" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Further, if you count the 450 (one YouTube account) and 900 views on another, add about $5 to each view (our split royalty), that's $6,750. That is how much potential income we may have lost because of the scum that uploaded my one audiobook. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Consider the multiple other authors, most of whom sell ten times more than mine, and it could be in the hundred-thousands. While it's impossible to track down the actual users, suing the creeps is still a hope. <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The inane argument for condoning piracy is that it's 'good publicity,' it's 'good exposure.' That's baloney. I do marketing, I'm quite 'exposed,' literary-ily speaking (not in a Chris Evans way!).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">For <a href="https://www.jimprovenzano.com/finding-tulsa-a-novel" target="_blank">Finding Tulsa</a>, I got a discount entry to the pricey NetGalley, where readers can get free copies of ebook editions, in exchange for reviews on GoodReads and/or Amazon.com. I also took up a request from <a href="https://www.eriegaynews.com/news/article.php?recordid=202009findingtulsa" target="_blank">Erie Gay News</a> to give away audiobook access to my paired romance novels, and ebooks of Finding Tulsa.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The result was underwhelming in terms of reviews. Not only did I not get a single Thank You email from the winners, but perhaps two reviews resulted from the contest so far. The <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/202404" target="_blank">NetGalley</a> deal got me six reviews so far.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">This is all part of experiments I toy with for every book I publish, by myself or with small presses. In times like these, it's nearly impossible to get press, and being a member of the press, I know. At my job as an arts editor, I get more press release emails than ever before, with artists and producers in all genres desperate for attention. Some of them are offering free shows, readings and talks online. Others charge admission, an option they should have.<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlRO4vilJs1e6PoER1C3IDYyW8nfFv16_WjLX8OTX41HRL6Be9uqTivRqt9dfpwkiqd4LAmbzh2zhg0SPNM2LrMjPGuDGmnsvYh3EIyBR6IG-0QORwYWSMpDmZdybcCgrQNyUGyxF9c9J/s768/Every+Time+I+Think+of+You-Message+of+Love+audiobooks+-+Jim+Provenzano.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="768" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTlRO4vilJs1e6PoER1C3IDYyW8nfFv16_WjLX8OTX41HRL6Be9uqTivRqt9dfpwkiqd4LAmbzh2zhg0SPNM2LrMjPGuDGmnsvYh3EIyBR6IG-0QORwYWSMpDmZdybcCgrQNyUGyxF9c9J/s320/Every+Time+I+Think+of+You-Message+of+Love+audiobooks+-+Jim+Provenzano.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Writers who are indifferent to loss of sales from piracy must not be like most artists these days, who are unemployed or underemployed. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">But even if an author has, perhaps, a partner to support them, or they're so darn successful they don't care about losing a few hundred or a few thousand dollars a year from piracy, they should show support for fellow authors and narrators by sending complaints to the corporations, who sometimes respond and act swiftly.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">So, here's the deal. Buy the damn audiobooks. <a href="https://www.alibris.com/booksearch?keyword=jim+provenzano&mtype=B&hs.x=0&hs.y=0" target="_blank">Buy the books</a> in whichever format you prefer. Buy them through <a href="http://Bookshop.org">Bookshop.org</a>, and then post your reviews on (evil) Amazon, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/620500.Jim_Provenzano" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> and <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Jim%20Provenzano%22;jsessionid=A112657026DF1DCF1DDF17BECCC20EC8.prodny_store01-atgap13?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you're a fan, but money is tight, ask for promo codes for any or each of my three audiobooks and I'll send them to you. In exchange, please post a review on Audible and/or Amazon.com. That's only fair.</span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P39UrLLLdJo" width="560"></iframe>Jim Provenzanohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13559140159725656347noreply@blogger.com0