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Hey Digesters!
Greetings from the Library, where, after a few fleeting days of blissful sunshine, the thick fog has returned, engulfing the Library micro-climate-style, as a mere two miles north, at the Deli, there is ample sun. This past weekend was the Big Sur Marathon and some of us volunteered, handing out Gatorade and water. Mario (from Pfeiffer Ridge) (1) took the lead at our station, located by the River Inn, cheering on runners with contagious vim. The marathon featured many fun roadside treats like a harpist, the Seaside High marching band, a drum troupe, a bagpiper, a band covering Stone Temple Pilots, and our tux-clad friend Michael Martinez playing the piano! (2) (3) Here's the digest!
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Getting ready for movies at the Library...
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|  | Water, wind and sunlight does well after a winter in storage... | |
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...last years dust off... | |  | ...we'll see your beauty when projected later in the summer...
photos by Noel Mapstead | |
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Brendan interviews Croz!
We asked our pal Brendan Francis Newnam—co-brainchild of The Dinner Party Download—to send us a link to the piece he recorded for our much lauded listening series a few years back. Some of you may remember that it included David Crosby (3) discussing his album "Croz," his love of Deetjen's, and much, much more.
Money quote: "I’ve spent an awful lot of time in Big Sur, myself. Love it, stay at Deetjen’s all the time, and eat there, too."
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Writing Lessons from Henry
Writing in the Writing Cooperative, David Berner writes that writers (!) can learn a lot from Henry and his exploration of “the anarchy of an artist.”
"Push the “sex writing” aside. Forget the Tropics books. What Henry Miller has to offer to the modern writer is far deeper,” Berner says. Read the whole thing!
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"Giving Birth in America" screening
Last week, Every Mother Counts, a nonprofit devoted to addressing the maternity health crisis, hosted a screening of the film "Giving Birth in America" at the Library.
The Giving Birth in America documentary series examines issues that have contributed to the maternal health crisis in the United States, where more women die from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications than in any other developed country.
The evening also featured remarks by Every Mother Counts founder Christy Turlington Burns (middle).
Please check out Every Mother Counts' website here!
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A long time Big Sur resident, Penny Vieregge, turned 90 years old in December last year.
At the celebration, held at the Big Sur Grange on December 9, Noel Mapstead brough clay from Partington Ridge and had Penny do a print of her hand.
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Meanwhile, from Japan...
Our good friend Alicia was in Tokyo and sent us this picture, to your right.
It's a mural outside of the Tropic of Cancer nightclub, which was established by Henry's last wife, Hoki Tokuda.
"On the opposite wall is a brightly lit, oversized neon-colored photo poster of Miller walking along the beach near Big Sur in California," says Mark Roeder, who paid the club a visit and wrote about it.
"To the left are three of his childlike watercolours, of which he produced nearly 4000 since he first picked up a paintbrush in 1927."
Read the whole thing!
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Neighbor spotlight: Lisa G. Littlebird!
Our good friend Lisa G. Littlebird recently spoke with the Monterey County Weekly about her career in show biz, her ever-growing Whole Hearted Chorus, and the fun challenge of teaching people who think they can't sing how to sing. A must-read!
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Thoreau and the Primitivist Temptation
Writing in Quillette, argues that "the problem is not even that Henry David Thoreau and his intellectual counterparts" like Edward Abbey "are taught and celebrated as often as they are. Rather, they are rarely presented in context, especially in school curricula. "Instead of being held-up as the rebellious streak in the Western tradition that they are, they are often presented as just ordinary thinkers in the canon. They are anything but."
"...they seem to elevate a life of swatting bugs and pitching tents over living well in community with others."
Read the whole thing!
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It's Jack the Cat!Ryan G. writes: "My partner and I stopped by the library last week and besides enjoying the magical atmosphere of the place, also had a few wonderful moments with Jack the cat – he made our day by climbing right up into her lap to take a nap! (we assume it's Jack and not Alice because your website says he's the friendly and effusive one)" While we were there I took a nice portrait of him that I thought you might want to have.
Thanks, Ryan!
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And that should do it! Have a nice May!Magnus, Mike, Iguana John, Jack (Kerouac), and Alice (in Wonderland)
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(1) Mario, who plays for the Bitters in the Big Sur softball league, hit the longest home run of the 2018 season. It went way into the parking lot! People talk about it to this very day.
(2) Here's Michael at the 2011 marathon:
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(3) That was inaccurate. A CalTrans worker was actually playing the piano while Michael filmed him!
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