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May 18, 2009


Open Mic

Tributes to those who died too young, insight into the recent upsurge of knitting circles, and a reflection on a first experience with marijuana during the Vietnam War era made for a moving and at times humorous evening at the May 18 installment of Pizza and Prose Art & Lit Series.

 ‘Open Mic Night’ began with a tribute to Michael Schrandt who died in a house fire on April 18, just over a month shy of his 18th birthday. As organizer of this monthly event, I finally braved my first spin at the microphone to honor the son of my close friends. Behind the Headlines paints a picture of who he was to those who loved him and are left to tell his story. 

 Gail Brenner, a UCSC English as a Second Language instructor, read

After Her Passing,  a beautiful tribute to her friend Kathleen Flowers who died of cancer in April at the age of 44. A kindergarten teacher by trade and poet by heart, Kathleen left a legacy of poetry, including her Chapman book published last year.  

 Bill Rainy, founder of Santa Cruz ’s beloved Nickelodeon movie theater and author of “Letters to Zerky: A Father’s Legacy to a Lost Son and a Road Trip Round the World”was a show stopper with a musical tribute in memory of his young son. At one point nearly the entire room spontaneously got up and started dancing to the tender ‘Zerky  Mobile’  which was written as a waltz. (listen here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=INdvGU4cHbs) 

Mindy Rice’s Just Who the Hell is Thee?  is a brilliant poem about being married to someone with Multiple Sclerosis. Rice, a former teacher, read a second poem with rich imagery called Buried Treasure.

Len Anderson, founder of Poetry Santa Cruz, graced the crowd with two lyrical poems that blended science, nature, and the human experience; What Endures Is the Ephemeral and Revelations.

 Pete Shanks, author, editor, and a long-time member of the National Writers Union, read from a short story called One More June, which was recently accepted by the Chicago Quarterly Review.

Barbara Graves, local writer, researcher, and longtime political activist lightened up the evening with two fun pieces from her new work of poetry and stories called, Girls – and Other Heady Subjects.

 Carole Castle, Director of El Sueno de Mariana, A Writer’s Retreat in Costa Rica and a local real estate agent, read Rain. This entertaining piece is about acouple trying to communicate with each other over the loud drops pouring down on the third day of what would be an entire month of rain in Costa Rica .

 The program ended with an engaging reading by Pat Hanson, a local writer and teacher, with a PhD in Health Sciences who masterfully served as Master of Ceremonies for this event. She read a piece called “Two Firsts,” about her first experience with marijuana 41 years ago against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Hanson also extemporaneously told a story earlier in the evening to practice for a turn on stage at The Moth, a storytelling organization in New York City .  

Special thanks to Pat Hanson for being such a talented MC. Summing up each piece and bridging one reader to the next with a few eloquent words kept the evening to a perfect flow.