Another page-turner from a talented faculty member at SF State…

I just finished Professor of Creative Writing Toni Mirosevich’s clever and moving book “Pink Harvest.” The collection of personal narratives received the Mid-List Press First Series Award for Creative Nonfiction and will be published in November.

Mirosevich, an incredibly keen observer of people and place, explores her connections with friends and strangers through such unexpected avenues as a set of paintbrushes, a table left behind in an empty house and Shalimar perfume. Along the way, she reminds us that there are no small or insignificant moments in life.

In the series of short reflections, Mirosevich delves into rich terrain, including her father’s work as fisherman, a pivotal moment on her high school drill team, her Croatian roots, her girlfriend Shots’ observations and an uncomfortable exchange at an O’Hare security gate.

Here’s an excerpt from “Kith and Kin,” one of Mirosevich’s “tales of happenstance”:

 

It was late afternoon when I left work that day, around four-thirty or five, late enough to notice traffic was picking up. The stream of cars racing past seemed urgent in their rush toward home. Nineteenth and Holloway, the main crosswalk to San Francisco State University, is known as the most dangerous crosswalk in the city—many cars have crashed and burned, pedestrians have been hit, here, at the gates of academe, this collision zone of life and higher learning. During the early part of the day, whenever a class is about to start, there is always a dash across this crosswalk by the latecomers, who have to hear one last love song in the car turned up full blast: a mad dash, for each person still hears a tardy bell ringing; forever it rings inside—some eternal tinnitus—and each person carries the memory of some teacher’s harsh reproach that quickens the step just a bit.  

But here, in the late afternoon, as the car traffic picked up the human traffic slowed, so much so that when it was time to cross you could make out the individuals and consider who was crossing, give each person a story, a slim narrative, could name them or their majors, imagine who waited at home and what they’d make for dinner, burritos or borscht or a little microwaveable carton of gruel. 

The light was coming in from the west, from the sea that was beyond the college. The light was angled in such a way that it’s possible there was a luminosity factor at work, perhaps the rods and cones of the eyes were affected. Maybe there was a scientific explanation for the beauty of the light. The sunlight seemed to separate into distinct particles (“this little light of mine”) as the people became distinct (“I’m gonna let it shine”) and each person had the glow of one candle’s intensity.  

–Toni Mirosevich, “Pink Harvest: Tales of Happenstance” (Mid-List Press, November, 2007)

 

 

I recently asked Mirosevich for her “best writing advice” and she responded with the following:

 

Over twenty years ago I was given a poem that came out of the Vietnamese Mens Refugee Group.The poem, written by a refugee new to the country, who was possibly trying to make sense of what had happened in the old country and what was now facing him in the new, contained these two lines:

 

‘I wonder why that happened.’

‘I wonder what happened.’

I’ve given this prompt to creative writing students, to writing groups, to myself. I return to these lines over and over again. So much happens in life that we don’t understand, that doesn’t make sense, events, people, places that haunt us and stay with us. Often we don’t know why. These two lines drive me into mystery, which lies at the heart of all of the most compelling writing.

 

We’ll be sharing more writing advice from our esteemed Creative Writing faculty in the forthcoming issue of SF State Magazine. And by, the way, feel free to e-mail me your thoughts about the last issue: abee@sfsu.edu

We still have some space to fill on our letters to the editor page!

 

 

 

Why my dog doesn’t appreciate Michael Krasny’s new book, congrats to alumni

My dog is not pleased with me. I am juggling two very good books by SF State faculty right now and there’s nothing that perturbs a Jack Russell Terrier more than an owner who reads during play time. First there’s the polite whimper, then the drop of the ball at my feet, then the rather bold push of the snout on the cover to close the book. It’s a breed that doesn’t go for any of this “hold on” or “give me five more minutes” nonsense. 

One book my dog resents: “Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life” by Professor of English Michael Krasny

Krasny, of course, is also the host of KQED-FM’s award-winning “Forum” program. Nearly 70,000 radio listeners in Northern California start their mornings with his engaging interviews. But who knew about his deep desire to follow the path of the literary luminaries he banters with so skillfully today? In the book, Krasny is quite candid about his inner world, discussing his original plans to become a novelist, a dream he gave up on before pursuing his career as an educator, and quite by accident, radio host.

He describes an exchange with Paul Auster: At the end of our interview, Auster says to me, “You are really good at what you do.” My immediate unedited response: “I would much prefer being really good at what you do.” 

Krasny has peppered his memoir with fascinating mini-accounts of interviews with dozens of other talented writers–Joan Didion, E.L. Doctorow, David Mamet, Alice Walker, Umberto Eco, Grace Paley, Edward Albee, Philip Roth, A.M. Homes, among them. The book is a compelling and moving account of his quest to answer the question posed by Saul Bellow, “How should a good man live?” 

SF State people, you will be particularly interested in his anecdotes from our campus. Early in the book, Krasny writes,  My first interview, a baptism by fire, happened by fluke: in 1976, the AudioVisual head at San Francisco State University asked if I might be interested in interviewing Gore Vidal on the campus’s new-at-the-time intracampus television network. I jumped at what seemed like a serendipitous opportunity. It was an interview that would cast me as nervous, deferential neophyte and Vidal as sour, condescending, inebriated and mean. 

Krasny’s memoir hits bookstores Oct.1! 

I’ll tell you about the other book next week. In the meantime, congratulations to alumna Alice Cahn, the new vice president for social responsibility at Cartoon Network. And congratulations to alumnus Andrew Ly. His Sugar Bowl Bakery just received a Supplier of the Year Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The award, Ly says, “represents how far our business has grown and the wealth of opportunities this country has to offer ambitious entrepreneurs.” To learn about how he got his start, read this SF State Magazine article: http://www.sfsu.edu/%7Esfsumag/archive/winter_04/alumni4.html I know quite a few people who are addicted to his baked goods–available at Costco coast to coast–especially those Brownie Bites!

  

Enjoy the weekend–and for those of you in SF, this beautiful weather! And for goodness sake, get those dogs out to enjoy it, too!

Jazz singer is a smash; alumni, faculty and students to watch for on KQED

It was a privilege to have a sneak peek at Ken Burns’ forthcoming PBS documentary, “The War,” last Saturday and Sunday at George Lucas’ Letterman Digital Arts Center. The weekend screenings were sponsored by the Doc Film Institute (a project of the International Center for the Arts here at SF State). Burns’ seven-part documentary chronicles World War II through the lives of men and women from four U.S. towns: Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; and Luverne, Minnesota. It was a moving experience–and a reminder of the sacrifice and bravery displayed by our military, then and now. Burns, who was on hand to answer questions, revealed that the project took seven years to complete. For more on the documentary: http://www.pbs.org/thewar/

Who knew “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” could go so nicely with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”? Jazz singer Jacqui Naylor’s soon-to-be-released album, “Smashed for the Holidays,” offers a handful of these “acoustic smashes” — rock tunes sung over holiday standards or vice versa. The technique is mentioned in this Wall Street Journal article on the expansion of musical genres: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118738765993401397.html The SF State alumna is kicking off the tour for with a few songs from the CD at the SF Jazz Festival in November. For more tour dates, visit her Web site: http://www.jacquinaylor.com/

This Thurs., Sept. 20, the University will celebrate the 80th birthday of Professor Emeritus Wayne Peterson, winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in Music, with two special events in Knuth Hall in the Creative Arts building: From 2 to 5 p.m., Peterson will discuss his work with accompanying performances by SF State’s Alexander String Quartet. Admission is free. From 7 to 9 p.m., the new music ensemble Earplay will perform several of Peterson’s compositions. Admission is free for students and $20 for the general public. For tickets, call 415/338-2467 or visit www.ticketweb.com

“Flavors of San Francisco,” a solo exhibit featuring printmaking work of Art Department Chair and SF State alumna Barbara Foster, is on display from Sept. 29 to Nov. 25 at Kings Art Center in Hanford. For more information: http://www.fresnobee.com/local/sv/story/138512.html

If you missed it the first time around, the KQED-Channel 9 episode of  “Spark*” featuring Theatre Arts Professor and alumnus Carlos Barón and his students will air again Wed., Sept. 26 at 7:30 pm and will repeat on Sun., Sept. 30, at 6:30 am on KQED. The rerun can also be seen in the South Bay on KTEH-TV 54 and KCAH-TV 25 (check www.kteh.org for details). Or view the program online at: http://www.kqed.org/arts/people/spark/profile.jsp?id=16320 The “Spark*” crew traveled to Chile with Barón and his students, where they presented Barón’s play “Poeta Pan.” The play is inspired by the poetry of Pablo Neruda.

A reminder about another interesting KQED offering this week: Alumna Carolyn Zecca Ferris and her husband Timothy Ferris collaborated on the PBS documentary “Seeing in the Dark,” that airs this Wed., Sept. 19 on KQED. Together they explore how backyard stargazers are “making real contributions to science.” You can read more about them in this San Francisco Chronicle article.

Why aren’t you married yet?, reasons to visit campus, the amazing journey of three stuffed animals

Do friends and family keep asking, “When are you getting married?” You may find some comic relief in M.F.A. student Kara Herold’s very personal film, “Bachelorette, 34.” It will screen on Sept. 22, 8:30 p.m. at Other Cinema, 922 Valencia Street, San Francisco. In the film, Kara, a single artist, shares her interactions with her mother, who is putting pressure on her daughter to find “Mr.Right.” For more information: http://karaheroldmedia.com

 

The 2007 Engineering Alumni Barbecue will take place this Saturday, Sept.15, from 11-4 p.m. in the courtyard of the Science building.

 

Sunday, Sept. 16, poet Robin Blaser will read at 6 p.m. in SF State’s Knuth Hall Theater. Tickets are $20 for the general public; $10 for students. The evening reading is a benefit for the Poetry Center. For more information: www.sfsu.edu/~poetry

Calling all Bay Area parents: Tree Frog Treks’ popular weekend adventure treks are back. The program, started by alumnus Chris Giorni, a.k.a. Mr. Science, helps children explore science and practice critical thinking through hands-on experiments and outdoor adventures. For more information:  www.treefrogtreks.com/treks.htm.

“Going Home,”  a short film by Diana Rumjahn (B.A., ’03) has screened from coast to coast; now it’s going abroad. The film about three stuffed animals’s search for their mother will screen in a number of European venues including Hungary, Italy, France, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Russia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Finland and Africa. For more information: www.dianarumjahn.com   

 M.F.A. student Anita Amirrezvani will be reading and signing copies of her debut novel, “The Blood of Flowers” on Sunday, Sept.16 at 2 p.m. at the Livermore Library Civic Center Branch and on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 12:30 at Stacey’s Books in San Francisco. Amirrezavni and SF State alumna Gail Tsukiyama are among the authors who will appear at the Women & Words Festival in Los Angeles Saturday, Sept. 29, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Registration is required and there is an event fee. For more information: www.womenandwords.com

Seeing stars, Johnny Mathis tour news, acting lessons

Alumna Carolyn Zecca Ferris and her husband Timothy Ferris collaborated on the PBS documentary “Seeing in the Dark,” that airs Sept. 19 on KQED. Together they explore how backyard stargazers are “making real contributions to science.” You can read more about them in this San Francisco Chronicle article.

The San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery is presenting “Immediate Future,” an exhibit featuring works by recipients of the 2007 Murphy & Cadogan Fellowships in the Fine Arts. Among them: SF State MFA students Steve Allen, Marque Cornblatt, Ian Everard and Lizabeth Rosof. The opening reception will be held Sat., Sept. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information: http://www.sfacgallery.org/exhibitions_detail.fsp?id=338907 

Calling all East Coasters: Chances are alumnus Johnny Mathis is coming to a venue near you. The former SF State track star’s 51st Anniversary Concert is taking him to New Jersey, New York, Georgia, Maryland and Florida, to name just a few venues. For a complete schedule, visit: www.johnnymathis.com

Meanwhile alumnus Gary Austin, the original director of the famed Los Angeles theater company The Groundlings, will be teaching acting and improv workshops in the Baltimore/DC area this fall. Austin helped launch the careers of such well-known comedians as the late Phil Hartman and Julia Sweeny. For more information, visit: http://www.garyaustin.net/coursedescriptions.html#SoloExploration

 

O. Henry prize news, something funny going on in SF, Ken Burns on campus

Alumnus Roger Woodruff is directing “Appomattox” at the SF Opera in October. The opera focuses on Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to his Union counterpart, General Ulysses S. Grant, in Appomattox Court House, Virginia–the end to the Civil War. The world premiere features the music of Philip Glass, who has worked with Woodruff on other creative projects including “The Sound of a Voice.”

Congratulations to Jan Ellison. Her short story, “The Company of Men,” was selected as a 2007 O. Henry Prize Story–one of the most prestigious awards for short fiction. Ellison, who is pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at SF State, will be reading at Books Inc. in Opera Plaza Monday, Sept.17 at 7 p.m. Her story, originally published in New England Review, is one of just 20 selected from literary magazines across the country.

Need a laugh? SF State alums Dana Carvey and Rex Navarrete are helping Cobb’s Comedy Club celebrate its 25th anniversary. Carvey, who used to bring SF State classmates to fill seats when he started playing local comedy clubs in the ’70s, rarely does standup in the city–and when he does, tickets sell out fast. He recently told the San Francisco Chronicle, “Nobody plays his hometown. Even Jay Leno doesn’t play his hometown because of the nightmare of a high school reunion: Someone you went to school with lurking near the stage who comes up to you afterward.”

As for Rex Navarrete, a.k.a. “the premiere Filipino American comedian,” he calls SF State the turning point in his career. Apparently Professor Dan Gonzales told a young Navarrete: “Get out of my office—we shouldn’t be joking here, you should be taking those jokes to the stage.” He took his professor’s advice and has gone on to perform across the nation.

 

Tomorrow night, alumna Gail Tsukiyama will introduce her new book, “The Street of a Thousand Blossoms,” at a reading/discussion at Books Inc. in San Francisco’s Laurel Village (3515 California Street). For more information: http://www.booksinc.net/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=storeevents&eventId=353330  

 

The DOC Film Institute at SF State and Ken Burns will host a special preview marathon of Burns’ newest film, “The War,” Sept. 14-16, Letterman Digital Arts Center, One Letterman Drive, San Francisco.  Burns will introduce selected episodes from this new seven-part film about World War II and answer audience questions. This event is free for SF State faculty, staff and students. (You may RSVP to ica@sfsu.edu to reserve your seat.) Others can buy tickets on www.ticketweb.com .Ken Burns will also be on campus Friday, Sept. 14, to talk about his film at Coppola Theater (FA 101) from noon to 1:30 p.m. Seating is open to all, available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit: http://docfilm.sfsu.edu  

 

Comments? News to share? E-mail Adrianne Bee: abee@sfsu.edu