The Transplanters

Live Tweeting A Raisin in the Sun from the Kirk Douglas Theater!

2012-01-23T21:13:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

This Thursday, 1/26, at 8:00pm PT, I'm live tweeting A Raisin in the Sun from the Kirk Douglas Theater.

Follow me @kaylacagan, #WhereWeLive, @CTGLA, & @KDTheatre on Twitter for the fun!

2011 Recap: Creative

2011-12-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

2011 was a pretty exciting year for me creatively.

Write Club, our writing critique group, is going strong. We've collectively sold 1 novel, published 6 poems, and produced several essays and stories.

Kayla, Vanessa, Leila.

I've joined a Wednesday night Dinner-and-Writing Group, that eats and writes respectively. The hostess, Hope, also happens to make dynamite ice cream. Here we are, all dressed up, on a field trip to The Magic Castle. One of our friend's husband's just happens to be a magician.

I finished a draft of my novel in the first part of the year.

(My agent stopped agenting. I got angry. Then I got back to work.)

I wrote two comic book stories. I just had a signing of one the books last week.

Unite and Take Over: Comic Stories inspired by the Smiths

*My song was "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side"

And I got to work with the generous, talented cartoonist Tara Abbamondi (Aka GingerCurls.)

I also wrote a comic book story, Seeing-Eye Sheila, for Womanthology, a comic anthology by women artists and writers, with proceeds going to Global Giving. I was paired up with Canadian illustrator Joanne Ellen Hansen to create our story.

I wrote two essays. One essay, "Me, Myself, & Gwyneth" for the zine, GirlCrush. GirlCrush got a ton of press, and was put together by two inspiring, savvy chickies: Jenna Wortham and Thessaly La Force.

Oh, so good...

I also wrote an essay for Dear Teen Me, which was really fun. Check it out online.

I attended the Mighty Summit, a conference run by the ever inspiring @lmayes and @maggie, that made a surprising impact on me. It also made me rethink some of the issues that I deal with in the creative process.

I'm now working on several of the goals I set at the Mighty Summit, including:

I'm working on a new writing project.

I took online photography classes. (I've been wanting to take photography classes for a long time!)

And I just signed up for a four week Italian language class that I'll start in 2012!

By the way, I was also in a Mighty Summit pyramid. I'm on the bottom and looking down, but damn it, I was in a pyramid.

I was the Days of our Lives Social Media Fanbassador for the Day of Days Event. Here's a couple of shots with some of my favorite actresses!

And, I was hired as the Head Content Writer on a new social advocacy start up, ChangeMyWorldNow.Com, that launched October 1st. I worked on it until this month, and will start again in on it in 2012.

Looking forward to more creating in 2012. What about you?

2011 Recap: Art

2011-12-27T11:23:00.000-08:00

My Two Favorite Pieces of Art in 2011!

By Craig Damrauer

I can't find the creator on this guy. If you know who it is, please let me know! Thanks!

2011 Recap: Travel

2011-12-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends and Family!

I've decided to recap this year in a few different posts.

First up, travel.

J and I went a lot of places this year, mostly in the name of matrimony. We had friends marrying on both coasts, which was a really fabulous way to spend a lot of money ON AIRLINE TICKETS! Oy.

But worth every trip. And we also had some work, family, and leisure trips just for us.

Jordi and I took a road trip to Las Vegas! We ate at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill, gambled a bit more than we said we would, and saw a spectacular wet-mess of a show. And of course, we didn't gossip.

J and I doing our best "Texas Gothic" at a SXSWi Girl and Guy party in Austin.

An artsy photo of our friends Chris and Crystal right after their wedding in Truckee.

This was the view outside of the lodge J and I stayed in Truckee/Tahoe. This is how I imagine the Swiss Alps look 365 days a year.

Debi and Matt rehearse their vows in NYC's Ft. Tryon park.

The marriage went off without a hitch (except for the heatwave!)

Girls' Night out in July, NYC. Meredith, Sherine and I are trying not to sweat the heatwave inside Beauty & Essex.

Our niece came to town. We needed to shop. We needed to try on bad fur. Whew.

Leila, new wife of Jon, getting toasted at The Hope Club, Providence, Rhode Island.

She was a stunner. Super fun wedding.

Disneyland with my brave niece, hilarious sister-in-law, and hysterical nephew. I am the only scaredy cat, looking away as we prepare to drop down the Tower of Terror. I hate this friggin' ride so much.

My other sister in law and our nephew show us how to ride ponies, Oakland style.

J and I traveled back in time to the 1920s, San Francisco. It was a gay old time.

This is what Thanksgiving weekend looks like in Los Angeles.

Our Oakland family gets to bask in the sun!

And our "LA Family" - Friends Steve and Vanessa - celebrated the weekend with us, too.

This month, Mumsie treated us to a cruise down south. This photo makes us look like we were very formal- and we were for one night! I figured you didn't want to see the rest of the photos of us in our yoga pants and tank tops, though we do look very relaxed. You'l have to take my word for it.

That was a fabulous, funny, trip especially with 70 mph winds.

And here's a quick action shot of our nephew and his great aunt opening a present under the Christmas tree in Connecticut. I like how psyched he is about trucks, trains, and anything with wheels.

I hope you got to go somewhere fun this year. Show and tell me where you traveled to- and if you have any good recommendations, let me know!

Happy Chanukah, Hebrews and Shebrews!

2011-12-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

May you have luck and latkes, not calories and cholesterol.

Inward Facing Girl | A Design-Obsessed Mom Who Writes a Lot: Pinspiration: Non-Traditional Christmas Trees

2011-12-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

So many inspiring, brightly-lit trees! I love these guys.

Inward Facing Girl | A Design-Obsessed Mom Who Writes a Lot: Pinspiration: Non-Traditional Christmas Trees: I'm not going to make a big production of sharing my own Christmas tree because I don't like a lot of my ornaments. I've gotten a few over t...

You've Been Reviewed: The Happiness Project!

2011-12-12T15:39:00.001-08:00

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I went into reading The Happiness Project with reservations and hesitations, because I was scared it was going to be a sappy-ish self-help guide. I had a chance encounter with the author at a conference in September, and after meeting her and liking her very much, I decided to read at least one chapter in the book. And then I was hooked, for several reasons.

1) I'm a quote junkie. For as long as I can remember, I have jotted and journaled influencing quotes. For me, they often make me laugh, reconsider a subject, and/or evaluate an emotion. Gretchen Rubin applies the quotes she has collected throughout her book with great examples. I often found myself quoting her, as well as the quotes she quoted, to great personal effect.

2) I like stunt nonfiction. I like trying a project for a month or year. I like knowing how some object or subject can change your life if you stay open to it long enough. I like the successes and failures, and Rubin shows us both. She doesn't pretend she's an expert at change or in this case, happiness, but she acts as a voyager on this trip, discovering what does and doesn't work for her. It's fun to see her struggle and oftentimes, win.

3) I like the idea of thinking more deeply about what makes us emote - whether it's sadness or joy or numbness. And by Rubin's deep probing into what the great philosophers, surveyors, doctors, and writers have theorized about the human animal's emotional nature, I felt like I got a general overview that made me think specifically about myself, and my close circle. I'm not saying this is a form of therapy, but The Happiness Project provided a structure way to take time, slow down, and care about what makes me, and others I know, tick.

4) There are some genuinely funny moments.

5) There are some genuinely revelatory moments.

If you are interested at all in this newish genre, stunt nonfiction, I highly recommend this little number. I'm not sure if I will start my own Happiness Project or not, but it did make me think more about what specifically makes me happy. And the very first thing I thought about after finishing this book was that I wanted to buy a jump rope. I surprised myself, thanks to The Happiness Project.

View all my reviews

You've Been Reviewed!

2011-11-29T11:30:00.001-08:00

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Usually, I read a ton of fiction, and use non-fiction as my palette-cleanser. This year, I've been reading more collections of essays than usual and really enjoying it. So, move over, Fiction... Here comes some kick-ass Non-fiction!

I loved Tina Fey's BossyPants and thought that would be my favorite book of the year. But I'm wrong. Though it's not a contest - I can hold special places in my heart for both books - Mindy Kaling's Is Everyone Hanging Out with Me? has made me a super happy reader. I feel like I've made a new best friend (yes, I know I don't really know her), and I love giggling along with her hilarious insights. She's bright and witty and touches on the subjects I love: shopping, Jewish men *so damn funny*, food, girlfriends, and theater.

I feel like she wrote her book just for me, but more importantly, I don't feel like anyone could have written this book but Mindy Kaling. Her voice is singular- feminine and funny without apology. That's a true and rare find.

Favorite non-fiction book of the year, hands-down.

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You've Been Reviewed: My Boyfriend Wrote A Book About Me

2011-11-14T12:49:00.001-08:00

My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me: And Other Stories I Shouldn't Share with Acquaintances, Co-workers, Taxi Drivers, Assistants, Job Interviewers, Bikini ... and Ex/ Current/ Future Boyfriends But Have by Hilary Winston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. It was given to me as a birthday gift last month from a friend who has very similar taste to me - with the disclaimer, "I haven't read it, but I've heard good things."

Hilary Winston is a comedy writer, and the shows she has worked on are funny. But this book, like so many memoirs and essay collections by other writers and artists, was about darker periods in her life. When she went deeper with her writing - about 2/3 of the way into the book - about her mother's battle with breast cancer and her cat's illnesses, I found myself much more interested in who Ms. Winston was and how she handled getting through what life was giving to her. She made me feel like she was personally telling me her story, and I really like who that Ms. Winston was...and her rebirthing therapy she went through was also pretty compelling, darkly-humorous stuff as well.

But...and I hate writing this...but the first 2/3 of the book, where she examined her dating life and in particular her relationship with "Kyle"...she was losing me. Perhaps she couldn't get close enough to the material, her own experience, because it hurt too much - but I wanted to see the humor as a tool to get her through it. Where was her cunningness, her cutting edge, her very personal point of view? Unfortunately, her voice didn't read as distinguished enough from any other girls I know who have been through similar break-ups and or public humiliations. I really wanted to know how HILARY- AND ONLY HILARY- experienced it. Instead, it felt watered down, generic, and like any book-packager-chick-lit writer out there could have written it. I don't want to read those books, I want to read the books that have a Ms. Winston signature and voice. If she writes another collection - and I hope she does - I will give it a try.

One weird thing I found from reading this book: Ms. Winston takes a lot of baths, with and without other people. I found this particularly hilarious and odd, and particularly Ms. Winston. More please.

View all my reviews

Stunner

2011-11-09T21:49:00.001-08:00

Josh A. Cagan, originally uploaded by ckwright.

Thanks to Christopher Wright for shooting a fantastic photo of Josh.

You've Been Reviewed!

2011-11-01T19:13:00.001-07:00

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After numerous recommendations, I finally read Save the Cat! and I'm so happy that I did.

This screenwriting primer is written in accessible language that will help screenwriters -whether beginning or experienced- to tap the most out of their story and script. Mr. Snyder uses modern movies and screenplays to help make immediate connections with the lessons he is sharing with you, and also adds a welcome sense of humor.

I highly recommend this book if you're thinking of writing a movie, already writing a movie, or writing film criticism.

View all my reviews

It's snowing on the East Coast...

2011-10-30T22:36:00.001-07:00

LA 5, originally uploaded by krs9d.

and it's sunny over here. I took this shot this afternoon.

A great little piece on Zines...

2011-10-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

October 22, 2011

Raised on the Web, but Liking a Little Ink

By JENNA WORTHAM

ON a trip to an indie bookstore in Brooklyn in the summer, I came across a curious creation: a small, black-and-white publication that consisted entirely of snapshots of Lindsay Lohan, known for her movie roles in “Mean Girls” and “The Parent Trap,” and, more recently, for her well-publicized courtroom appearances.

This print tribute to Ms. Lohan, called Lindzine, reignited my obsession with zines — mini-magazines that are generally made by hand and are available only in small quantities. It’s a passion I’ve had since my teens, though one I’d neglected in recent years.

I began to hunt for zines, both in small shops and on the Web, and was thrilled to discover a flourishing industry of quirky, clever do-it-yourself publications that touched on almost everything, with topics as varied as local food, art, short fiction, music reviews and comics. My collection expanded from Lindzine to include several more with funkier names like The Bushwick Review, Original Plumbing, Girl Talk Zine, A Girl at Night on the Internet, You Taste Like Nachos and Uptown Problems.

My new discoveries even prompted me to create zines with friends, including one called CandyLand, a celebration of the simple pleasures of summer, and another called Girl Crush, a collection of women’s essays and ruminations about women who have inspired them.

The word “zine” is a shortened form of the term fanzine, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Fanzines emerged as early as the 1930s among fans of science fiction. Zines also have roots in the informal, underground publications that focused on social and political activism in the ’60s. By the ’70s, zines were popular on the punk rock circuit. In the ’90s, the feminist punk scene known as riot grrrl propelled the medium.

Lately, it seems, the zine is enjoying something of a comeback among the Web-savvy, partly in reaction to the ubiquity of the Internet. Their creators say zines offer a respite from the endless onslaught of tweets, blog posts, I.M.’s, e-mail and other products of digital media.

“There’s nothing more joyous than having a little publication in your hands,” said Malaka Gharib, a social media coordinator for a nonprofit organization in Washington. In her spare time, she publishes a colorful food zine called The Runcible Spoon with her friend Claire O’Neill.

“It’s a much more tangible feeling than collecting things on a Pinterest board,” she said, referring to a service that lets people save and store interesting links and pictures found on the Web.

Although working on The Runcible Spoon is a refreshing change of pace, Ms. Gharib still makes much use of technology to create and distribute the zine, employing software to design each issue, Twitter to attract readers, and Etsy, an online marketplace, to sell the publication.

MOST zines are labors of love, done as side projects and hobbies. The goal isn’t to turn a profit, but rather to capture a cultural moment, which in turn, offers the creators the freedom to explore and experiment.

It’s hard to track exactly how many zines are in circulation at any time. Some are handwritten sheets that are photocopied a few dozen times, stapled and distributed by hand. Others, more upscale, are printed professionally in runs of several hundred and may be sold online.

But Karen Gisonny, a librarian at the New York Public Library who has specialized in collecting and cataloging periodicals for the last 25 years, said she has seen a resurgence of interest in zines and other D.I.Y. publications.

“We’re seeing a flowering of print,” she said. “There’s definitely been a renaissance in the last 10 years.”

Virtual reality has its limits, it seems. “People are drawn to the experiences of creating and collecting these physical objects,” she said.

The appetite for zines is growing when it has never been easier — or cheaper — to publish content online, thanks to free blogging services like Tumblr, WordPress and Posterous.

A prominent New York blogger who goes by the name David (he wanted only his first name used for this article), decided to make a zine after tiring of the high rate of turnover in online content.

“It’s satisfying to produce something that people can hold and treasure and value partially for its physicality instead of something that gradually disappears,” he said, referring to the way that Web articles and blog posts are often updated with fresh ones after a few hours. In his blog, for example, he critiques album reviews published by the indie music site Pitchfork. He is writing about writing that appears only on the Web — but his print publication, The World’s First Perfect Zine, will be something he can actually touch when it comes out next month.

“In 2011, it feels like a rare pleasure to hold up a bunch of pieces of paper that are bound together and read them, instead of reading off a screen,” he added. He says he is printing 500 copies of the zine, a collection of art and prose by people who make a living as musicians or writers. (I’m a contributor in the second group.)

For Barbara Frankie Ryan, 19, a graphic design student in London who recently curated an exhibition of zines at a boutique there called Tatty Devine, the Internet and handcrafted publications exist in tandem. She runs a popular fashion blog and also makes a series of zines — although she said she wasn’t even aware of the rich history of zine culture when she started creating them in her bedroom at the age of 15.

Instead, she was looking for an outlet for her drawings and innermost musings on popular culture and romantic crushes. And she wanted to be able to experiment. While Web sites come and go, in another sense the Web is eternal: tidbits can be searched and found when you least want them to be. That can be inhibiting.

“I’m becoming more aware how permanent and accessible things are online,” she said.

Ms. Ryan also said zines have an air of exclusivity: they are like other artifacts that were never intended for mass consumption or distribution, like a scarf knitted by a friend, a sketch or a cassette tape filled with handpicked songs.

“I like the idea that I’ve only made 40 copies, and only 40 people will see it,” she said. “It’s really easy to reveal a lot about yourself, and so this is a way of getting control back, and I find that quite comforting.”

Books of The Times: Making the iBio for Apple’s Genius

You've Been Reviewed!

2011-10-28T09:49:00.001-07:00

Oops!: The Text Messages You Wish You Never Sent by Nicotext
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book as a birthday gift from a friend with a very good sense of humor.

It's a fun read, and though I hate admitting it, it's a good one for reading in the john. Funny, quick, and eventually disposable.

The book itself is of pretty cheap quality, and it's like an old fashioned joke book I'd buy at Spencer's Gifts in the mall when I was 12. That said, I did find myself laughing at some of the content. If you like books like this, I suggest Damn You Auto Correct, which has more variety and more of a thematic structure.

This isn't an awful book, and I think people who buy it know what exactly what they are getting. If you're in the mood for something light and a book you can pass on to others, this could be it.

View all my reviews

You've Been Reviewed!

2011-10-28T09:40:00.001-07:00

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not sure what I can say about this Pulitzer Prize winning national bestseller that hasn't already been said before, but I'm simply smitten with it.

It's a story about Bennie and Sasha, and how their worlds slip in and around each other, intertwined in a snaky narrative that surprised and delighted me as a reader. I was always delighted when a character returned or a previous location was reproached, but it was never done in an underhanded or untrustworthy way by the supremely talented author, Jennifer Egan. It was just the opposite, like Egan trusted the readers so much to go on this journey with her that she never once dumb downed the story or let the reader off easily. She expected us to do our jobs as readers, to be fully tuned in as the characters flew with speedball success or hit rock bottom's rock bottom. The closest and most accurate description I can give the storytelling is it's like the characters of a Charles Dickens novel mashed up with the rock and roll poetry of Tony Hoagland.

My favorite book of the year, and possibly the last few years. Be prepared to be lost in this world once you enter, and don't fight it or try to outwit it. Just go where it takes you.

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You've Been Reviewed!

2011-10-28T09:02:00.001-07:00

Damn You, Autocorrect!: Awesomely Embarrassing Text Messages You Didn't Mean to Send by Jillian Madison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes I need a quick mind cleanser between reading novels. I don't usually pick up books that are crafted out of websites or technology flaws, and though I read humor essays and memoirs, I don't usually pick up joke books. But this little gem kept me cracking up, literally LOLing with tears falling down my face, for the last couple of weeks. I don't always laugh when I think something is funny - sometimes it's just a nod or a smirk or a mental note to myself that, "hey, that was funny," but this book made me physically hurt from laughing.

The themes are broken into sections, so you can skip around if you are especially interested in subjects that involve parents, breaking up, etc...

This isn't high art, but it's some of my favorite kind of humor - chaotic miscommunication and the way it can absolutely shut down people.

I recommend this when you are looking for a quick cheer-up, when you're home with a cold, or as a gift for your favorite teenager.

View all my reviews

A Super Fun Days of Our Lives Announcement!

2011-10-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

Remember when Marlena was possessed by the devil? I do!

From The Fabulous @nbcdays: Follow our Fanbassador, Kayla Cagan's tweets on @nbcdays.
She'll be live-tweeting backstage from "A Day of DAYS!” #DOOL

What does this mean exactly? It means that on Saturday, November 5th, the 4th Annual Day of Days Fan Event is happening! As the Fanbassador, I will be interviewing your favorite actors, taking photos, and sharing the whole experience directly with you!

WHO: John Aniston, Matthew Ashford, Camila Banus, Sarah Brown, Molly Burnett, Shawn Christian, Christie Clark, Casey Deidrick, Judi Evans, Mary Beth Evans, Bren Foster, Galen Gering, Deidre Hall, Bill Hayes, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Drake Hogestyn, Renee Jones, Lauren Koslow, Wally Kurth, Kate Mansi, Eric Martsolf, Joseph Mascolo, Chandler Massey, Peggy McCay, Patrick Muldoon, Peter Reckell, Melissa Reeves, James Reynolds, Suzanne Rogers, James Scott, Freddie Smith, Alison Sweeney, Josh Taylor and Arianne Zucker.

WHAT: Fourth Annual Day of DAYS Fan Event

WHEN: Saturday, November 5th, 10 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood

10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. :
"Day of Days" Introduction

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. :
"Meet & Greet" with the cast of "Days of our Lives"

12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. :
Lunch break

1:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.:
"Meet & Greet" with the cast of "Days of our Lives"

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. :
Q&A panel with the stars

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. :
Event finale including the selection of a grand-prize raffle winner, cast goodbyes and a screening of an upcoming episode of "Days of our Lives."

HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE - AND IF NOT, THEN ON TWITTER!

Happy Anniversary, Saturday Night Live!

2011-10-11T10:58:00.001-07:00

36 years ago today SNL aired its 1st show ever!!

To celebrate, enjoy George Carlin's 1st monologue from that show:http://bit.ly/nAHQgD

I was interviewed!

2011-10-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Interview: Kayla Cagan – Unite and Take Over

– OCTOBER 5, 2011

Comicbookinterviews.com is pleased to present a multi-part interview series with the creators of the new Smith’s anthology Unite and Take Over. Creator Kayla Cagan discusses his contribution to Unite and Take Over…

Writer Kayla Cagan

Song: The Boy with The Thorn In His Side

Assignmnet: Writer

JMH: What do The Smiths mean to you personally?

KC: I spent my high school years and college years inTexas. The Smiths to me were not just my escape route out of school, my neighborhood, and my city when I needed a break from everyday life, but they were also conduits into my creativity. I was drawn to The Smiths the way I was attracted to the blues; this was music that wasn’t afraid to address feeling like an underdog, feeling marginal, and feeling alone. I could dance alone in my room or in a club in downtownHoustonand suddenly there was poetry and humor and anger and it was all at once and it felt fucking great. The Smiths are still one of the biggest influences in my playwriting. My characters go to dark places, get some chuckles, possibly dance, and usually come out alive.

JMH: How did you get involved in this project?

KC: I begged my way in! Not kidding! (Graveling really does work, Kids.) I gently harassed Shawn until he agreed. I told him that I had just my first comic story accepted with Womanthology, and I imagine Shawn might have thought oh, give the newbie Smiths fan a shot, and then he agreed once we found the right song. So many of my top picks were…picked!

JMH: Have you worked with publisher Shawn Demumbrum from SpazDog Press before? If so in what capacity?

KC: I have never worked with Shawn before, but I think he’s awesome. He’s an innovator.

JMH: Let’s talk about your contribution to the project…Why did you choose the specific song for your contribution?

KC: As I mentioned earlier, so many songs I wanted were already selected. (I’ve seen some of the beautiful artwork and I can’t wait to read what the writers did with their stories!) The Boy with The Thorn In His Side, the song I selected, is on constant rotation on my laptop and I-pod. I knew I didn’t want to do any literal interpretations of the song, but I’ve also known the boys (and girls) with the thorns in their sides…and I wanted to help them escape. A Pay-it-Forward-With-The-Smiths-Moment, if you will…

JMH: Creative teams were formed for each story. Tell the readers about your team. Describe your working relationship and what is the collaborative process like?

KC: Love to! My artist is Tara Abbamondi, (@ginger_curls), and she lives on the East Coast. I’m on the West Coast. I was looking for a good match, and the gracious and hyper-talented Hope Larson, (@hopelarson) recommended Tara’s work to me. I checked it out, emailed her promptly (as a fan and an author who wished to work with her) and within a week we decided to make it happen. After my script got the A-okay from Shawn, I emailed it to Tara, and hence, our collaboration. By the way, we have only communicated on email and twitter. We haven’t seen each other face-to-face, talked on the phone, or hung-out at any convention. I really don’t want to find out we are both robots.

JMH: Were there other songs that you wanted to sink your teeth into?

KC: I’m a huge fan of Some Girls Are Bigger Their Others, and I Know It’s Over. One day, I would love to write Frankly Mr. Shankly as a comic book story musical.

JMH: Will you be at the Tucson Comicon for the launch of the book?

KC: Unfortunately, no. Don’t rub it in.

JMH: Where can fans see samples of the artwork? (Websites, facebook pages, ect…)

KC: Since I’m a writer, not an illustrator, I would suggest checking out Tara’s site,http://gingercurls.wordpress.com/, the Unite and Take Over Kickstarter site,http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/756324374/unite-and-take-over-comic-stories-inspired-by-the, (Some of Tara’s work is shown on Update #14.)

JMH: What other projects do you have on the horizon?

KC: It’s been a busy and insane year, creatively speaking, and I’m loving it. I have a short comic story,Seeing Eye Sheila, coming out in Womanthology this Fall and I’m creating content for a youth-based social advocacy website that launches globally October 1^st. And I’m rewriting my novel. My husband and I would like to get a dog.

JMH: Anything else you’d like to mention that we haven’t talked about yet?

KC: I would like the hurricane/tornado/hail/earthquake/natural disaster season to be over. Also, I can’t wait to get a copy of Unite and Take Over in my hands.

JMH: Kayla, CBI appreciates your time, All the best!

KC: Thanks so much! This has been a blast!

__________________________________________________________

About the interviewer –

John Michael Helmer is the Publisher and CEO of Red Leaf Media, LLC. Red Leaf Media operates:www.ComicBookInterviews.com & www.RedLeafComics.com.

John’s creator-owned properties include: The Leaf, Canada’s Greatest Hero, Sky Watcher, G.I.s versus Zombies, The Armor Guardians, The Huskie, Dune, Master Spy!, and many others.

John can be reached at: jhelmer@comicbookinterviews.com and redleafcomics@gmail.com

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TAGS: The Smiths, Unite and Take OverThe Interview

Superhero Photo Class

2011-10-04T09:26:00.001-07:00

Superhero Photo Class, a set on Flickr.

I joined a photography class in September - thanks to the Mighty Summit - and these are some of my first shots I'm sharing!

Hope you like them.

Balloon Buddies

2011-10-04T00:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday.

And it was very happy.

Summoned to the Mighty Summit

2011-09-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

In the middle of September, I went to the Mighty Summit, which is best described as a networking and empowerment get-together conducted over wine tasting, campfiring, and hot-tubbing in the Russian River Valley, hosted by two of the biggest creative forces on the internet, Maggie Mason and Laura Mayes, - AKA @maggie & @lmayes.

I have to admit that I was wary about attending, and I found out many of my fellow summiteers also felt this way.

As a theater geek and freelance writer, I rarely get invited to conferences and usually try to get out of them if at all possible. I am comfortable in late-night rehearsals in musty theaters. So going somewhere new - with mostly new people - actually seems kind of scary. And weirdly, even though I knew it was going to be all women, I still thought there would still be insurance salesmen and hookers and poorly mixed drinks and I would have to make small talk about how we make small talk. But I was off by a long shot of tequila.

There were a lot of dynamic women there, each with their own vulnerabilities and specialities. The women who looked like they had the amazing jobs wanted out. The women who were doing what they wanted wanted to be paid, or paid better, for it. The women who wanted to be further along were trying to figure out how to get there and define what that meant to them. And there were some women who felt they had already achieved more than they would have possibly imagined, which often lead to feelings of guilt, or embarrassment. One woman’s perfect place was another woman’s jumping off spot, and one woman’s jumping off spot sounded enviable to those who had already experienced what it meant to leap into the great unknown known as quarter-life or mid-life growing pains (AKA making career, family, artistic, and balance decisions.)

During our perfectly planned weekend, we visited Moshin Vineyard in Healdsburg, California. While our guide explained to us about how his particular vineyard operated, I picked up on two important facts:

Good wine can’t be made with lousy grapes.
The practice of biodynamics wine making is young.

Good wine can’t be made with lousy grapes. The metaphor is all but spelled out there, isn’t it, Folks? I mean, I couldn’t help but think that I was surrounded by all of these striving women, who wanted good and better for themselves and would not accept the lousy, sour grapes of life. I know this is laying it on a bit thick, but pour yourself a glass of Pinot Noir and just enjoy it.

(Seriously, I was surrounded by survivors of death, divorce, business downturns, botched adoptions, dented minivans, and unsatisfied passions who all were embracing learning, sharing, and truckloads of laughter as a way of life. It wasn’t all hugging and crying on each other’s shoulders. There were no trust falls or damp tissues, though we did spontaneously build a pyramid in front of a Redwood tree.)

These women had goal lists, AKA life lists. But what I came to realize was that it wasn’t a matter of talent or education or connections to get these goals crossed off their lists, it was just a matter of time. And this leads me to biodynamics.

Biodynamics, as defined by our guide, is a relatively new practice. The Moshin Vineyard operates without pesticides or toxic chemicals as much as possible, which means spending a lot of time developing procedures that work for the benefit of their wine production. When the vineyard needed to find a way to fertilize their grapes, they turned to thistle, which isn’t a new practice. Wrapping thistle in sheep’s stomachs so that it would turn into a black goo to spread along the soil is new, and something they figured out to do...over twenty years of experimentation. The Moshin Vineyard wasn’t financed by a bank initially, it was financed by our guide and his wife...over twenty years of coming up with budgets and raising money themselves, until the banks saw that he had invested enough of his own time and money into his passion. The banks believed him, and let him borrow what he needed, after he spent time nurturing his passion. When our guide said that biodynamics was only twenty years old, I thought about the bloggers-entrepreneurs-writers-artists-lawyers-designers-photographers standing with me. We were also a new species with new techniques. We were also willing to experiment and figure out how our lives could grow and prosper the most for ourselves, our closest inner circles, and our audiences. We just needed time to figure out how to do it.

My biggest lesson-slash-question that came from the Mighty Summit was how do we, and how do I, use my time? How can I use it better? How can I make a difference and do the things I want to do? And if I had not had taken the time to go to the Mighty Summit, I might not have given myself the time to think about the importance of time. This is, and was, a true awakening and gift to me.

My birthday is right around the corner. I write all of this because I, too feel like I’m running out of time. I want to have my “creative life” in place, because I am scared to death of losing my creative life. I want a guarantee that I can have it 60 years from now. But a lot can happen between now and then and I’m not being very creative if I’m trying to control every single minute of it. It’s hard for me to take my foot of the ambition accelerator, but I’m going to have to lift it up if I don’t want to crash. I’ve been fighting what my creative life is and how it moves. It ebbs and flows, and has great moments of productivity and terrific sleepy stops. It’s time to stop fighting the openness of living a creative life, to stop being scared of time feeling like it’s getting faster, because time happens, it’s happening right now, whether I’m ready for it or not.

I am reminded by the Mighty Summit that there are women older than me doing what they want, not worried about time, and women younger than me, worried constantly about time, and that somehow, I am in very good company watching my watch and clocking my days writing and creating.

Here’s a few more facts and ideas I learned this weekend that sparked my creativity and laughter and general weirdness:

The dead don’t have privacy rights.
Sometimes it’s better to elope.
It’s okay to go off the grid.
You can eat the rind off any cheese as long as you like it.
A burnt marshmallow is different than a toasted marshmallow.
Leave tiny tokens & gifts at unexpected times. They bring instant joy.
Australia may not be all it’s cracked up to be, but I want to go there anyway.
Women still want to wear tutus, they just do it in black with cowboy boots.
Mothers also want to be non-mothers sometimes.
Women want to build empires.
I like wines with malolactic fermenatation, which translates to buttery and less acidic.
Listening openly and closely to the story of a new person in your life will broaden your own life.
I am not running out of time if I’m enjoying what I do with my time.

The Mighty Summit weekend was a parenthesis in my life and it reminded me to stay present and learn and be open to what others could teach me. I really forgot about time. When the weekend ended, I was surprised. It moved very fast and joyfully slow, like when I’m absorbed in a great play. Time can be tricky that way.

Thank you, Maggie, and thank you, Laura.
And if you want to read more about other attendee's Mighty Summit experiences, go here:

Mighty Summit 1 - Maggie!

Mighty Summit 2 - Maggie!

Mighty Summit 3 - Victoria!

Mighty Summit 4 - Sarah!

Mighty Summit 5 - Stacey!
Mighty Summit 6 - Pamie!

And now, let us all go to bed (not together.) Good night.

I'll be updating more soon...

2011-09-27T00:47:00.001-07:00

but for now, I'm on a deadline. Until then, why not dress yourself in a funky costume and dance around to this gem?

I'm taking lessons. Thanks, Mighty Summit!

2011-09-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

The Password Is: Pyramid

2011-09-22T13:15:00.001-07:00

The Password Is: Pyramid, originally uploaded by abchao.

I went to the Might Summit over the weekend.

I'm posting about it soon, but until then here's a photo of the fun!

(Note the huge Redwood behind us!)

Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 45 (Continued), John Steinbeck

2011-09-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 45 (Continued), John Steinbeck

I thought you might enjoy reading this today!

New York, I Love You

2011-09-11T01:42:00.001-07:00

Action for Austin

2011-09-05T22:24:00.001-07:00

We're raising money to help Central Texas during the wildfires. Go here to help out:

DONATION TIME!

Happy Labor Day of the Dead!

2011-09-05T01:54:00.001-07:00

An oldie but a goodie!

Labor Day of the Dead - watch more funny videos

TIme Magazine Writes Up Girl Crush!

2011-09-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Girl Crush Zine and Afterzine

On a recent Friday evening in New York City, a collection of young magazine and newspaper writers sipped $15 gimlets at a hotel bar in SoHo, each clutching a peach-colored journal with the words "Girl Crush" spelled out in letter-shaped candies on its cover. The celebrants had arrived from the offices of well-known, even legendary publications — The New York Observer,The New Yorker, The Paris Review — to fete, with cupcakes, the launch of a zine: a handmade, self-published magazine intended for a small community of readers. For many, the word "zine" will conjure images of Xeroxed-and-stapled underground tributes to science-fiction fandom or '90s riot-grrrl culture. The form tends to be high on enthusiasm, low on production value.

ButGirl Crush, which features women writing about their female role models, has a glossy professional-grade binding and counts the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Jennifer Egan among its contributors. Neither the zine nor its launch party would strike anyone as countercultural in spirit.

Edited by Jenna Wortham, a staff technology reporter at the New York Times, and Thessaly La Force, the former online editor for the Paris Review, Girl Crush is part of a resurgence in the zine form, particularly among media professionals. Like their rough-around-the-edges predecessors, these zines are independently published and precise in their editorial vision, but they have more star power and more mainstream editorial influence. Strikingly, often the same men and women who are helping to keep large media outlets afloat by day are also the ones going home and working on indie publishing efforts by night. Girl Crush's peers include Afterzine, from Vanity Fair's digital design editor, Hamish Robertson; the Spanish-Italian interiors zineApartamento, whose braintrust includes magazine writer Marco Velardi and fashion photographer Nacho Alegre; and The La-La Theory and White Elephant collections from Katie Haegele, a freelance writer and reporter.
(See TIME's picks for the 50 Best Websites of 2011.)

While a small and dedicated do-it-yourself zine culture has been publishing for decades, zines haven't enjoyed this much popularity in 20 years. Online craft mecca Etsy currently has nearly 50,000 distinct handmade publications listed for sale, approximately 3,000 of which are self-defined as zines; that number has been steadily increasing. "The biggest spike we have seen has been in the last three years," says Joe Biel, who runs Microcosm Publishing, one of the few organized zine distributors in the world and the country's largest. "We're getting more submissions than ever."

But given the rising costs of producing print media, why would anyone — let alone media professionals — turn to DIY publishing instead of Wordpress or Tumblr? "It just feels good to make something by hand," says Wortham of Girl Crush. "I love the way pop culture morphs and evolves on the web. At the end of the day, though, you can describe a blog post, but you can't recreate it. It's really neat to hold something in your hand that you actually created."

"There's a pleasure in making it difficult for yourself," Haegele says. "Other people appreciate it and it appeals to them when you explain, 'I sewed this together.'"
(See the best blogs of 2011.)

A zine also has a prescriptive quality that contrasts with the more freewheeling tendencies of Internet publishing. "I'm the biggest fan of print in the boundaries that it creates, especially because my day job is working on the web," says Robertson of Afterzine. "Too many people think that you can just let the page get longer and longer on a website, and while that's true, it doesn't always make it better."

So what makes a zine? And what distinguishes it from a small-run literary journal or a "photocopied blog" (as some zines have been derided)? The criteria vary from title to title, but a few basics are clear. A zine must be self-published and handmade. (Though even the concept of "handmade" varies widely: Haegele uses a typewriter and hand-stitches and presses her own binding, while La Force considers Girl Crush handmade because she learned Adobe's InDesign software solely to make it.) It's often published in small enough quantities that its creator can personally keep track of everyone who has it. It's self-funded and sold either at a loss or only to recoup the cost of production. It eschews advertising, though some zinesters will promote other zines in their pages. And a zine follows its own schedule. The editor of a traditional magazine or journal says "It's time to publish, so what are we going to say?" The editor of a zine says, "I have something to say, so it's time to publish." Girl Crush embodies this approach; so does Afterzine's themed issues, which so far have tackled negative space (issue one) and Los Angeles (issue two).

Purists may have additional definitions. "I value the zine's connection to anarchic-punk, DIY values," says Jenna Freedman, a self-professed "zine snob," who makes Lower East Side Librarian and curates Barnard's zine library. She prizes activism-oriented zines like Shotgun Seamstress, which explores the intersections of racial and sexual identity; or Functionally Ill, in which a woman identified only as Laura-Marie records, among other things, the voices she hears during bipolar disorder–associated mania. Though the new wave of zines is less esoteric, Freedman still sees something subversive in it. "This new phenomenon among mainstream journalists could certainly come out of that DIY sensibility," she says. "Maybe they're not doing their own binding, but they are saying 'I don't want an editor — I have something to say and I want it to go out unmediated.'"

The first zines appeared in the 1930s, when science fiction enthusiasts began to self-publish and trade their own volumes of fan fiction. These were called "fan magazines," shortened to fanzines. Fanzines found renewed popularity in the '70s and '80s in the underground punk scene, where followers of various bands would sell their homemade 'tribute' publications — usually black-and-white photocopies stapled together — at shows. In the '90s, feminism and punk converged in some counter-culture communities, creating a third-wave feminism movement named for the first zine to identify it: Riot Grrrl, associated with bands such as Bratmobile, Sleater-Kinney and Bikini Kill. The zines of that era used the machismo and swagger of hardcore to spotlight feminine steeliness in the face of misogyny.
(See the 100 Best Novels of All-TIME.)

"There was a sense of putting out unpolished writing that was thrilling," says Johanna Fateman, who first made a riot grrrl zine called Snarla with her best friend from high school, the filmmaker and writer Miranda July, while living in Portland, Ore. in 1991. (After Fateman gave a copy of Snarla to Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna after a show, the two became friends and later founded the band Le Tigre). "There were no rules: we went freely between prose and poetry and collage. There were no censors."

That freedom often fostered a confessional, stream-of-consciousness style that now looks like a forerunner of personal blogging. A crucial difference is that a post on the Internet can go viral, quickly leaving the relative safety of a dedicated readership for the digital echo chamber. But to criticize a zine, you have to take the time to write the creator a letter — and you have to have found the zine in the first place. Attendees at the Girl Crush party, who paid $10 for the zine, were of a type; the party was advertised on the contributors' blogs and via Facebook, and the people who attended already knew what a Girl Crush was. Many of them were writers themselves and understood the importance of having a place to try something new. In "Say Anything," Jenna Wortham chronicles her former infatuations and, in a few swift paragraphs, reveals nothing less than how she became herself, taking us from ages 9 to 23. In "Five Recipes for Your Girl Crush," Nozlee Samadzadeh describes her crush on novelist Emma Straub through the brunch she cooked in Straub's honor. Amanda Fortini's ode to Janet Malcolm reveals the excruciating awkwardness of meeting someone with whom you already have a relationship — but only through her work.

Not all of the essays in Girl Crush are as successful, but even the lesser contributions offer a privileged glimpse — not often seen in more mainstream publications — of thoughts as they are actually developed: not just the whittled, well-presented thesis, but the entire messy thing. Recalling what she loved about making the influential zine Chickfactor, music journalist Gail O'Hara describes how different it was from her day job at Spin: "The words were in context. It wasn't, 'Here's my story of what happened when I went to interview Guided By Voices.' It was, 'This is what they actually said. Here's the whole conversation.'"

Girl Crush gets a crush-worthy write-up!

2011-09-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

(Click through to read the Girl Crush story on page 53!)

Open publication - Free publishing - More matchbook

Let's buy comic books!

2011-08-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

In the latest Unite and Take Over Kickstarter update, my illustrator Tara and I get a shout out.

Check it out here:

Unite and Take Over Update

And if you're not familiar with the song that inspired our story, here is The Boy With The Thorn In His Side for your listening pleasure. (This song has been on replay in my head since the 10th grade.)

Unite and Take Over, Volume 1, will be available at the Tucson Comic-Con in November this year.

The Paris Wife: You've Been Reviewed!

2011-08-23T09:38:00.001-07:00

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Moveable Feast is one of my favorite books, partially because I romanticize Paris in the 1920s. I romanticize the alcohol and the dancing and the artists and the cafe and the Gauloises and the cloche hats and the painting and the writing and the lunches that rolled into cocktail hour.

The Paris Wife is built slightly off of A Moveable Feast, taking, in my opinion, some of the most intriguingly quiet moments of Ernest and Hadley's life that are fictionalized in A Moveable Feat, and then fictionalizing them again to pull out every last ligament of romance. It's meta-romantic-romance, with all of the sturm-und-drang drama that follows the lives of all of those characters involved with the Hemingways, as well as the Hemingways themselves.

Though the book can be slow and languid, the way I imagine some Parisian afternoons must have moved, I didn't mind the pace. I liked being slowed down, experiencing the ups and downs of a marriage in it's earliest form. The Paris Wife is not the Real Housewives. It's just real, and it's just about a housewife, and that, to me, is engaging enough.

I did hope for a more satisfactory fictionalized ending to Hadley's story, even though I knew how her real-life story ended. I didn't finish the book feeling disappointed, rather just feeling somewhat empty. The book was thick with the details of life in Paris, but felt empty near the end. I have to think that maybe... that was the point.

View all my reviews

Girl Crush at McNally Jackson...

2011-08-16T13:17:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about THE ZINE?

Oh yeah, it's out.

Order yours now!

Get your Girl Crush on this August!

2011-08-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

As you know, my July has been nutso, but in a pretty good way.

One of the projects I contributed to, a one-off zine - the term refers to a homemade magazine - called Girl Crush, is available now online.

What is Girl Crush exactly you ask? It's a zine that celebrates female role models, the rock-star women who inspire us, and the gals we wish we could be just a little more like...the girls who always look awesome, have their lives put together, and change the world. Sometimes our girl crushes turn out to be temporary, sometimes they last forever.

Do you have a girl crush? Who was it? And why? Tell me tell me tell me! And don't forget to

check out the press, and buy your own copy now!

It's gonna be fun, y'all!

Cutest Houseguest Ever.

2011-08-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is Wally, and he belongs to Jon and Leila.

He's staying with us for a few days.

Good dog.

Summer and the City

2011-08-04T12:16:00.001-07:00

Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was given this book as a surprise beach-read, and initially, I wasn't interested in reading it. I've always been of the mind that I don't want to waste time on a book that isn't worth my time, that I want to read the books that I'm super excited about, and this was not one of those books. I was pretty sure I was going to hate it, hands-down. I know some people get off on reading trashy novels, and I do, too, sometimes - but I wasn't in one of those moods. I was in a I HAVE TOO MANY BOOKS I REALLY WANT TO READ RIGHT NOW MOOD, but sometimes a book hits me when I least expect it, and it's definitely the right book at the very right time for me.

Reasons why I assumed I would hate SUMMER AND THE CITY: A Carrie Diaries Novel by Candace Bushnell:

1) I really liked Sex and The City, the tv show. I didn't like the book of essays it was based on.

2) I don't generally like Candace Bushnell's writing, and yes, I have tried many of her books, and put them down.

3) I've been reading a ton of YA in the past 6 years. I'm getting picky.

4) There was no reason I needed to read a prequel, written as YA, to adult characters I already like, but are on TV.

5) Is this just fan-fiction marketed as YA? How do I read that? Do I want to read that?

6) What, then, is the source story? Not that this really matters to a lot of people, but it does to me, as a professional dramaturg, a stickler for continuity, and a fan of the TV series, which was loosely based on the book of essays, but then took on it own's life. How do I reconcile which stories that are being told are the real stories - or the stories I want to believe - and how do I ignore the story arcs that don't work for me?

And now, here are the reasons that I was won over by SUMMER AND THE CITY: A Carrie Diaries Novel by Candace Bushnell:

1) My expectations were exceptionally low. See above list.

2) I still don't love Candace Bushnell's writing for her adults-only audience. And I wondered how writing for fans of the show, plus younger readers would, work out. I was genuinely surprised at how well the book flowed, the transitions were smooth, the characters - though the origin myth of their friendships on the TV series was different - were rich and full and well-built. The plot lines easily crossed into each other, without seeing any of Ms. Bushnell's usual uneven story-stitching. The writing was so much freer that I actually suspected there was a ghostwriter involved. If not, forgive me, but my suspicion will stay until proven wrong.

3) It reminded me of my first internship I had when I was in New York, set closely in time as to when young Carrie is taking a writing course at the New School. (So, it's personal here, not necessarily about the writing, but about my personal interaction with it.) The details of city life - before cell phones and texting- when pay phones were still vital and one could only pay for a cab ride with cash- were right on.

3) It didn't feel anything like the show, and yes, I understand that it's different genres, but I was scared it was going to try to replicate it too on the nose, and it didn't. Summer and the City is it's own beast.

4) I really liked the way the characters met and interacted in the book, especially Carrie and Charlotte, which I won't give away. And there are some names, like Capote Ducan, from Season 1 of the TV show, that we meet in this book, so that's delightful, too.

I was very surprised, and slightly charmed, by the SUMMER AND THE CITY. I thought I would put it down after 3 chapters, but I read quickly, much like the pace of the book itself. I found out that this was a book I did want to read after all, trashy or not, and that it came at just the right time, before a trip back to NYC for an outdoor wedding in a heatwave.

My last two cents on SUMMER AND THE CITY:

A quote from the book that stuck with me - "Like me, he has a searing believe that books are sacred. They might not be to other people, but when you have a passion, you hold on to it. You defend it. You don't pretend it isn't important at the risk of offending others." - pg.388

AND

If you dislike the show, or think Carrie Bradshaw is repugnant, she can be a really selfish asshole in this book. Fair warning.

And that's it, folks!

View all my reviews

Goodbye, July!

2011-07-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

July has been a super busy month for us. Yowzie.

From the end of June until now, we've been to three weddings.
Jon and Leila
Chris and Crystal
Debi and Matt

I've had three writing deadlines due.
Womanthology
Dear Teen Me

Girl Crush

My play, South of Delancey, that I proudly dramaturged, closes today, July 31st, after a 2.5 month, sold-out run. In LA. This is a big deal. Los Angeles is not known for it's huge theater audiences.

I was in one heat wave. (You don't want to see photos of this, trust me.)

And I've been busy with a freelance project. I like being busy...really busy...but now I'm also really happy to be sitting on our love seat, contemplating what we need at the farmer's market this week. I haven't been to the grocery in 4 weeks. Ralph's and Trader Joe's actually sound exciting to me again.

I'm looking forward to the dog days of summer... a slower, hotter August - at least in comparison to July. I kind of want to swim and nap between writing, and eat a fair amount of watermelon and pineapple and any fruits I can get my hands on. Maybe I'll look for a good pair of boots for the Fall, which I haven't done in a long time.

What's on your to-do-because-you-want-to list?

Crystal & Chris's Wedding

2011-07-27T22:02:00.001-07:00

Crystal & Chris's Wedding, a set on Flickr.

We went to Crystal and Chris's wedding the week before I headed out to Debi and Matt's wedding.

What did these wedding have in common?

Both intimate and outdoors, both terribly fun, and both had great food.

I HAVE SO MUCH DRY CLEANING TO DO NOW!

Debi and Matt's Wedding

2011-07-27T21:34:00.001-07:00

Debi and Matt's Wedding, a set on Flickr.

Debi and Matt were married in NYC on Friday.

Here's some photos of us surviving the heatwave in Ft. Tryon Park, Washington Heights.

You've been Reviewed!

2011-07-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. by Caissie St. Onge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not a vampire fan or reader of ATV (All things Vampire), and this book was perfect for a reader like me.

It pokes fun at some of the old vampire adages, and plays with the their traditional powers and weaknesses. What I thought would be a silly and light-hearted Mean-Girl-Vampires-in-High-School kind of novel is actually built with intriguing backstory and some surprising, scary plot discoveries.

Jane Jones, AKA Josephine, is our sweet, nerdy protagonist who doesn't enjoy her vampireness and with good reason. She doesn't have to just deal with being a regular teenager who encounters issues like dating and making good grades and overprotective parents, but also with an allergy to blood and arch enemies in Astrid, a pretty rival Vampiress at school, and a certain American history teacher.

I won't divulge any story spoilers, but there's a great stand-off at the end of the book that heightens the stakes for all of the young characters involved in the story. Though you might be able to predict how it ends, I didn't, and I liked that best of all.

Read this if you dig vampires, YA, Vampire YA, and good comic timing.

View all my reviews

I'm going to tell you a story about my tattoo.

2011-07-08T09:26:00.001-07:00

Dear Teen Me,

Teen Kayla standing with friends P & D

Grab some popcorn and sit down. I know you’d prefer Chicken McNuggets and BBQ sauce, but trust me, you don’t want to eat any more of them. Our butt will thank you later.

It’s time you and I had a chat. Don’t worry, you aren’t in trouble and I’m not going to lecture you. I know you can barely sit still right now, unless you’re listening to Catching Up with Depeche Mode or watching MTV’s 120 Minutes, but this is important, and actually kind of fun. You do something awesome soon, and it becomes even more awesome as you get older. I’m trying not to brag, but I’m proud of you. Don’t tell me I’m stupid.

About two weeks before your Senior Prom, you and three of your very good friends, who just happen to be dudes, will decide it is time to get tattoos. You will extensively plan this on D’s patio, over Clove cigarettes and Bartles and James’s Strawberry Daquiri Wine Coolers. (D by the way stands for your friend whose name starts with D, P will stand for P, and S for S. You get it. I can’t write their names here, because there is this weird, sometimes annoying, sometimes fun thing called Facebook in the future and you will actually be in contact with some of these guys again over a computer. You will see pictures of them and realize how much they have changed and how much they never changed and you will be happy and sentimental you knew them then, and you’ll also be glad you only “hang with them” now on Facebook. Another note about the future: as of twenty years after we have graduated, there are still not jet-packs that work and no Rosie the robot-maids, like on The Jetsons.) But let’s get back to what’s important.

Over 20 years and 2 weeks ago, you and D and P and S will decide that it is VERY IMPORTANT that you get meaningful tattoos that express who you are. D is going to get something funny, possibly Woody the Woodpecker, because he is a redhead and plans to be a comedian. P will get something arty and esoteric, because he is nothing if not arty and esoteric. And S will get some kind of quote, because he’s not just the best actor in your school, he believes himself to be the best poet as well. He’s not actually a bad writer, but um, y’know. You my Dear Teen Me, will decide you need something soulful and earnest and true. And you know where the tattoo will land on your body – somewhere discreet but significant.
So, on a humid Saturday evening in Houston, D, P, and S, all tipsy-to-drunk on Bartles and James, will climb into the blue, skateboard-and-surf-shop-sticker-covered Nissan Sentra we share with mom. As the designated driver, you pick your favorite mix tape of The Descendents and Big Audio Dynamite and King Missle and The Judy’s and you drive towards the Westheimer and Montrose drags, where you know you can get inked even if you’re not exactly 18 years old yet, and you pull across the street from Dream Merchant, a pre Hot-Topic like store that has a way better retail selection than HT and you park, and the guys are ready. You jump out of the car with them, walk right up to the counter, and tell the big nice guy who works there you all need tattoos.

Teen Kayla's High School ID

He doesn’t ask to check ID. He doesn’t ask if your parents are with you. He doesn’t ask if you’ve been drinking. He points to a wall and says, “Have at it.”

You scan the wall of designs you would never choose: a rose, an anchor, a sassy alligator. In an assured, calm voice you tell the guy, “I’m going to need to see your theater masks, you know, like tragedy and comedy masks.” I cringe now, but back then, you and I proudly demand, “I NEED THE MASKS OF THESPIS.”

And so, he pulls out a huge photo album, and points to a small pair of drama masks. We don’t love the colors at the time, but we ask him if he could substitute them, he agrees, and you settle on an expensive $35 ink and coloring. While the guys still pondered the art on the wall, bumping into each other awkwardly around the pin-up options, you tell them you will go first and you climb, 100% trusting, into the chair in front of the nice big man. He tells you to turn around, because if you are going to get this on your back, you have to lie on your stomach. No problem. You stretch face down, raise your shirt halfway up your back for a complete stranger, and hear his needle sizzle to life.

Your drama masks tattoo will be mapped on the lowest part of your spine. You reason that it will always remind you of who you are, a great theater artist, and it will give you power in times of crushing artistic defeat and future successes. It will be poetically engraved into your skin, your spine – where nobody can touch your soul, your bravery, your courage. You have 100% confidence in this decision.

Kayla's Tattoo

And then the hot needle touches down. You wince. You don’t expect to tear up, you don’t expect to lose your breath, and you don’t know you are capable of hyperventilating. You look at D and P and S’s faces, eyes wide and mouths open, and realize you must look like Munch’s The Scream. You are silent even though you desperately wanted to jabber like crazy. You try to smile at them, and then sarcastically, you give them a thumbs-up. You keep your head still against the paper pillow underneath you, listen to the big nice man mutter under his breath, and smell your cooking flesh. It is a small enough design that it only takes about 30 minutes, but it feels like 3 days. When the big nice man finishes and gives you a small mirror to check out his work against the wall mirror, you gave a genuine smile. You did it. You own a piece of art on your body. You know at that moment that the theater is guaranteed to be a part of your life, always.

And you turn to the guys, and casually asked, “Whose next?” You look at them as you always look at them, as your comrades in fun times, and wait. D pushes P forward, S moves to the back of them, and P trips over to the big nice man, explaining he probably doesn’t have enough money now. I look at D, who shrugs, and tells me that it looks too painful. And S decides that he didn’t like the sound of the needle.

Now your eyes are wide and your mouth hangs open. They are wussing out, in front of you and in front of each other. You joke with them for couple of seconds, lie and tell them it isn’t that bad, that you were playing it up. If you could do it sober, surely they could do it drunk.

And they can’t. And they won’t.

You load back into the car, and you are unable to lean all the way back in the driver’s chair, as anything that touches you back sets it on fire. You gently tease them, telling them it isn’t too late, but we all know the fate. They won’t do it.
You turn on Siouxsie and the Banshees, a little too loudly, and drive to the Transco Tower fountains to hang out and skateboard. While the guys talk about everything but tattoos, you can’t stop thinking about what had just happened.
The guys wimped out. You didn’t. They were scared. You weren’t. And as much as you have had the inevitable crush on each of the guys at least once through high school, you had just lost a lot of respect for them. They didn’t follow through. They didn’t do what they said they were going to do. They let their fears get the best of them. At the time, you found them weak, embarrassing, and disgraceful. Where was their passion? Where was their bravery? Where was their drunk?
Would they give up on everything in life that mattered to them? And would you be one of them? The answer was obvious.

From that point on, you stood up stronger and straighter with your tattoo. There was only one point where you hid it, and that was two weeks later at Prom, when your dress dipped low in the back, and you couldn’t let mom see it. You swore to her, even though it was 90 degrees out, that you needed “a shawl.” You wrapped it around our lower back, and as soon as you hopped into the rented limo that picked you up, the shawl was lost. And as a respectable Prom Queen, you made sure that your tattoo was not photographed. You had a reputation to protect and a secret to keep. Nobody could know the source of your power, except for the three guards who had accompanied you, and they weren’t talking.

So, time has passed – twenty years- and though you thought you were supremely original in getting your tattoo on your lower back at the time, you will realize many women and girls got similarly placed tattoos – maybe a little higher or lower, a little smaller or bigger. This phenomenon will be called the “TRAMP STAMP” and in the beginning it will piss you off, because you will think you started this incredible trend and because the name is pretty awful- though funny-, but then you will realize, like other girls, you wanted something you could hide and show off at your own will. (Let’s face it, you can’t always do that will your boobs or bottom.)

You will reclaim the Tramp Stamp label and make it your own. You will sincerely believe it unites us with women all over the world. There will be a bunch of us at aged 60 with a tiny mark from when we were 18 or 28 or even 38, and we will know where we were, who we were with, and why we did it. There are some women who didn’t put as much thought into it as you did, but that’s fine. We’re not going to tell anyone what to do or not do with her body. That’s their history. And we’ll share our stories.

Lastly, you should know this. When the time is right, you’re going to meet J, a man unlike most of your boy-friends and boyfriends from high school and college, who is going to do what he says, stay true to his passions, and lovingly tease you about the Mötley Crüe tattoo on your back. You are going to secretly adore this joke, because even if he isn’t crazy about that tattoo, he has heard you tell the story of it a million times, and he is still crazy about you. You are going to find your equal in J, the man who is willing to get lost on a train in Italy with you and sit next to you during the American Idol finals. He will be the man without a tattoo who will hold your hand through times much tougher than getting your tat. J will decorate your life more than any other piercing or ink you could imagine, and you will always look your best and feel your most confident standing next to him. When he’s not next to you, you’ll wear his ring and your own tattoo, and you won’t be scared of anything.

Okay, so, Teen Me, I know you’re tired of this story now. But I think you get it. You were a literal driving force in the Tramp Stamp Revolution. You’re made of strong stock. You’re going to keep being strong. You’re going to be strong for others. And you’re going to learn how to let others be strong for you. You’ve got this, trust me.

Yours in Ink,

Adult Me

Adult Kayla with Husband Josh!

Kayla Cagan lives in LA across the street from a famous tattoo parlor. She is a playwright, dramaturg, and novelist, and is married to the insanely funny and lovable screenwriter Josh A. Cagan. Say hi to @kaylacagan on twitter

Dramaturgy is the new black.

2011-07-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Literary Managers & Dramaturgs of the Americas will seek to answer this and many other questions as they take stage this weekend at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. The annual LMDA Conference will be in town exploring the theme "The Dramaturg as Public Artist" and with Denver's commitment to art in public places, there's no better place to open that discussion.

Writers are a solitary bunch and when those pens are poised toward playwriting, navigating terrain between the solo flyer and their public medium can be tricky. Before a script lands on the desk of a Broadway producer, the chances are good has landed on the coffee tables of trusted friends and colleagues, in the inbox of an insightful literary manager and in the hands of a skilled dramaturg. They are a distinct and integral part of the page-to-stage process; they are the bouncers and midwives of the American theatre. So what do they do, exactly?

In my experience, the literary manager is to the theatre what the gatekeeper is to the Emerald City and 'Nobody gets in to see the Wizard, not nobody, not no how' without him. They have the daunting task of sorting through an abundance of script submissions, dealing with irate agents and cajoling playwrights (or the other way around), and carefully crafting the ubiquitous rejection letter. As matchmaker to mission, they are the ones who sift and select which plays may be of interest to the theatre company and pass them up the ladder.

The dramaturg is a combination research scientist/therapist/spirit guide through the many drafts and revisions that it takes to ready a play for production. If they're good they help you tell your story clearly; if they're great they do so without making you feel they'd rather tell their own. Professional training is a must; protective gear is optional, as the job can be a dangerous one.

According to LMDA they are:

Working in theatres and playwrights' organizations, in colleges and universities, and on a project-by-project basis, dramaturgs contextualize the world of a play; establish connections among the text, actors, and audience; offer opportunities for playwrights; generate projects and programs; and create conversations about plays in their communities.

Denver Center Theatre Company plays host to the four-day event, and the city is front and center with plenty of time penciled in to explore our cultural landscape. I find the concept of dramaturg/literary manager as cultural ambassador an intriguing draw to the numerous breakout sessions, networking events and workshops presented by Buntport Theatre and Phamaly. The always clever and insightful Adam Lerner, Chief Animator of MCA Denver, will open weekend's festivities with a keynote speech, raising questions and perhaps a few eyebrows as he prompts participants to ponder their role as a link, not only between playwrights and theatres, but between those artists and the communities they serve.

The LMDA Conference runs July 7-10. Click here for further information, registration, or view the schedule.

Follow Tracy Shaffer on Twitter: www.twitter.com/tracetime

Check out Womanthology, Y'all!

2011-07-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am super proud to be a part of this project!

You've Been Reviewed!

2011-07-06T15:42:00.001-07:00

Bossypants by Tina Fey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tina Fey's memoir feels exactly the way I would want it to feel if I was just hanging out with Tina Fey - endearing, funny, and chatty. It feels like a girlfriend is relaying yet another story about her insane job and you nod and think, "yup, your life is totes crazy, Girl, but I totally think it's awesome," -and that's because it is. She has demanding careers, a loving family, and great comedic taste - and you get a glimpse into it when you read her book. I laughed loudly at some of her passages- which I almost never do when I'm reading - and found myself wanting to reread paragraphs over and over again.

I actually learned a lot from Bossypants. Here are some highlights:

1) "The show doesn't go on because it's ready; it goes on because it's 11:30." (She learned this from Lorne Michaels.)

2) "Speak in statements instead of apologetic questions." (She learned this from improv.)

3) Men in dresses will always be considered funnier than women in dresses (or pants.) - (This was said in a lot of different ways, but good examples she wrote about involved Chris Kattan and Amy Poehler.)

I don't want to write too much more here because I want you to go read it, especially if you are a comedy fan, a Tina Fey fan, a Saturday Night Live fan, or a fan of reading books with funny women in hats on the cover. So hop to it.

View all my reviews

Elton John on Soul Train

2011-07-04T13:17:00.001-07:00

If You're Wondering Why I Married Him...

2011-06-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Teen Me, From Writer Joshua A Cagan

Because he's the man who can write to himself.

Eight Years Ago, We Married.

2011-06-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

And we looked just like this!

Happy Anniversary, Dear. You continue to be the tops!

The Key to Happiness

2011-06-28T18:33:00.001-07:00

IMG_0962, originally uploaded by krs9d.

Here's the key to the thing with feathers!

Jon & Leila's Wedding, Providence, Rhode Island

2011-06-28T18:31:00.001-07:00

Jon & Leila's Wedding, Providence, Rhode Island, a set on Flickr.

Three days ago, our friends Jon and Leila were married in Providence! Here's the pretty proof!

Law & Order: CI explains Dramaturgy.

2011-06-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

And yes...another great review of South of Delancey!

2011-06-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

http://www.reviewplays.com/6-11-jr-sodelancey.htm

Click the link to read the latest review! We're so excited! And it's got a great dramaturgy shout-out!

It is like an old time newsreel informing us of a time and place too far back for most to have known but not so distant that we don’t recognize the similarities that the human soul has struggled with and continues to face even today. If this a historical perspective on relationships between people then Friedrich Hegel was right when he said that "one thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history".

South of Delancey: Reviewed Again!

2011-06-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

South of Delancey Review on the South Pasadena Patch

Check out the link and tell us what you think!

Cooking Class at Border Grill

2011-06-11T17:47:00.001-07:00

Cooking Class at Border Grill, a set on Flickr.

Good Show Gift = Good Eats!

2011-06-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

For a South of Delancey good show gift, Josh decided to skip the traditional bouquet and give us a cooking class with Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken at Border Grill! It was an afternoon of learning, eating, drinking, and smiling. See? Here's proof!

Our menu:

Spiked Kumquat Lemonade

Quinoa Fritters with Aji Amarillo Aioli

Crispy Fried Avocado Tostadita Salad

Spanish Gazpacho (different than Mexican!)

Tomatillo Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Esquite (Corn with Cojita Cheese)

Smashed Potatoes

Ducle de Leche Churro Tots w/

Chocolate Mousse with Rum Soaked Raisins, &

Creme Anglaise, & Vanilla Crema

Spiked Cafe de Olla

And Oh My God.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Book Review

2011-06-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I wish I had this book when I was ten years old, twenty years old, and thirty years old. Frankie Landau-Banks is a modern young heroine, fearless and funny and frank, whose best tools are her intellect and her passion. If she was a real person and not a character, I would want her to run for President. I would give this book to any young adult or advanced middle-grade reader who was searching for a comrade in pranking and outsmarting social panopticons.

This is a hard book to summarize without giving away the plot, but I will share this paragraph with you from page 337, which I think captures the book in a terrific way:

"She might, in fact, go crazy, as has happened to a a lot of people who break rules. Not the people who play at rebellion but really only solidify their already dominant positions in society-- as did Matthew and most of the other Bassets--but those who take some larger action that disrupts the social order. Who try to push through the doors that are usually closed to them. They do sometimes go crazy, these people, because they world is telling them not to want the things they want. It can seem saner to give up--but then one goes insane from giving up."

I consider The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks an essential primer for smart girls. Keep by your bedside, Ladies!

View all my reviews

Stop and Smell This Blog!

2011-06-07T22:18:00.000-07:00

Meet La-Florecita.

La-Florecita (AKA Jen) is a new friend of ours, via SXSWi, my husband, a delayed United Airlines flight, Twitter, and weirdly, my uncle and cousin. It's a long story, and one I know you're dying to hear, so here's how it goes (if I could execute a flow chart, I would):

1) J and I were headed to SXSW on separate flights, trying to smartly use our frequent flyer miles up before they expired. He arrived 7 hours before I did, even though we were supposed to land within an hour of each other.

2) J sent a tweet out asking if anyone wanted to grab dinner, preferably served in a basket, since I wouldn't be in Austin until close to midnight.

3) La-Florecita and her husband, D, said yes. J & La-Florecita & D ate dinner irl, (in real life), after only knowing each other (and mutual friends) on Twitter. It went swimmingly. J said I would like them.

4) We met up at a party on Sunday, (or was it Saturday? All of those SXSW days run together!) and ended up spending the next 12 hours together bowling, eating and spilling ice cream, and I think there was a fair amount of girl talk about nail polish. Fast friends!

5) Then La-Florecita and I became friends on Facebook recently, three months after SXSW. Nothing weird there, right? Wait! It does get weird! Because my cousin, Liz, who isn't on Facebook that much, commented on our friendship, wondering how I was friends with Jen?

6) And then...we start putting pieces together. Jen knows my cousin and my uncle from her time in Houston. This isn't a SXSW or Twitter connection. This is just a random Houston Family- Work connection. Jen has played with my cousin's dogs. She's been to my family's events - ones I couldn't go to because I didn't live there. This is like ABC Family's Switch At Birth, except we aren't related or cousins, except it kind of weirdly feels like we are...

That is weird, right? That's what I thought.

But I am also totally thrilled by this turn of events. I knew J and I like La Florecita and D, but this just seems so out-of-the-world good. It makes the world feel a little smaller and cozier, like when an oversized sweater is pulled out of the dryer and now fits perfectly. Good work, Universe.

Now go read La-Florecita. You'll like her as much as we do.

A South of Delancey Dramaturgy Shout-Out, Thanks to LAist!

2011-06-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

"Special attention is paid to period, New York, and Jewish cultural details. Incorporating segments of the radio show that South of Delancey is born out of is a fascinating historical touch that breathes significance into the play."

See the fantastic, complete review here:
LAist South of Delancey Review

Books: This is How They Work

2011-06-05T22:42:00.001-07:00

SOUTH OF DELANCEY: 100% – SWEET

2011-05-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

A fine collection from a fine blog!

SOUTH OF DELANCEY: 100% – SWEET

The Pasadena Star Embraces South of Delancey!

2011-05-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Pasadena Star! What a great review for my dramaturgy baby!

`Delancey' is a delightful glimpse into a past era

By Frances Baum Nicholson, Correspondent

Posted: 05/26/2011 05:36:19 PM PDT

One of my great heroes has always been the late, monumental oral historian Studs Terkel. The idea of recording history by listening to ordinary people's stories strikes at something elemental in my imagination.

History is all of us, not just what happens in the halls of power or on the battlefield. I feel the same way about "found" history - the discovery of the small, human artifacts and events which so define what it was like to live in a time other than our own.

Imagine, therefore, my delight with the entire concept behind "South of Delancey," by Karen Sommers: Taking recordings from a little-remembered 1940s "reality" radio show and creating a back story to explain the events that were broadcast. It may sound a bit like reverse-engineering history, but the recordings themselves (and they use portions of the actual radio shows, which have been lovingly restored) open the window back in time.

The recordings in question were discovered in a dumpster behind a rabbinical retirement home in New York. They are three "cases" from a New York radio show that brought individuals with disputes before a rabbinical committee for review and possible solution. Think of it as kind of a Yiddish People's Court.

Sommers' question - and the question she put to the New York actors who workshopped the concept - was to wonder what led to the conflicts depicted in those recordings. The result is a window on Jewish New York in the late 1940s.

Only

three cases survive, and Sommers uses all three. In one, two adult sisters have reached such a level of antipathy that one insists the other must move out. In another, a woman sues for the return of money she feels was stolen from the business her first husband left her by the freeloading second husband she has recently kicked out. In the third, a woman with a young child declares her wartime marriage to be a disaster, and asks for help.
The play wends back and forth between the radio show itself (complete with supertitles for the Yiddish sections), and the three interwoven stories whose drama likely sent those couples onto the airwaves begging for assistance. With the help of an impressively ensemble cast, each case becomes very real.

Kal Bennett, as the passionate, frustrated, "modern" sister wrapped in a kind of desperate freedom, vibrates with irritation toward Jordana Oberman's sensitive portrait of a conservative, agoraphobic lost soul. Jodi Fleisher's balance of overt sensuality and practical business sense works well as she is first attracted to and then frustrated by Barry Alan Levine's self-focused bad boy. And, in the most emotionally complex tale, Abigail Marks' young wife tries desperately to navigate a way between her managing Jewish mother (a great turn by Casey Kramer) and a husband (Michael Rubenstone) we would now recognize as a victim of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

These people, as created through director Sommers, become very real: intensely, sensually, even violently so. Put these heartfelt performances together with the intriguing question behind the piece: What would push people to air such problems in the public forum? Then, and this is worth the entire show, wait to see what the rabbinical counsel had to say, in rebuke and solution. That alone is a picture of how times and cultures have changed.

Bravo to set designer Dove Huntley for using the tiny Fremont stage to create an evocatively low rent but homey 1940s feel. Lois Tedrow, as always, has costumed the thing so it looks right, right down to women's hats. Jeff Lewis, the fight choreographer, creates a culminating scene which proves genuinely terrifying.
"South of Delancey" is rich and fascinating, and a delight for those of us who love being steeped in the most unremarkable of human experiences. It's good as a history lesson too, for those who (unlike me) are fascinated by reality programming.

One warning though. As is hinted above, this play is not for children, both due to overtly sexual scenes and very realistic violence.

A hint: if you know someone who actually knows Yiddish, bring him or her along. There are moments when characters use it outside of the actual radio broadcasts. Some of these evoked chuckles from those who could understand, leaving me envious.

SOUTH OF DELANCEY
8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays through June 26
Fremont Centre Theater
1000 Fremont Ave.
South Pasadena
$25
866-811-4111; www.fremontcentretheater.com

The LA Times Gives South of Delancey A Kiss On The Cheek!

2011-05-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks, LA Times!

Theater review: 'South of Delancey' at the Fremont Centre Theatre

Set in the 1940s, “South of Delancey,” at the Fremont Centre Theatre, is well-directed, beautifully acted and consistently entertaining. Regrettably, a cursory ending does not do justice to what has come before.

Creator and director Karen Sommers based her play on archival tapes of a popular Yiddish radio program broadcast in New York starting in the late 1930s. On the program, a sort of ethnic “Judge Judy,” a Jewish arbitration court mediated between disputants and rendered binding decisions.

Sommers gives “developed by” credit to some half-dozen individuals, who helped improvise and workshop this world premiere production, which samples three distinct “cases” from the original program.

The couples are Lenore (Kal Bennett) and Helen (Jordana Oberman), bickering sisters who live together; Faye (Abigail Marks) and her abusive husband, Marty (Michael Rubenstone), whose shaky marriage isn't helped by Faye's meddling Yiddische mama, (Casey Kramer); and finally, Lilly (Jodi Fleisher) and Herman (Barry Alan Levine), a businesswoman and her schnorrer spouse whose passion has cooled into contempt.

Sound designer Grady Hutt seamlessly integrates archival recordings with the live actors, and Dove Huntley's one-set-fits-all scenic design is impressively detailed, as are Lois Tedrow's period costumes. Among this exceptional cast, Marks is a particular standout, while Kramer is quickly establishing herself as one of the most versatile actors in the business.

Sommers ultimately fails to make a point of the arbitrators' often sexist and dismissive decisions, a crucial omission, especially in the case of Faye, who is discouraged from divorcing because her husband has “promised” not to abuse her. However, on the whole, “Delancey” is a wonderful work-in-progress that just needs some judicious tweaking before it is just right.

- F. Kathleen Foley

“South of Delancey,” Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Ends June 26. $25. (866) 811-4111. www.fremontcentretheatre.com. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.

Photo: Michael Rubenstone, Casey Kramer, Abigail Marks. Credit: Dove Huntley.

Another Fantastic South of Delancey Review!

2011-05-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Tolucan Times!

From the Tolucan Times...

The things we learn and lifestyles we peer into… just by attending live theatrical productions!

South of Delancey – A World Premiere

“South of Delancey,” opening at Fremont Centre Theatre on May 21. From l, Kal Bennett and Jordana Oberman.

A steamy, volatile, and historically involving production! Based on true events, on New York’s Lower East Side in the early 1940s, this is a voyeuristic “slice of life” experience. It is the true telling of a Jewish Arbitration Court, and three families who seek its counsel. Under the assistance of Rabbi Rubin, and countless judges and senators, the financially strapped local Jews revealed their legal grievances over public air waves, to settle their disputes. Many used this “free” service, as the public heard their innermost private stories, often broadcast in Yiddish. An overhead video screen prints out the Rabbi’s often humorous dialogue for us (Don Appleby – Videographer). Created with sizzling style by Karen Sommers, from actual tapes found in a dumpster in 1997, she also directs the play with compassionate, explosive and sultry skill. Dove Huntley’s gorgeously detailed set, alternately depicting all three of the family’s homes… and the period costumes of Lois Tedrow, set the 1940s mood with appealing style. Under the always “spot on” casting of Fran Bascom, seven excellent actors play out these “true to life” roles, with captivating perfection! To briefly summarize the characters for you: Kal Bennett plays the sassy/sexy Lenore, ready to live her life to the fullest… but is hindered by her frumpy and despondent sister Helen, who just won’t move out of the house (a brilliant Jordana Oberman). Abigail Marks plays Faye, still living at home with her loving but traditionally Jewish mother Sadie (Casey Kramer) and now, her new war ridden husband, Marty (Michael Rubenstone). A trio of strong performances! In the “steamiest” coupling: Jodi Fleisher plays Lily, a sexy and smart woman, married to Herman… a lazy and sexually charged loser (Barry Alan Levine). All of these people are crippled by pain and circumstance… and go to Rabbi Rubins “court radio” station for legal answers. This is an unusual offering… visually beautiful and well performed… A compelling theatrical story laced with Jewish tradition and rampant lust alternately. Running through June 26 at Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena at 1000 Fremont Ave. For seats, call (866) 811-4111. For online ticketing, visit www.fremontcentretheatre.com.

Spotlight on Dramarama

2011-05-26T09:33:00.001-07:00

Dramarama by E. Lockhart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book will find itself right at home with young fans of Glee, Waiting for Guffman, and Camp.

Sadye (Sarah), and her new best friend, Demi, are two genuine theatre kids who have to escape the doldrums of Ohio and make a break for Wildewood Theater Summer Camp. They experience love, loss, and the general heartbreak of being theater students and artists that many of us have had in our lives. I love the "lurking bigness" of their characters, and appreciated how much E. Lockhart gave them such vivivd and authentic insecurities.

At times, Sadye's uncompromising whiny-ness and point of view made me want to shake her, but I also think that's what I love about her. Theater kids, at their (our) best and worst, begin to really own their (our) feelings, especially at a place like Wildewood, and sometimes that makes them (us) unlovable, unapproachable, and irritating. But it also makes them (us) creative, expressive, and more thoughtful in their (our) process, projects, focus, and goals. E. Lockhart nails character arcs that begin with creative excitement and end with either creative fulfillment or failure.

I imagine that if Sayde (Sarah) stays in the theater, she'll end up a director and teaching at the NYU (ETW) Experimental Theatre Wing. I think that's what E. Lockhart would have planned for her.

I really recommend this as a summer read if you're

a) a young reader stuck at home and you wish you could escape to a camp - theater or not
b) you're at a theater camp or school and you're not living the life enough
c) you want to reflect and remember your own time at summer stock, theater school, dance classes, or camp

I've finished this book feeling like I have new friends. They happen to be characters, but like a good theater performance, you feel like you've met them before, and you really hope you see them again. Maybe next summer? In unitards?

View all my reviews

Good Job, Team South of Delancey!

2011-05-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

Our first review, in the LA Weekly, had this to say about our play:

NEW REVIEW SOUTH OF DELANCEY Forty years before The People's Court first packaged binding arbitration proceedings for daytime reality TV, the Jewish American Board of Peace and Justice was adjudicating the domestic disputes of New York City's Lower East Side faithful over the airwaves of Yiddish radio. Director/creator Karen Sommers has sifted through the original acetate recordings and selected three woefully irreconcilable couples from the rabbinical court's cases, interweaving their stories -- and her own invented backstories -- into a persuasive evening of reenactment and speculative docudrama. Abigail Marks and Michael Rubenstone are Faye and Marty, a war bride and her combat-scarred husband, who are unable to negotiate a postwar peace for their rash and precipitous marriage; Jordana Oberman and Kal Bennett play Helen and Lenore, roommate sisters whose blood ties can no longer take the strain of personalities divided by dysfunction and temperament; Barry Alan Levine and Jodi Fleisher provide comic relief with mismatches Herman and Lilly, whose marital mix of business and pleasure behind a dry-goods counter proves an unmitigated disaster. The show's most fascinating moments occur when Sommers incorporates the original recordings and the Yiddish-speaking judge can be heard feebly throwing rabbinical bromides and blandishments at cases of such hopelessly intractable incompatibility. Sommers' tight staging (with Carol Doehring's crisp lights and period-perfect costumes by Lois Tedrow) and a powerful ensemble lend the proceedings considerable polish . . . with the exception of Dove Huntley's sprawling apartment set, which has more in common with a Van Nuys split-level than any tenement north or south of Delancey. Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m.; thru June 26. (866) 811-4111, fremontcentretheatre.com. (Bill Raden)

South of Delancey Review

Old Books, New Tricks

2011-05-23T11:58:00.001-07:00

I hate the idea of books not being read, but I like how so many creative people are coming up with alternatives for recycling/reusing them.

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/05/old_books_make_room_dividers.html

Pasadena Now » The Original Reality Show | Pasadena California, Hotels,CA Real Estate,Restaurants,City Guide... - PasadenaNow.com

2011-05-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Our show, South of Delancey, opens May 21st in Pasadena. Here's a link to more information. Hope to see you there!

Kayla

The Original Reality Show

South of Delancey takes you back in time to relive the culture, the struggles, and the triumphs of America’s first live reality show

From: STAFF REPORTS, Photos: Dove Huntley
Published: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 | 2:27 PM

Jodi Fleisher and Barry Alan Levine

Based on historic reel-to-reel recordings salvaged from a dumpster, the play South of Delancey takes you back in time to relive the culture, the struggles, and the triumphs of America’s first live reality show.

In 1940’s Lower East Side, a group of retired rabbis called the House of Sages agreed to arbitrate family disputes for the community and broadcast the proceedings on local Yiddish radio. Many years later these intensely personal stories of infidelity, family discord, and the social struggles of the time were rediscovered, preserved on reel to reel tape–and have been re-fashioned into the play, South of Delancy–a fascinating time capsule of love, loss and the human condition.

Michael Rubenstone, Casey Kramer, Abigail Marks

The play will preview on Friday, May 20th at 8:00 p.m.at the Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Avenue, South Pasadena. Tickets will be half price. It opens on Saturday, May 21st at 8:00 p.m. with a champagne reception with cast and director. Tickets are $34.99 for the Opening Night Gala.

South of Delancey will be performed Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. through June 26 tickets are $25.00, $20.00/seniors,students. For tickets or more information call (866) 811-4111 or log onto www.fremontcentretheatre.com.

Pasadena Now » The Original Reality Show | Pasadena California, Hotels,CA Real Estate,Restaurants,City Guide... - PasadenaNow.com

My Goodreads Review: When You Reach Me

2011-05-13T10:42:00.001-07:00

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When You Reach Me is smart and thought-provoking, and treats it's young and old readers alike with great respect and integrity. It's a time-traveling puzzle. It's mysterious and fun, and shows a real New York neighborhood with all of the everyday grittiness and friendliness. The adult characters are as interesting as the young characters, all well-rounded and well-built without cliche.

I would love to read this book if I was a kiddo in NYC.

View all my reviews

Happy Mother's Day To All The Moms Who are Cooler Than Their Daughters

2011-05-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday Night Live - Bedelia - Sleepover - Video - NBC.com

My Favorite Mom

2011-05-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite mom, and yes, I'm quite biased. She's my mom.

She wears great hats, collects art, gardens, and now, makes whoopie pies.

I love her and I like her. She's just awesome.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

2011-05-01T22:28:00.001-07:00

Be fascinating with me.

2011-04-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie. I want a fascinator.

Love you, Little Beatrice!

Don't you wish Bjork was just standing casually in this photo too?

Tired, Hungry, and Overworked

2011-04-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

There are times when I write and all is right in the world. I'm in a zone, and nothing can distract me - not bills, not the phone, not car horns, not a spider crawling across my desk. But there are other times when all I can think is I am bananas and I want a banana or I feel nuts and I want nuts.

Last year, I heard a really engaging story on NPR's Air Talk, hosted by one of my favorite LA personalities, Larry Mantle. It was about how Google employees construct and focus their work days to use their full creative and administrative potential. I've shared this link several times with fellow writers and creative artists, and in case our paths haven't crossed yet, I'd like you to hear it too. It might help you work more effectively, whether in the office, at home, or wherever your work may take you. If it helped me, maybe it can be a resource for you as well.

This Is Your Brain At Work

Creativity, with a side of honesty

2011-04-29T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and Family and Readers!

As most of you know, I don't normally write about writing here. I'll write about reading and traveling and what we do and eat, but not so much as the creative process and what it takes to try and craft a good story. And that's because writing about writing is really challenging for me, and I don't think a single blog entry can do it. But, that doesn't mean it's impossible to explain, especially to people who are already creative - writers, painters, art collectors, web designers, builders, dancers, chefs, etc...(if I'm leaving out your creative profession, please know that I include you, too.)

Anyway, via twitter, I came across this partial interview with Ira Glass from NPR's This American Life.
It's a really great way to remind yourself, especially if you're starting out, why our own words, or works, don't live up to our expectations. I plan on listening to this again with a glass of wine, a cup of hot tea, and a glass of milk (so I can laugh the milk through my nose.) It's funny because it's true. Enjoy.

Your Taste Is Why Your Own Work Disappoints You

Coachella Fashions 2011: Heads and Tails

2011-04-18T21:48:00.001-07:00

Coachella Fashions 2011: Heads and Tails, a set on Flickr.

My head felt very under-dressed in a mere cowboy hat.

Feathers, flowers, rhinestones, warpaint, chain-mail and tinfoil were missing.

Next year, I am determined to look like a Christmas tree.

Coachella Fashions 2011: Cute Dress City

2011-04-18T21:41:00.001-07:00

Coachella Fashions 2011: Cute Dress City, a set on Flickr.

What were people wearing this year?

Oh, you know, the usual. Capes, green screen body wear, mu-mus, hats made of tin foil.

I would have shot more photos, but I had to dance to a million bands.

Okay, if you insist...

2011-03-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

HOW 'BOUT THEM COWS?

2011-03-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

MOO!

March...

2011-03-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

has been spent in airports.

I've seen Dallas, I've seen Austin, I've seen your underpants. I didn't keep up with the blogging as much as I wish I would have, but here's a few photos to keep you entertained, with captions as mini updates.

At my cousin's daughter's Bat Mitzvah in Dallas, they had a photo booth, which was great, since I didn't take a lot of photos. Here's the man and I. Yes, we are usually this glamorous.

The Man and I at the Girl & Guy Party at SXSW in Austin. I'm begging him to put down that gun before he hurts someone.

One of the funniest bananas of all time, Lori, and I get into the hats.

This is Lil' Gus, my friends' son. He wasn't at SXSW, but he reps Austin very well. Yeehaw, Gus Man.

Outside of the Spicewood Vineyard, the cows take it easy. I think they're drunk.

Austin: you make good caffeine.

The man holds the gun like a guitar and this is why I like him.

Time Warp back to Dallas (pre-Austin.) Mom and I, tatted up, are ready for our close ups. I took one photo of us outside of the booth, and if you could see the photo you could tell we are related, because our eyes are closed. It's a real family legacy. Our family loves to shut our eyes in photos.

2011-03-12T12:30:00.001-08:00

Test

SXSW, 2011.

2011-03-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

We're in Austin, and it's awesome. Posts and photos on the way!

Eating LA

2011-02-22T22:02:00.000-08:00

Wurstkuche, anyone?

Introducing The Top Ten Places To Eat in Los Angeles in No Particular Order and According to Me:

1. Street

http://www.eatatstreet.com/flash.html

Tasty elevated street food. Eat better food and drink smarter drinks here.

2. In N' Out

http://www.in-n-out.com/

THE California classic: burger, fries, and shake for under $5.00. Do it now.

3. Oinkster

http://theoinkster.com/

Homemade pastrami with homespun hipster appeal. Slow-cook fast food.

4. Red Medicine

http://redmedicinela.com/

Sharp, modern Vietnamese ready to satisfy you. Good for a spicy date night.

5. Samalung

(The corner of Kingsley and Hollywood; no website.)

It's a Thai-dive, and sometimes has flies. But it also has peppery Pad Kee Mow that knocks me out.

6. Real Food Daily

http://www.realfood.com/

Ready to clean your pipes? Sit outside and make your brunch vegetarian/vegan. Large portions of healthy food always.

7. Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles

http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/

This is where you go on Saturday night after drinking. (Or on Sunday morning after your stop at church.) This LA institution doesn't lie: you really can (and should) have chicken and waffles here.

8. Scoops Ice Cream

(North Heliotrope Drive off of Melrose; no website.)

Want wine in your sorbet? Want beer in your gelato? Want fruit flavors churned into creamy goodness? This is where you go for dessert.

9. Food + Lab

http://www.foodlabcatering.com/

The only place outside of NYC to serve Dean and Deluca products, as well as tasty homemade salads, soups, sandwiches, and breakfast treats. For the same price of a Starbucks latte, go here and get served on a silver tray with real sugar cubes.

10. Lou Wine Bar

http://www.louonvine.com/

I love the employees here almost as much as the food and wine. They are so patient and sensitive to helping the customers fine the exact right vino and are willing to go out of their way to make you comfortable, without being stalkers. Stop by Lou and make it your own.

And...if you've read this long, then you get a super-secret-hush-hush bonus surprise!

*SURPRISE!*

11. Wurstkuche

http://www.wurstkuche.com/

Basic sausages. Fancy sausages. Basic beers. Fancy beers. Nice Employees. Returning Customers. One of my favorite places to take visitors or friends when we venture into downtown. Go hungry, eat the truffle oil fries, consider a third beer, and be happy. That's all you really have to do.

You say you want a resolution...

2011-01-11T20:58:00.000-08:00

Are you starting this year off with good intentions, better intentions, or the best of intentions?

Did you start a resolution ten days ago, and if so, how has it been going?

I'm shooting for better intentions and actions this year, a mid-level goal. I can't let myself down too much. I also can't stick with my bad habits anymore.

So my little list goes like this: Eat right. Write right. Live right. Do right.

On one hand, this means less junk food, less trashy magazines, less napping, and less judgement. On the other hand, it means more fresh food, more reading, more exercising, and more compassion.

I think it's a pretty good trade-off, don't you?

When Marshmallows attack...

2011-01-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

By far, the best dark hot-chocolate and marshmallow in New York City can be found in a bowl at The City Bakery on 18th Street. Don't believe me? Taste for yourself.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T20:09:00.001-08:00

May 2011 bring spice to your life and a smile to your lips.

My Girls!

2011-01-01T20:01:00.001-08:00

I spent my first day in New York with two of the best ladies in the entire world, Sherine and Meredith. Here's a photo taken at the Tea Pot in the West Village! YAY!

The Transplanters

Live Tweeting A Raisin in the Sun from the Kirk Douglas Theater!

2011 Recap: Creative

2011 Recap: Art

2011 Recap: Travel

Happy Chanukah, Hebrews and Shebrews!

Inward Facing Girl | A Design-Obsessed Mom Who Writes a Lot: Pinspiration: Non-Traditional Christmas Trees

You've Been Reviewed: The Happiness Project!

You've Been Reviewed!

You've Been Reviewed: My Boyfriend Wrote A Book About Me

Stunner

You've Been Reviewed!

It's snowing on the East Coast...

A great little piece on Zines...

Raised on the Web, but Liking a Little Ink

By JENNA WORTHAM

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You've Been Reviewed!

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A Super Fun Days of Our Lives Announcement!

Happy Anniversary, Saturday Night Live!

I was interviewed!

Interview: Kayla Cagan – Unite and Take Over

Comicbookinterviews.com is pleased to present a multi-part interview series with the creators of the new Smith’s anthology Unite and Take Over. Creator Kayla Cagan discusses his contribution to Unite and Take Over…

Song: The Boy with The Thorn In His Side

Assignmnet: Writer

Superhero Photo Class

Balloon Buddies

Summoned to the Mighty Summit

I'll be updating more soon...

I'm taking lessons. Thanks, Mighty Summit!

The Password Is: Pyramid

Paris Review - The Art of Fiction No. 45 (Continued), John Steinbeck

New York, I Love You

Action for Austin

Happy Labor Day of the Dead!

TIme Magazine Writes Up Girl Crush!

Girl Crush gets a crush-worthy write-up!

Let's buy comic books!

The Paris Wife: You've Been Reviewed!

Girl Crush at McNally Jackson...

Get your Girl Crush on this August!

Cutest Houseguest Ever.

Summer and the City

Goodbye, July!

Crystal & Chris's Wedding

Debi and Matt's Wedding

You've been Reviewed!

I'm going to tell you a story about my tattoo.

Dramaturgy is the new black.

Check out Womanthology, Y'all!

You've Been Reviewed!

Elton John on Soul Train

If You're Wondering Why I Married Him...

Eight Years Ago, We Married.

The Key to Happiness

Jon & Leila's Wedding, Providence, Rhode Island

Law & Order: CI explains Dramaturgy.

And yes...another great review of South of Delancey!

South of Delancey: Reviewed Again!

Cooking Class at Border Grill

Good Show Gift = Good Eats!

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Book Review

Stop and Smell This Blog!

A South of Delancey Dramaturgy Shout-Out, Thanks to LAist!

Books: This is How They Work

SOUTH OF DELANCEY: 100% – SWEET

The Pasadena Star Embraces South of Delancey!

Thanks, Pasadena Star! What a great review for my dramaturgy baby!

`Delancey' is a delightful glimpse into a past era

The LA Times Gives South of Delancey A Kiss On The Cheek!

Thanks, LA Times!

Theater review: 'South of Delancey' at the Fremont Centre Theatre

Another Fantastic South of Delancey Review!

Spotlight on Dramarama

Good Job, Team South of Delancey!

Old Books, New Tricks

Pasadena Now » The Original Reality Show | Pasadena California, Hotels,CA Real Estate,Restaurants,City Guide... - PasadenaNow.com