Collision

We all have two parts to ourselves.

For All the Girls on the Schoolyard

Suddenly, instead of the Zombie Apocalypse, I was someplace far worse: bac on the schoolyard with all those entitled boys, and me wanting to join in the games and them pushing me out.

Do Artists have a Responsibility to Society?

Inspiring view from my balcony, Lake Arenal, Costa Rica. It is my opinion, as an artist, that we do not have a responsibility to society. We are not answerable to anyone other than ourselves. As artists our struggle is to be true to our own voices, not some else’s. An artist shouldn’t feel a burden or […]

TRAVELING THE HARD ROAD

I just received a phone call. “Governor Brown signed her release!” My heart soared. It was Silvia’s sister, Veronica, telling me that after twenty years in prison, Silvia was going to be set free. I met Silvia in 1996, at Central Juvenile Hall, where she was awaiting her trial for a murder committed by her […]

JUST BECAUSE I’M AN “ARTIST” I MUST BE FLIGHTY AND DISORGANIZED…EXCUSE ME, WHAT?

Writing in a café in Kranj, Slovenia Throughout my life the assumption has repeatedly been made that because I am an artist (include writer in that title), I must therefore be flighty, impractical, moody and disorganized. Oh, and most likely a drug addict and/or alcoholic, have loose morals and most definitely, my bedroom must be a mess. The list […]

SCALIA THE “MASTER OF WORDS”

Yes, I’ve heard a lot about what a great word master he was since his death. How about this… “Mere factual innocence is no reason not to carry out a death sentence properly reached.” Scalia. Hmmm, I wonder how he will plead about that now?

World Home

I’ve been back in Los Angeles a little less than a month and I’ve already taken off for one of my favorite homes away from home, Ojai, and my favorite simple little hotel, Ojai Rancho Inn. I am quite adept at packing up and taking off for locations near and far. This one is just […]

SILVIA ON MY MIND

For those who remember, I am supporting the release of Silvia Sanchez after twenty years in prison. I do not cease to think of her every day. Here I am, twenty years later, on a hillside above Lake Arenal, Costa Rica, listening to the driving rain, thunder and lightening and reflecting on how mysterious life is and magical […]

Saying Good-Bye

“Without a vision, the people will perish.” Proverbs 29:18 Dear Karen, Hello, it’s me, Silvia. I decided to write you this letter to say good-bye. Yes, my time has come. I hardly cry. I haven’t cried for a long time, but today I shed some tears as my friends brought memories of my trial and […]

Memories of Silvia Sanchez

Here are two photos that I found from the past: Silvia and her date at the prom with me in the background, and Silvia being crowned as Prom Queen at the first-ever prom held at Central Juvenile Hall, June 24, 1999. Follow-up to my essay WHY I CHOOSE TO REMEMBER MY 50TH BLOOD-BATH OF […]