Cruznotes Newsletter by Jaime Alejandro | 7.22 and 8.22 Recap
Cruznotes Newsletter by Jaime Alejandro | 7.22 and 8.22 Recap
books and links for you. amazing episodes. creative leaps.
Hey friends,
It’s been a while! Here’s what happened in July and August:
Arts Calling
Arts Calling steadily marches on and I’m happy to announce I am almost caught up with the waiting list! If you are interested in talking with me about your latest publication or creative project, send me an email! Arts Calling is here to promote the work of indie creatives, and I am thrilled to continue this mission into the Fall and beyond! Enjoy our summer episodes from July and August:
Arts Calling Podcast #52 Gauri Awasthi | Editorial work, dance, and community in poetry
Arts Calling Podcast #53 Abby Tozer | Acting, a positive film, and quarantine bonding
Arts Calling Podcast #54 Daniel A. Olivas | Short stories, playwriting, and Chicanos in the arts
Arts Calling Podcast #55 Denise Cruz-Castino | Screenwriting, advertising, and co-writing
Arts Calling Podcast #56 Thomas Bazar | Fiction, playwriting, and an expectation of plenty
Arts Calling Podcast #57 Estela González | Mazatlán, between cultures, and the Arribada novel
Arts Calling Podcast #59 Dr. Sarah Etlinger | Mentorship, composition, and becoming a poet
Arts Calling Podcast #60 Madeleine Corley | Poetry, songwriting, and constructing constructively
Arts Calling Podcast #61 Rodd Whelpley | Learning, efficiency, and poems of the backyard
Content of Note (mostly YouTube findings this time around).
Just wanted to share a few interesting finds!
As a 90s kid, I carried around tapes upon tapes of songs recorded off the radio and MTV. Like many of my generation, we heard Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls nonstop the moment City of Angels came out (starring the ever incredible lord and savior Nic Cage). I loved the hell out of that song. The cinematic quality, the soaring bridge. That song is a certified time machine for me. So in August, I came upon this video featuring the session guitarist on Iris, Tim Pierce. He shared some background on the recording sessions and revealed how various parts of the track came to be. Tim Pierce also reminded me of an evergreen truth: Artists and creatives at the peak of their powers are never in a bubble. A singular vision is cool and all, but sometimes it takes a new and insightful perspective to elevate one’s work. Check it out.
Found this production made for TV of Uncle Vanya! NICE! This one stars David Warner, Ian Holm, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and many other talented performers. I’m adding this version as well because I haven’t watched it yet but it is in the original Russian and presented with subtitles, really looking forward to this one!
A YouTube creator named Joris Bax shared this rendition of beloved children’s book Good Night Moon on his channel, accompanied by grotesque AI interpretations of this bedtime classic. It's a neat little project that caught my eye with its ability to transform something so gentle and comforting into a nightmarish perspective. Fun stuff!
To end on a good note, here’s a video from Reddit (which may be old news, I don’t know your life): the one where the reporter gets interrupted on live TV by his mom as she drives by. Always puts a smile on my face. Get a smile on yours too.
The Writing Record
A lot happened behind the scenes, so I’m just going to tell you like this. By the way, I am adding these creative updates under my old podcast, The Writing Record. Yay! Anyway, here’s what I’ve been creating:
Summer Reads!
Summer 2022 was a season of reading. I must admit, I am quite a slow reader, but I tried my best to pick up the pace given my wife and son were doing a summer reading program. Luckily, I found a handful of shorter novels and novellas coming my way to help me ease into a beautiful summer of reading! Here’s what I read:
Sea of Tranquility. This is the first novel I’ve read from Emily St. John Mandel. First off, the story was right up my alley, with its segmented storytelling and tidy writing. She writes with a precision I deeply admire, and the prose is unburdened and so inviting. A real gem of a book.
Brave New World (audiobook). Listened to the one read by Michael York. His performance was the right kind of melodramatic, heightening the dystopian characters and situations of this ever-prescient work to us. Huxley still on point 90 years later.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I’m intrigued by systems for productivity, self-help for the artist, stuff like that. I enjoy the way creatives formulate structure and strategies to stave off stasis. The War of Art introduces this premise of The Resistance, and the steps one can take to overcome self-doubt in any endeavor. This is a book based on personal accountability and getting clear about what you want to achieve, which I appreciated. It’s very direct. It counterpoints some of the Julia Cameron approach I have acquired over the years, but aims to the same end: to get shit done, to have output, to stop hesitating. I’m a sucker for these types of reminders.
The Word for World is Forest. Since I read the first part of the Three Body Problem trilogy earlier this year, and have been working on The Square and The REConciliation audio plays, I have been on a strong sci-fi kick. In my hour of need, I reach for writing with intellect, commentary, and beautiful prose: the work of Ursula K. Le Guin! This story just flies. At around 180ish pages, it says what it needs to say, embraces its thematic arguments and boasts them about the page (which I don’t mind sometimes) and it keeps the reader intrigued with gorgeous world-building. Subject matter’s pretty rough at times, as it very heavily transposes the Vietnam turmoil into this setting, so that may be difficult for some readers. More Le Guin books for me this year, if I can help it.
The Long Walk (audiobook) by Stephen King. Hadn’t read this one before. Picked up the audiobook on Libby at the beginning of summer. Wow, this really was a dystopian summer. Really enjoyed this strange ride, but you know what you get with King. Even the early stuff.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke. This was something else. What a read. I’ve heard many readers online bemoan the slow beginning, but I found it lovely because it took its time. The nature of the world had to be established and that in itself was an interesting enough question for me to keep reading. I recently found Chiwetel Ejiofor (one of my favorite actors) read the audiobook, so you bet your ass I am going to be listening to it later this year.
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter. Completely blown away by this work about loss and the grief that follows. Felt like a stage play, and I imagined performances and blocking and design as I read it. I couldn’t help myself. I’m glad to hear it was adapted into a play starring Cillian Murphy. Here’s Max Porter speaking about his brilliant novel.
The Twilight World by Werner Herzog. I am currently finishing up this one by the great Werner. I can’t get enough of this man’s perspective. His films hold a special place in my heart! Of the many I love, the first that come to mind are Fitzcarraldo, Lessons of Darkness, and My Son, My Son What have ye done. That last one in particular is a great example of a true story that becomes stranger than fiction. Much like his films, The Twilight World delves into a real story that has a surreal, transcendent quality. There is something strangely liberating about how Werner manages to find this deep spirituality in the chaos of the cosmos, in the brutality of humanity. This is an excellent quick read, but very on brand for Werner. Loving it so far!
Chicken Alfredo and an Anniversary
A peculiar thing happened in July 23rd, 2016, when Madd and I used to do wedding videography for a living. We went up to Buffalo, Wyoming and recorded a beautiful elopement ceremony at the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains, and after a morning of work, Madd and I enjoyed a delicious lunch at Piezanos. I loved my chicken alfredo, and took my leftovers home. Sure enough, on the way home, life changed. We got clipped by a truck and rolled over off the road. My chicken alfredo freed itself and now lay seasoned with shattered glass all over the backseat. A real loss. Otherwise, we walked away unscathed, but deeply shaken. We got to see our son again, who was 3 at the time. A new season began there. So thereafter, I celebrate this day every time it comes around, with deep gratitude, and it invigorates my purpose to serve the best way I can. This year, we got to go back to Buffalo as a family, and we enjoyed that chicken alfredo once again. What a trip. What a wild ride. What beautiful repetition.
Speaking of Anniversaries…
Together for 16 years this past August. Married for 11. What an absolute honor it is to call Madd my wife. We’re on our way, at our own pace, overcoming anything the world throws at us. And we make our song one note at a time.
That’s it.
Go make a dent. Much love.
j
