Harvest, Great Artists, Marking the Path of Now, Life In and Out of the theater

My how fast this year spins and spirals. The above city street photo was taken near second street on the lower east side.

Recently I read an old interview with Umberto Eco. He wrote a group of essays in the style of political commentary and collected them in a book "Turning Back the Clock". He describes media populism. He was asked if he cares if people read his novels 100 years from now? He responded with a deadpan " If somebody writes a book and doesn't care for the survival of that book, he's an imbecile."

Did that make you laugh? I love that kind of humor and truth. It's very direct , and very Italian.

In a different article, prodigious writer Nuruddin Farah , was quoted saying "We must pay attention to how societies treat women. Only when a society treats its women and children well can it thrive. " Mainly he was speaking of Africa. But this is a true statement all around for every civilization. His book "Knots" sounds like an intriguing , yet eye opening read.

My senior thesis in college was derived from the question in a 1970's art history essay entitled "Why are There No Great Women Artists?". This essay posed why throughout history were there a disproportionate number of women to men artists in shows and museum exhibits? I focused on Leonor Fini's career and paris in the 1930s. Part Italian, part Argentinian , Fini was a fascinating woman . She wrote back to me once as I was writing my thesis. I wanted to meet her after I graduated college, but moving to New York was more practical than going to Paris.

I still have the postcard she sent. It was one of her paintings. She gave me a hand- written note on the back of the postcard. The day I finished my letter to her, there was thunder and lightning. I knew then she would respond and receive my letter. It was really an affirmation to me when I got her letter. It was after New Year's on a winter's day. Seeing her handwritten note addressed to me, I was both moved and felt so connected to her. I am so grateful for this marker on my path into the arts. Although I never did meet her, she was a role model to me, and a brave artist who represented a voice of her time.

When I moved to New York , my first job was at a theater in Times Square. This theater has the motto : "Ye Shall Know The Truth and The Truth Shall Set You Free" inscribed on it.

Now that I am reminiscing , I wanted to say that last year around this time I had the honor of performing in a staged reading of Wesley Brown's play : Life During Wartime. I have to get the footage of this so I can upload it to my blog. His play will be on the classics shelf in years to come. To me, this playwright is of the caliber of Tennessee Williams.

Now it's time to greet the present, and acknowledge this gift of time.