Melinda Palacio
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| The Santa Barbara Amtrak Depot |
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| Santa Barbara |
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| All Aboard! |
The first thing I wanted to do after driving back to Santa Barbara from New Orleans was visit my sister. The parking lot on the 101 freeway gave me some reservation until my friend Lora suggested I take the train. A trip on the Pacific Surfliner was among the best presents I could have given to myself. Fellow Bloguero, Rene Colato Lainez took the train from Union Station in Los Angeles to Santa Barbara earlier this year with a group of writers. They did a mini writing residency on the nearly three-hour ride. When they set foot in Santa Barbara they were happy to briefly leave their lives behind in Los Angeles and enjoy a beautiful day in Santa Barbara. I was just as happy to make a similar trip last Sunday to Los Angeles.
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| Union Station, the Los Angeles Amtrak Depot |
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| You can go anywhere in the country from Union Station. |
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| Downtown L.A. |
I met my sister and Marley for lunch at Olvera Street. While there are plenty of better Mexican restaurants a little further away from the center of where it all began, El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles, I enjoyed playing tourist for a day. We also had the pleasure of meeting fellow Bloguero, Michael Sedano, for lunch.
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| Inside Union Station |
Although we laughed and joked about Michael's last days on this earth (He goes back to surgery next week.), I expect Michael to not have
any visits with his ancestors or hiccups with his hospital visit. Earlier this year, a trip to the ER and OR caused him to miss the International Latino/Latina Studies conference in Chicago, where La Bloga also celebrated our 10th anniversary. This was the same conference I missed because I broke my leg last Summer.
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| Michael Sedano |
Sunday, the weather was picture perfect. I've always realized Union Station's stature. Although I grew up a few miles away, near Alameda Street, the train station frequently served as a backdrop for movies and television shows. Although my family rarely took the Amtrak to Del Rio, Texas, the station loomed in the background, on our way to Chinatown, Highland Park, or Pasadena. And as seen on TV or in the movies, I arrived to a sunny town lined with palm trees, mountains to my right and sky scrapers beyond Olivera Street, my lunch destination.
This first weekend of the new year, I may find myself on the train again, although the trip to Berkeley is much longer and not as direct as the ride to Los Angeles. On Sunday, January 4, I have the honor of reading at the benefit for Michele Serros at the Berkeley (my alma mater) Alumni House. If you are in the bay area, join us for a
dinner andfloricanto benefit for Michele Serros on Sunday.
Melinda Palacio
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| The calm after the storm |
So the saying goes, disasters strike in threes. After I fell down the stairs and broke my leg, I wanted to count those two events as disasters two and three. Number one was earlier this year when our house was broken into. The good news on that was I had nothing to take. The burglars made a mess of the house, overturning drawers, taking out every box, stuffed into my closet. The rascals tore open a pretty envelope that I was saving to use when the mood struck me to surprise someone with old fashioned postal mail. I was even offended when the thieves didn't take any of my jewelry, opting instead to throw earrings and bracelets to the floor. However, what they did take was a jar of quarters. Somewhere, dirty thieves needed to do laundry. I hope they feel good about themselves in their clean clothes.
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| The work of messy thieves. |
So the break-in and my broken leg counted as numbers one and two. Fate would not allow me to count the surgery as number three. The proverbial third shoe finally dropped three weeks ago when a broken washing machine caused the house to flood. A fifty-cent plumbing part nearly destroyed the house. Luckily, we have flood insurance which will cover the cost of the demolition (now finished) and restoration. As with my million dollar leg, a fall that resulted in a giant medical bill, I am very fortunate to have health insurance and flood insurance.
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| What used to be the kitchen. Walls, floors and ceiling flooded. |
The good news is that the house will be even better than it was before and we will be able to get rid of the carpet on the stairs that caused me to slip and break my leg. Perspective is key here. After having been rushed to the emergency room with a dislocated ankle, my foot facing the wrong way, and a broken fibula, most other disasters like the house flooding, the ceiling caving in the kitchen, complete with sink, cabinets, and appliance, walls and floors needing to be demolished and rebuilt, doesn't seem that horrible. I'm able to continue writing. There are two rooms in the house that were unaffected. And luckily, I had my laptop with me and was not in the house when the disaster happened.
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| My million dollar leg |
I spent the entire summer in the bed office due to my broken leg and I get to spend the next couple of months there again due to a near total house flood and forced remodel.
My leg is healing well, although it will be another couple of months until I am up and running, or dancing. In writing news, I took Rudy's challenge and entered the
William Faulkner WisdomCompetition, I made it to the final round in Poetry. Congratulations to winner Claire Dixon. Entering poetry competitions is sobering and challenging, but it's nice to be recognized for work that has already been published. Last week, Nicole Thompson featured me in
Latin Post.
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| Blas Falconer, Melinda Palacio, Michelle Detorie after the Mission Poetry Series reading. |
A highlight of this summer was reading in the Mission Poetry Series with Blas Falconer and Michelle Detorie. The September day was gorgeous. With perfect weather on one of the last days for tourism in Santa Barbara, along with a street closed by the Sol Food Festival, the audience could have been sparse, but instead we had a crowd eager for poetry. As my friend reminds me, It could've been worse.
Melinda Palacio
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| Emma Trelles, Mission Poetry Series Director |
Emma Trelles is taking over the Mission Poetry Series in Santa Barbara. The Florida native is immersing herself in all things California, not just poetry. Last weekend, she volunteered with the Santa Barbara County coastal cleanup and helped collect 3,864 pounds of trash on the beach and 831 pounds of recyclable materials.
She sat down with La Bloga and discussed some of the exciting changes at the Mission Poetry Series. The series has always been a favorite of poetry enthusiasts in Santa Barbara and beyond. The poetry is always exceptional (disclaimer I am reading with Blas Falconer and Michelle Detorie this season; Emma herself read last year), and the series is generous with free refreshments and broadsides for the audience.
Emma Trelles is the 2011 winner of the Andrès Montoya Poetry Prize for her book, Tropicalia (University of Notre Dame Press) and the author of Little Spells.
La Bloga: How did you get involved with the Mission Poetry Series?
Emma Trelles:
I first read at the Mission Poetry Series in the fall of 2013 and hit it off with the series' co-founder and director at the time, Paul Fericano. He's a lovely and intelligent person, as well as a talented poet, who really cares about bringing quality poetry to the community. But he was moving full time to San Francisco and wasn't going to be able to continue directing the series from there, so he asked me to take over.
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| Paul Fericano, co-founder and former director of the Mission Poetry Series |
La Bloga:
Can you tell us a little bit about your poetry and how being in Santa Barbara has influenced your work?
Emma Trelles:
Moving to Santa Barbara was, in some ways, a huge change for me, particularly since I had lived in South Florida my entire life. Since "place" is a subject I've often addressed in my poems, I definitely see SB seeping into my lines now, mostly in subtle ways that have to do with its eco-systems and how they can be examined through the lens of myth and culture. While in Florida, for example, water was prominent in my poems and even my dreams. Here, its absence is now finding its way into my consciousness as well as my creative work. I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss those muggy afternoon monsoons that would just pour down and wash the world clean. South Florida has some glorious rain...
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| Sister Susan Blomstad, Co-founder of the Mission Poetry Series |
La Bloga:The Mission Poetry Series began at the Mission, but has changed venues. Will you rename the series?
Emma Trelles:
I'd like to keep the series name intact to honor the place of its birth, the historic Old Mission in SB, and to recognize the hard work its founders Paul Fericano and Sister Susan Blomstad did in establishing it as a valued and respected reading. The Mission is one of SB's historic jewels and I love that the series reflects that in its own way.
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| Mission Santa Barbara |
La Bloga:
Tell us about what you will maintain and the changes forthcoming in the Mission Poetry Series.
Emma Trelles:
I want the series to maintain the spirit of inclusiveness that Paul cultivated so well, as well as his attention to bringing poets of diverse backgrounds and ages in to read. I'd like to further develop that by including more Latino poets, especially because SB and its surrounding regions are so rich with Latino culture and talent. I'm also exploring how to add additional programming that would further serve greater Santa Barbara by connecting it with poetry through volunteer work, workshops, and more. It's all in the preliminary stages now, but stay tuned for more later this year, when MPS will likely announce on our Facebook page what we're up to!
by Melinda Palacio
Is the Santa Barbara literary scene dead? Gone are the downtown bookstores. We grumbled when two big Box bookstores moved to State and Carrillo. Barnes and Noble, then Borders, squeezed out the Earthling and forced the independent store out of business. The town took years to warm up to Borders, but we took advantage of the space with poetry open mics, book signings, musical and literary performances, and a meeting place for residents and writers. Apparently, these stores were big enough to fail. Soon, talk of bankruptcy replaced book talk.
The idea of being a respected author in Santa Barbara is also fading. Last year, after my eye exam, my optometrist asked me the usual questions. I told her about my various publishing credits and when I paid my bill, she called out, “Author in the House.” Her assistants turned over appointment books and scrolled through the computer’s database for a patient named Arthur. “Let me know about a future book signing,” her words trailed off. The optometrist is across the mall from a closed Borders.
Some might respond that we still have used bookstores left in Santa Barbara and independent, Chaucer’s Books. However, none of those well-meaning establishments has the downtown space for readings, meetings, or the coffee shop that big bad Borders had.
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