{film} alambrista

notes from film class {film history II}: Alambrista! (1977)

Written/directed/photographed by Robert M. Young, who is one of the creators of American Independent Film. This is his first feature film. He wrote w/ Michael Roemer and directed photography for the remarkable Nothing But a Man (1964). The film stars: Domingo Ambriz (Roberto), Trinidad Silva (Joe), Linda Gillen (Sharon), Ned Beatty (Angelo Coyote), w/ Edward James Olmos (1st Drunk).

We watched the re-edited/remastered version of 2003, which was outfitted w/ a new soundtrack (the score by Dr. Loco and Los Tiburones del Norte.) The DVD is available when acquiring the eponymous book of essays inspired by the film by some pretty important scholars (one of whom, I just realized was my film professor!). Criterion Collection also has it, so if you have HULUplus.

After the birth of his first child, Roberto (Domingo Ambriz), a young Mexican man slips across the border into the United States. Seeking work to support his family back home, he finds that working hard is not enough.~IMDb

One of the things that makes the film remarkable (by people in the know) is its verisimilitude with the undocumented worker’s experience. Roberto’s lessons on survival is depicted with the flavors of humor, charm, and horror. His exploitation takes on complexity when we not only see his dehumanization at the hands of coyotes or farmers, but in the ignorance or adoptive attitudes of intimate companions as well.

Roberto believes that he could better support his family by crossing into the United States; ignoring his mother’s concerns; disbelieving that he will disappear as his father had—fate unknown. He slips into the US and quickly finds the value in being both a part of a group and separate. He meets up with Joe who instructs him on how to escaped notice as an undocumented worker and how to become more appealing to their white benefactors (of whom white women are included).  Work is found via networking and happenstance encounters and following people into the backs of trucks only to return on buses as if it were all some out of body experience—it certainly seemed out of body in the sense he was no one, just another body in the field.  At one point, he is offered a good-paying gig that the viewer understands very quickly is highly dangerous. We’d already witnessed him so sick as to be incapacitated and we worry that is only a matter of time before he comes to a really bad end. And the film offers us several options for a “bad ending.”

A young white waitress Sharon (Linda Gillen) takes him in and it becomes important to read the intentions even in kindness—and just how painful miscommunication can be. There is so much human emotion translated on film that Young makes it difficult to judge his characters. No one is innocent, but no one appears inherently evil either (okay, the ag industry…). Even the police and immigration agents are given latitude in portrayal. The most scathed is the coyote and the policy and industry that supports them. Actually, America and its machinery is pretty well damned, too. Can anyone leave the film with a romantic feeling for the US still intact?

When Roberto slips through the first time, he is alone and on foot. Picked up and returned to Mexico by the US government, he is then recruited by a coyote to work in Colorado to replace striking workers. Here, we get the 36 hours in the back of truck, packed in among others. And soon we learn the fate of Roberto’s father. While the work is hard, it is also unyielding. The costs have accumulated and are weighed—and Roberto breaks. He is a human man who came to work to provide for his wife and child. The journey has taken him so far away. I find that his plight should resonate with more than just those audience members intimate with the undocumented and/or migrant farm worker. Hope and assimilation in America requires your soul of you, more so at different levels of the hierarchy.

The film has a lot to say, to show. The actors/characters Domingo Ambriz (Roberto) and Trinidad Silva (Joe) are particularly entrancing. I mentioned humor and there is a tenderness. The film is really very beautiful. I marveled to find that Young held the camera throughout. He has a steady hand and an enviable eye. The construction of the story, everything—the music—Alambrista! is an exquisite film.

{film} star trek II

a real {non-spoiler} review will be written, but for the time being:

The Top 3 Reasons to see Star Trek: Into Darkness

Star Trek: Into Darkness is an exhilarating action-adventure film and a significant contributor to the rush I was feeling during and after: Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes, I cheered (somewhat quietly) when he appeared on screen. I was concerned that Cumberbatch would out-act Chris Pine (Kirk) and while, of course he did! it wasn’t to the poor effect I was worried about; it actually helped in creating the threat of difference between the two.

The humor and personality of the series has been marvelously enacted by the casting choices. I adore these three in particular.

Okay, so using this picture I am being a bit of a snot, but the Michael Kaplan‘s costumes are wondermous. The crew in color, cut, and texture does not go with out remark. The future setting does not clothe their populace in anything too outlandish, and they obey a particular color palette for the film. The set designs in scale and composition on camera are loverly. And I would add effects to this, but video game came to mind a few times; video game-like set, sure; movement of character, not completely sold on.  As for the above screen shot, Sean came out of the film wondering what the point of Alice Eve’s character was beyond this moment. Sweet man, I am crushing quite audibly on Benedict Cumberbatch and he was frowning over the ridiculousness of this moment in the film.

{comic} days like these

Days Like This

Written by J. Torres

Illus. by Scott Chandler

Oni Press, 2003.

I slipped this one off the Library shelf, my eye caught by a cover with three young black women on it. 1960s isn’t a fascination for me as a general rule, music included, but I was curious. That it is J. Torres and Oni Press, didn’t hurt. Shall I just get it out of the way and say: I liked it.

It is the early 1960s and recent divorcee Anna Solomon is about to strike out on her own in her ex-husband’s world: the music business. She isn’t the only one launching her career. A fresh young female song writer is looking to sell her work where she can, and three high school singers are starting out where many do: the church choir and a school talent show. Its just good timing that the three paths should intersect, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be easy.

Ben (the ex-brother-in-law: So I hear the little divorcee is starter her own record company.

Anna: With those ears, I imagine you can hear rhinos mating in Africa.”

Ben: Do you have any idea what it takes to run a record company?

Anna: I’ve been watching you Solomon Brothers do it for years. Learned what to do from Abe, what not to do from you.

Ben: Well, won’t you be surprised when it turns out to be more complicated than making meatloaf or starching a shirt…

Nice, guy, huh?! but such is the attitude with which Anna is confronted. Time is another conflict. Launching a record label and organizing a young up-and-comer is time consuming. Her daughter Ruth, who is the reason Anna was at that talent show, makes the introduction to lead singer Christina and her trio before fading into the background, reminded that if she gets hungry, they are well-stocked in frozen dinners. Illustrator Scott Chandler relates most of that story by placing and not forgetting a Ruth left behind and trying to negotiate her parent’s divorce and mother’s new career on her own. It is a testament to the book that Anna doesn’t come off as looking like an absolute villain; plenty has to do with her other admirable traits; much of it has to do with writer J. Torres’ decision not to moralize in that direction—and he doesn’t have to, you can sense an equilibrium of consequences in the offing… No, the stern frown is directed toward those conservative cultural notions that prove destructive (including self-).

Christina is the “Tina” of “the Tiaras,” and she dreams of being a star. We learn that she dreams this primarily through her mother who is valiant in her defense and encouragement of Christina signing with Anna. Her opposition? her husband Luther who thinks the choir should be the extent of his daughter’s ambitions, to say nothing of his feelings about the hell dimension that is the music world.

Have you heard about this Little Richard character? The man who wears make-up? Only man I know wears make-up is a clown! And then there’s Elvis! Stealin’ black folks’ music and gyratin’ on the TV, making all the young girls lose their heads… and speaking of young girls, what about Jerry-Lee-what’s-his-name marrying his teenage cousin!

And there is no convincing him after he finds out they’ve taken the “Christ” out of “Tina.” Even so, it is a study in marital dynamics the way two very determined parents pursue what they think is best for their child; especially the mother—who is finally fed up talking around one of the central issues in the story. What is a concern other than dreams? money. She is going to see to it her daughter will rise out of poverty and if she can do it while doing something she loves? The manipulative tactics may be uncomfortable for some, but for most: all too familiar. However, this is an issue upon which Christina’s mom is willing to take risks. All the women in the Days Like This have reached a decisive moment (Christina on the cusp) and prove self-determining.

The third path, which is actually the first one we meet, is Karen Prince age 17 and a go-getter in her own right. Along with the “Tiaras” (who are brilliant), she makes up the lighter, more comedic moments—well, when Anna isn’t telling some man what she thinks, that is. Karen bridges Anna’s boldness and Christina’s youth. She has just sold her first song with persistence and happenstance. But she crushes on boys and admits her own father had his doubts when trying to envision her future—a new golf-bag helped. In the end, you understand what Luther and other must: there is no stopping these women.

Not that all the men in the story are discouraging. Anna’s ex does not share his brother’s view of Anna’s capabilities. And Anna has made contacts in a male-dominant industry, with strings she can pull. One resource is a song-writer whom she wants to pair with Karen—as her b-side of the record. Ben, for all his “rat faced” remarks, bought Karen’s first song. And even Luther is complicated by what he is unwilling to say…those manipulative tactics look less manipulative as time passes; the wife is just giving him his plausible deniability—until she is no longer willing to give him that.

The artwork, all in black and white, is reminiscent of the 60’s if not earlier. There is a nice balance of text and illustrated expression; engaging and easy to follow.  Torres references ‘60s culture, but most of the historical weight is in Chandler’s clean-lined renderings. And while Torres tries to off-set the serious with quick wit, Chandler provides his own sense of well-timed humor. Days Like This is a beautifully plotted out piece in form.

That the story is set in the ‘60s creates a nice conversation about that time in our country and in the music of the times; however, plenty of it still resonates today. Women and men both are faced with difficult decisions under the pressures of a lot of cultural baggage. The development of the girl’s image (weight, song choice) are abbreviated allusions any reader of the present will pick up on and connect with.

The story is a quick read, Torres choosing his moments carefully. The book ends as Tina and the Tiaras are properly launched, however it creates enough momentum behind a positive trajectory that you understand how it will all play out for our protagonists. The optimism isn’t in the present day reader, but in the characterization of the women (and men) in story.

{life+writing} the results of a summer brainstorm: ep.1

Most of us are familiar with Summer Reading Programs: you sign up, read a minimum number of hours or books, and then you turn in your brochure and get a prize. Usually you are entered for drawings and/or there are scheduled events in which to participate. It tends toward the casual: self-paced & self-motivated.

I was thinking about a Writer/Illustrator twist on said programs. [everything that follows begs feedback: ideas, pragmatism, etc. you can refer to letters/#s for the sake of ease.]

Similarities: We’d provide a menu of options from which the participant can choose and then submit. There will be a minimum set of options and hopefully a few drawings and scheduled events. A) The events could be a scheduled flash-fiction-game session where at the end each votes for their fave and the most votes gets a prize; an author/artist interview or q&a; or youtube playlist to visit and be inspired by. B) The drawings: each option submitted equals an entry. C) There may be additional challenges. D) the environment would be primarily virtual as a lot of our creative friends live elsewhere, are scheduled out, and/or will be travelling.

Differences:   E) this is, by necessity, artist community oriented. There are some collaborative components to the “program” and creative energy is contagious. F) We’d create a private party, maybe google+ because N isn’t 13 yet, so no FB yet. Also, their live chats (as I understand it) aren’t too tricky if that is an option we want. G) I will find a place to set up each participant’s summer portfolio and each person joining must create a little intro (example to be provided). Everyone will have access to each other’s folder. We have friends who are also or only illustrators that we like to support so this is an interest we will work to foster as well.

Of import:  1) This is something a young person should want for themselves. Sure, parental reminders (encouragement) are good, but this is about practice and growing and community. And honestly, discussing, challenging, and connecting w/ like-minds are the sorts of things N and I do on our own. We just thought we’d like to open this up to anyone who is creative and will be writing/drawing this summer and may feel otherwise isolated during the next couple months. 2) It is free. But it will take some personal commitment and a willingness to participate in a group. 3) the prizes are going to be modest. I am pretty much the sponsor and I am quite poor, so there you go.

And  4) I think this would only work if we had a certain number on board. How many minimum, I’m not yet sure, but it could be small if it were highly motivated. 5) Age range…. N thought this could be open for adults, too, but I am still trying to figure out how that would work, because I would really need to know them or have someone I know vet them; which is kind of what we will do with the youth. With this being online, I want to be smart about who gains access to my child, you know?

6) in doing this, I would love to pick my creative-minded friends’ brains—let me know if you are willing to make yourself available.

also, let me know if this the sort of thing you or someone you care about would be interested.

~L

{life} the next day

{“Tea at 2,000 feet” by Eric Fan}

no, this is not where I have been… nothing so exciting.

I have chin-deep in finals week(s).

Today is the day after. 4 papers and 5 exams: done.

I may share a bit from my classes this term (I watched some fantastic films),

but I am excited to return to my own syllabus

–which I am writing up that reading/watching list now.

If you have an absolute “must read/watch now!” do share.

Let Summer at omphaloskepsis begin!

*********

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{poetry} the 30th

Today being the last day of April for the year, I suppose I will close National Poetry Month by failing to latch the door properly… Hello, my name is Leslie and I have fast become addicted to watching spoken word poetry on Youtube and TEDtalks. With apologies, you’re welcome. I will likely post the occasional video from here on out.

“A poet’s work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep.” ~Salman Rushdie

“To be a poet is a condition, not a profession. ” ~Robert Frost

Poetry is not an expression of the party line.  It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.  ~Allen Ginsberg

Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.  ~T.S. Eliot

I don’t create poetry, I create myself, for me my poems are a way to me.  ~Edith Södergran

There is a lot of talk about the poet and of poems. Many feel alienated by its literary office clad in leather and quality ink that smells faintly of pipe tobacco; others by the thought of cats wending their way through untitled piles of sheets toward the silhouette behind lace obscured upper-story windows–locked.

I remember those first lessons of Shakespeare in school. His incredible smithing, the consistency, and yes, bask in those sonnets, but remember they are impossible to write. Junior high is such a rough lesson in manners, feel (and feel deeply) but do not touch.

I remember finding e.e. cummings. no capital letters, lines in shapes that sometimes didn’t rhyme except with itself.

My education of self and by other is a bit of a tangle, certainly clumsy and out of sequential order, but rarely without meaning. I’ve come ’round again to the formal introductions. Milton, this school term, has wooed me into a love of pre-modernist notions. He was genius within the poet’s tradition–and daring with it. His ambition, his rocking in the chair, committing lines by moonlight into the words others would write and read by daylight.

I’ve a lot to learn, but there is something I understood and still know from the earliest…it is the value to a soul that they have a means of expression. [I love the idea of programs like Project V.O.I.C.E. who help/encourage young people in finding a means.]  It is of incredible import to the soul to realize the power of words and their defining. It is of immeasurable worth to another’s soul to be moved by your expression. Poetry is a powerful resource and communicator. And if you still have any doubt how it can hold such import:

Shane Koyczan’s 2013 TEDtalk: “To This Day” … for the bullied and beautiful”

 

{comics} womanthology: the past & present

I’ve a few sections more…and I’m debating hosting a giveaway.  I cannot (presently) afford the cost/shipping of Heroic, but there are installments of Space that look doable. I’ve birthday money that may persuade me to at least makes sure a copy of Heroic ends up in your local (public or school) library… Yes? No? Would you be in?

Meanwhile…three remarkable inclusions in Womanthology: Heroic that should make your comic artist heart a bit hungry.

“Women of the Past: Life Stories and Artwork by the Women of Comics History,” “Creator Interviews: In-depth Interviews with Professional Women in the Comic Book Industry” and “How to Create Comics!: In-depth Articles Teaching you the Ins and Outs of Creating Comic Books!” Highlighting the first two sections are a sentence from each and thus merely a scratch of the surface. The last is list of what articles & artists Womanthology: Heroic is offering.

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“Women of the Past” (311-21) editor, Laura Morley.

“Tarpe Mills and Miss Fury” (312-3) by Trina Robbins. June Tarpe Mills (1912-1988) was “contributing to comics the likes of The Purple Zombie and Dare Devil Barry Finn when in 1941, beating Wonder Woman to the punch by six months, she debuted Miss Fury, the first major costumed action heroine in comics.”

“Nell Brinkley” (314-5) by Trina Robbins. “By the 1920s, Nell [Brinkley (1886-1944)] was drawing an early from of comics, though without panel borders or speech balloons.”

“Rose O’Neill” (316-8) by Colleen  Doran. “At the age of 14, [Rose O’Neill (1874-1944)] entered an art contest sponsored by the Omaha World Herald. Her drawing skills were so advanced that the judges were unable to believe the winning entry was the work of a girl with no formal training.”

“Ethel Hays” (319-21) by Colleen Doran. The incredibly skilled Ethel Hays (1892-1989) “not only produced a beautiful catalogue of work, but supported and encouraged the careers of other young women cartoonists.”

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“Creator Interviews” (300-10) editor, Jennifer Doudney. Click on the names for links to their sites; these women are being interviewed for a reason (included info quoted from each woman’s site). The questions vary, some tailored to the specific woman, many general and of the fun/interesting sort.

Colleen Doran (“illustrator, film conceptual artist, cartoonist, and writer whose published works number in the hundreds.” the example client list is impressive): “Don’t try to be famous, try to be good.”

Devin Grayson (“Best known as a mainstream comic book writer for DC’s Batman titles, Devin is also a novelist, video game scripter, RPG enthusiast, essay writer and copy editor.”) : “I never writer anything without making a music soundtrack/playlist for it first.”

June Brigman (artist, teacher, co-creator of Power Pack (Marvel) and draws newspaper strip Brenda Starr.) “I was one of those horse-crazy girls. If I live long enough, I’ll be a horse-crazy old lady.”

Louise Simonson (comic book writer & editor best known for her work Power Pack, X-Factor, New Mutants, Superman: The Man of Steel, and Steel): she explains why she “prefers the traditional heroes to the current anti-hero trend”—and I couldn’t pick one, nor did I want to type the section out.

Nicola Scott (comic book artist out of Australia whose works include Birds of Prey & Secret Six): loves Wonder Woman and her favorite food? Bacon.

Robin Furth (personal research assistant to Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower: A Concordance, volume I.): “Meet up with other comic book writers and artists. Pair up, talk about the work. Support each other. Collaboration is a magical experience.”

Wendy Pini (co-creator of the Elfquest series, most recent project Wendy Pini’s Masque of the Red Death) : “some words of caution: self-publishing on the Internet takes technical know-how. You need to network with experienced other to learn the ropes. And only a very few web-comics manage to turn a profit.”

Posy Simmonds (British newspaper cartoonist & writer/illustrator of children’s books): answers: “what do you think is distinct about the UK’s comics and cartooning culture, as compared with traditions in continental Europe and the US?” great question.

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“How to Create Comics” (277-99) editor, Rachel Deering. links to names will give you a sense of their work.

How to…Write Comics! by Barbara Kesel

How to…Draw in Ink! by Ming Doyle

How to…Ink Comics! by Barbara Kaalberg

How to…Color Comics! by Nei Ruffino

How to…Letter Comics! by Rachel Deering

How to…Draw Monsters! by Fiona Staples

How to…Color with Markers by Jessica Hickman

How to…Color Digitally by Alicia Fernandez

How to…Draw Hands by Qing Han

How to…Build a Sketch by Katie Shanahan

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{images thanks to this lovely book preview page}

my most recent Womanthology: Heroic post which will have links to all previous installments. lazy, I know…

 

{poetry} performing|slamming

 

April will soon be closed for the year, and poetry month quit for the season. But there is still time.

On the 12th I shared some performance poetry and one of the poets was Phil Kaye. I found TEDx talk of his on telling story I wanted to share, which is book-ended by poems.

There is another TEDx talk featuring Slam Poets: Slam Nuba. A teacher shared this w/ N–she has some great teachers.

and lastly: A slam poet exhibiting some of that indignant sort of poetry Sarah Kaye referred to in her talk; it is thought-provoking, and I think warranted. Rachel Rostad has a video responding to people’s reactions to the performance, where I think she is too gracious. {caution: may be profanity (trying to remember now). Thanks CBC Diversity for sharing the videos. The poem: “To JK Rowling, from Cho Chang”

okay, one more: from a Slam Poetry Contest. It is called “Pretty” by Katie Makkai {likely to have profanity as well}.

 

{book} hold fast

a lengthy, shockingly spoiler-free, post for Blue Balliett’s latest. This isn’t an apology, merely an acknowledgment. There are so many lovely and terribly relevant explorations … 

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett

Scholastic Press, 2013.

hardcover, 274 pages.

Where is Early’s father? He’s not the kind of father who would disappear. But he’s gone . . . and he’s left a whole lot of trouble behind.

As danger closes in, Early, her mom, and her brother have to flee their apartment. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to move into a city shelter. Once there, Early starts asking questions and looking for answers. Because her father hasn’t disappeared without a trace. There are patterns and rhythms to what’s happened, and Early might be the only one who can use them to track him down and make her way out of a very tough place.

With her signature, singular love of language and sense of mystery, Blue Balliett weaves a story that takes readers from the cold, snowy Chicago streets to the darkest corner of the public library, on an unforgettable hunt for deep truths and a reunited family.~publisher’s comments.

Important: late Middle English: from medieval Latin important- ‘being of consequence’, from the verb importare ‘bring in’.  Adjective: of great significance or value, likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being; having high rank or status; significantly original and influential.

I am sketching out a list of “important juvenile fiction books and authors.” You should know that I think books and writers are important period, but this list is for those who place intimate conversations of a social and creative consciousness into the hands of young people. Blue Balliett is located with indelible ink on this list. With Hold Fast, Balliett has used her considerable gift  to not only pen a compelling mystery, but to raise awareness for the plight of our homeless children. She also returns with her signature take on the brilliance of young minds. If you’ve read Balliett, you understand how singular she is, and she just keeps getting better and better.

Meet the Pearls:

“Taken with a cell phone camera, this family portrait: Dashel Pearl, his wife, Summer, and their kids, Early and Jubilation, a daughter and a son. They live in Woodlawn, once feared as the home of Chicago’s most powerful gang, but now a quieter place. The family sits in two tidy rows on the chipped steps of a brick building, knees to backs, parents behind kids, hands sealing the foursome. Boy by girl behind girl by boy: symmetrical and smiling. The father is pale, the mother dark, the kids cocoa and cinnamon. Eyes in this family are green, amber, and smoky topaz.” (5)

They live in the largest apartment they can afford: a one bedroom primarily furnished with found objects. Dashel gets around by bicycle year round to get to public transit.* She stays home with 4 year old Jubie. Early, 11, attends school. They are saving for a house, like the one they pass on family walks “that invites dreams” (7).

Dashel’s love of reading and words with meaning is infectious. The family keeps notebooks of quotes and words. He tells his children, “words are everywhere and for everyone […] words are free and plentiful” (6); and they are empowering. Dash also shares his love of Langston Hughes. “What’s the rhythm, Langston?” is often heard. Dash, adopted as a baby and then lost those parents young, grew up in a number of foster homes. “He didn’t have a parent or grandparent to give him advice, but Langston seemed to do just as well. […] Dash had told Early that this famous poet was a rainbow mix, too, like Sum and probably Dash himself: Langston had African American, white, Jewish, and Native American roots. And, like Dash, Langston had grown up without much love or a steady home” (87). Hughes spoke often of dreams and their importance, and this spoke to the Pearls.

When Dash goes missing the readers are equally unsure what might’ve happened to him. It doesn’t look good even before his disappearance is complicated by the arrival of criminals breaking-into the Pearl’s home in a pretty scary sequence that leaves Sum, Early and Jubie without wallet or home. We are quickly introduced to the everyday realities of families who haven’t had it as good as the Pearl’s. The neighbor lady (whom they only know by sight) and others are surprised by Sum’s ignorance of how to navigate social rescue/welfare organizations and numbers. Worse is when profiling really kicks in by our greater institutions—and noticeably not by the homeless shelter workers.

“Something terrible has happened to keep my husband away, we’re terrified, have had to leave our home, have been robbed, lost our savings, and our family has done nothing wrong. Now, aren’t the police supposed to protect people like us?” (72)

–

“I realized something awful in that room today. That when you’re this poor and without money or an address, hardly anyone thinks you’re worth listening to or helping. Just the words living in a shelter make you you someone the police aren’t too worried about, less than your average citizen when it comes to rights. And now that Dash is missing, the fact that he’d been a man with a job, a family, and a home doesn’t seem to count. Seeing how excited the detectives were about [spoiler], I knew they cared more about [spoiler] than the man. Or us.” (132)

Early’s response to the latter being the understatement of the year: “Dang,” Early said, swallowing hard. “That’s scary.” It is of interest that the mother’s realization is expressed well after Early’s experience at school where children can be really cruel and adults can be inept. Children see and know more than they are often credited. And their resilience is not an excuse to continue to ignore their vulnerabilities.

The novel clings to the compassionate as it collides with the hardness of people and life. Balliett moves the reader in thoughtful ways, using the mystery and Early’s youth and smarts to guide the reader through a book that refuses to look away from its subjects. I love how authors employ humor to counter-weigh the complex and often ugly moments of a book, but I savor and admire the juvenile fiction author who can rely on other, rarer, charms. Balliett threads hope to counter-weigh, she employs a light, and this is a different smile, and it comes before the story’s end.

The structure of the novel is of import to the pacing of its heart-felt, brain-felt 274 pages. The Pearls, we learn, keep a notebook of onomatopoeia. The chapters (but for the first and last) are named after “C” words that are onomatopoeia. Each have smaller sections that begin with each word and hold thematically. The breaks move and relieve the reader along a linear timeline of the 3rd-person limited variety. We follow Early who uses words and rhythms in ways the book demonstrates. Each of those “C” words come with definitions where in the chapters reiterate their meaning. Early shares words, the author introduces each character with the intention of their names. Dashel “Dash” (p 15) increases with significance in characterization—and in light of the title: Hold Fast. And of course, that opening definition and intention that opens the novel grounds everything:

“Home, from the Middle English hom and Old English ham. Noun: a place to live by choice, sometimes with family or friends; a haven; a place of origin, comfort, and often of valued memories.

“By the end of the 2012 school year, an estimated thirty thousand children in the city of Chicago were without a home. This number does not include those living in the surrounding suburbs, and is thought to be low.”

According to the “Acknowledgment” at the end of the book (after p 274), Balliett did a lot of research, talked to a lot of people. The novel would portray a sense of what homelessness would look like for Early and her mother and brother, and touch on the experiences of other’s situations with equal gravity. Some of the compositions are stark, others strongly inferred, and all of it touching.

“Facts on the homeless vary, depending on what you read and how statistics are collected and presented. Shelter rules also vary. Not to be questioned, however, are the harsh realities of homelessness. Sadly, they have nothing to do with fiction.”

I mentioned hope, and one such beacon is Early. Early keeps her head up, and both her self-awareness and the awareness of her surroundings is necessary to this hope-fullness. Aged 11, Early is a creative force to be reckoned with—though I have no reason to believe she is unique in her ability rise up against the hardships that would hold her down. She relies on the hope of seeing her father and rightly believes in her ability in solving the mystery of his disappearance. She has doubts, which coincide with the reader’s, artfully instigated by the clever author. But she has notions that keep her going, that enquiring eye of hers searching out rhythms, patterns, riddles and connections to be solved, or at the very least contemplated. We have the mystery unfolding to keep us turning pages, but time is harder on Early and she needs more than the mystery to balance out despair. Enter the energizing effect of a creative energy that empowers and enlists hope and fits snugly into the import of holding fast to our ability to dream.

Enlightened by her situation, head-up and engaged, Early starts to notice, to really look at people (thinking of Waive) and her surroundings—and to question: “How come there are so many homes standing empty in Chicago and so many people like us who don’t have a home? How come those empty homes aren’t being fixed up and filled with people who need a place to live” (171)?

It is a question Balliett bids the reader to linger over in her “Note:” “As of October 2011, the city of Chicago reported roughly fifteen thousand abandoned buildings, most the result of foreclosure. They sit silent, haunting the neighborhoods that surround them. With an estimated thirty thousand homeless kids in this city, the questions are obvious. Luckily, so are the dreams.” “The dreams” are a nod to Early’s idea for project (202-3) and its yield (253-7). Balliet novels believe in a children’s capacity to be powerful agents of change. That children are brilliant.

Brilliant: late 17^th century: from French brillant ‘shining’. Adjective: (of light or colour) very bright; exceptionally clever or talented; outstanding; impressive; very good, excellent, or marvelous. Noun:a diamond of brilliant cut.

And it isn’t only in Hold Fast that someone(s) would thieve [from] the brilliant.

There are some points in the novel that are especially difficult. One is what and how much Summer (the mother) leaves to and confides in Early. In a lot of ways it is necessary in informing Early and the reader for the sake of the plot. But it also points to Balliett’s bold consistency of character and allowing for that kind of discomfort. Jubie is 4 and a product of the environs of those 4 years; this adds incredible tension. As for Early and Summer: children in tough circumstances grow up quickly at the loss of childhood, and (no matter how good a parent) the grief and depression of an adult after the loss of a loved-one takes a toll. Summer is left very much alone, the family alienated of relatives and community. Add the burden of societally placed barriers and inconsistencies and there is a lot of unfairness to pass around. There are plenty of places in which we could intervene. Hold Fast relays grim realities even as it models a compassion toward those too oft robbed of the dignity of its reception. Compassion is a first step.

Dreams (by Langston Hughes)

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Dash places this poem in the family notebook (54), and the next poem in sequence is Hughes’ “What happens to a dream deferred?”, which reflects a real life tension in the novel. Hold Fast’s antidote for despair is to continue to hope and dreams fuel our hope,** while minding Hughes question and the final line of its poem.

Balliet’s incorporation of such impacting artists and their translation into such intimate spaces, such as a young person’s mind, provides an incalculable worth to her novels. Balliet writes good mysteries, mysteries with unexpected textures, with complexities that make for a rich and rewarding read. I love how empowered and inspired her young protagonists are towards using all of their selves creatively and determinedly.

I find Balliet entertaining, but I acknowledge that a lot of the thrill comes from admiring her craftiness. But does “entertaining” necessarily translate as “mindless?” There are plenty of fluffy reads to excite many a reader and they hold a place, but I do hope those many find a more challenging read, an important book now and again that gifts an awareness that makes us a better human.

recommendation: ages 8-13, boys & girls, would be nice to read w/ a grown-up and plan some sort of service project, to say nothing of penning dreams and starting notebooks. for the creative-minded (aka anyone); for bibliophiles; the impact of word, book, libraries, teachers, and poets is awesome in Hold Fast.

of note: it would be tempting to refer Balliett books to those kids who have tested into gifted programs, whether it be reading, writing, math and/or spatial…or any who benefit from atypical curriculum. but one of the many things that impresses me with Balliett’s books, is how you can pick out adults who believe in the potential of the child protagonist and invest in them, sharing their time, intellect, creative play… In honor of Balliett, I wouldn’t dare underestimate any child’s needs or abilities. I would encourage and child (and adult) to give one of her novels a go. Hold Fast is as good as any a starting place.

*noticed the other (very wintry) day the sheer number of Denver’s service sector/day laborers that use bikes to get around; w/ educated guesses that they have to use them to reach public transit as well, bus lines and bike lanes relatively wasted on multi-car-owning neighborhoods.

**A Dianna Wynn Jones quote comes to mind (thanks to Sarah), “nobody ever solved a problem while believing it was hopeless.”

I pulled my definitions from the Oxford English Dictionary (US version)

my review of The Danger Box.

{poetry} a commonplace book

Perusing the Academy of American Poet’s  ”30 Ways to Celebrate Poetry Month” (Poets.org), I came upon this “way”: Start a commonplace book.

Since the Renaissance, devoted readers have been copying their favorite poems and quotations into notebooks to form their own personal anthologies called “commonplace books.” These collections can be a source of enjoyment and solace, reminding the keeper of favorite books and poems, and can even become family heirlooms. You may devote a corner of a regular journal to jotting down quotes or poems that strike your fancy or obtain a blank book just for this purpose.

Poets.org offers an online option, but the more I think about this “way” the more I like the idea of our having a binder or book of some sort where we can hand write, or paste, or bind in some fashion a collection for recollection. I adore this idea of each of us contributing to another in the family by means of poetry.

Handwritten would be beautiful (as long as it is mostly Sean’s and even Natalya’s when she leans into the page), but what to do about “Howl” because you know that will have to be included… I suppose we would keep our commonplace book with our volumes of already marked poems of so many remarked poets…  Already we’ll be finding a “box” to put our performed poems.

{image: [Commonplace book], [ca. 1708].  Manuscript on paper, in a single hand, containing about 74 entries of political prose, political and religious poetry, and religious prayers.   Beinecke call number: Osborn b63. from Beinecke Library’s Osborn Collection via}

Which poets or poems would you ink into your commonplace book?