Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
Sir Winston Churchill purportedly said, “Success is the ability to move from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm.” I say “purportedly,” because although the quotation is widely attributed to Churchill, scholars can’t find the phrase anywhere in the estimated eight to ten million words found in his speeches, books, and newspaper pieces. Like President Obama, and, say, Hillary Clinton, writing for Churchill was his primary source of income (though I am sure that all three did well on the lecture circuit).
As someone who has taught writing at UC Davis for 25 years (as of this month), I myself haven’t figured out how to make living from what I publish. The Sacramento Bee has paid me for a few pieces, and I once earned $250 for a long essay on Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Generation for the journal Art, Ltd. I don’t know that I ever broke even on my first book of poetry, Split Stock, and my most recent book, Where’s Jukie?, represents part of my charity work: all profits from books sales are donated to medical research.
Nevertheless, as Churchill didn’t say, I push on from one “failure” after another with no loss of enthusiasm, in part because of all the people I get to meet at book events, and because of all the literary and theatrical performances I get to enjoy resulting from my work as a writer. More specifically, I get to participate in seven literary events over the coming two weeks, all of which are worth recounting here:
October 9th – Sandra McPherson reads at the Wardrobe, 206 E Street, beginning at 7 PM. Expect refreshments.
Sandra McPherson, professor emerita and founder of Swan Scythe Press, will be reading new poetry at The Wardrobe, across the street from de Vere’s Irish Pub. I would consider this an event not to be missed. In addition to authoring about 20 books, McPherson’s honors and awards include three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, a Guggenheim fellowship, two Ingram Merrill grants, an Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and letters, and a nomination for the National Book Award. She could be called the most decorated poet in Davis.
October 10th – Dr. Andy Jones and Kate Duren Perform from Where’s Jukie? at Stories on Stage, Davis, at the Pence Gallery, 212 D Street starting at 7:30. $5 cover.
Kate and I will PERFORM poems and essays from our book Where’s Jukie? on Saturday. Also, Capital Public Radio personality Devin Yamanaka will read an excerpt from Brenda Nakamoto’s memoir, Peach Farmer’s Daughter. Cookies and wine will be available, as will an expanded edition of our latest book (which I pick up on Thursday). One almost never gets to see Kate at the microphone – that’s what I am most excited about.
October 15th – Battle of the Books at St. James Memorial Center, 1275 B St., starting at 6 PM. $10 cover. A fundraiser benefiting the Hattie Weber Museum. Note that there will be no Poetry Night on this evening.
Top Davis Authors will be present, speaking about their books and having fun in a quiz show format, hosted by beloved Davis Enterprise columnist Bob Dunning. Which books? The Fall by New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart; Aurora by acclaimed science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson; Indelibly Davis by UC Davis Chancellor Emeritus Larry Vanderhoef; Landfalls by first-time author Naomi Williams; and the aforementioned Where’s Jukie? by Andy Jones and Kate Duren. I hope to have Naomi’s book finished by the 15th, and I’ve already read two and a half of the others.
October 16th — The Jack Kerouac Poetry Prize Revelation Ceremony and Reading at the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street. 8 PM
Like the Oscars, but for Poetry. Cash prizes will be given out, and the runners-up and winning poets will read their selected works before a jazz trio. A night of poetic adventure and fun, and a kick-off of the 2015 Jazz Beat Festival. I will be hosting this free event.
October 17th – Beat Poet and San Francisco Legend Michael McClure Reads in Davis. John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street. 7 PM
The evening finale of the Jazz Beat Festival is a performance by the canonical Beat poet, playwright, and lyricist, Michael McClure. At the age of 22, Michael McClure gave his first poetry reading at the legendary Six Gallery event in San Francisco, where Allen Ginsberg first read Howl. He has been called the role model for Jim Morrison, and for a generation of literary radicals and rebels.
Thanks to organizers such as Heather Caswell, Shelley Dunning, and John Natsoulas, in October Davis rivals San Francisco with its literary prowess. I hope to see you at some of these events. If you attend them all, I will buy you a drink at the October 19th Pub Quiz. If you attend none of them, one day you may wrestle with regret.
Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on various and sundry politicians, including questions on where they live and congregate. Expect also questions about good cops and bad cops, successful sequels, tender affections, biodiversity, Saturday Night Live, breezy homonyms, monumental authors, Michael Dukakis, mighty oaks, rock formations, consumable acids, words that start with E, the luck of the Irish, South America, math facts, success stories born in 1934, Canadians, Emily Blunt, 89 and 93, Arab countries, Martian contests, front runners, approaches to appealing to activists, U.S. states, former job titles, “successful” marriages, blind heroes, the state of a family, leftists and progressives, metaphysics, rich ladies, gradual development, Green Day, fashion design, and Shakespeare. I haven’t even written the anagram question yet, for I am teaching a Writing in Fine Arts class on Monday mornings. First things first.
Congratulations to the Moops who won last week’s quiz with a score of 28 points out of 30. See you tonight.
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Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:
- Mottos and Slogans. TV commercials for what brand of antacids asked us how we spelled relief? Regrettably, my knowledge of this fact leaves less room for other more worthy facts. I’m sure you know this feeling.
- Internet Culture. The nickname of Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, CA also starts with the letter G. What is that nickname?
- Newspaper Headlines. What three main American cities did Pope Francis visit last week? I wonder if Francis will be canonized in my lifetime.
- Four for Four. Which of the following H cities, if any, are found in Northern California? Hawthorne, Healdsburg, Hercules, Hesperia. Of these, I’ve only visited Healdsburg.
- Presidential Candidates. Of the shrinking number of Republicans running for U.S. President, which one is a 57 year-old former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania? Both he and I hope you won’t have to Google this one (but for different reasons).