february 2019
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BASEMENT POETRY ELEVATES TOUGH TOPICS WITH ART Basement Poetry performs For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf in May 2017 at The Ice House in Bethlehem, PA. photo by Kellie Marie Hammond
by Christine Lake Sometimes, the world feels like a lonely place and it’s hard to open up about difficult issues that affect humanity. Whether the subject is mental illness, LGBTQIA+ identity and lived experience, systemic racism or sexual assault, starting conversations about these heavy topics can seem incredibly daunting. Basement Poetry, a Bethlehem-based performance group that focuses on slam poetry and movement theatre, believes that art allows us to come together to create safe spaces to share stories, especially the difficult ones. Basement Poetry was founded in 2015 by a group of 6 female classmates at Northampton Community College. “Basement Poetry started off as a tiny seed of an idea that was nurtured by a group of girls who were tired and exhausted and sad and frustrated over the lack of inclusivity in the art happening around them,” the founders recall. Their first performance was at the NCC campus, to an audience of approximately nine people, but the members could tell that something different and magical was happening. Creating a safe space for conversation through art felt new and innovative, and they were determined to keep a focus on things that haven’t been done in the Lehigh Valley before. “Our art is intimate and creates the human connection that commercial theatre does not offer,” the group explains.
Slam poetry rose in popularity during the 1990s, and is a style of poetry that focuses on live performance; in fact, many of the poems actually lose something when read silently from a page. The content is often highly political, using economic, racial or gender inequities as well as current events to draw subject matter. The “slams” are the performances, often structured as a type of competition with the audience as judge, with winners being judged as much on enthusiasm of performance as content of poems. Movement theatre is a type of performance that uses physical movement as a primary storytelling medium, combining speaking with the movement to convey the fullest picture of the words. The combination of these two styles makes Basement Poetry performances unique. Some notable performances from the past include Identify, which explored racial identities in late 2015 and early 2016 as part of Lehigh Valley Voices of the Conscience: Towards Racial Understanding. That was followed by Her: The Female Experience from Birth to Death, which played throughout summer of 2016 and even marked performances at The Philly Fringe Festival, an internationally recognized two-week-long continued on page 3
YWCA BETHLEHEM ADULT DAY SERVICES PROGRAM OFFERS AN ENRICHING EXPERIENCE FOR AGES 60 AND OVER by Christine Lake There’s a common saying: “You’re only as old as you feel.” The truth of this phrase is being proven by scientific research, and one of the things that’s been found is that the more active your social life, the longer you’re likely to live, and the happier and healthier you’ll be. According to 2018 US Census data, 16.4% of Lehigh County residents and 18.6% of Northampton County residents are age 65 or older. As many from this group retire, they may be in need of some new activities to help fill their days. Additionally, there are many informal caregivers in the area who are involved in assisting another adult with daily living activities including medical care; nationwide, the data shows that about 34.2 million people provide care to an adult over age 50, and about 15.7 million of those are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. The YWCA Bethlehem’s Adult Day Services Center (ADSC) offers options for these seniors, and their caregivers, to continue living their fullest and best lives. Serving the Lehigh Valley since 1984, the ADSC offers professional, licensed care with a friendly and caring staff including an on-site registered nurse and bilingual caregivers. The longest running program of its kind in Northampton County, the Center offers a caring “second home” for aging seniors of all genders, age 60 or over. Attendees enjoy healthy meals, social interaction, physical activity, personalized support as needed and a variety of activities such as music, crafts, cooking, games, puzzles, pet therapy and more. “Our center is for any senior, whether they need a safe place to be during the day or just want socialization,” says Center Director Yvonne Toth. “We know that socialization plays a large role in maintaining quality of life as one ages. Our center enables aging adults to remain active and engaged within a compassionate and caring community of peers and professionals.” For those with dementia, Alzheimer’s and other cognitive or physical disabilities, the Center is a Music and Memory Certified organization. “We offer personalized music through iPods to engage the person with dementia even as memory fails,” Toth explains. “Using personalized music can help decrease feelings of uneasiness, help connections with loved ones at any of stage of dementia, improve communication and increase the overall quality of life.” Importantly, the ADSC also offers caregivers a respite, and a place where they know that their loved ones are valued, and where they themselves can be supported. Daily activities include time for unstructured socialization during arrival, discussion of current events after breakfast, an indoor walk or chair aerobics before lunch with
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Artistic Endeavors page 8
YWCA Bethlehem Adult Day Services program offers a variety of activities including arts and crafts projects. photo courtesy of YWCA Bethlehem.
time for reading and relaxation following the mid-day meal. Table activities and/or active games take place in the afternoon, and then there is time for trivia and stories or an independent activity. Live entertainment is scheduled for some afternoons as well, and activities include everything from manicures and spa days to jewelry making, and even Plinko, Giant Jenga and bowling are options. The best thing, however, according to Toth? “I really enjoy the family of friends that has developed in the center. Everyone knows each other so well that if one is having an off day, another participant will try to make them feel better,” she says. “It’s also the loud ‘hellos’, the daily laughs and big smiles, the jokes and the singing, the competiveness while playing games. There are so many favorite things, just like in The Sound of Music, I could make a song of them all!” Although programs like the ADSC are invaluable to those who need them, there is unfortunately a lack of government funding for these programs. Some may recall that Third Street Alliance in Easton was forced to end their adult day services program in the summer of 2018 due to lack of funding and other complicating factors. The
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February 2019
The Irregular
The Irregular Lydia E. Bruneo Publisher & Editor Michelle L. Corby Creative Director Contributors: Carole J. Heffley Christine Lake Dawn Ouellette Nixon Janene Otten James Jacob Pierri Pam Ruch Reach us at: PO Box 85 Easton, PA 18044 610-258-4330 bruneo1776@aol.com Founded by Carole J. Heffley and James R. Hicks, Jr. 1996 Remember, support your community. Buy local.
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February 2019
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Basement Poetry Elevates Tough Topics with Art continued from page 1
festival of performances of all kinds that can draw crowds of up to 40,000 people during its run. The production focused on telling the story of women (and those who identify with the female experience) through poetry, dance, music and acting, to offer a multi-dimensional look at what it’s like to live in the female body. This production was followed up by a collaborative work with DanceLink, a Lehigh Valley ensemble that focuses on bridging ideas and creating understanding through dance. What Lies Within: Dancing with Race and Identity was a truly devised theatre piece using the strengths of all groups to unpack issues of racial identity and injustice with a mixed race cast combining structured movement, poetry and live music. OUT, focusing on what it means to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community, debuted in August 2017 and was so popular it was reworked and redone in August 2018. Many of their works have been revived since their initial debuts and performed at various locations throughout the Lehigh Valley, including Moravian College, Lehigh University, The BradburySullivan LGBT Community Center, Cedar Crest College and The Ice House. Though the subjects covered throughout all of these performances may seem bleak or like they would bring audiences down, the effect is often the opposite. The combination of the raw honesty of the performers and the presentation of their art as a full-body expression leads to a kind of answering openness from the audience. Post-performance,
in talkbacks or just in casual conversation following the event, most audience members express the idea that this type of performance was something that they needed; they just didn’t know it before they came to the show. A real dialogue can then begin between the performers and the audience, which will hopefully then extend outward into every day life for all of those involved, and that is what will help to make these types of “taboo” subjects seem less so for the future. Taking the first steps to address systemic racism, for example, can be very difficult and seem exceptionally daunting. But having seen a poet lay bare her own struggles with what racism has brought to her life, the urgency of doing so is really brought home in a visceral way that is not soon forgotten. As the group sees it, “Art is a catalyst for the difficult conversations that are often neglected within our society. Through art, we are able to unify, inspire, empower, and educate our community.” The new season of Basement Poetry performances will include a devised work about sexual trauma titled Feel, which feels particularly timely in this era of “Me Too” when stories of sexual harassment and misconduct are all over the front page of the news. A collaborative partnership with Hava Java Café in Allentown begins on February 7. The Basement Poetry members are passionate about their art, of course, but also about the idea of strengthening their community through said art. Using their learned experience to help others better express themselves feels like a perfect opportunity to give back, and to further the idea that “difficult conversations” become less so when the space is safe and the atmosphere is open. The group is also open to collaborative opportunities in the future, and are also willing to discuss reviving and reworking some of their past works for schools or other groups. For more information about Basement Poetry, visit www.facebook. com/BasementPoems/ or www.twitter. com/BasementPoems. You can also email basementpoems@gmail.com.
Basement Poetry Members, Clockwise from top left: Deirdre Van Walters, Zinnia Santiago, Kristina Haynes, Chloe Cole-Williams photo courtesy of Basement Poetry
YWCA Bethlehem Adult Day Services Program offers an enriching experience for ages 60 and over continued from page 1 YWCA and the ADSC rely on community support and donations to keep the program running at its optimum. In-kind gifts are always welcome, as are more tangible donations like wet wipes, paper towels, and woodcraft projects. Checks can be mailed to the YWCA Bethlehem, 3895 Adler Place, Building A, Suite 180, Bethlehem, PA 18017. Items can be dropped off at the same address. Donations can also be accepted via the website at www.ywcabethlehem.org. The YWCA Adult Day Services Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and both part-time and full-time care options are available. Rates are kept reasonable for any private-pay clients, and there are options for subsidized care through Northampton and Lehigh Counties’ Agencies on Aging, Lehigh County Intellectual Disabilities and Northampton County Developmental Programs; veterans may also be eligible for funding through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Transportation is available to the site via LANtaVan (application is required). Anyone with an interest in the program should contact the Center directly either by calling 610-867-4669 x100 or emailing adsc@ywcabethlehem.org. You can also visit their website at www.ywcabethlehem.org or feel free to stop by for a tour at 3895 Adler Place, Building A, Suite 180 Bethlehem, PA 18017. The ADSC staff would love to see you and help you decide what the best care options are for you or your loved ones. Additional information about the Music and Memory program can be found at www. musicandmemory.org.
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February 2019
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center The Fine Art Galleries 522 W. Maple Street Allentown, PA 610-347-9988
Dead & Alive: Floral Photography by Richard Begbie & Will Hübscher thru February 15, and Fracturing Gender: Beauty & The Body Politic by Katier Hovencamp February 19-March 29, reception February 21, 6-8pm. Open Monday-Fridays 10am6pm & during programs/events. bradburysullivancenter.org/galleries
Allentown Art Museum 31 N. 5th Street, Allentown, PA 610-432-4333
Carrie Mae Weems: Strategies of Engagement thru May 5, Fresh Perspective: Modernism in Photography, 1920–1950 thru May 12, Indian Sculpture: Avatars of the Hindu Gods thru June 2, Katagami: The Japanese Stencil thru July 28, and Stephen Antonakos: The Room Chapel thru September 15. Open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-4pm (3rd Thursdays till 8pm) & Sunday 12-4pm. allentownartmuseum.org
ARTSPACE Gallery Pocono Arts Council 18 N. Seventh Street, Stroudsburg, PA 570-476-4460 Annual Student Exhibition: K-12 in Monroe County February 1-23. Open Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm & Saturday-Sunday 12-4pm. poconoarts.org/artspace-gallery
Banana Factory 25 W. 3rd Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1300
Ariel Posh, Tabitha Arnold, and Lily Wilkins thru February 24. Open Monday-Friday 8am-9:30pm, Saturday & Sunday 8:30am-5pm. bananafactory.org/events/exhibitions
Connexions Gallery 213 Northampton Street Easton, PA 610-250-7627
2018: A Year in Review thru February 24. Open Monday 12-5pm, Thursday 12-7pm, Friday 12-8pm, Saturday 11am-8pm & Sunday 12-6pm. connexionsgallery.com
The David E. Rodale and Rodale Family Galleries The Baum School of Art 510 Linden Street, Allentown, PA 610-433-0032 Simply Still: Works by Sandra Corpora, Lauren Kindle, Jacqueline Meyerson & Elena Shackleton thru February 7, and The Baum School of Art Adult Student Exhibition February 14–March 14, reception February 21, 6-8pm. Open MondayThursday 9am-9pm, Friday & Saturday 9am-3pm. baumschool.org
Easton Nights, Valley Days: Photographs by Peter Ydeen thru March 23. Open 90 minutes prior to most performances. statetheatre.org/ gallery
Arts Community of Easton: The Susan Huxley Gallery at the Quadrant 20 N. 3rd Street, Easton, PA 484-894-6652
Easton Public Market 325 Northampton Street Easton, PA info@eastonart.org
Arts Community of Easton (ACE) Artists. Open Wednesday-Saturday 9am7pm & Sunday 9am-5pm.
Center for Visual Research Cedar Crest College/Miller Family Building 100 College Drive, Allentown, PA 610-437-4471
Gallery at St. John’s 330 Ferry Street, Easton, PA 610-258-6119
Story and Its Discontents: paintings by Elizabeth Johnson thru February 15. Open Monday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am4pm & by appt. cedarcrest.edu/academics/art/campus_galleries.shtm
Crowded Kitchen Players Allentown, PA 610-395-7176
Bucks County Playhouse 70 S. Main Street, New Hope, PA 215-862-2121
Love Letters thru February 2, and Buddy: the Buddy Holly Story February 8-March 3. bcptheater.org
Unspeakable March 22-31 at Charles A. Brown Historic Ice House, 56 River St., Bethlehem, PA. ckplayers.com
DeSales University Act 1 2755 Station Avenue Center Valley, PA 610-282-3192
The Cherry Orchard February 20-March 3. desales.edu/act1
Hunterdon Hills Playhouse 88 Route 173 West, Hampton, NJ 800-447-7313
Theatre Dept.: She Kills Monsters March 1-3. williamscenter.lafayette.edu
Cedar Crest College Theatre Samuels Theatre at Tompkins College Center 100 College Drive Allentown, PA 610-606-4608
Cabaret February 21-24. cedarcrest. edu/academics/performing_arts/ events.shtm
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The Eagle Nest Gallery Nazareth Area High School E. Center Street, Nazareth, PA 610-759-1730
Easton Hospital Gallery State Theatre Center for the Arts 5th & Northampton Streets Easton, PA 800-999-STATE
Tear It Down featuring Monica Salazar, Luiza Cardenuto (Nūtō Studios), Helen Sánchez Stoddard, Guerx Tamayo, Diana Castro, Gabriela Escovar & Yuliana Lopez thru February 28. Open by appt. thealternativegallery.com
Buck Hall Lafayette College 219 N. 3rd Street, Easton, PA 610-330-3311
Ruth Marshall: Knitting the Endangered thru April 28, Kay Kenny: A Poetic Tribute to the Rural Night thru April 28, Catherine Suttle: Spaces and Structures thru March 3, and Young Artists Showcase thru June 2. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-5pm. hunterdonartmuseum.org
The Printmaker’s Society of the Lehigh Valley thru February 15, artist talk February 14, 1:45-2:30. Open Monday-Friday 8am-3pm & during cultural events. hs.nazarethasd.org/ en-gallery-home-page
The Lehigh Art Alliance’s 84th Winter Juried Exhibition thru February 17, and Common Threads:
The Alternative Gallery 707 N. 4th Street, Allentown Pennsylvania 610-462-3282
Healing Through Art: Mixed Media Works by The Journey Home Program thru February 28, reception February 10, 2-4pm. Open Tuesday-Saturday 8am-5pm & Sunday 8am-4pm. thejourneyhome.blog
Hunterdon Art Museum 7 Lower Center Street, Clinton, NJ 908-735-8415
Civic Theatre of Allentown 527 N. 19th Street Allentown, PA 610-432-8943
Noises Off February 8-24. civictheatre. com
Country Gate Theatre 114 Greenwich Street Belvidere, NJ 908-475-1104
Mamma Mia! March 16-24. countrygate.org
Roy Orbison Rock n’ Roll Show with Joey Pucci & The American Longboards February 16-17, Dr. K’s Motown Revue February 21-24, and The Mahoney Brothers: California Dreaming March 5-9. hhplayhouse.com
Moravian College Theatre Arena Theater/Haupert Union Building 1200 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-861-1489
One Night February 1, and Truth/Delusion March 14-17. moravian.edu/theatre
MunOpCo Music Theatre Scottish Rite Cathedral 1533 Hamilton Street Allentown, PA 610-437-2441
A Chorus Line March 16-24. munopco.org
February 2019
and Two Old Ruins: The Jim and Herb Show February 10, 1:30pm. Open Sunday 12-3pm & by appt. stjohnseaston.org/ministries/gallery
Grossman Gallery Lafayette College 243 N. 3rd Street, Easton, PA 610-330-5361
Pedro Barbeito: Paintings, 1996-2018 February 8-April 13, reception & talk February 7, 4:10-6pm. Open TuesdayFriday 11am-5pm, Saturday 12-5pm & by appt. galleries.lafayette.edu
Jewish Community Center of the LV Gallery at the J 702 N 22nd Street, Allentown, PA 610-435-357
Ana Hamilton: painting, Femi Johnson: collage, painting & drawing and Shawn Campbell: ceramics thru March 8. Open Wednesday 11am-2pm, Friday 2-5pm, Saturday 9am-2pm & by appt. lvjcc. org/artgallery
Lehigh University Art Galleries 420 E. Packer Avenue Bethlehem, PA 610-758-3615
Ruins Entwined: Photography by Alyssha Eve Csük & Watercolors by Jaime Karol thru February 24,
The Teaching Museum: Selections from the Permanent Museum Collection thru May 24. Open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-5pm & Sunday 1-5pm. luag.org
Northampton Community College Theatre 3835 Green Pond Road Bethlehem, PA 610-861-5524
State Theatre Center for the Arts 453 Northampton Street Easton, PA 800-999-STATE
An Actor’s Nightmare & Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All for You February 15-17. nccsummertheatre.org
Pennsylvania Playhouse Illick’s Mill Road, Bethlehem, PA 610-865-6665 Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo February 8-24. paplayhouse.org
Pennsylvania Youth Theatre PYT Bethlehem, PA 610-332-1400
Our Town February 14-17 at Charles A. Brown Historic Ice House, 56 River St., Bethlehem, PA. 123pyt.org
Charlie Romo w/special guests Colette Boudreaux accompanied by Charity Wicks February 8, Stage on Stage: A Night of Americana-Folk RockBluegrass February 9, Wilson Area School District Fine Arts Showcase February 13, Rock of Ages February 17, The Sound of Music February 21, John Mulaney & Pete Davidson February 23, The Illusionists February 28-March 1, and The Orchestra: Starring Former Members of ELO March 2. statetheatre.org
Pines Dinner Theatre 448 N. 17th Street Allentown, PA 610-433-2333
I Do! I Do! February 8-March 24. pinesdinnertheatre.com
Shawnee Playhouse River Road Shawnee-On-Delaware, PA 570-421-5093
Of Mice and Men February 16-24, and Cavalier Voices Cabaret March 8. theshawneeplayhouse.com
Muhlenberg College Theatre 2400 Chew Street Allentown, PA 484-664-3333
Master Choreographers February 7-9, and Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play February 20-24. muhlenberg.edu/main/academics/ theatre-dance
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Martin Art Gallery Baker Center for the Arts Muhlenberg College 2400 Chew Street, Allentown, PA 484-664-3467 Leslie Tucker: Devotionals thru March 24, reception: February 20, 5-6:30pm, and Liz Whitney Quisgard: Imaginary Architecture thru May 30. Open Tuesday-Saturday 12-8pm. muhlenberg.edu/main/aboutus/gallery
ME-Art Studio 22 S. 3rd Street, 2nd Floor Easton, PA 908-319-4864
National Museum of Industrial History 602 E. 2nd Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-694-6644 Don’t Touch that Dial! 100 Years of Radio February 9-November 3. Open Wednesday-Sunday 10am5pm. nmih.org
Nurture Nature Center 518 Northampton Street Easton, PA 610-253-4432
Gallery and working studio of Beverly Murbach-Erhardt featuring watercolors, acrylics and art cards. Open Friday-Saturday 11am-4pm. me-artstudio.com
Seasons: a photographic journey by Sharon Mendelson thru March 30, and Nature Reimagined: Mixed media works by Charissa Baker thru April 3. Open Wednesday 12-4pm, Thursday 6-9pm, Saturday 12-4pm & by appt. nurturenaturecenter.org
Museum of Ethnography 22 S. 3rd Street, 2nd Floor Easton, PA 908-798-0805
Payne Gallery Moravian College 346 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-861-1491
Tolerant No Longer (6-minute film) thru September 30, 2019. Open Tuesday & Friday 11am-4pm, Saturday 11am-2pm & by appt. maryaclarity.com
Constructionists: Five Regional Sculptors - Douglas Ihlenfeld, Milan J. Kralik, Jr., John Mathews, Gina Michaels, & John C.Rodgers, Jr. thru March 3. Open Tuesday-Sunday 124pm. moravian.edu/art/payne-gallery
Ronald K. De Long Gallery Penn State Lehigh Valley 2809 Saucon Valley Road Center Valley, PA 610-285-5261
Fiber Deconstructed: Alison Bessesdotter, Jill Odegaard, Barbara Schulman thru March 24. Open Monday-Thursday 11am-5pm, Friday 11am-3pm & Saturday 10am-2pm. lehighvalley.psu.edu/ronald-k-de-longgallery
Schmidtberger Fine Art Gallery 10 Bridge Street, Suite 7 Frenchtown, NJ 908-268-1700
A Collector’s Passion thru February 28. Open Friday-Sunday 12-5pm. sfagallery.com A Collector’s Passion thru February 28. Open FridaySunday 12-5pm. sfagallery.com
Rotunda Gallery at City Hall 10 E. Church Street Bethlehem, PA rotundashows@bfac-lv.org
360 Degrees of Inspiration: Paintings by Beverly Murbach-Erhardt February 7-March 19, reception February 10, 2-4pm. Open Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm. bfac-lv.org
Sigal Museum Northampton Historical & Genealogical Society 342 Northampton Street Easton, PA 610-253-1222
Sign Language: Protest, Passion, and Politics, Photographs of Ed Eckstein thru April 28, and The Cat’s Meow: Lehigh Valley in the Age of Art Deco & the Roaring Twenties thru July 29. Open WednesdaySaturday 10am-4pm (Fourth Fridays till 9pm) & Sunday 12-4pm. sigalmuseum.org
SmARTivities Showcase 60 Centre Square, Easton, PA 484-544-3954
Williams Center Gallery Lafayette College 317 Hamilton Street, Easton, PA 610-330-5361
Čedomir Vasić: Mutable Images, Shifting Visions February 22-April 20, reception February 25, 4:106:45pm. Open Monday-Friday 11am5pm (Thursday till 8pm), Saturday & Sunday 12-5pm, and performance nights 7:30-9:30pm. galleries. lafayette.edu/category/exhibitions
Support Your Community. Buy Local.
Various artists on display and working studios. Open TuesdaySaturday 10am-6pm & Sunday 125pm. smARTivities.net
Nazareth Center for the Arts 30 Belvidere Street, Nazareth, PA 610-614-0404
Paintings by Karina Cuestas and Michelle Cuestas February 9-28, reception February 16, 6-8pm. Open Thursday 6-8pm, Saturday 10am-12pm & by appt.
Touchstone Theatre 321 E. 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA 610-867-1689
Jakopa’s Punch Bowl February 9. touchstone.org
Williams Center for the Arts Lafayette College 317 Hamilton Street, Easton, PA 610-330-5009
Taylor 2 February 13, Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations February 23, and Raphaëlle Boitel February 28. williamscenter.lafayette.edu
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Zoellner Arts Center Lehigh University 420 E. Packer Avenue Bethlehem, PA 610-758-2787 ext 0
With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. -Eleanor Roosevelt
Hell’s Kitchen Funk Orchestra February 9, Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra February 10, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical February 13, Mnozil Brass: Cirque February 16, LU Jazz Faculty: The Great American Songbook February 17, Dept. of Theatre: I and You February 2-March 2, LUVME Salerni: Haunted March 2, and East Winds Quartet March 3. zoellner.cas2.lehigh.edu
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with Dawn Ouellette Nixon TRAVELING WHILE BLACK DEBUTS JUST IN TIME FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH Easton native and Academy Award Winning Director Roger Ross Williams debuted his new virtual reality (VR) documentary, Traveling While Black, at the Sundance Film Festival last month as part of Sundance’s New Frontier exhibition. The 20-minute film connects the racial segregation of the 1950s to the police violence inflicted upon African Americans in recent years. Released on the Oculus Go and Oculus Rift headsets, as well as the New York Times Op-Docs page, the film is a ground breaking exploration of a new medium for documentaries. Williams’ time growing up in Easton has had a large influence on his career. His 2018 film American Jail premiered on CNN in July and detailed his experiences as a young man living in the shadow of the Northampton County Prison, in particular the time his best friend Tommy Alvin spent time behind bars before ultimately committing suicide at 52 years old. The film included scenes shot throughout Easton and in the Northampton County Prison. His current documentary, Traveling While Black, was inspired by a 2010 play called The Green Book. The 20-minute film looks at the true story behind The Negro Motorist Green Book travel guide which was printed 1936 to 1966 and directed African American motorists in mid-century America on how to avoid racist establishments and locate safe spaces to stop for food and lodging. One of these safe spaces was Ben’s Chili Bowl, a Washington D.C. restaurant. Throughout the film, viewers sit inside Ben’s booths face to face with various figures from the civil rights movement from the 1950s through today. Williams collaborated on the film with Bonnie Nelson Schwartz, who produced the play The Green Book about Victor H. Green, the Harlem-based postal worker who created The Negro Motorist Green Book. Schwartz’s play premiered in 2010 at the Lincoln Theatre, right next door to the iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl, with the late Julian Bond portraying Victor Green. Williams and Schwartz received a Sundance Grant to explore the new virtual reality medium with Traveling While Black. Of course, Ben’s Chili Bowl offered the perfect setting for the film’s narrative. In addition to the live scenes inside the restaurant, the viewer also experiences archival footage of African Americans traveling in the mid 1950s and ‘60s. In October of 2016, Williams tweeted: “We do not know how to talk about race and we badly need to learn.” The experimentation with VR provided the perfect opportunity for Williams to transform a script about racial discrimination into an actual experience for its audience. Traveling While Black immerses one in the reality of not only what it was like to be black during the period of segregation in America, but also what blacks still experience today in regard to police brutality and violence against African Americans. Williams states, “In the same way we can’t escape our blackness or the reality of being black in America, I didn’t want people to be able to escape the experience that they’re having
when they watch Traveling While Black. I wanted them to be fully immersed, and that’s something you can only do with VR” (“Sundance Film Festival 2019: 3 Hot Emerging Tech Trends To Watch” by Lauren deLisa Coleman, Forbes, Jan 31, 2019). During an interview with KPCW NPR Radio, Park City, Utah, Williams comments that he loves VR because the viewer has no choice but to experience it. He goes on to express “…with a VR experience like this, you can’t turn away, you can’t, ya know, get up and go to the bathroom, you can’t eat popcorn; you’re fully immersed and you’re, you’re very, very focused . . . you’re able to come out of your skin and be in a black environment…” Executive producer of Traveling While Black Bonnie Nelson Schwartz remarks, “We really try to give people an experience so that they would recognize the fact that things have not changed.” (“A Recreation of Ben’s Chili Bowl Is Coming to the Sundance Film Festival” by Hamil R. Harris, Washington City Paper, Jan 11, 2019). A major Hollywood film based on The Green Book, simply called Green Book, starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, is currently in theatres nationwide. In an interview with Variety magazine, Williams said of the film, “I want people to learn about the real Green Book, as opposed to the Hollywood version.” Ironically, Green Book is a contender for five Academy Awards including a nomination for Best Picture; The Oscars air Sunday, February 25 at 8 P.M. Traveling While Black takes The Green Book story and immerses the film’s audience in the true struggle for freedom of movement by the African American community throughout the decades. View the 360 video online at www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000006276181/traveling-black-us-greenbook.html. There are plans for a traveling exhibit that will visit museums, community centers and schools around the country. To learn more about this innovative film by an award winning Lehigh Valley native, follow on Facebook @ TravelingWhileBlack.
IRREGULAR BEATS
The Lehigh Valley Music Awards® Celebration Turns Twenty! by Janene Otten The vicennial Lehigh Valley Music Awards (LVMA) will be honoring music industry talent from the greater Lehigh Valley this year on Saturday, March 3. The event was once a small affair held annually at very limited-capacity venues for upwards of six hours and drawing an average of 300 people. This year the LVMA will hit its stride at the roomy Musikfest Café, honoring diverse talent in approximately 70 categories! The pre-show begins at 3:00 P.M. The main event begins at 4:00 P.M. and will be hosted by film, T.V. and theater actor Daniel Roebuck, a Bethlehem native. The producers, Greater Lehigh Valley Music Association® (GLVMA) and ArtsQuest, are committed to giving fans and industry professionals a voice in having an influence on the future of Lehigh Valley music. Many venerable music crusaders involved have seized a marvelous opportunity to honor fan and industry favorites. The GLVMA not only awards music industry professionals and amateurs but also provides scholarships for four Lehigh Valley students who seek to further their education in the music-related arts after high school. One crusader is GRAMMY Award-winning producer Mimi Gloria. She serves on the GLVMA Board of Directors and has been involved with the event for 19 years. Her input and contributions have brought about some changes over the years. She explains that for LVMA 10, in the interest of including different genres on stage, she saw an opportunity for growth and change. “It used to be a big jam! There was a lot of rock and blues [at the awards ceremony]. I asked the board to trust me and I talked them into having opera on the stage. I’m a big fan of opera. I grew up in an Italian household where we listened to opera. Tenor John Carelli performed at Allentown Symphony Hall [now Miller Symphony Hall] that year and was the first to receive two standing ovations! Opera was permanently added to the list of categories.” Mimi also recalled other success stories of Lehigh Valley musicians that went forth to gain notoriety. “The very first band to perform at the LVMA was Halestorm with Lzzy Hale. They won a GRAMMY in 2013. There were six other LV artists that went on to become a finalist or semi-finalist on American Idol.” Much of the support for these performers, Mimi effuses, comes from the incredible fans. “People think the board puts people on the nominating ballot. We’re not even allowed. It’s the fans—the family and friends get people on the ballot.” Lehigh Valley music aficionados support each other all year by attending each other’s events, volunteering to work shows in some capacity, providing technical support and blogging. “It’s evolved into a very communal show with a communal vibe”, says Dustin Schoof of the event. Dustin is this year’s nominee for Outstanding Music Supporter and Outstanding Music Volunteer. “Everyone kind of roots for each other and it’s a spirit of brotherhood kind of thing. I appreciate the support and it means a lot to be nominated.” Dustin dedicates much of his time to his love of music in the Lehigh Valley. His colleagues have also been rooting for him and nominated him in two industry categories: Outstanding Music Reviewer and Outstanding Music Website. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in the music scene for the last decade, whether for The Express-Times or myself. There’s always been a rich music scene in the Lehigh Valley, but it’s really grown. I care very much about it. I want to support the musicians that work their butts off. I always try to remember it’s not easy to expose yourself [as an artist] and put yourself out there. I’ll keep doing my blog, keep my journalism going, but, most importantly, keep exposing people to these artists.” Musician and School of Rock™ vocal teacher Mike Roi is “jazzed” that the LVMA is open to more artists. “The categories were a little too general before but that’s changed, especially in the last two years and I love it. It is invaluable in the sense that it brings an awareness about the people involved in music both as veterans and artists just starting out. Every year, Carter and I invite more and more friends.” Carter Lansing is Roi’s Bastard Awards awaiting their recipients at the 2018 Lehigh Valley Music Awards ceremony. Sons Present mate up for nine awards. “It’s a chance for all of us that are so photo by Garcia Photography busy performing all year to get to hang out with each other and see bands we don’t always get the chance to see.” Mike took home the Best All-Around Performer award last year and is in the running for nine awards this year, both as a solo performer and with his band Roi and the Secret People. He also had the honor of being awarded the Outstanding Music Educator award last year and has renewed that possibility this year. “It’s a good feeling to see my students up for the awards. Singer-songwriter Julie Williams is one of them [up for seven awards] and, before she left for college, Julia Sommer was also my student.” Julia Sommer will undoubtedly be taking home at least one trophy this year as she is the top female nominee with eleven nominations! I had the pleasure of meeting Julia, whose father Werner Sommer is also a nominee in several categories, before she embarked
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Julia Sommer, this year’s top female nominee with eleven nominations, performs on the LVMA stage at Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks. photo by David Happel
on the next chapter of her musical story at Berkley College of Music in Boston. She has a powerful presence and voice on stage but also displays the kind of maturity usually handled by the vets. It takes a lot of people working together to make the event what it has become over the last twenty years. Mimi explains that, “we’re still always open to more suggestions to add categories or modify them. With the help of the board [of directors of GLVMA®] and so many great organizations, we produce a great show.” Want to be there? Get your tickets for LVMA20 at the SteelStacks website: www.steelstacks.org/ event/7817/lehigh-valley-music-awards-20. For more info about the show and GLVMA®, visit www.lehighvalleymusicawards.org or search @glvma online. For a list of nominees, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/theirregularnewspaper.
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IRREGULAR BOOKSELF with Carole J. Heffley, International Correspondent writing from“Like it’s another country”… North Carolina Romantic “Sparks” for a Cold Winter
Aries- In The Tarot Deck your card is The Emperor, befitting isn’t it? In the month ahead this is the perfect archetype for you to draw inspiration from, be critical in decision-making but be fair as well. Take charge and full responsibility for actions accountable and even those who serve under you. Take time to enjoy pleasure, exercise and family time. Friends and lovers require a little more one on one time; make sure to make them feel special. Your rewards later are worth it!
****TWO BY TWO by Nicholas Sparks, Grand Central Publishing ©2016, 496 pgs., hardcover Nicholas Sparks has created a page by page story of the breakdown of a marriage; it’s an unhappy, irrevocable, and mean-spirited divorce, and ultimate redemption for our hero, Russell Green. I actually came to truly dislike (maybe “hate”?) the character of Vivian, Russell’s wife and adore his daughter, London. Russell’s sister Marge and her wife, Liz, round out the “cast” in this interesting and very readable novel. Though Two By Two is not Mr. Sparks’ best novel, it not his worse either. It is, however, wonderful cold weekend reading. Read on . . .
Taurus- The Empress is your lucky card in the magical Tarot Deck! Multifaceted, attractive and inspirational; you’ll learn how challenging it is to be many things to so many people this month. What you eat to fuel this expedition in self-awareness is very important, so eat right! At work, show mercy. As a lover, be affectionate. As a parent, show reserve. As friend, keep a sympathetic ear. Listening to the needs of everyone helps put yours in better perspective.
***THE RESCUE by Nicholas Sparks, Grand Central Publishing ©2005, 352 pgs., paperback The front cover of this edition states: “A romantic page-turner…Sparks’s fans won’t be disappointed”. Well many Sparks’ fans will not be disappointed by The Rescue, but that’s not to say they will be exactly thrilled either. The first 6 chapters are page-turners, for sure. Satisfying action, theme and interest is found right away. It is as if the entire book takes only 6 chapters to tell the story. Readers can then pretty much imagine the rest of the story as they wish and come out pretty much as if it were read to completion. Denise, a single mother, is driving home with her 4-year-old son, Kyle, in the back seat, securely strapped in. It’s raining terribly and the road is slick with water. Denise feels the car swirl out of control and then, blackness. When Denise regains consciousness, Taylor, a volunteer fireman is bending over her. But where is Kyle? The swamp in this Eastern Carolina location is thick with trees and underbrush and Kyle, whom we find out is autistic, will not/cannot answer any calls for him to come to the safety of those looking for him, not even Denise herself. Author Nicholas Sparks always weaves a good tale, but some are better than others as I have indicated above. Though this is a satisfying weekend read, The Rescue is not one of Mr. Sparks’ better books. A die-hard Sparks fan, however, definitely won’t mind.
Gemini- Fast, brazen and to the point! The Knight Of Swords is your avatar in the mysterious Tarot. Are you coming to the rescue or heading the defense as protector? You might not know at times these days. Make sure to stop for a breather and think twice before making rash decisions regarding love life, career steps, or sides to take amongst friends. Family is the easiest think to deal with, so maybe hide there when you need to sort some things out in your mind. Cancer- Just Like in Astrology, The Moon card represents your lot in the Tarot. The usual up and down emotional rollercoaster has a few unexpected surprises in the weeks ahead. People or places from the past come into view, coworkers confide secrets in you, and friends seek you out for all the answers. But wait, there’s more! Dreams that feel vividly real and déjà vu remind you of when you’re at the right place at the right time. So get to sleep earlier this month. Leo- No surprise your Tarot card is The Sun, the very light and heart of all life. What mood you display is going to be how others react towards you. Make sure the right people in your life are receiving the right light! Too hot and you’ll burn some, too little and you’ll lose some. Moderation in all dealings this month and you’ll be on top. Reach out to someone special that distance has made a stranger.
****A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving, William Morrow ©1989, 560 pgs., hardcover This very unusual tale found its way into the Best 100 Books in “The Great American Read” on PBS this past fall. It had been, and continues to be the, “darling” of book clubs nationwide. A Prayer for Owen Meany is at once strange, funny, sad and largely philosophical. I have come to believe that the author meant for the character of Owen Meany to be a metaphor for some metaphysical force in the story. The story is about a friendship between two boys, Johnny, and the other boy, a TINY boy named Owen Meany. Maybe Owen is a dwarf, but that is never explained. Dialogue by Owen is always in capital letters and it is mostly voiced in Bible verses as he grows older. Johnny does not know the reason for Owen’s thin high-pitched voice. The author writes: “his vocal cords had not developed fully, or else his voice had been injured…maybe he had larynx damage or a destroyed trachea…to be heard at all, Owen had to shout words through his nose”. After Johnny (as an adult) explains his own feelings of religion and owing his faith to knowing Owen Meany, we first meet Owen described in this manner: “In Sunday School we developed a form of entertainment based on abusing Owen Meany, who was so small that not only did his feet not touch the floor when he sat in his chair—his knees did not extend to the edge of his seat; therefore, his legs stuck out straight, like the legs of a doll. It was as if Owen Meany had been born without realistic joints. Owen was so tiny, we loved to pick him up; in truth, we couldn’t resist picking him up. We thought it was a miracle: how little he weighed.” This theme of a boy so tiny as to be unreal is repeated throughout the book. Owen, naturally, is not any part of athletic endeavors, but when he is finally able to hit a baseball, it unfortunately hits Johnny’s mother in the head and she dies instantly. Nevertheless, the book is all about the friendship between the boys, following them even into the army. Maybe it is the tongue-in-cheek writing by the author or the feeling that he is winking at the reader in every sentence, but A Prayer for Owen Meany deserves a spot as one of The Great American Reads.
Virgo- Practical Knight Of Coins represents you in the All Knowing Tarot. Eye on the money, dressed to the nines and surveying the landscape for the king. When sent on missions these days, be sure to dress for success, keep a positive mind and eye on the end goal. Your time is valuable and time is money so to say, don’t waste either. Put aside others shenanigans or else your reputation can get tarnished. Keep some Brass-O on hand. Libra- What better Tarot Card to be yours than The Lovers? And like the double meaning of this card you too face a double quandary. What comes first business or pleasure? This time both can’t be mixed and is not the solution. But swap the roles, show tenderness and allure with work related projects and give deadlines in love affairs. Book meetings with lovers to discuss an annual review of the relationship and treat clients or employees to lunch. It’ll all work out fine. Scorpio- The Queen Of Cups aka Queen Of hearts is the Scorpio persona in the Tarot. It applies to all genders; when it appears it inspires passion, desire, power and control. Wherever you appear this month you also must display these things, not necessarily all in that order. Those that underestimate you and mistake kindness for vulnerability will unfortunately learn the hard way of what happens when The Queen Of Cups appears in their cards! Sagittarius- Life in the fast lane, The Chariot Of The Tarot Deck fits you to a T! Speaking of Tea, some are spilling it over you! Depending on if they are doting over your looks or charisma or speaking less polite about your past, who cares? You’re on people’s minds; if your ears are ringing they’re talking about you. In other words this is an excellent time to do something to keep ‘em all talking and keep momentum moving regarding you, projects or publicity. Stay on display. Capricorn- If you were to guess what Tarot card is yours, what would you choose? It’s The Hermit. Just out of reach of people, locked away in privacy and wise beyond your years. Though like this card, others may misunderstand you and your motives; that’s not your fault. Unlike this card, in real life you must engage with those who love you and be sincere in those moments. What ever your motivation is, money, a house, advancement? Remember the steps ahead also influence others around you. Aquarius- The Star Tarot card is you, ever giving of yourself, inspirational to others, magical and far far away in the sky. It can get cold up there and there are people and places that want to warm you up. Though you make looking like you can be all things to all people, that persona can take its toll. Don’t be a shooting star and lose your fire. It’s ok to rest and recoup with those you feel safe with, it’s your turn to be taken care of. There’s a lesson to learn in it. Pisces- Mysterious and dreamy, The High Priestess portrays your place in the scheme of life and Tarot. How much you reveal is testimony to your trust with others. There’s a special magic all around you that some wish to be near, others want to possess and a few are determined to extinguish! You’re safe though, intuition always saves the day and your trust in what can’t be seen guides you through challenging times. Keep dreaming, keep being you, and most of all, don’t give up. Ever.
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February 2019
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Artistic Endeavors Berrisford Boothe: Completing the Circle by Dawn Ouellette Nixon images courtesy of Berrisford Boothe On a cold afternoon in January, artist Berrisford Boothe sat down in his studio in Easton to tell me just a bit of his story. From his childhood in Kingston, Jamaica to his years as a professor of Art at Lehigh University, he weaved a brilliant tapestry of words that evoked beauty, darkness, struggle, and triumph. Boothe’s studio is on the first floor of the Karl Stirner Arts Building in downtown Easton. The location is fitting, as Boothe in many ways carries on Karl’s legacy as an acolyte and artistic ‘son’ to the late father of Easton’s burgeoning art scene. Boothe’s biography is that of reverence in the Lehigh Valley art world. He has inspired hundreds of art students at Lehigh over the years. Those students have gone on to carry his teachings into their own worlds. He has served on the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, he is the Principal Curator of the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art, he has exhibited in Philadelphia, New York, several American states, Europe, South America, and of course, in his beloved home of Easton. Boothe was interested in art from a young age. He looked up to his older brother who was a gifted artist. “The way he would render a pair of shoes,” Boothe recollects, “or the local goat herder when we were kids growing up in Jamaica was fantastic. As a small child I was fascinated by this, and have credited him with my first real interest in and love of art. I thought, ‘how is this possible?’ It hypnotized me.” Boothe was born with a deformity as the result of his mother being given the sedative thalidomide when she was pregnant with him. “When I came along,” Boothe continues, “not only did the deformity put me in a place where it was seen only as a negative but even further as a supernatural indictment of my parents’ sins. That is the burden I carried my entire youth.” Along with the constant realization that he was different than the others, Boothe faced the culture shock of moving to America with his mother at 10 and a half years old. He started buying comic books to fill the time he spent alone as a latch-key child of a working single mother. “My introduction to American culture was through Stan Lee and Marvel comics, “ he says. “Words, concepts that I didn’t understand, the fascination of going into the mind, all came to me through comics. I had hours of nothing to do, so I would draw comics. My drawing was for myself and never to show anyone.” He eventually attended Lafayette College for architecture where he met one of his mentors, Professor Ed Kearns, who encouraged him to pursue art at a higher level. “It was Ed who said to me that I should go to grad school,” Boothe remembers. “He taught me that it’s not just about talent, it’s about a long arc of intellectual activity.” “The artist I was before grad school was someone who could copy well,” he explains. “Going to graduate school and feeling disconnected meant that I only had myself and my own experiences to create my own mythology. I was working on pieces with large heads with white faces. That series of work had me rendering aspects of my body that had haunted me. It was a way of exorcising those things on paper. Exorcizing them through art. A rewiring of my own strength as an artist from what people think to what I could do and what had meaning for me.” Over time, he grew even further as an artist and began teaching, while continually showing his work, and raising two sons. Boothe became fascinated by new shapes, in particular the circle, which he continues to work with today. “The circles are derivative from what I call the shape-gate paintings,” he states. “Rectangle on the bottom, circle on top is an iconic sign shape. I saw it first the other way around with a rectangle above and a circle hanging from the
bottom. I was an Artist-in-Residence at the Brandywine Print Worship back in the mid-1990s. I was there, and one day on a break for lunch, I opened the front door and right in front of me in the blaazing sunlight, a regular wrought iron gate, with this shape cut from green metal. It was literally like a corny movie, I saw this guiding light. The geometry revealed something to me. My first shows in New York in the early ‘90s featured that shape-rectangle and circle on the bottom.” Boothe continues to examine the circle shape in his present work. His current pieces are a reflection of all his life experiences, matched with his talent, skills, and perspective on the world he inhabits. “It’s always about finding the space where everything I know is coming together to create something I don’t know,” he reveals. “All of my triumphs, all the sales I have made, all “What People Think”, 24”x24”, oil & enamel on canvas, 1988 the amazing collections I’m a part of, all the things I’ve done, in my mind are about 5 percent of my artistic potency and power. Now at my age, I’m not teaching anymore. This is the time for me to begin to create a relationship with myself, to create this life run-on sentence, that being creative really is. When you are creative, you’re writing a book about yourself using your own voice for your whole life. It’s a personal conversation that other people are in on.” Boothe recently curated a ground breaking exhibit of African American art for the Portland Art Museum in Oregon. “What we brought from Africa came in memory,” he says of the many expressions of African American art. “We didn’t come in the slave ships with encyclopedias. We came with memory, and what we generated from those memories, were abstractions. The boats, the houses, the quilts we made were a function of memory. Most of our cultural artifacts, involved highly stylized or improvised geometry. The whole history of artists in America is missing hundreds of years of African American cultural truth. It was, for example illegal – a criminal act - for us to render images of ourselves. That common act for Europeans in America was denied to us. Doing so, would prove our humanity and that went against the necessary narrative of our ’inhuman’ status. Now some people see the abstracted, improvised work I do as a way of me making high brow, formalist ‘white’ art. What they can’t see is that every single piece of art is abstract. ‘C’est ne pas une pipe!’ It’s not a pipe, Magritte insisted, it’s a painting of a pipe. Every piece of 2-D, ‘plastic’ art is an abstraction.” As Boothe spoke of the place art has in society at large and in his own life, he looked around his studio. All around us were the materials used to make his work, which is displayed on the walls, each piece striking in it’s visual beauty. “How do you take these materials,” he ponders, “liberate them from their responsibility to render a dog or a face and allow them to trigger an involunary, sensory, physio-chemical reaction to color? To me the higher level of communication is to create something from a place where essentially nothing is there, but the push and pull of paint, the existing alchemy is there and that allows someone to say ‘THAT is beautiful.’” “...to me that is a way to take everything that has formed me, all the uneven rough roads and surfaces, and have them come together. When I walk into this studio space, I say hello to the spirits that occupy it and ask for their guiding hand, as I move forward into not-knowing. I fail over and over again until all the incomplete ways of my being become beautiful.”
Artist Berrisford Boothe poses with one of his paintings.
GARDENING
Winter: A Gardener’s Gift article and photos by Pam Ruch Dormancy is a gift. As temperate zone gardeners, we get the chance to step away from the sometimes frustrating task of trying to coerce nature into doing our bidding … and simply enjoy. Our garden plants rest when the daylight hours shorten and the nights grow cold, but the natural world carries on, as beautiful as ever. If you think of gardening as a conversation with nature, winter offers us an opportunity to better understand nature’s ways and learn to speak its intricate language. A Time for Observation When the leaves fall, the view becomes cleaner, simpler. We can see the fascinating structures of vines, their stems or tendrils curling around a branch or trellis one way or the other. The direction of the circular growth—which has a name, circumnutation—is determined by a quirk of genetics. Some species twine clockwise, others counterclockwise. They may twist or scramble, or produce wiry structures called tendrils that grab where they can. Or they may use hairy roots or adhesive pads to make their way up a wall or trunk. One way or another, they seek the sun. Signs of animals become more apparent in winter—scat on the trail, deer rubbings on saplings, abandoned woodpecker holes, probably occupied by secondary nesters. Praying mantis egg sacs reveal themselves, as do the egg masses laid by assassin bugs, those fierce garden predators. You’ll see swellings created by gall flies on goldenrod stems, and abandoned puffballs, the handiwork of tiny wasps, lying under oak trees. Gall makers of many kinds create these abnormal plant growths, mostly benign, as part of their life cycles. Once you notice them you’ll see them on stems and leaves everywhere. Mosses spring to life when the temperatures drop. They inhabit shady, acidic parts of your lawn; they decorate porous cinder blocks and garden rocks and sidewalk cracks; they thrive at the bases of trees—the north side or any side where the conditions are right. “Mosses on trees are a good sign, their absence a concern,” writes Robin Wall Kimmerer in her book, Gathering Moss. Mosses have threadlike rhizoids that anchor them, instead of roots. They soak up water like a sponge and in fact they depend on moisture to sexually reproduce, the sperm from the male structures swimming through water to fertilize the eggs. At certain times of year most mosses produce large numbers of capsules, each of which is filled with thousands of spores. As the capsules dry out and mature, they open and the spores are carried by the wind, germinating only if they land in a suitable habitat. “There is an ancient conversation going on between mosses and rocks, poetry to be sure. About light and shadow and the drift of continents. This is what has been called the ‘dialect of moss on stone’—an interface of immensity and minuteness, of past and present, softness and hardness, stillness and vibrancy, yin and yan,” Kimmerer writes. The green carpet can grow through the winter and when the snow melts, you see it, lush and green and inviting. Winter is a Time for Learning Visit an arboretum or nature center in the dormant season to hone your ID skills. Leaf buds and flower buds are all set to go though spring may be weeks away, and each is characRiver birch is interesting year round due to its peeling paper-like bark. teristic of its species. Beech leaf buds are long and pointy, while horse chestnut buds are plump and glistening. Oak and beech trees hold onto their dead leaves, a characteristic—called marcescence—that makes them a cinch to identify in winter. Our native spicebush sets its round flower buds in fall. If that’s not enough of a clue, sniff its bark.
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Or connect with nature through books. The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane is high on my list—a celebration of common words concerning nature that had been dropped from a revision of the Oxford Junior Dictionary. Macfarlane highlights acorn, adder, bluebell, dandelion, starling, willow, and more with poetry and mystery and beautiful paintings by illustrator Jackie Morris. Make Mental Notes Look to make your garden winter-beautiful. Take walks and note what brightens up the landscape and what blooms in the winter garden. Appreciate the peeling paper-like layers of river birch and paperbark maple, the elephant hide-like ripples of beech bark, the contrasting patchy colors of sycamore. Resolve to plant winterberry holly and witch-hazel. Anticipate the early blooms of hellebore and snowdrops and winter aconite. And plan to make your garden more inviting to your garden friends. Construct a solitary bee shelter, or a bat house. Spring will be here before you know it, and with it the exponential speeding up of biological activity. We gain 47 minutes of daylight in January, and another 68 minutes in February. Ready or not, break time will be over.
This simple bee shelter is easy to build. Mason bees seal off the cells where they have laid eggs with a mortar-like application of mud.
Winter aconite blooms in early March, often right through the snow.
Horticulturist and writer Pam Ruch, caretaker of the Nurture Nature Center Urban Recycle Garden, tends gardens in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. Front cover photo caption: Witch-hazel blooms from fall to early spring, depending on the species.
If you see a praying mantis egg sac, leave it be!
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