October 2018 Digital RTT

October 2018

Adult Content 21+

Reagan Riot Gets Bloody in Heckle & Hyde Creepshow Peepshow

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OCTOBER 2018

EDITOR'S LETTER

8

Thank You Reno Tahoe!

ART

76

14 Arts Activist Geralda Miller

Part 2

BOOKS

26 Celebrating Nevada's

Literary Community 30 My Thousand Words,

Book Sculptures

COVER STORY

34 Reagan Riot Gets Bloody

in Heckle & Hyde

Creepshow Peepshow

64

ESSAY

46 Notes on Important Things

or The Art of Holding Hands

34

FEATURE 48 Black Swans

REAL ESTATE

62 Blockchain and Real Estate 64 SKATE NV 68 TRAINING TIPS

14 42

The Scent of Fall

UNITED WE STONED

72 On Equality: Cannabis

Industry Edition

WANDERED OFF

76 Swimming Upstream

48

80 YOGA

72

30

Editor/Publisher Oliver X Art Director Chris Meredith Contributing Designers Courtney Meredith Tucker Monticelli Contributing Writers Tessa Miller Thomas Lloyd Qualls Camie Cragg Lyman Janice Hermsen Natasha Bourlin Shirley Larkins Contributing Photographers Alfyn Gestoso Anicia Beckwith Chris Holloman Digiman Studio Joey Savoie Eric Marks Kyle Volland Nick Sorrentino Marcello Rostagni Interns Daniel Faith Sales 775-412-3767 Submissions renotahoetonight rocks@gmail.com Website renotahoetonight magazine.com

All content, layout and design is the property of Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine. Duplication or reproduction is prohibited without the expressed written consent of Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine. Copyright 2018. Reno Tahoe Tonight is produced on 10% recycled American paper and is printed with all soy and vegetable inks.

Photographer Chris Holloman www.renotahoephotography.com Cirque Paris runs through November 11 at the Eldoradio Showroom www.eldoradoreno.com/ event/shows/cirque-paris

SNAPSHOT

EDITOR'S LETTER Text Oliver X

THANK YOU

RENO-TAHOE!

8 Reno Tahoe Tonight

I

t's been awhile since I wrote one of these, so, hello everyone! I have such mixed emotions about what I am about to say, but it is time. After 105 print issues, Reno Tahoe Tonight is bowing out of monthly terrestrial publishing. It will be impossible for me to fill the void left by this decision to close up shop, but the time has come to do so. I have pushed my body and mind to the max in executing a continuous flow of DIY zine content these years, and have truly been honored to have the support and readership of the Reno-Tahoe community.

But in the end, I am exhausted. It has felt at times like I have been running a marathon at sprint speed; typing for 8-10 hours per day; losing sleep; burning myself out with the heavy lifting of editing, writing, managing and soliciting content, executing sales, developing and mentoring our interns, distributing the magazine (for three years on my skateboard!), writing and creating the digital editions, doing collections, billing, planning and directing shoots, styling models, going on road trips, managing freelance contributors and team members, all while spinning a dozen other plates.

The hyper tasking and pell-mell pace and density of my monthly schedule cannot be sustained without the hard costs of health degradation.

Time for a break – sort of...I'd like to introduce you to my new venture: StreetSeen, LLC. This entity grew from my experience in concert and street promotion and the relationships gleaned from those activities. In short, we distribute and post print collateral of all kinds for promoters, casinos, venues, festivals, live concert events, fundraisers and nonprofit events— anyone who needs their brand, event or service seen on the streets—at over 1,000 retailers, campuses and lifestyle destinations on the western United States. I am so excited to serve, grow and blow this company up. At present, our clients include GSR, The Row and dozens of promoters, venues and businesses. www.streetseenllc.com There are so very many people to thank for making RTT possible, and it would be impossible to list them all here. I have been blessed to know and work with so many artists and design professionals responsible for the publication's look, feel and readability. I would be remiss if I didn't share with our readers my profound appreciation for the support and love I've been shown by the northern Nevada community after I moved permanently from Hawai'i to Reno in 2008 with a crazy plan to start a monthly art and entertainment-focused zine.

Reno Tahoe Tonight 9

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE: • Shirley Larkins – Co-founder/Art Director of Reno Tahoe Tonight, thank you for making the publication possible with your sacrifice of time away from family, husband and career.

I simply could not have done this without you and cherish our friendship more than words can express.

• Jamie Kingham – Art Director. Awardwinning photographer and consummate professional. Jamie, you worked tirelessly for us for over a year, fueled by pride and passion. Cranking out one stellar issue at a time in marathon 24-hour layout and design sessions that pushed your patience and stamina to the limit. You brought a sense of order and a clean aesthetic to the magazine's look and readability, changing our fortunes in the process. I honor and respect your commitment immensely and will never forget what you did for me and this community through your friendship and dedication to making RTT exceptional.

• Grae Warren – Art Director. Grae, you brought us to new heights my friend. Your talent is unique and your artistic vision and dedication is unmatched. Thank you for giving us your all and always being a professional and a pure artist.

• Design on Edge (Courtney Meredith, Chris Meredith and Tucker Monticelli) – Here we are my friends. Since 2013, you two have worked tirelessly for me and the community, creating an award-winning magazine the celebrates the art, music and culture of northern Nevada. I love you both so much and am so excited for your new baby boy. Tucker, your talent is off the charts.

Thank you so much for sharing your considerable gifts with RTT.

Chris and Courtney, each edition of RTT under your direction and stewardship has been a work of art and high intention. Thank you for your excellence and dedication, and for the hours of sleep and sanity lost to the ether on behalf of your vision for RTT. Thank you for being great friends and for sharing your lives with me. I am getting choked up writing this. I am so grateful for you both. You are so loved.

10 Reno Tahoe Tonight

• Shelly Brown – You have been the rock and foundation of my life for these many years.

You have supported me at every moment, every day of every year we have been in business. You shared me with the community and went to bed with my side of the bed empty for years while I worked to the wee hours to meet deadlines for 105 straight months! We have logged thousands of road miles together chasing stories and building the brand. Sales, distribution, marketing and content development are just some of the “unofficial” hats you've worn for RTT. I cannot thank you enough for all you do and have done. You are my family and my love and have sacrificed so much to help form, focus and drive the vision for RTT. Thank you will never be enough.

• Anicia Beckwith – You have been such a blessing to this community in so many ways. Your artistic courage, talent, vision and humanity are without peer, and I have been honored to feature your work in our pages and to be inspired by your gifts. Thank you for elevating RTT with your amazing creative execution and love of the art form. You are both student, master and believer in the craft, in the moment, and the spirit of creation. I am forever in your debt and am filled with gratitude for the work you have shared with our community in our pages.

• Kyle Volland – Kyle, you may just be the kindest person I know. I am proud of the artist you have become and truly will miss working with you each month. Keep rising my friend and thank you for your support of the skate scene these many years.

• Thomas Lloyd Qualls – The writer. The poet.

The humanist. The visionary. The strident keeper of hope. The reminder...Simply, thank you to the 100th power.

• Chris Holloman – The Phoenix. The artist.

Lazarus. Thank you for being such a force for RTT. Your work has been a stream of excellence in our pages and a light in my life.

Thank you for your trust and friendship.

• Tony Contini – You have been an awesome contributor my friend. Your talents will take you far. Thank you for being part of the RTT family.

• L. Martina Young – The Oracle. The Teacher. “Grace Notes” had a profound impact on the publication, and for me, was one of the highlights of RTT during its column run. I am so blessed that RTT brought us together to collaborate on things beyond this mortal coil. Thank you my friend.

• Linda Ramos – It's rare when a printer becomes a true friend, but you, Mike, CJ and the team have been a wonder to me. Thank you for your excellence and your belief in me and RTT. We could not have achieved so much without you. You will be missed, but I have work for you, so call me soon!

• Amanda Horn – Style and class personified.

Thank you for all you have done for the arts community and for RTT. • Jenny PezDeSpencer – A true original. What a run we had with you my friend. Your voice print was a tornado in our pages. Thank you for being you.

must-read journalism. But you believed in me and my vision for including Reno-Tahoe's counterculture in our region's commercial vocabulary. You allowed us to grow during the recession and when we all came out of it, you stuck by me and an antiquated medium because of your belief in our excellence and my commitment to your customers. Scott Dunseath, Ted Choley, Eric Baron, Britton, Trevor Leppek, Ryan Goldhammer, Steve Emmerich, Matt Polley and Courtney Meredith, you were all with us in those early years, straight through til today and I am forever grateful to you for your business, belief, trust, love and friendship.

• Our Contributors – We thank and celebrate you each month. You are the heart of the publication. We've had many over the years, but these people deserve recognition for their excellence and friendship: Franz Szony, Tessa Miller, Mike Lindberg, Lanette Simon, Isha Casagrande, Marcello Rostagni, Joey Savoie, Eric Marks, Alfyn Gestoso, Jayleen Popp, Matt Digesti, Rachel Douglas, Clayton Beck, Jennifer Sande, Rory Dowd, Annie Flanzraich, Ted Varney, Mike Van Houton, Markelor Berthoumieux, Gabriela Denne and many many more too numerous to name.

Thank you all!

• Emily Faye Reese – I love and adore you and wish we could have more time on this Earth together. You are an AMAZING mother to your three little birds. I am rooting for them to fly high and far from the nest. You and Devon are such great parents. Your “rainbow family” has taught us all so much, as you have, on how to live, forgive, heal, grow, love and thrive. Thank you for all you've taught me and for being one of my very dearest contributors and a wonderful friend. I will find you on the other side Emily.

• The Future – I embrace you, while living in the now. New journey, new path, new destinations and new dreams. Music. Poetry.

Travel. Health. Rest. I embrace you all and am so excited to nurture and develop StreetSeenLLC.

• Advertisers – There is no revolution without commerce, and the quiet one we started by bursting onto the scene with a 16-page saddlestitch zine with a hand-drawn rendering of Bob Marley on our cover was not exactly

• To our readers, thank you for your love, support and acceptance of a saucy little zine that had the audacity to try to move Nevada culture forward to a more diverse and inclusive place of artistic fertility and possibility.

In the end, RTT goes out on a high note, winning “Best Cover Design” and placing second for “Best Overall Magazine Design” at the prestigious Nevada Press Association Awards recently held in late September of this year.

Thank you Reno-Tahoe, my heart is full!

Oliver X Editor-Publisher Reno Tahoe Tonight

Reno Tahoe Tonight 11

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ART Art Activist Geralda Miller Part 2 Text Oliver X Burning Man photos

by David Hill Photo of Geralda Miller at Homage in downtown Reno

by Oliver X

A A R C T T I V I S T PA R T I I

It's impossible to ignore the impact that art activist Geralda Miller has had on Reno's urbanscape. Largely due to the work of Miller and her business partner Eric Brooks at Art Spot Reno and their cadre of muralists, Reno has come alive with colorful murals dotting buildings from Midtown to downtown. Many of these murals are now being commissioned and not just allowed.

It's that interjection of beauty, art, color and whimsey to our region that has inspired so many to become more engaged with their neighborhoods and to take more civic pride in community art projects, that makes Miller's contribution so distinctive. Art leadership like this takes vision and the persistent action undertaken

by Miller has helped propel Reno's emerging public art scene to new heights.

Here in part 2 of our feature on art activist Geralda Miller, I look at her early career with the Associated Press; touch on her work at Burning Man doing art tours and we talk about her vision for the future of Reno's art scene.

O l i v e r X : What was your first job with the Associated Press?

G e r a l da M i l l e r : My first job was as an Editorial Assistant.

Oliver X: What does that title mean exactly?

G e r a l da M i l l e r : That means I was going in there on weekends and evenings and they allowed me to file things like the grain report. Or I could file certain

stories like high school sports stories on Friday nights as Editorial Assistant.

O l i v e r X : With a byline?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : No, I didn't get a byline until I became an intern. And oh my gosh. They have an internship program for minorities which is fabulous, and I got that. This internship program is a summer program. The wonderful thing about it is that if you pass the program, you're guaranteed a position with the AP. They ask you the 10 cities that you'd love to live in and the 10 cities that you would never ever want to live in. OK, so I completed that and you know of course my 10 cities that I wanted to live in were like New York, LA, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago...I had all these great cities that I wanted to live in. My number 10 city that I said I would live in was Detroit.

And that's where they sent me after my internship program. My internship program was fabulous.

Oliver X: What factors made it so?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : It was the beautiful experiences I got to have. First of all as an intern you're tested every week. You're tested on AP Style, on writing different stories...Everything possible to make you a strong writer and strong newswoman. All of the foundational things you had to know and be good at. I passed all of my tests. But then you're required to write a sports story; you're required to write a business story; a feature story...You're required to write all of these stories, as an intern.

Reno Tahoe Tonight 15

ART O l i v e r X : To make you well-rounded, so no doors would be closed to you...

G e r a l da M i l l e r : You had to be well-rounded to be a newswoman with the Associated Press.

So, I went to my very first baseball game.

I went to see the Texas Rangers.

Oliver X: So you interned in Dallas, Texas?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Yes! The Assistant Bureau Chief, Rod Richardson, is a wonderful man who pretty much became my mentor...Mastering the fundamentals was what I got from the AP. And doing a sports story was part of that process and training.

Covering the Rangers game was completely new to me. I mean I had to sit up there...I don't know from baseball! [Laughter].

Oh yes, I got a byline.

It was my first great big, global byline. Hello!

Oliver X: [Laughter]. Were you in the press box?

G e r a l da M i l l e r : Yes! And I had no idea what any of this was – and I had to write a story on the game.

I don't know this game.

Oliver X: [Laugher]. You had no idea about baseball?

G e r a l da M i l l e r : No idea! [Laugher]. And then, after the game, I had to go down in the locker room! My first time in a pro locker room. And, luckily, one of the other female newswomen gave me some advice that I always remembered and used. She said, 'Geralda, don't look down. Keep your head up.

And if you do that, they'll respect you. You can ask them all the questions you want. Just don't

look down.' So I said, 'Okay!' And I went into the locker room and got the quotes I needed about a story I really didn't understand much about.

O l i v e r X : And you got to experience the sights and smells of a men's pro locker room! [Laugher].

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : But I gotta tell you from going into that locker room and talking to them, I became friendlier with two of the Texas Rangers players: Pudge Rodriguez and Alex Gonzalez.

O l i v e r X : What?!? Oh my God! G e r a l d a M i l l e r : They became good friends, and I ended writing another story, a business story, about people of color in sports advertising that went national! All that came from me going into that locker room as an intern.

Oliver X: That national story was placed with the AP? G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Yes, with the AP. So that was a great step. Talk about lessons learned.

Another wonderful story I have from that time was inspired by Oprah Winfrey. She had been in Texas because of her lawsuit with the beef industry. She had to be in Texas during the court proceedings, so she was taping her show in Texas.

She interviewed a guy from Dallas who was this multimillionaire who was looking for a wife. I said to myself, You know what, I'm going to do a follow-up story on this guy. And here I am an intern, but I said to myself, I'm gonna find this millionaire in Dallas and I'm going to find out if this guy found his wife.

O l i v e r X : He was a simply a guest on Oprah's show when she was taping in Dallas and she had him on the show?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Yes, she had him on the show. And I vowed that I was going to find this man. So being the reporter that I am, I set out to find him-and I found him! I contacted him and said, 'I'm Geralda Miller with the Associated Press and I'd like to do a follow-up story on you.'

He said, 'Sure, come on over.' So I went to his mansion. Huge, huge place. Lives on the same street as Mary Kay, you know.

We had a nice talk and he had still not found his wife. I said, 'Let me learn about you.' The next day he took me on his helicopter to his ranch up there where George W. Bush lives.

O l i v e r X : McAllen, Texas?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Yes, that's it.

This guy's sprawling ranch was spectacular. He had llamas and all kinds of wild animals. I am doing this interview and all these things as an intern! Pinch me now... The property was up near the hill country in a beautifully wooded area.

When I saw this spread, I got to understand this man's wealth. I'm thinking, Why isn't this man married? Why hasn't he found a wife yet?

And then he told me that he'd already bought the engagement ring. So I said to myself, I gotta see the ring. He goes into his vault and pulls out this 10-carat diamond. I got our photographer to get a shot of the ring and I published the story. I wrote this story and it ended up going international. It blew up! We started getting letters from women from around the world.

We had bags and bags of letters for this man.

And I'm still just a little intern.

O l i v e r X : But you got a byline?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Oh yes, I got a byline. It was my first great big, global byline.

Hello! [Laughter]. It was wonderful. What a great experience to have. I knew I had made the right career choice.

I took a position as a newswoman with the AP in Dallas, until I got placed in Detroit.

Oliver X: How long did it take you to get placed?

G e r a l da M i l l e r : It took a few months.

O l i v e r X : That's pretty fast!

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Well, it took a total of about five months because the internship was 13 weeks.

Oliver X: What other stories did you work on?

Reno Tahoe Tonight 17

ART

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : I'll never forget when I was working the broadcast desk one Sunday morning in Dallas. I'm writing text for broadcast for radio and television and I get a phone call from a guy in east Texas. He says, 'Something strange has just happened here. I don't know what yet, but I'm hearing some interesting stories. I will keep you posted. Stay close to the phone.' I'm thinking, What in the word is happening? Soon after that he calls me again and says, 'They're finding body parts on a dirt road of a man. We don't know what it is yet, but I'll keep you posted.' Within the next half hour he says, 'A black man in Jasper, Texas...'

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : I was on the broadcast desk, so I had to write it up...It was in 1997 I think...

O l i v e r X : You basically broke that story?

I was in tears. But I had to write. I had to get it in the news and on the wire. It was a huge story. A

18 Reno Tahoe Tonight

O l i v e r X : I was in Jasper on an 11-city Texas tour with the Latin rock/ska band Los Mocosos in 1999. They had the radio hit “Brown and Proud� and that was a year after the incident...

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : That was one of my first experiences with a devastating news story.

Here I had had this wonderful story with this Texas mega-millionaire. I go from that to a story like this.

black man named James Byrd had been dragged from behind a truck by his neck...Soon after that the KKK came to Jasper and they wanted to do a rally. I wanted to go to that. But Rod would not let me go.

Oliver X: Your mentor...

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : My mentor Rob, the associate, said, 'No Geralda, I don't think this is where you want to be.' And he's probably right. Part of me being the newswoman that I am wanted to be there.

Oliver X: The Ida B. Wells in you? [Laughter]

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : [Laughter]. I wanted to be there and write about this and observe this. But he said no so I wasn't allowed to go. And that was one of those initial experiences that really moved me. That kind of set me and prepared me for what was to come in my journalism career.

O l i v e r X : Did you seek out stories or did people bring things to your desk?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : People brought things to me and I also sought things out.

O l i v e r X : What attracted you to a story?

Reno Tahoe Tonight 19

ART

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Typically, stories about race. I was always the one who wanted to write about race issues, most importantly. That was something that I tried to do. Even in Detroit when I moved there I would do that. Feature stories, as well as stories about drive-by shootings. I wanted to write those stories. I did a great feature story on Judge Greg Mathis.

Oliver X: [Laughter]. Oh yeah? Was it kind?

G e r a l da M i l l e r : [Laughter]. Yes, it was...[Laughter]. He lives out in a Detroit suburb so I had to write about this man.

Then 9/11 came. I was in Detroit when 9/11 came and I will never forget that day. I had to write a lot of stories about the Michigan people who were killed. It was calling people; calling family members and asking them about their dead loved ones... I kept saying to them that I hope I was contributing to their loved ones' legacies and write that. It was really moving. It was touching. It was hard.

O l i v e r X : Talk about how curiosity helped fuel your professional careers in both journalism and art?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Well, I am always asking questions. I'm always asking 'Why?' O l i v e r X : Were you always curious since you moved around a lot as an Air Force brat?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Yes. I've always been curious. I've always wanted to understand why certain things are happening in the world; what's motivating people to do the things that they're doing. So that's something that I think has always been there. And it's served me well in journalism. Being able to ask those questions and to be able to listen to people and to understand.

In the arts, it's interesting, because I don't have to do that as much in the arts. I think I just have this understanding about creativity and play.

One of the questions that I posed before I ever went to Burning Man, I'll never forget.

It was the year of the theme of the “American Dream.” I was sitting there with Maria Partridge and Crimson Rose. They were telling me all about this theme the American Dream, and how proud they were of this dream. And I'm thinking to myself, Why in the world should this theme be important to me as an African American woman? What does the American Dream mean to me? I'm sure it doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to you. I go back to Langston Hughes; I go back to the dream deferred and I'm thinking about that...

O l i v e r X : Or to Thurgood Marshall, who said “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : Right! And so here I am thinking that I'm sure their whole idea of the American Dream is nowhere near mine. And so I let them know that. And I think they got a little defensive about that.

That was my first year going out to the Burn.

So I set out to see what this American Dream was all about. I went out there to the Playa and I was thoroughly surprised with the desert at night and how it was illuminated. And all of a sudden, I got to see this playground for adults. And I said, 'Ah, now I'm getting it.' I saw what draws thousands of people to a desert where they have to bring everything in – water, food, everything—and stay there for a week.

Talk about curiosity. That was it. Why in the world would you do this? And I immediately understood the sense of play.

O l i v e r X : Play in what way? The license to play; the opportunity to play; the privilege to play or the entitlement to play?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : I saw that there was a thirst. A need to play. That people are not getting in the real world. People are working hard; they're working a 9-5. They have their kids and their bosses and all of their stress. I saw that many people need an outlet to just allow their inner child to be free and play and be creative. Even dressing differently than they normally would; wearing fun clothes, or not wearing anything at all. But the ability to just play, that is what struck me and really just amazed me about Burning Man and the Playa. And I guess I want to bring that to Reno. Because what we're seeing now in Reno is that we have Burning Man art here Reno Tahoe Tonight 21

now. Reno is being called the 'Gateway City' to Burning Man—and we are that...

O l i v e r X : Burning Man has a $50 million dollar yearly impact on Reno's economy.

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : That's a big impact. I think that Renoites are finally recognizing the economic impact that this event has on our city. But I also think that we're getting a taste of that creativity here in Reno. We're getting a slight taste of play in Reno. Reno folks like to play. Reno people love to dress up. You look at the Steampunk Festival here and you look at all of this. There is an element here that loves to play.

O l i v e r X : And all of the crawls...

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : The crawls are a great example that people here just love to play and have that need to express themselves that they're not getting on an every day basis.

O l i v e r X : Why doesn't something like Bay to Breakers in San Francisco scratch that itch and need to play? Why does it take a remote region to draw out that sense of freedom? Bay to Breakers has dress-up, costumes, silliness, nudity and fun...What is it about the Playa that allows people to tap into that sense of adult play you're speaking of?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : I really don't know the answer to that question. But I'll tell you for me living here, and I've been here since 2002, I can count on one hand the number of times I've been to Lake Tahoe. And I know when I say that people are going to say, 'Are you crazy?'

I'm just not drawn to the big blue jewel. But I am drawn to the Playa. I am drawn to Pyramid Lake.

I am drawn to these dry, barren areas that for me are spiritual places. So that's why I go. I'm just drawn there.

O l i v e r X : Would you call the desert a blank canvas in some ways, that begs for the animation of people's creativity to color it?

G e r a l da M i l l e r : Absolutely! When you look at the Playa, there's nothing there. Nothing! And you can create this wonderful playground. Be it just for a week, but that's what it is. Pyramid Lake is the same thing, as it is to me, quite barren. Pyramid Lake is mystical and wonderful.

22 Reno Tahoe Tonight

O l i v e r X : You have been at the forefront of bringing Reno and the Playa closer together culturally through art events, murals and installations here in Reno. What made you think that Playa art and culture would resonate so strongly here in Reno, besides just due to the proximity of Reno to the Black Rock Desert?

G e r a l d a M i l l e r : I think it started with my good friend Maria Partridge. She was the one who was initially pushing for Burning Man art to have a temporary space here in Reno.

Then there was the idea and process of purchasing “BELIEVE.” That idea came from someone in the city going out to Burning Man and saying, 'We should have this here.' I love the large scale art that is at Burning Man. I love seeing the integration of fire and intersection of science, engineering, technology and art on the Playa.

I just wanted to be able to be a part of sharing that beautiful art with people here in Reno. Why shouldn't we have more examples of that, or have those artists who are producing the work on the Playa become fixtures of the Reno art scene?

Peter Hazel is a perfect example. I remember when he first came out on the Playa with his “Daffodils.” It was this burst of color on the Playa.

And then when I met Peter and he told me the story of why he built the daffodils, I was so moved.

He told his girlfriend, 'I'll never be able to write a poem for you; I'll never will be able to do anything like that. But I can use my hands and build something for you.' And he built these beautiful daffodils and that touched my heart. I said, 'Oh my gosh, this is a wonderful man!' And he's been a great friend ever since. Then he moved to Reno and I was like, 'Yay!' He's returned to the Playa several times. He had his flub last year. He had the prime location with his “Jellyfish” and it didn't go so well. He came back this year and he redeemed himself. And I told him last year I wouldn't even go into his piece. I said, 'I’m not going in it. It doesn’t look good; it's not finished. Nope!' And that was the critic in me.

Talking about curating art in Reno and on the Playa and deciding what art has merit and what is exceptional—and what isn't – is tricky. And with Peter's piece, I had to be honest and I had to be truthful with him. I told him, 'Peter, you missed the mark.' He told me this year, 'Geralda, you were absolutely correct. A lot of people told me it was great and they blew smoke up my skirt, but you didn't.'

ART

O l i v e r X : Admittedly, I've heard more than a few whispers over the years from respected art critics who have dismissed some of the installations at Burning Man. This is a very unpopular stance to take because Burning Man is so universally revered. But real art deserves real critiques and I'm sure more artists welcome honest reviews about their work.

To me the most impressive thing about Burning Man art is the scale and scope of the engineered installations.

G e r a l da Miller: In June, I made the decision to go to Washington DC. I went for two reasons: Number one, to get an infusion of blackness overall.

As a charter member of the new African American Museum at the Smithsonian, I had to go see it. We're only 2% of Reno's population and I wanted to go and see more black people.

That was number one. Number two was I had to go to the Renwick Gallery to see the Burning Man exhibit. I wanted to see Burning Man art in a gallery setting. I wanted to see how visitors in DC reacted to that art. It's one thing to go to a party and it's all Burning Man people and they're like, loving it. I wanted to sit there on a bench in that museum and just watch people and see their reactions to the art.

And that's what I did. I got to see these every day DC people interacting with the art and enjoying it and just having a great time playing with this Burning Man art.

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me that there will be people who will put down Burning Man art because it doesn't meet their level of expectation of gallery art – and to some extent they're correct. There were more than 300 pieces of art on the Playa this year and many of them deserved to be burned. But there are those exceptional pieces that work on the Playa and that worked in the Renwick Gallery.

I think that there is a place for Burning Man art. I'd love to see some of the up-and-coming artists from the western United States have their pieces here in Reno. I want us to diversify our collection of public art to have more men, women and people of color represented. I would love for us to have more art and variety expressed in our city.

O l i v e r X : I agree and I feel the Nevada Museum of Art is leading the way in that effort, with its focus on diversity, indigenous art and the art of the Great Basin and its people.

G e r a l da M i l l e r : Yes! Their Aboriginal collection and exhibition was phenomenal.

I'll go back to a piece that was out on the Playa this year by Jeff Schomberg that inspired me. He fabricated a piece titled “All Power to All People” by an African American artist named Hank Willis Thomas from New York. He did an afro pic right there on the 6:00 o'clock. I remember my first night this year on the Playa. I'm out riding' around and checkin' everything out, and I hear this old school music, and it's Frankie Beverly being played—on the Playa! I'm used to hearing EDM and everything else and here I am hearing this old school soul music. And I'm immediately drawn to it and it was this afro pic....There was an African American family there playing along with the music, and to top it off, they each had these little canvas bags that said, 'Wakanda.' I was home! I said, 'Yes!' That was an unforgettable moment for me this year at Burning Man. The fact that there was this black family with this black piece by an African American artist, fabricated by one of our own Reno artists that's out here on the Playa was amazing to me. There were more people of color and black people on the Playa this year than I've ever seen before. That warmed my heart. artspotreno.com

BOOKS Celebrating Nevada's Literary Community University of Nevada, Reno Celebrates 31 Years of Nevada Literature Text Brianna Soloski

Celebrating

Nevada's Literary Community

L

ast month, I talked about some of the excellent literature being published by the University of Nevada Press, but that’s just a hint of the rich literary community Nevada has grown over the years. For the last thirty-one years, the University Libraries at the University of Nevada, Reno have honored Nevada’s literary culture with the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. This annual event not only honors current writers with induction into the Hall of Fame, but also encourages emerging writers with receipt of the Silver Pen award.

This year’s inductee and Silver Pen honorees are unique writers who have big things ahead of them.

This year’s Hall of Fame inductee is Robert Leonard Reid, an essayist who has written about everything from living in the west to his time spent in the Arctic Circle. I spoke to Reid via email about receiving this honor and he said, “gobsmacked, my new favorite word,” was the best way to describe how he felt.

Reid didn’t set out to become a writer necessarily. He was a math teacher in New York for ten years before putting pen to paper, with a piece poking fun at classical music lovers, for which he earned a handsome $150. By age 32, he was writing full-time, just to see what

would shake out. However, his mathematical prowess still pays the bills; he freelance edits math textbooks after spending the first three hours of his day writing the essays and articles that earned him a spot in the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame. He’s currently putting the finishing touches on a short story collection.

There are two Silver Pen recipients this year: poets Lindsay Wilson and Jared Stanley. Wilson is a past Reno poet laureate and a current professor of English at Truckee Meadows Community College. He’s also the author of Elegies and has a chapbook, Because the Dirt Here is Poor, forthcoming in Spring 2019 from Main Street Rag Publishing. He’s also working on a novel that won’t seem to leave him alone.

Jared Stanley is a poet and professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He also teaches at Sierra Nevada College’s low-residency MFA program. "It's pretty humbling to be awarded the Silver Pen — as someone who cares deeply about Nevada, I'm just real[ly] proud to stand among so many writers I love and admire,” Stanley said. As for what’s next for the poet,” I am working with a Canadian artist for a new show at the UNR University Art Gallery."

When looking back on past Hall of Fame inductees and Silver Pen recipients, Wilson feels “quite honored and humbled to be included.”

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This year’s event has some unique aspects to it, including some auxiliary events happening prior to the main event, which is on Tuesday, November 13.

Robert Leonard Reid will be doing a reading, talk, and concert with OLLI on October 17 at 4 p.m.; this event is free, but RSVPs are required to Robin Monteith at robinmonteith@unr.edu. Jared Stanley will be teaching some poetry workshops for older elementary students at several Washoe County Library branches and elementary schools. Lindsay Wilson will be doing a reading at Sundance Books and Music.

More details will be forthcoming for these events.

The silent auction will be as plentiful as ever, with more experiential events this year. For example, one of the prizes will be an evening with an author, where an author will come do a private event for you and your guests. Sundance will be present with their book basket featuring books from this year’s winners and other local authors.

For those interested in attending the event, tickets can be purchased online at bit.ly/2018nvwhof.

Sponsorships are also available:

Literary Lion — $1,000 Laureate — $500 Bibliophile — $250 Patron — $125 Each level includes tickets to the event; Literary Lion and Laureate grant you entrance to the VIP reception for a meet and greet with the authors before the event officially begins.

Tickets and sponsorships will be available until Tuesday, November 6.

The Nevada Writers Hall of Fame is Tuesday, November 13 at the University of Nevada, Reno in the Milt Glick Ballroom in the Joe Crowley Student Union. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reception; the formal program begins at 7 p.m. with authors available to sign books afterward.

This is a can’t miss event!

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BOOKS My Thousand Words, Book Sculptures Special to Reno Tahoe Tonight

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T

ake a book, any book and it tells a story as the author intended it to be. Now add a sculpture or two and see it tell another part of the story in three dimensions! Take a look and you see a horse galloping out of the spine of “Black Beauty ” and you wonder, How did they do that? Or Pegasu s the winged stallion of Greek mytho logy sitting on top of “Norton’s Greek My thology.”

That is what the mother-d aughter team of Debbie and Racha el Lambin of Carson City, Nevada team-up to create at My Thousand Wo rds, Book Sculptures. They repurpose books by carefully removing some of the pages from the book to start scu lpting a figure to bring the book back to life. Both artists have been educated and trained in several art mediums includ ing drawing, print making, painting and sculpting.

They've honed some of the ir skills by teaching art to a broad ran ge of people, from youth to college stu dents.

Graduates in art and scie nce from Western Nevada Colleg e, University of Nevada Reno and No rth Central College in Illinois respect ively, they have included son and bro ther JohnHenry to help build larg e structures of towering books to create more ideas.

Like taking all of the vol umes of “Harr y Potter” series, connecting them together, painting their spines wit h a scene from the last book and placing an open book on top with a dragon sitt ing on top of a bank. Rachael, along wit h her brother John-Henr y, are second-ye ar medical students at the University of Nevada Reno, and they bring a firs t-hand knowledge of anatomy to their art. They just presented a finely-d etailed skeleton made out of a “Grays An atomy ” book to the University ’s School of Medicine that is on permanent dis play at the Savitt Medical Librar y. Each bon e is carefully labeled with the proper nam es and of course, all made from the pages of the book. The pages reflect the beauty of the human anatomy, yet reta in the whimsical

quality of the book coming to life.

Each bring something spe cial to My Thousand Words as the work is so realistic and profound.

My Thousand Words has been in numerous national publica tions as well as the public broadcasting show, Art Effects, sharing their love of this special art. Their work can be see n at the Nevada Museum of Art, The Dis covery Museum, EyeHook Galler y, Artsy Fartsy and many more locations. The ir philanthropic efforts inc lude the creating of one-of-a-kin d sculptures focused on the efforts or essence of certain organizations. Ma ny have been auctioned and many are on display in corporate offices. The wil d mustangs of Nevada; scouts campin g and hiking children, combined with MRI machines and in doctors offices refl ect the efforts of their local hospital. The ir work is sold across the countr y, Canad a and England, and several are on perma nent exhibit throughout Nevada and California and at private vineyards in Napa and Sonoma, as well as privat e residences in Bermuda, the Cayman Isla nds, Brazil and Scotland.

They love receiving inquir ies requesting a book sculpture to be ma de for a special and unique gift or simply for themselves to honor and remember a loved book. Since all boo k sculptures are one-of-a- kind, they hav e fun finding that excitement the client has about the book and makes it pop and tells the story how they want it to be. Bo th Debbie and Rachael have added John-H enr y Lambin to their business in helpin g to develop a more commercial side, wh ile retaining an artist’s integrity and emotio nal honesty relating to their work. It would appear the horizons are still bey ond their reach.

For more information or obt aining a sculpture of your own, plea se follow them on their website at MyThousa ndWords.com or write to them at lambin.art s@gmail.com.

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COVER STORY Text Oliver X Photos courtesy of Juan, Two, Three Photography

Reagan Riot Gets Bloody in Heckle & Hyde Creepshow Peepshow Saturday, October 20 in Virginia City at Piper's Opera House “Burlesque originated in 17th century Italian theater as a type of comic interlude. The word derives from the Italian "burla," a joke, ridicule or mockery...Burlesque can be applied to literature, music and theater. It's often a form of humorous parodies or pastiches of serious dramatic or classical works. It was related and partly derived from the English tradition of pantomime, in which a musical theatre parodied a serious work such as a Shakespeare play, with the addition of music and songs and humorous verse...A certain level of literacy was assumed of audience members, as burlesque often made various high-brow references.” 1.

Northern Nevada's showgirl tradition is well-documented. Jimmy Carter was president when the world's biggest stage show Hello, Hollywood, Hello graced the MGM Grand's acre large stage and hundreds of leggy, sequinned showgirls with elaborate headpieces worked full-time in shows in every hotel-casino seven nights a week.

While the region's showgirl glamor has faded, the demand to see quality camp and undulating schtick has not. Into the void left by showgirl stage shows stepped cabaret shows, some of which today try to pass themselves off as burlesque shows. But

the jazzy, hip-hop, modern song and dance numbers and steamy choreography being trotted out by local production companies bare little resemblance to the classic burlesque shows that helped define the west in boom towns and bustling high desert mining communities like Virginia City.

Absent from these cabaret shows are the elements that built burlesque, like the standards set in shows in the late 1860's by the queen of Victorian burlesque Lydia Thompson, featuring "...the eccentricities of pantomime and burlesque – with their curious combination of comedy, parody, satire, improvisation, song and dance, variety acts, cross-dressing, extravagant stage effects, risqué jokes and saucy costumes...” 2.

Burlesque purists will delight in the return to the stage of the luscious classic burlesque legend Reagan Riot and her Heckle & Hyde Creepshow Peepshow, an old-timey throwback revue coming to Piper's Opera House this month for a pre-Halloween extravaganza. I spoke to the whip-smart, curvaceous entrepreneur at Two Chicks in Midtown Reno over a sensible Bloody Mary breakfast, to hear all about her ambitious plans for bringing classic burlesque back to the Comstock at the historic Piper's Opera House.

Oliver X: Everybody seems to be trying to do a burlesque show these days. What is going on with that?

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"You can offend someone to their core and entertain them at the same time and force them to think about a conversation, that, if you were having it with words, they might cover their ears. That's what I've loved about burlesque."

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Reagan Riot: There's commonly so many misconceptions with burlesque.

Mainstream reincarnations that are publicly considered consumable are very far from the original art form itself and what the resurgence involves and what the history up here involves...

There has been a resurgence in burlesque for the past twenty years – and it's huge internationally!

We have the second longest history here in burlesque as a unique art form, American burlesque, growing out of the 1800s and the history of our region having Lydia Thompson and her “British Blondes” perform at Piper's Opera House. There's no reason why real burlesque should not be able to get a good foothold here with our burlesque tradition dating back to the Silver Rush that made the Comstock the entertainment capital of the world.

Oliver X: There's been several incarnations of Piper's. Is this current structure the third rebuild of the landmark?

Reagan Riot: It's burned down to the ground completely several times. This is the most bare bones version of Piper's that has existed. The town really came together to make it happen, using repurposed lumber and elbow greasing it back to life.

Oliver X: What drew you to burlesque as an art form?

Reagan Riot: My grandmother was the epitome of the 1950's housewife. I'd cook with her, sew with her. We did everything together. My grandmother's commentary, witty repartee, innuendo and use of double entendre made my jaw hit the floor. She taught me to laugh at life. So between her and our love of musicals, Flower Drum Song is my favorite musical. For me there's 38 Reno Tahoe Tonight

a song called “Fan Tan Fannie” where they recreate it and the fans snap closed, so the fans are covering the three strategic places.

Oliver X: Are there three?

Reagan Riot: [Laughter] There are three: two up top and one below. And it's still a bra and bikini underneath, but the fans snap.

It's the innuendo; the power of sexuality, and the politics of parody by a woman that makes it so powerful. Also the Golden Age of Hollywood ran parallel to the Golden Age of burlesque. There was a lot of burlesque costume ripoffs in Hollywood film. There was the great Gypsy Rose Lee who combined the two worlds...I soaked all of this up. So put that all together with my family history in news, journalism and politics in the Comstock and combine it with somebody who doesn't like to be put in a box and you come up with a really beautiful way to express and experience life.

Burlesque allows me to create a conversation with my audience within their own mind.

You allow the layers of your act to guide everybody. That's my favorite part. You can offend someone to their core and entertain them at the same time and force them to think about a conversation, that, if you were having it with words, they might cover their ears. That's what I've loved about burlesque.

Oliver X: What is the foundation of classic burlesque and what sprung forth from burlesque?

Reagan Riot: The Golden era of burlesque came through when vaudeville died. The really amazing thing is that life is burlesque.

Life is a parody. When you go back as far as Shakespeare, the traditions of mocking the upper class and laughing at life. All of our variety and comedic late night and sketch comedy shows are still using the burlesque format. Standup comedy came out of burlesque. But it's always been rooted in taboo and in politics.

Oliver X: Comedy, satire and political commentary...

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"burlesque offers you the opportunity to walk around the elephant in the room through the process of performing an act on stage."

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Reagan Riot: Exactly. Political commentary as a woman was showing your ankles in the 1800s. We had to have table clothes because we believed that men would become so aroused by the legs of a table that couldn't control themselves. [Laughter] Some people feel that burlesque is the ultimate feminist statement and others see it as anti-feminist depending on the context of the conversation. Because my favorite this is context, burlesque offers you the opportunity to walk around the elephant in the room through the process of performing an act on stage.

Oliver X: What is the elephant in the room, that every man is a horny bastard and making fun of that?

Reagan Riot: It depends on your inspiration for an act. Realistically a woman owning her sensuality and sexuality in any way, shape or form, is a political statement, period. Dita is everybody's epitome. She's magnificent in so many things and yet I sit over here knowing how amazingly intelligent she is. I get frustrated because I would really love to see her come play in my world of politics and making statements.

Oliver X: Rather than in her world of beauty and glamor?

Reagan Riot: Yes. But at the same time, beauty and glamor does gives you a platform to make those statements. There was quite an uproar within burlesque on around topics like cultural appropriation and rape jokes. Not acceptable.

Oliver X: I've noticed that the plus-size performer is revered on stage in burlesque.

You do not see that in any other form of dance or performance. The curves are celebrated.

That predates modern feminism...

Reagan Riot: One of the hardest thing women experience is when we pick up a magazine and look at the model and the model looks nothing like she does in real life. I speak to my students in class and we talk about these body image issues.

Oliver X: What a strange dynamic that exists where burlesque celebrates the voluptuous woman as a sex object, yet in the sideshow tradition the fat lady is a freak.

Reagan Riot: There was a cartoon caricature recently that a friend sent to me and it was the circus and the sideshow. Specifically, the sideshow was going out of business because you're no longer considered to be a freak if you're the tattooed man.

Oliver X: Let's talk about your production.

Reagan Riot: I run a traditional revue, I do not run just a burlesque show. It's always been the Desert Rose Revue. It's always been a variety revue. It's always been a smorgasbord.

Oliver X: What can people expect when they come to see your production on October 20?

Reagan Riot: We have open casting now and I'm so excited to bring these performers to the Piper's stage. I'll be doing the traditional burlesque format of a top banana; I'll have your straight man and your funny man—again, standup comedy really came out of burlesque with stars like Fanny Brice and Abbott and Costello started in burlesque. I want to bring together the local and international community because I love our history here and I think there's always been an interesting dynamic being a tourist area. But Virginia City is a whole other world. So it will be very traditional in many aspects. I will do something elegant and mix my political messages so everybody can take their layers out of it. I want to bring in magic, I want to bring in cirque. I have sideshow performers. We have the autumn run and then New Year's Eve as well and two nights for Valentine's Day. Tickets and show information for Reagan Riot's Heckle & Hyde Creepshow Peepshow Saturday, October 20 at 7pm at Piper's Opera House in Virginia City can be purchased at www.desertroserevue.com 1. 1890: Victorian burlesque dancers and their elaborate costumes mashablecom/ 2014/11/11/victorian-burlesque-dancers/ 2. Lydia Thompson en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Lydia_Thompson Reno Tahoe Tonight 43

ESSAY Text Thomas Lloyd Qualls Notes on Important Things or The Art of Holding Hands Sometimes my son spontaneously holds my hand. We might be getting out of the car and starting to walk towards a café or a store or summer day camp. And he will just slip his hand into mine, of his own volition. And then really hold it like he means it. Until we cross a threshold into the place where he and his attention are captured by something else, and he is off.

Or maybe he'll give me a hug. Or make a small piece of art just for me. Or leave me a scribbled note in my bag. Or write in the dust on my car window. (Yes, my car windows are often that dirty.

But I have at least three jobs if you count parenting, so maybe cut me a little slack.)

What I mean to say here is there is nothing like that feeling. Like your hand being held by a smaller hand.

A hand that happens to belong to someone you helped bring into this world. Someone you are charged with guiding through its storms and sun.

These are the things. The things that are unlike any other things.

Let me add this. My son has never been an easy kid. In addition to a bright mind and a generous heart, he has an oversized will, forged of absolutely unbreakable stuff. Japanese steel, I’m pretty sure.

And though he is kind of a little guy, nothing else about him is small. His curiosity, his exuberance, his energy, his personality, his voice. He questions everything. And he has a surplus (not a deficit) of attention. Pretty much all the time.

Also, even as a baby, he did not want to be swaddled, or held too long. He was

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restless for adventure from the moment he took on this breath we share. All of which, I hope with everything inside me, will make him an amazing adult.

His indomitable will. His keen eye for justice. His inability to take anyone’s word for almost anything, without his specialized peer review. Most days he is a jaguar trapped in a living room, as Greg Brown would say.

All of which is to also say that raising him, trying to shepherd him through the world, has been a bumpy road. When the simple act of brushing teeth before bed can take 45 minutes, even Mary Poppins might unravel a little. There are days, of course, when I want to give up. When I am convinced beyond doubt that he has chosen the wrong father. That the fabric I am made of is not the kind that is strong enough to hold him. That my box was damaged in transport (you know the kind that arrive with aftermarket tape holding them together) and I am now missing critical parts of the intricate machinery of fatherhood that were supposed to be included. amazing adult. His indomitable will. His keen eye for justice. His inability to take anyone’s word for almost anything, without his specialized peer review. Most days he is a jaguar trapped in a living room, as Greg Brown would say.

All of which is to also say that raising him, trying to shepherd him through the world, has been a bumpy road.

When the simple act of brushing teeth before bed can take 45 minutes, even Mary Poppins might unravel a little. There are days, of course, when I want to give up.

When I am convinced beyond doubt that he has chosen the

wrong father. That the fabric I am made of is not the kind that is strong enough to hold him. That my box was damaged in transport (you know the kind that arrive with aftermarket tape holding them together) and I am now missing critical parts of the intricate machinery of fatherhood that were supposed to be included.

But then he rights himself somehow. And I get up from my puddle on the floor. And the teeth get brushed. And the book gets read.

And the lights go down. And he tells me goodnight. And that he loves me. (Despite my missing pieces and torn fabric.) And the world keeps spinning.

And, more poignantly, he is growing up. The hand-holding, the crawling up into my lap, the wanting me to carry him, these are the brief glimpses I still get into the land of milk and honey. Into a kind of temporary parenthood Nirvana. Because we will eventually cross an invisible line beyond which he will no longer reach for my hand.

Beyond the sadness of that loss lies the question of how I will ground him without these physical connections. Because most days I suspect that what he really needs is a dad who is a Jedi Master with an MFA in creative parenting. One part Jedi. One part artist. I suspect he may actually be a Jedi Master who has come to train me. So I decided some time ago I need to be more parts artist in order to balance the equation.

In any case, being more of an artist (and less of a lawyer) serves us both.

As any good Neil Gaiman fan knows, to be an artist one must make good art. And to make good art requires us to know and feel our emotions. To bear our souls while we also bare them. To be vulnerable enough to tear out our hearts and lay them on the block for the world to see. And then be strong enough to remain standing if they are judged too harshly.

As it turns out, it is pretty much the same with parenting. All day everyday. So these two paths I have chosen are either going to

kill me or forge me into one mind-blowingly enlightened being.

Both artists and parents of spirited children are charged with the same kind of work.

Things like having to hold the light with one hand, while stitching the world together with the other. We must be shape-shifters.

We must walk in multiple worlds, serve as ambassadors to each, remember the different languages and customs here and there, and not completely crack up along the way.

If we succeed, we are gods. If not, we’re dreamers and castoffs. Fledgling humans who couldn’t make it in a world where the grownups live. We must simultaneously love the world, and also know when to close the door to it, so we can do our work.

We must resist being thrown off kilter by the relentless calls and examples of mediocrity. We must question everything. And we must have the confidence to follow our own voices, to be focused enough not to lose them in the strong pull of the crowd.

I don’t mean the draw of wanting to fit in or to be liked. I mean the ever-rushing current of the modern world that tows us effortlessly along with it if we are not mindful of our course. Because, if for no other reason, when we are caught up in that crowd, there is no space for some little person to get close enough to us to reach up and take hold of our hand.

Thomas Lloyd Qualls is a writer, a condition that is apparently incurable. Over the years, Thomas has had the privilege to write over 70 pieces for Reno Tahoe Tonight. The forum has served as a bridge between him and this wonderfully eclectic, generous, artsy, gritty, refined, and wild community.

He is grateful.

His second novel, Painted Oxen, is due to be released by Homebound Publications in Spring of 2019. Stay tuned.

Feel free to follow along: tlqonline.com.

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FEATURE

Text Oliver X Photos Frank Haxton and Becky Murway of Digiman Studio Photograph by Eva Fernández "A Rare Bird in the Lands" 2018, Giclée print Hahnemühle Fine Art Paper, 80cmH x 80cmW w: evafernandez.com.au"

Black Swans an opera poem October 18 and 19 at Studio 502 at The Artists Lofts downtown Reno

“This work does what ART can and must do, and continues to do throughout the ages: question, demand, remind, and elevate our senses to the breadth and depth of our humanity — using a language OF the senses through the poetic image.

BLACK SWANS, an opera poem” - L. Martina Young Creator-Director white middle aged woman of Irish descent recalls when she and her African American friend got caught in the contagion of rage, then sorrow, as she is brought to the brink of saying the unsayable . . . first-generation American, octogenarian, of Ashkenazi Jewish lineage, discovers his Jewish identity as a small boy watching newsreels of the Holocaust . . . a mocha-hued busker of African and native American heritage notices one of his regulars hasn't come around in a while; then he learns of his fate on the national news... a brown-skinned dancer does not interpret the stories; she is the product and the possibility these American stories tell . . . the Children, the Watchers — are Keepers of the Dream The hyper-fertility of L. Martina Young's creative expressions of mind and movement become animate, resonant entities of art. The dancer-artist-scholar describes her latest performance piece, Black Swans, an opera poem as “an international community and collaborative project. Multidimensional and interdisciplinary in scope, this performance installation weaves personal and cultural heritage stories inspired by the significance of the black swan. Aesthetically, Reno Tahoe Tonight 49

Black Swans integrates the visual expansiveness of an opera with the intimacy and depth found in the poem form.”

The integrative and interpretive genius of Young, in part, lies in the means and manner of her amalgamations, drawing intention, meaning and inspiration from seemingly disparate utterances, influences and mythologies.

“This thought from Hermann Hesse is critical to the heart of the matter of Black Swans and the entire Swans Project that I have been doing for a number of years,” states Young.

“We are nature and every fledgling and blossom, every bird and melting rose, is a metaphor and symbol that addresses us, that tries to reach us and teach us this fundamental truth of life: We are this eternal exchange; we are these infinite transformations.”

Notes Young, “A close reading of this, one is able to fully grasp the content and the reason for the content being in the artwork that we are doing in Black Swans, an opera poem. And it speaks, most specifically, to the contemporaneity of all of the stories, the sounds and the images that are brought forth in Black Swans, an opera poem.

That eternal exchange and that our stories are our stories across culture, across time. It is a fundamental truth of living a life. Every human, whether they personally perceive they experience it in a particular way, experience the sorrows, the joys...'We hold these truths to be self-evident.'”

Combining the expressive, tonal and textual elements of dance, Negro spirituals, call and response, jazz, opera, spoken word and story Black Swans is a compelling piece of theater, with commentary written by a talented cast of contributors 50 Reno Tahoe Tonight

(principally Young) that strikes at the core of our society's most persistent human challenges.

I was pleased to be asked to participate in the production and performance of the work, and was equally grateful for the opportunity to speak with Dr. Young in her studio about the piece, its origins, purpose and its future.

Oliver X: Quantum physicists believe that time moves in a circle.

How are you dealing with time in the context of the struggle for social justice? Remarking on the subject of “progress” James Baldwin famously said, in frustration: “What is it that you want me to reconcile myself to? I was born here almost 60 years ago. I'm not going to live another 60 years. You always told me it takes time. It's taken my father's time; my mother's time; my uncle's time; my brother's and my sister's time; my nieces and my nephew's time. How much time do you want for your progress?”

L. Martina Young: OK. And let me respond by using another mythic source, not that James Baldwin is mythic—although his voice resonates across time and therefore has that mythic gravity.

From J.R.R. Tolkien's character Gandolf, “What happens in our lives is not up to us in terms of control. All we, each of us, can do is decide what and how to do our lives with the time given us.”

This requires such awakeness. We got to be woke in this time, for what necessarily must be addressed, and to bring forward all of the lives through time that live through us.

But we can only know about my grandfather, your grandfather; my grandmother; your great, great grandmother, by being woke. And Reno Tahoe Tonight 51

seeing, through each of us, the lineage. We are each, as is told at the end of the opera poem, carriers of all that went before and what is possible to come after. That is my sense of time. There is always only this very time, this moment, always. And, as the great sages of all time have told us, in that moment, in that singular present moment is eternity. So it means seeing differently, with different eyes. As an artist, as a poetic artist my entire being is an organ of perception. And it requires of me a kind of discipline. Not only that I am a dancer, and that requires its own discipline—how I live, how I eat, how I use my energy, how I organize my time life—but also that I must allow for enough space in this crowded culture to have my entirety perceived on so many different levels, at any given moment. I cannot live crowdedly.

Oliver X: How do you mean that?

L. Martina Young: I can't crowd myself with all that human culture puts in front of me.

Oliver X: The noise?

L. Martina Young: That's right.

The chatter. And yet, I'm not immune to it. No one can be immune to it. I'm in life, we're in life. But there are choices to be made. Ways of organizing that chatter in relationship to that noise that does not consume me, so that a work like this can be born. That there's enough of a wide berth, for the birth of something of that people will walk away from and be touched by.

Oliver X: Let's talk about the birth of the swan in your life. What does the swan mean in your work as a thematic continuum since that early encounter when you were eight years old, and through your post-academic life?

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L. Martina Young: Because of my academic work in depth psychology (the work of Jung, the work of James Hillman in archetypal psychology), as an artist, what often resonated through my studies, was the fact that all imagery comes with matter. In other words, what matters – what is mattering, for you. What is calling you.

The swan had been, and has been, calling me. It is at some point that we must actually pay attention in a holistic way. Turn to the image and say, 'What is it that you want of me?' So that tap on the shoulder showed up as a calling. I finally addressed the calling and thus it has opened up my interest, my joy, my journey to the swan as a complex image around which human stories have always been told. The image itself has been the conduit for particular human stories. So those particular stories have something to say about the swan throughout the human imagination, and continues to unfold and give meaning through the content of the stories themselves. What I'm continuing to address is to bring myself to closer readings of the stories in different cultures. As a whole perceiving organ, I see how individuals literally shape themselves to the idea of the swan. They go into some kind of reverie, some kind of memory, in the telling of their swan stories.

Oliver X: Give me an example of that memory creating ignition that the swan inspires and is a catalyst for.

L. Martina Young: Yes, I'd love to share that. I was in Italy three years ago and was in an international art exhibit, where I was performing one of the swans performance installations. I met with another artist who was a part of that exhibit.

She happened to be from Austria.

She's a very well-known painter in Austria and throughout Europe.

And we had a conversation and Reno Tahoe Tonight 53

I asked her about the swan in Austria because clearly that's a place where swans exist...white swans. So she took a pause; she sat back in her chair and I saw her entire being become filled with telling her about how her family every Sunday morning, would go to the lake to feed the swans. She said, 'After they were fed,' and I'm watching her arm start to rise – she's in a reverie, she says 'and then they would float away as if they were in an in-between world. They were not of this world that we occupy, you and me they were in some other, beyond world.' I have that on tape and I have the image of her telling me this story. She is filled with the memory and that connection and to another world. So what that tells me is that the swan image is also a carrier of that between world.

We see that in the Irish lore and all throughout the Celtic lore on the swan. For the poet Yeats, the image of the swan is the solitary journey of the soul, of each individual human soul.

Therein gives us yet another meaning of the swan; opens up through this particular telling with this Austrian artist, and as a poetic artist, it is not about an either or, it is about an 'also.'

The swan also means this and that...It's a constant opening and re imagining through the specific stories being told that the swan image itself evokes, at the individual level, at the cultural level, at the mythic level.

One of the meanings we have all attributed to the swan is transformation – which again, is something that Hermann Hesse talks about. These images are meant to remind us that we are these infinite transformations.

When we lock down our sense of identity, we are closing the door to these infinite transformation 54 Reno Tahoe Tonight

that each of us has the potential of becoming. We are always becoming. We are this and we are that. And that is the point of the stories being told in Black Swans, an opera poem. That I am interested in the possibility of all of us—audience and artist alike—in discovering and locating something of ourselves in one another's story. That what touches us in someone else's story, is something already in us, that we can then lay claim to and embrace.

And by that embrace, expand our sense of identity.

Don't miss Black Swans, an opera poem, October 18 & 19, 2018. Tickets can be purchased at apoeticbody.com. The event is located at The Lighthouse/ Studio 502.

Artist Bios ABOUT THE ARTISTS Martin A. David has spent his life as an artist in a broad spectrum of professional arts activities.

He is a widely published author and writer, an actor and acting teacher, a modern dancer and choreographer, and an arts activist. His paintings, drawings, and illustrations have been published and sold in both Europe and America. His Mardav Design enterprise features his handmade jewelry and other wearable art. David’s friendship with, and artistic admiration of L. Martina Young spans more than three decades.

Diane RUGG was born in Santa Barbara, California with an imaginative soul and deep somatic knowing. She grew up in the idyllic, richly multicultural community of Riverside, California with politically active, musically enlightened parents, and a grandmother who was a Ziegfeld Follies hoofer. The confluence Reno Tahoe Tonight 55

of these early guiding factors, together with her coming-of-age in the tumultuous late 60’s, allowed her to develop a keen sense of the relationship between American popular culture as reflected in music, dance, fiction, and film, and the socio-political undercurrents shaping the myth of The American Dream. This perspective, along with her profound love of the natural world, has been the driving force influencing her choreographic work and allows her to negotiate the hard concrete and endless chaotic buzzing of 21st Century life.

Oliver X is the Founder-EditorPublisher of Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine. The award-winning publication is the leading voice of independent print entertainment journalism in northern Nevada, and recently won "Best Page 1 Design" at the 2018 Nevada Press Awards. A Cal Berkeley alum and student activist, X taught English in Brussels, Belgium. As a member of the slam poetry group the War Poets, X performed with The Untouchables and Digital Underground and performed for Michael Franti and Les Claypool.

X currently is the head of StreetSeen, LLC., a 3D marketing distribution company serving the arts and entertainment industry.

Tenor Albert Rudolph Lee’s performances have been described as “vocally sumptuous,” “musically distinctive” and even “acrobatically agile.” Here in Reno, he has been seen with the Reno Philharmonic, the Reno Chamber Orchestra, and in community recitals for the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Having completed the Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Connecticut; the Master of Music at The Juilliard School, and the Doctor of Music Degree at Florida State University with a doctoral treatise titled, “The Poetic Voice 56 Reno Tahoe Tonight

of Langston Hughes in American Art Song,” Lee serves as Associate Professor of Voice and Opera and Director of Vocal Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Jammal Tarkington is a multiinstrumentalist, producer, turntablelist and vocalist that was born and raised in Stockton California. He moved to Reno Nevada in the early 1990s with a secured scholarship from the University of Nevada Reno studying music education and jazz performance. While living in Nevada, Tarkington became part of several performing groups such as Verbal Kint, Keyser Soze, and Who Cares. He has released several albums on European labels as well as touring Europe and Asia regularly. Tarkington now spends his time teaching, recording and performing based out of the The West Coast of the United States.

Abbey Shock is a college sophomore at the University of Nevada, Reno. She graduated from Damonte High School's Performing Arts Program where she worked with Martina Young in Hiroshima: crucible of light.

She now pursues her studies in Business Marketing and Theater Performance. Abbey has performed in many shows with strong influences in movement and body work, and continues to study movement at the university. She is super excited to be with Young again and participate in her great work of art.

Nick Ramirez is a Reno-based artist. A musician and an actor, his art practices also include photography and sculpture. He currently plays drums for the bands Roxxy Collie and One Ton Dually, and plays bass for the Adorables and The Lazy Universe. Acting credits include Eric Bogosian’s Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show, Reno Tahoe Tonight 57

and Sam Shepherd’s Tooth of Crime.

Ramirez was Music Director and co-producer of the award-winning feature film, Nowhere Nevada. He is currently working on a documentary about Southern California punk rock pioneers Eddie and the Subtitles. Ramirez also hosts Marianarchy, a two-day biannual charity music festival in Reno, Nevada.

DAVE SIMPSON can usually be found at Brüka Theatre in Reno, Nevada where he’s been the Technical Director over the past decade: designing lights, sound, sometimes building props, and whatever else it takes to help create the virtual world for the actor to play. Simpson is excited to be part of Black Swans, an opera poem and thrilled to collaborate with Nick Ramirez lighting his beautiful swan.

Audience members may have seen John Frederick, Videographer, in theater productions such as The Wild Party or The Full Monty at Brüka; in Mother Hicks or The Heiress at Reno Little Theater; or bringing new works to life such as The Fifth Wind or Audition at Good Luck Macbeth. Frederick has also directed plays including Next to Normal or Evil Dead, stands behind lighting and sound boards, designs and builds sets. Frederick has a passion for art that shines through his work. Though starting out building sets for a small theater company in Tahoe 20 years ago, he quickly became obsessed, leading him to pursue degrees in Theatre and Musical Theatre while also working in multimedia. This passion has also led him to film and music production. Frederick will soon be releasing a new album.

Elijah Frederick has grown up his entire life in theatre. He is 16 and is attending Reed High School as

58 Reno Tahoe Tonight

a junior. He has been in shows such as Brüka’s production of The Full Monty, TMCC’s production of The Who’s Tommy, and RLT’s production of Mother Hicks. His most recent production was with SSPA in Legally Blonde. He’s very excited for the opportunity to be apart of Black Swans.

L. Martina Young, Ph.D. is a dance-maker, Somatics educator, Master Teacher of the Pilates Method, and scholar of myth and poetic perception. Born in Los Angeles’s multicultural and politically progressive arts and entertainment community which shaped her aesthetic roots, Young trained early on in both classical ballet and American modern dance. Performing the historical works of Lester Horton, Pearl Primus, Sophie Maslow, and Talley Beatty, she was also steward of works by the late choreographer Donald McKayle. As a result of her solo dance appearance in Stevie Wonder’s music video, Ribbon in the Sky, she became a noted choreographer during the beginning years of the music video industry. She has served on the faculties of the College of William and Mary, California Institute of the Arts, and was Director of Dance at the University of Nevada, Reno from 1987-1994. A three-year Fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts, Young is recipient of Nevada's highest arts honor: the Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Young teaches her integrative somatic movement practice for musculoskeletal integrity, open to the community, at The Lighthouse/ Studio 5 O 2. Black Swans, an opera poem is a project of SWAN: a poetical inquiry in dance, text & memoir. This work marks Young’s 30th year as a Nevada-based artist and celebrates her 64th birthday.

Reno Tahoe Tonight 59

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REAL ESTATE Text Shirley Larkins

BLOCKCHAIN AND REAL ESTATE

I am sure you have probably heard by now that back in January Blockchain Company bought 67,000 acres (104 square miles!) out at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center. Now, this may not mean anything to you right now. In fact, I myself am just beginning to understand what the blockchain really is.

In a nutshell, the blockchain is a group of computers that are recording the same information and storing it in an encrypted public ledger that is way less likely to get hacked – plus the data is distributed amongst the members of the blockchain. Each computer owns the information instead of it all being in one file the info is locked down. It is a perfect format for storing and earning cryptocurrencies.

There has been talk of real estate purchasing using crypto coin for the last few years and this would have been the method for the money distribution. But what we are just starting to hear more about are the other applications for the blockchain and how this format is going to have an impact. Think record keeping, smart contracts, voting and more. If there is information or a transaction the blockchain can record, protect and store it forever.

As the world turns more to technology we are starting to see so many apps that are making 62 Reno Tahoe Tonight

it easier to do everything from the comfort of your iPhone or Android. I think the blockchain has the potential to change the way some people experience the real estate process. It could become as easy as putting the house you like in your shopping cart. From there the blockchain will make sure all the documents are in order, the property records are managed and distributed, and the money is sent. But what about Blockchain Company and northern Nevada.

Though we know they bought the dirt, we are not entirely sure what the plan is. Maybe we will see the first Blockchain Community.

Maybe it will be a huge data storage facility, like Switch. I am interested to see how this technology will play out and what the direct impact will be in our area, in my industry and in all businesses. If you know anything about this that you’d like to share, please contact me. I am by no means a blockchain expert, but I did buy my first cryptocurrency about a year ago, so I am in the chain somewhere.

Shirley Larkins, Broker Salesperson Chase International Real Estate slarkins@chaseinternational.com (775) 379-9617

Reno Tahoe Tonight 63

SKATENV Photos Kyle Volland skatenv.com

Skater Mitch Haight

Crail Slide The Wild Orchard

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Skater Brandon Benavidas

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Reno Tahoe Tonight 65

REGISTER NOW October 14, 2018 Reno City Plaza komennevada.org/renorace

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TRAINING TIPS Text and graphic courtesy of Camie Cragg-Lyman

The Scent of Fall The fall season has approached us and with that we have the epic harvest smells, home cooked meals, and decorated beverages starting to roll into the households. Some may be like me and want the house to smell like everything that comes with fall, yet not really have all the extra calories laying around.

There are wonderful ways to bring the smell and essence of fall into our homes without the extra chemicals from candles and sugar tones behind every food/drink item. And there are essential oils from dĹ?TERRA. Personally I use a diffuser and dĹ?TERRA essential oils to make my home smell like everything from a fall breeze, pumpkin pie, to apple cider. Essential oils can be used topically and internally, but using them through a diffuser expressing aromatherapy has become a modern staple in homes.

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One of the major benefits we use essential oil diffusers for is to disperse the small molecules in the essential oil through the air, so that they may enter the body. When you inhale the scent, the many receptors in your mucus membranes take the smell, identify it, and send sensory stimulation messages to your brain.

These recipes are so quick and easy with the results you want every time in the upcoming months!

What you will need:

Diffuser Essential Oils Quick Fall recipes

If you have any questions on how to get your doterra essential oils email me camie@ camiecraggfitness.com Camie Cragg Lyman CCF gym owner/personal trainer Doterra Essential Oil enthusiasts my.doterra.com/camiecragg

Reno Tahoe Tonight 69

PUT IT UT

UNITED WE STONED On Equality: Cannabis Industry Edition Text Shay Digenan - Pistil + Stigma

On Equality: Cannabis Industry Edition

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It’s 2018,

and the chances that you’ve come across a headline or had a conversation about the fact – and it is a fact – that people of color are arrested in cases involving marijuana far more often than white people are, well, high. In the first three months of 2018, 89% of the roughly 4,000 people who were arrested for marijuana possession in New York City were black or Latinx, even though it’s been shown that white people and people of color use marijuana at about the same rate. The problem isn’t just the NYPD: The areas with the biggest marijuana arrest rate discrepancies between white and black people in 2010 were Iowa, D.C., Minnesota, and Illinois.

As both medical and recreational markets continue to pop up across the country, regulators are faced with the task of making sure a historically unequal playing field based on arrest rates and lack of access to capital doesn’t produce legal marijuana markets that are exclusive to white ownership and participation, as consequence-free marijuana use has been for a long time.

As a result, many states have proactively developed regulations that make written plans to hire a diverse workforce mandatory for gaining a license to grow and sell marijuana. Several also have regulations in place that favor companies with members of underrepresented groups, like racial minorities, women, and veterans, in their leadership. Nevada wasn’t one of these states when it licensed medical dispensaries in 2014 and 2015, which later began selling pot for recreational use when Prop 2 took effect in 2017, though diversity became a component following legislative changes this year.

A handful of states have gone further in trying to even out the already-disparate marijuana markets. Massachusetts, where recreational marijuana use became legal in 2016, launched the first social equity program in any regulated marijuana market in the nation this year in response to 2017 research that showed just 4.3% of marijuana businesses in the nation were black-owned and 5.4% were Latinx-owned. The program includes different tracks for different types of participation (including one for people who have previously been incarcerated) and matches individuals to resources to help them be successful in the industry.

Steps have recently been taken in Maryland to try and increase the amount of racial diversity in its medical marijuana market, as well, including a grant program that may award a total of $225,000 to a maximum of five groups that demonstrate plans to promote diversity in the industry. Several cities in California, including San Francisco and Oakland, also have Cannabis Equity Programs.

It might seem natural to ask whether programs like these will continue to be necessary if recreational marijuana use continues to become legal in states across the country. A sobering answer can be found in a 2018 report published by the Drug Policy Alliance: In the two years following the legalization of recreational use in Colorado, marijuana arrest rates dropped 51% for white people, but only 33% for Latinx people and 25% for black people. It seems clear that this is one aspect of the market that will not self-correct, and efforts to resolve the glaring inequity is a worthwhile endeavor.

Pistil and Stigma Inc. Reno, NV // Oakland, CA // San Diego, CA www.pistilandstigma.com

WANDERED OFF Swimming Upstream Road-Trippin' Through the Pacific Northwest Text and photos Natasha Bourlin

In their attempt to spawn, certain salmon migrate annually from the ocean through the freshwaters of the Pacific Northwest.

This arduous journey involves navigating through fishing lines, pollution, predators and more. If successful, their arrival deserves applause.

Lengthy, land-based migration possibilities exist for us humans, offering their own set of challenges and rewards. Following the salmon’s lead – sort of – I packed my car to the gills (pardon the pun), ready for a different sort of northwest adventure: a Seattle road trip.

Washington’s Puget Sound and the metropolis home to many a musical legend is about 12-hours north of Reno by car. Two states and a million things to do and see pass by along the way.

Alternate routes add time, but present other picturesque options, such as a coastal detour. Sure, you can fly, but why miss everything you can discover by car?

Driving, the rich verdant landscape gets thicker as miles pass. Come fall, a volcano of color erupts betwixt the greens. Hit Ashland, Ore., nearly 300 76 Reno Tahoe Tonight

miles from Reno, your first day. Known for their live Shakespearean performances, the surrounding Rogue Valley is an up-and-coming wine region with affordable tastings and varietals frequently found in Europe.

At Ashland’s utopic Lithia Springs Resort, thermal waters with purported healing properties engulf you in their outdoor pool and hot tub, or in your room’s private, jetted tub.

Depart the next day for Portland, a similar distance from Ashland as Reno. “Bridgetown” is worth visiting for a couple of days itself. Check out the many districts there, each with its own distinct flavor of lodging, dining and activities.

Personal food favorites? Pok Pok for affordable, world-class Thai food, and this Russian girl revels in Kachka’s cuisine and vodka selection.

Motor on to Seattle, three hours away. Well, if the Bay Area-like traffic doesn’t trap you for a while.

Join throngs of other tourists at the waterfront Pike Place Market. Established in 1907, it may be one of the first farmer’s markets in the U.S. Follow the wafting conglomeration of aromas ranging from fish to incense to the dozens of shops and eateries throughout. Then, take a high-flying spin on the Seattle Great Wheel, a 175-foot Ferris wheel on the water.

Another day, visit the Museum of Pop

Culture (MoPOP), formerly the Experience Music Project. Designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, this colorful, curvaceous modern structure is filled with exhibitions like MARVEL: Universe of Superheroes and Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses, and a full day can be spent exploring them all. At some point, sip on local brews or imagination-pushing cocktails, and suck down some local oysters at The Walrus and the Carpenter. When finished in Washington, take another route home and find all new spots to explore.

Leave airports to the sheep.

Find your inner salmon.

Freelance writer Natasha Bourlin has loved a good road trip since trekking through New England each summer growing up.

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YOGA Text Morgan Dawn Photo Victor Crulich

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Quick, right now, in this moment, how do you feel about yourself? Do you feel fine? OK? Not terrible? Or do you feel FUCKING AMAZING? Consider that for a second: what would it be like to feel 1000% fantastic right this second?

What would it take? What does it mean for you to feel freaking awesome? What would it be like to love yourself right NOW? These are some deep questions. But really, think about how good you honestly feel about yourself. Not how you want to feel, or how you want people to think you feel. But at the core of your truthfulness, consider/ percolate/ponder/muse how you feel about you. We will call this feeling “self-regard.”

Having a positive self-regard means you see yourself in a positive way. You see your best qualities; give yourself the benefit of the doubt, and you take your own side.

Furthermore, you believe in yourself; you don’t judge yourself; you have selfcompassion. In short, you love yourself.

Now for most people, getting to this place of self-love does not happen overnight.

We’ve become so obsessed with basing our self-worth off what other people think of us.

But since you can’t control what other people think about you, leave them out of it; let them deal with their own shit, and just focus on how awesome and amazing you are! We’ve become so critical of ourselves that it’s like we resist accepting that we deserve to like, let alone, love ourselves.

Four years ago I was a practicing alcoholic.

I was going through the motions of life, but because of my alcohol addiction, the motions weren’t worth very much. I was not honest and my life had very little meaning and value.

I had no idea how unhappy I was and I had very little self-regard.

It wasn’t until I worked a program of recovery and got sober in 2013 that I started to love myself. I started to live the life I knew I deserved and I was proud of myself.

So, how can you start to love yourself? The first part is being open to the concept of your amazingness. You might not believe it about yourself 1000% yet – and that’s OK! Just be open to the possibility of your own inner badass. The second part involves a little more action, you’re going to make a list – I love lists! Think of someone you admire or love; a crush, your BFF, a mentor, etc.

Write down 5 positive things you respect or appreciate about this person, then rewrite it in the first person. The theory is that by recognizing these qualities in someone else, you are identifying them as qualities you see in yourself, or would like to see in yourself, as well.

So first I write, “She is positive, compassionate, beautiful, a badass, and confident.” And then I rewrite, “I am positive.

I am compassionate. I am a beautiful, confident, badass. (And by the way, I wrote this with me in mind. I love myself enough to know what some of my favorite qualities about myself are.)

You might not believe all the things you write yet, and that’s fine. Start somewhere and continue to work on it. Self-love does not happen overnight, but being open to recognizing your own awesomeness primes your brain to develop your belief-system.

And once you believe what a badass you are, life becomes so much more amazing.

We’ve become so critical of ourselves that it's like we resist accepting that we deserve to like, let alone, love ourselves.

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BLACK SWANS an opera poem

OCTOBER 18 AND 19 2018. conceived and directed by

L. MARTINA YOUNG An international conversation/collaboration with dynamic Players:

OLIVER X

Spoken Word Artist

M A R T I N A . D AV I D Spoken Word Artist

DIANE RUGG Spoken Word Artist

J A M M A L TA R K I N G T O N Saxophonist

ALBERT LEE Classical Vocalist

NICK RAMIREZ Installation Artist

D AV I D S I M P S O N Technical Advisor

7:30PM TICKETS: $64 THE LIGHTHOUSE/STUDIO 502 PA I D R E S E R VAT I O N S AT W W W. A P O E T I C B O D Y. C O M / U P D AT E S