The Contributor: August 16, 2023

Contributor Board

Kerry Graham, Chair • Amber DuVentre, Chair Elect • Christine Doeg , Secretary • Cathy Jennings • Demetria Kalodimos • Jerome Moore • O. Wade Nelson, Jr. • Waddell Wright • Robin Kimbrough-Hayes

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History Corner

You've heard Tennessee called, "The Volunteer State," but do you know how it got that name? Ridley has the answer.

Volunteer Spotlight

Vendor Writing

Contributor

Ethan van Thillo: “Cuando empezamos el festival no hubo otros festivales como el nuestro, que estaba celebrando el cine latino, también celebrando la diversidad como LGBTQ el cine gay y para nosotros eso fue muy importante, exhibir películas que tratan de estos temas o que apoyan estos cineastas. Nosotros no queremos competir con otros festivales en el mundo tratar de ser el festival más grande del mundo, lo más importante para nosotros es exhibir películas que son interesantes para nuestros asistentes aquí, para las personas que viven aquí en esta región. Eso es lo bueno y estamos trabajando con diferentes organizaciones aquí en San Diego, por ejemplo, trabajamos con el Festival de Cine Gay que se llama Filmout San Diego; también trabajamos con la organización San Diego Pride, y cada película o cada show tiene diferentes organizaciones en donde estamos trabajando con ellos, con temas de inmigración o temas de vivienda temas de salud. Es importante que nosotros siempre nos enfocamos en nuestra comunidad y nos enfocamos en las organizaciones que están trabajando con las comunidades aquí en esta región.” Visiones Juveniles (Youth Visions) … Este año, alrededor de 20 cortometrajes realizados por jóvenes cineastas fueron presentados en el Youth Visions. Abarcando una amplia variedad de temas, desde problemas sociales, políticos, personales y cotidianos. MP: ¿Cuál es el valor que tiene este segmento para el festival? Ethan van Thillo: “Pues para mí es uno de los segmentos más importantes de nuestro festival. Además de organizar el Festival de

Cine Latino, también tenemos programas educativos aquí en nuestra organización, que se llama Media Arts. Center San Diego. Ya tiene como 23 años que estamos trabajando con jóvenes en muchas diferentes partes del condado. Son jóvenes que usualmente no tienen esa oportunidad de tener equipo de producción o muchos de ellos son inmigrantes, refugiados están aprendiendo inglés todavía, pues es muy importante que este programa exista para que ellos puedan contar sus propias historias, para que ellos puedan aprender, usar la tecnología, computadoras, cámaras y todo eso. ¿Para qué? Para cualquier cosa que hagan en el futuro ellos ya tienen la capacidad de contar sus propias historias y usar el equipo. Y empezamos hace veintitrés años más o menos educando a estos jóvenes y luego decidimos que es muy importante que no solamente trabajemos con ellos ellos hagan sus producciones, pero es muy importante para los jóvenes que muestren sus trabajos en la pantalla grande luego celebremos su éxito, ¿no? y que ellos también aprendan como cineastas que significa introducir sus películas frente de un público, hacer preguntas dar respuestas después y todo eso. Esto es toda una experiencia para ellos, también muchos de ellos han participado en entrevistas de la prensa; pues aprenden hacer eso. Pues sí, es algo muy importante del festival, porque la verdad es muy importante la juventud ¿no? si la juventud no está participando contando sus propias historias haciendo sus propias producciones, si ellos

no están yendo al festival, el festival no tiene mucho futuro. Eso es una de las cosas más difíciles en esta época donde estamos ahorita con el festival que estamos celebrando 30 años es maravilloso, pero la verdad es que es el futuro, ¿no? Y el futuro son los jóvenes, que si ellos no quieren ir a cine a ver una película en la pantalla grande va a ser muy difícil o si no quieren salir de sus casas porque están mirando solamente YouTube, vamos a tener hay que ser un festival para ellos, hay que cambiar a ver que quieren ellos. Además del programa cionaste, también tenemos muestras gratis para todos, muchas escuelas se llama Tu Cine y llegaron casi 2000 estudiantes de martes a viernes de diferentes escuelas por el condado de San Diego y ellos miraron algunas películas, conocieron algunos cineastas actores. Y además de enseñar como producir películas de videos, es importante enseñar a los jóvenes como ir un cine y que significa ir a un cine, toda la experiencia de todo eso, porque si no vamos a perder este público del futuro.”

Estrellas de Hollywood… Un festival que no solo convoca a miles de personas, también congrega numerosos artistas consagrados de la cinematografía latinoamericana y española, que posteriormente los vemos brillar en la escena hollywoodense. Aquí por mencionar algunos: Guillermo del Toro: director mexicano ganador de dos premios Óscar por "La forma del agua" y "El laberinto del fauno". Gael García Bernal: Actor y director mexicano conocido por su participación en películas como "Amores perros" y "Diarios de motocicleta". Salma Hayek: Actriz y productora mexicana con una amplia trayectoria en Hollywood, conocida por su participación en películas como "Frida" y "Desperado". Penélope Cruz: Actriz española ganadora del Óscar por su papel en "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Diego Luna: Actor y director mexicano conocido por su participación en películas como "Y tu mamá también" y "Rogue One: Una historia de Star Wars".

Este año se le hizo un tributo Joaquín Cosío, reconocido por sus papeles en películas como

dad no sabemos. La verdad es que, si tú ves nuestra historia, han llegado personas como Alfonso Cuarón, Diego Luna, Gael Bernal, Kate del Castillo, han llegado muchas personas y muchos de ellos llegaron antes que eran famosos, la verdad ahora cada año es más difícil que lleguen porque primero están muy ocupados muchos de ellos están haciendo programas de series de televisión en Netflix y todo eso, pues es muy difícil de invitar un actor conocido porque andan muy ocupados y cada año es más difícil, a la última hora es cuando nos dicen ay, pues sí puedo venir, no estoy actuando y no es una cosa que es un año antes, que vamos a saber. Mira, es la misma cosa, con las películas, porque tenemos todo un proceso de selección, una convocatoria recibimos 600 más películas cada año y es todo un proceso de mirar las películas y que haya un comité un jurado y dura muchos meses para ser todo eso y por eso es muchas veces a última hora anunciamos las películas o anunciamos quién viene y todo.” Lo que se viene… MP: Para terminar con nuestra entrevista, Ethan la comunidad latina esperará con ansias el desarrollo de la próxima edición del festival. ¿Hay algo que vaya a cambiar o aumentar o podría darnos algún adelanto de lo que se vendrá el próximo año? Ethan van Thillo: “El próximo año yo creo que es importante, como mencioné, que el festival se enfoque en la juventud. El mundo ha cambiado drásticamente, el mundo del cine ha cambiado, especialmente durante la pandemia, el público, la verdad, muchos de ellos no están yendo al cine, ha cambiado. A veces van a ver películas como Top Gun y todo eso, pero yo creo que eso tiene que cambiar un poco. Por ejemplo, tiene que tener una sección de TikTok, tiene que tener una sección de YouTube, hay que cambiar un poco ver quiénes son los asistentes del futuro ¿no? y a ver cómo podemos alcanzar y trabajar con ellos también, eso es lo que tiene que ser el festival, es cambiar un poco porque ha cambiado el mundo del cine y va a ser muy interesante ver si los cines de Estados Unidos con cines de 20 salas vayan a durar la verdad, en el futuro no sabemos, tienen que ver hacia el futuro.”

MP: Ir nadando en las aguas de la transformación… “Pero sí, lo que sí sé es que el festival sí es muy importante, no solamente por el cine, como mencionaste al principio, es una celebración de la cultura latina, de la comunidad y siempre vamos a estar juntos querer estar juntos, llegar; ver algunas películas, artistas, escuchar música, no se va a parar eso, pero sí tiene que cambiar un poco con el Nuevo Mundo.”

MP: Muchísimas gracias Ethan ha sido un honor esta entrevista.

Ethan van Thillo: “Mil gracias por todo y nos vemos en el cine”. Envíenos sus sugerencias

WHO WE ARE

The Contributor is a nonprofit social enterprise that creates economic opportunity with dignity by investing in the lives of people experiencing homelessness and poverty.

Starting in 2019, our C.O.V.E.R. Program (Creating Opportunity for Vendor Employment, Engagement, and Resources) was the natural expansion of our mission of removing obstacles to housing. We now offer full case management, assistance with housing and rental expenses, addiction recovery, health insurance, food benefits and SSI/SSDI assistance. We see the one-stopshop team approach radically transforming a vendor's image of self and their place in community.

Since we started in 2007, more than 3,200 different vendors have purchased $2.3 million worth of The Contributor and sold over six million copies, generating over $15 million in income for themselves.

Take the paper, change a life. Read the paper, change yours.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

Jen A. • Lisa A. • Lindsey Krinks • William B. • Chelsea Jackson • Wendell J. • Aaron S. • Mr. Mysterio • Chris Scott Fieselman • Daniel H. • Maurice B. • Joe Nolan • Marisela Puicon

Cathy Jennings Executive Director

Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations

Carli Tharp SNAP Specialist

Ree Cheers SOAR Manager

Andrew Terry IV SOAR Referral Specialist

Rachel Ternes Housing Navigator

Andreos Chunaco Housing Navigator

Holly Bowman Director of Development

Esther Mwandiko Kitenge Engagement Specialist

Jesse Call Operations Consultant

Raven Nye Director of Housing Initiatives

Justin Wagner Resource Coordinator & Reporter

Barbara Womack Advertising Manager

Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors

Chelsea Jackson Vendor Office Manager

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Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed. The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate. Submissions may be emailed to: editorial@thecontributor.org

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Volunteer Spotlight: Christine Doeg

BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Contributor readers! Meet Christine Doeg. She has filled many roles in her time at The Contributor organization first as a Volunteer eventually moving into the role of Volunteer Coordinator.

However, with the addition of Chelsea as our new office manager (you’ll learn more about her in her very own Volunteer Spotlight on Page 14), Christine has now transitioned and is focusing her attention on her latest role as a member of the Board of Directors.

She is a good friend of our Executive Director Cathy Jennings, and like Cathy, Christine is also a former teacher at Bel-

mont University.

Christine first became acquainted with The Contributor when she lived in Brentwood, Tenn. Her husband workeddowntown, and though they didn’t have a particular vendor, instead they’ve chosen to support multiple vendors as they travelled through Nashville.

She told me she’s always wanted to volunteer. So, when Cathy revived the newspaper version of The Contributor,after a brief seven month stint as a magazine failed, Christine came on board as well as a volunteer.

You can usually find her at the Down-

town Presbyterian Church (and home of The Contributor) for the paper release. In addition, she fills in when needed if other volunteers are unable to cover their shifts.

She acknowledged that while we have a great group of diverse and interesting people who serve as our volunteers, (many of whom you’ve now read about in the pages of The Contributor) there is ALWAYS a room for more!

As a member of the Board of Directors she now serves as the Secretary. Her goals include customer education to inform both local residents and visiting groups about the purpose of the paper, which is, "to

empower our homeless neighbors to help them achieve a legitimate income, dignity, housing, and community."

Her ultimate goal is to keep the paper alive and to help it continue to thrive and to grow even after Tom and Cathy have retired.

She works hard to care for her family including her husband Bruce, and they recently welcomed their first grandchild, (a boy) who arrived in January!

Christine is a writer in her own right — though she doesn’t write for The Contributor, we may have to work to change that. In fact, she is currently working on getting her first book published.

Contributor volunteers Joe First, Michael Reilly, Christine Doeg with Contributor Executive Director Cathy Jennings.

One Question With Outgoing Metro Councilmembers

For the past 18 months, The Contributor ran a series called A Few Questions With where we interviewed councilmembers about their district’s most pressing issues. While we will continue to include newly elected officials to give them the opportunity to present their vision and goals of how they intend to serve their

BY JUDITH TACKETT

constituents, we have opened up this Q&A to include interviews with other community leaders.

Moving forward, you will not only hear from politicians but also from city leaders, community leaders that present new initiatives and programs that we feel may not be widely known. With that, we invite you to provide us with folks

from whom you would like to hear in our Q&A. You can email your suggestions to our columnist directly at judithtackett@ hotmail.com.

In this issue, we decided to focus on departing advice from outgoing Metro Council members to the new city leadership. Thus, we posed one question to all of the outgoing councilmembers who

What should be the top priority elected officials tackle over the course of the next few years?

Dave Rosenberg, District 35: Affordability is the top issue, though there’s no single solution. The current situation is the cause of so many ills: homelessness, traffic due to longer commutes, teacher/police shortages as many move to less expensive counties and get jobs closer to home, and more. It’s a difficult situation with people continuing to move to town, driving up demand for housing and, as a result, housing costs, but every small improvement to the crisis is one we should strive to make.

Colby Sledge, District 17:

were not running for reelection and asked this question before the polls closed on Aug. 3. The respondents did not know who would be elected or in run-offs at the time of submitting their responses.

The Contributor ’s question: What should be the top priority elected officials tackle over the course of the next few years?

Brett Withers, District 6:

I believe that the top priority is to streamline the city’s housing approval processes. This could be [accomplished] through identifying areas near bus lines, schools [and other locations] where upzoning land to permit multifamily and missing middle housing by right can be considered at one time rather than through parcel-by-parcel rezonings that take six months. Affordable housing projects need to have such zoning in place before financing processes can even start. Metro could then prioritize infrastructure spending to support the new housing in these areas.

It will also be essential to streamline building permit reviews. Some cities are finding success with pre-approved multifamily housing building plans that are ready to be approved on any eligible lot. But others require departmental reviews. Inspections need to be streamlined, and discretionary reviews need to be more predictable.

Undoubtedly, housing will be the top priority our city continues to face over the next several years (and beyond). The next mayor and Metro Council would do well to focus specifically on “attacking the gap” regarding housing financing and subsidy, especially for Nashvillians making well below the average income. Construction costs remain high, and housing won’t materialize unless the city steps in to direct both financing and affordability terms. Thanks to the work of the Planning Department and specifically the Housing Division, the next mayor and Metro Council will be equipped with a comprehensive public land inventory. Metro should immediately begin work on the most development-ready parcels, whether that involves a partnership with private- and nonprofit-sector development organizations, or by building the housing itself (so-called “social housing”).

Thousands of new apartments are opening in the next year or so, which should help further stabilize market-rate rents. However, most of those units are not suited for families, who are being both priced out and pushed out of our urban core. Metro will need to flex its land use policy muscle to encourage more family housing in our urban core by allowing more housing types in more places, so we all have an opportunity to enjoy life here and put down roots.

In my opinion the top priority of the newly elected officials should be listening to their constituents. We've heard time and time again that there's a disconnect between what the public wants and what the legislators are enforcing both on the state level and on the local level.  We are elected officials that are supposed to represent the district that we serve. Being in tune with your constituents means going to local meetings, hearing what they want and desire, and acting upon it. Going forward I think the best thing that we can do from the local level to the national level is to try to listen to each other and move forward as a united front.

Bob Mendes, at-large:

The top priority for the next Mayor and Council should be to lead the city to a new generation of goals. In the 1990s, Nashville decided to reinvigorate downtown as a way to pay for the things we need to do as a city. Half of this vision has been accomplished – downtown is an A+ international tourist destination. But has the other half been accomplished? Are our schools better than they were in the 1990s? Or traffic? Or affordability? It’s time for a new set of goals that put the people of Nashville first.

Mary Carolyn Roberts, District 20:

Learn More About Volunteering to Help Homelessness

BY JUDITH TACKETT

Homelessness is a top political issue for any large city across the United States. Nashville’s newly elected leaders will not only be bombarded with complaints and demands to get rid of “these people” but also with questions about how neighbors can help.

Let’s focus today on the helping portion and provide some ideas of how anyone in our community can get involved.

There are plenty of online lists about reasons for volunteering. Here are my top five benefits of volunteerism:

1. You make a difference.

2. You help build community.

3. It leverages resources and helps nonprofits to grow and survive.

4. Volunteering creates a purpose and helps your own well-being. For example, it can fight depression and loneliness because not only do you help build community, but you become part of a community. Research has shown people’s well-being increases through volunteering.

5. You gain new experiences. You even have the opportunity to either try a new professional direction or enhance your skill set for your chosen career.

When it comes to homelessness, I think we often forget the importance of community building and what an impact volunteers have as you can read by perusing this current issue of The Contributor. Beyond ensuring that a nonprofit keeps on working smoothly, the impact individual volunteers have on people they meet by giving their time, compassion, and expertise is invaluable. Dedicated volunteers develop a bond with the people nonprofits serve. The connections volunteers form is different from a client-staff relationship, which is a give and take. That’s why volunteers play such a crucial role in helping build communities in which people who are in a vulnerable place find their own value and learn to trust again, often after they feel other systems have kept failing them repeatedly.

Think of the person who lost their home because they got sick and did not have health insurance. Think of the person who was incarcerated for years and learns upon their release that no one is willing to give them a living-wage job (or any job, for that matter). Think of how difficult it is

New to volunteering? Here is where you start in Nashville:

Hands on Nashville:

www.hon.org

Launched as a grassroot volunteer coordination effort by Hal Cato in 1991, the 32-year-old organization meanwhile “connects thousands of volunteers of all ages to more than 300 service projects each month. Visit the website, select the Volunteer button, and find a volunteer opportunity.

Where To Turn In Nashville:

www.wttin.org

The Contributor recently has received a grant from the city of Nashville to expand this local resource guide, which is a partnership between The Contributor and Open Table Nashville. A new Website helps make searches easier. You can browse different nonprofits and easily find their website. Any nonprofit looking for help has volunteer opportunities listed.

to ask for help when you are about to be evicted because your car broke down and you lost both of your jobs that kept you and your children in housing.

Volunteers also keep encouraging staff and often provide a lifeline to a nonprofit team. The work in the nonprofit sector is hard. Secondary traumatic stress is real. Many frontline professions, including in the homelessness field, are extremely vulnerable to emotional distress that is a result of regular and ongoing exposure to hear about the traumatic experiences of the people they serve and feel compassionately about and with their clients.

There are several ways to help when it comes to addressing homelessness. There are so many different options that you can find through Hands on Nashville or by browsing through the Where to Turn In Nashville resource directory (see box).

First, you should decide what your own goals are and what you want to get out of this experience. Depending on your reasons, decide whether you’d like to engage in a one-time, quick in-and-out type of project, or if you

are interested in an ongoing volunteer position.

Then think about the impact you’d like to achieve for people experiencing homelessness. On one end of the volunteering spectrum, you help with the basic daily needs for survival (people’s necessities for survival include access to food, water, clothing, sleep, and shelter). On the other end of the spectrum, you want to get involved in long-term solutions that lead to housing and stabilization of people. Do you want to work with adults, men, women, youth, families with children, seniors, LGBTQ+ populations? People struggling with mental health, substance use, chronic homelessness, exiting prisons, etc.? There are all kinds of subpopulations and different organizations serving them.

To help people with survival and relatively short-term commitments: you could volunteer at a food pantry, serve meals at a weekly meal site, help paint rooms at a nonprofit (or other office improvements), donate and deliver furniture for a move-in (people experiencing homelessness do have nothing), put together household and/ or hygiene kits, help with a clothing

drive, become an overnight shelter monitor, etc.

Another option would be to commit to a specific project that has an end date: help an organization with a fundraising campaign, assist staff a nonprofit booth at an event, hand out flyers, assist a trainer/teacher (often volunteers themselves) with classes a nonprofit offers (arts, computer, legal, etc.) or organize a community drive in your neighborhood after asking a nonprofit what their current needs are (winter supplies, food, underwear, socks, etc.).

Finally, you could become a designated long-term volunteer: Many nonprofits depend on their volunteers and view them as an extension of their team. As such you could become an active board member, a volunteer coordinator, a receptionist taking on four hours a week to help direct people seeking services, a supporter on an outreach team, a host home provider for young people, etc.

Whatever you decide to do, through your volunteer efforts you will not only help others, but gain experiences and personal rewards you did not expect when you started.

Tennessee: The Volunteer State

BY RIDLEY WILLS II

Tennessee earned the nickname Volunteer State after the state’s overwhelming participation in the War of 1812.

Sixteen years after gaining statehood, patriotic Tennesseans were eager to engage in the war effort with Gen. Andrew Jackson — a fellow Tennessean — leading the charge. This was especially true in the Battle of New Orleans, the final major battle of the war, when Jackson and his army, largely consisting of Tennesseans and Kentuckians, defeated the British Army under Mj. Gen. Sir Edward Parkenham.

Young Tennesseans also remembered stories their fathers told them about the Revolutionary War, including the defeat of the American Tories under British Major Patrick Ferguson at King’s Mountain, South Carolina. Some knew that Nashville was originally named Nashhboro, but changed its name to Nashville in the 1780s because of Nashvillians’ hatred of the British and their appreciation for the substantial help France gave the Americans in the Revolutionary War.

Another reason Tennesseans were so supportive of Andrew Jackson during the War of 1812 was that it was an exciting way to get away from their confined lives in a very rural state. Most Tennesseans lived on small farms in 1814 where there were no public schools, no ferries crossing the major rivers, no steamboats, dirt roads, and few jobs as Tennessee had virtually no industry. The best jobs poorly educated young men could hope for were farming, blacksmithing or operating a stable. Tennessean men were, however, for the most part, excellent riflemen, having grown up hunting bear, turkey, rabbits and deer and killing wild cats and mountain lions. Most were also physically strong having grown up working long hours on farms.

A majority of young Tennesseans of military age had never been more than 20 miles from their log cabin homes and, because of their isolation, often married their cousins. Fighting the British would, they thought, bring in some money and would be exciting, even fun.

"General Andrew Jackson addressing War of 1812 volunteers" Color engraving, General Jackson Addressing the Volunteers, depicts Jackson in military uniform atop a white horse and with his arm raised. He appears to be making a motivational speech. Troops in blue, gold, red and white uniforms stand in front of him. Image believed to be from a painting by S. F. Baker. From John Frost and William Croome, Pictorial Life of Andrew Jackson CREATED BY DOWNES, J., FROM THE LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

THEME: INTERNATIONAL GREETINGS

ACROSS

1. Russian czar's edict or proclamation

6. Common stomach disorder, acr.

9. Thai currency

13. Femme fatale

14. Cow greeting?

15. High-quality black tea

16. Heretofore (2 words)

17. Used for making holes

18. Old and feeble

19. *Precedes or follows alaikumin a greeting

21. *Robin Williams' "Good Morning, ____"

23. Family memb.

24. Blood fluids

25. R&R spot

28. Standout 30. All together (2 words)

35. Crafts' companion

37. Hyperbolic tangent

39. River in Paris

40. Traditions typically passed on by word of mouth

41. Home of Darfur

43. Opposite of base

44. Carthage's ancient neighbor

46. Have supper

47. Condoleezza of politics 48. Pleasantly warm 50. Type of mine passage 52. JFK's brother 53. Famous Allen Ginsberg

poem 55. Band booking 57. *Hello in Normandy region 61. *Hello in Haifa 64. Letter-shaped girder 65. Female reproductive cells 67. Did like a lunatic

RAIN, RAIN

BY JEN A.

Rain, rain go away

You've thwarted my sales for another day

I know you make the flowers bloom

But couldn't you fall by the light of the moon

Newspaper and water do not mix

And the lightning you travel with puts me at risk

So show some compassion and do me a solid 'ey

Why not tomorrow take a sun-shiney holiday

MY DEAR AMELIA

BY JEN A.

My dear Amelia

You saw us selling our papers

There on the street corner

But you not only saw us

You thought of us afterward

And decided to do something

To help one of us

That means EVERYTHING

To a Contributor vendor

You decided to put your Piggy-bank money

Where your heart is

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

73. Precedes whiz

74. It typically has 4 doors

DOWN

1. Stars and Stripes country

2. *Unspoken greeting in France

3. Ned Stark's youngest daughter

4. Prevents one from seeing 5. Have as logical consequence 6. Mosque prayer leader 7. *Japanese greeting move

To crack, as in case

Out of shape

Kindred 11. *Hello in Spain or in Mexico

27. Places in the heart 29. Praise

Kind of hug

In

For your kindness

As Willy Wonka once said

To Charlie Bucket

"So shines your good deed

In a weary world!"

You are forever in our hearts

Much love, always Contributor vendors all

ALOFT

BY LISA A.

Embraced like a mild summer day

After the fiercest of storms, a circle of warm kind smiles.

Fist bumps, elbows graze, heads nod, we head over to the pool, bobbing, limping, wheeling, Hobbling, humping, flapping, mincing, ambling.

Splish! Splash! into the pool we go, laughing, bobbing, weaving, it’s like a bathtub full of toys with your friends. We survived the storm. Now we flock together, holding each other aloft. Contributor vendors all

Charlie, my dear friend,

I’ve been listening to your old voicemails since you died. My heart is raw from your passing, but it’s a balm to hear your gentle voice again, to hear you say “I love you” one more time. I’m finding it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I'll never again feel your reassuring hand on my shoulder. Even when your hand started to shake softly with Parkinson’s, you always steadied me, bringing me back to myself in the midst of work that was both grueling and humbling.

The weight we feel in your absence is heavy. Nothing can replace the gift of your presence, your boundless generosity, your centeredness that made us all feel at peace. To know you was to know grace and to believe in the healing power of love. You had such a knack for loving us all so well, for making us feel like we belonged and like we could trust that we were all part of something bigger than ourselves.

Did I tell you enough over the years that it was you who helped me find my voice when I was a college student? Did you understand just how much you encouraged me to hear and heed my calling out of the clamor of religious men who told me to stay silent? You came into my life in a season of uncertainty and vocational upheaval, like you did for so many. You welcomed me into this work when I was an eager, naive student, taking me under

Dear Charlie

BY LINDSEY KRINKS

your wings and inspiring me to live as if my deepest convictions were really true. Charlie, you continue to awaken a desire in all of us to be better people and to participate in the building of a better world — a world you dedicated your life to creating.

Sister Elaine Roulet, who also committed her life to others, was once asked, “how do you work with the poor?” “You don’t,” she responded. “You share your life with the poor.” This is the wisdom you embodied with your life. You knew that there was no turning back after the very first time you opened your parish doors to God’s beloved, freezing on your doorstep. The people you met who were experiencing poverty and homelessness were never just “the poor” to you. They were friends and siblings, instilled with sacred worth and dignity. You saw the best in all of us and met us where we were, no matter where that was — in the halls of power, on a college campus, beneath a bridge. You didn’t buy into the missionary model of “bringing God to the margins.” You knew that God was already there and you met Christ in those you befriended over the years.

I remember one of our first conversations sixteen long years ago. You told me and a handful of students that housing was a human right. To live without housing in our country meant to live in subhuman conditions. You reminded us that anytime the life of one person is devalued, all our lives are

devalued. This wisdom has become an integral part of our work at Open Table Nashville. I was always drawn toward your commitment to not just share in the suffering of others, but to struggle alongside them for a better world. It would be too easy to domesticate your legacy — to remember the beautiful ways you served others without also remembering the less comfortable ways you spoke truth to power and worked for justice. I remember when you were arrested on the lawn of City Hall in 2007 as you demonstrated for more affordable housing. You were friends with politicians, but never hesitated to speak out when they failed to treat others with dignity or live up to their promises.

During one of our coffee dates, you told me that you went to seminary during the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960s. Instead of sitting in your room with your books, you went out to protest. Your advocacy and activism were deeply rooted in your faith. You were a student of Catholic social teachings, the lives of the saints, and the Catholic Worker movement. You were drawn to those schools of thought and ways of living because they recognized, as James 2:26 says, that “faith without works is dead.” Saint Francis, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Oscar Romero, Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Gandhi — these were some of the people you looked up to and modeled your ministry after.

And now, friend, you’ve joined the great cloud of witnesses that continues to guide us all.

In one of your last voicemails, you quoted “the Romero prayer” that we would read often together. “We are prophets of a future not our own,” you said. I’m now holding tightly to this truth as I make sense of life without you. You helped us understand that every time we choose compassion over judgment and reconciliation over retribution, we create the Beloved Community. Every time we disrupt cycles of violence, oppression, injustice, retribution, and poverty, we prophesy a better future.

It is tempting to believe that your passing has left us in the dark. But you always used your light to awaken the light within us all. I’m trying to remember, dear friend, that your light hasn’t gone out. It’s everywhere, and it spreads everytime we fan the flames of love, justice, and hope in others. Charlie, you illuminated the way for so many of us. I pray that you’re resting now in the company of God and all those you loved and lost. I can still hear your laughter and the corny jokes you used to tell. I can still feel your love and I know that your light continues to shine from the great beyond. We love and miss you so much, and we promise to honor your legacy by carrying on the work you started. May it be so, until we meet again.

with gratitude and love, Lindsey

(LEFT) Charlie Strobel attending the Annual Homeless Memorial in 2017. (RIGHT) Charlie Strobel being arrested in 2007 during an action calling for more affordable housing. PHOTOS BY ALVINE

I remember pushing my bike up the steep drive at Room In The Inn that first chilly night in mid November, the lights sparkling through the glass facade of the first floor like a beacon of hope. I was broken, tired, and so grateful that my long journey was at an end. But as it turned out, there was no room for me that night. I was directed to the women's mission on Rosa Parks and told to come back in the morning. That was my first hint that this was not going to be easy. When there is no respite for a desperate, exhausted old woman at a place called Room In The Inn,

BY JEN A, CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

this was going to take some grit. That winter at Room In The Inn was indeed an experience that required all the grit I could muster. But it was also the most profound, healing, inspiring time of my life. I was given opportunities to learn, to share, and to be grateful for who I was. The staff wrapped me in a warm cocoon of care and encouragement, dusted me off when I fell, and sent me right back out there to fall again. They loved me in the truest sense of that word until I could love myself. It would be impossible for me to thank them enough for the kindness and

support they showed me.

And now, the man who built that citadel of love, care and kindness overlooking Nashville, Tennessee, Charles Strobel, has died. The power of his unrelenting vision to bring comfort and dignity to the least among us has been taken from us. It may well be impossible to fill the void left by his passing.

Charles Strobel was a beacon of love and light in a very weary world. To know Charlie convinced you that he actually knew God in all his goodness personally — that they dined together regularly in communion, shared their

concerns for mankind, and laughed at the same corny jokes. Charlie was a true man of God in a vast sea of pretenders. He is one of only two men I've met in my entire life about whom I can say that. Charlie was golden. We were enormously lucky to have his journey intersect ours.

Quite simply, Charles Strobel saved my life. I'm sure the tens of thousands of others he touched are thinking that same thing today. We should all be comforted to know that he is now in the loving arms of his God. May they continue to smile down on us!

A Beacon of Love and Light in a Very Weary World My Friend Charles Strobel

BY JUDITH TACKETT

As I wrote my column this week, my thoughts shifted to Charles Strobel, my friend, mentor, and hero. I don’t think I have to explain to anyone in the Nashville area who Charles Strobel was. He dedicated his life in service to others. You will be surprised that what I loved most about Charlie was not only his wisdom, generosity, giving spirit, and beautiful soul but especially his courage, fierceness, and fight. Yes, he fought for people. He fought for what he believed in. And he showed us how to do it with love, compassion, and respect.

His life has impacted so many of us. For me, his memory will continue to inspire me to keep on standing up for what is right, be open to adapt, believe that people do their best, and let love for others supersede my personal ambitions. Charlie inspires me to have the courage and continue the good fight.

In his honor, I would like to encourage you to learn about Room In The Inn, especially its winter shelter program. Please help recruit congregations to participate and be an engaged volunteer to make it happen. To get started, visit: https://www.roomintheinn. org/winter-shelter.

Remembering Father Strobel

When I met Father Strobel, I was in a bad way. I was on crack cocaine. I came out of prison in 2006 and we hit it off real quick because he’s a very lovable person and able to understand the people’s problems.

I stayed with Room In The Inn for two years until I had a place to live in a two bedroom apartment on Shelby. The thing is, I was doing great. But I got back on crack cocaine two weeks after I moved in because my neighbor blew some in my face and it triggered me. Soon after, I found myself eating out of garbage cans, stealing and burglarizing. When I stole from my family, I knew I had a problem. So, I found myself on the streets. And in 2007 I made them lock me up to

BY WILLIAM B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

get off drugs. I’ve told you that story before, but what I didn’t tel you was that when I got out in 2012 I went back to Room In The Inn and was accepted back into their program. Eventually I moved into one of their apartments and that’s where I live today.

When I met Father Strobel we sung oldies together. We sung “Last Kiss” and other songs from the late 60s, early 70s. He had a wonderful voice.

Before he got real sick he did an Easter service, and I asked him if I could sing a solo for the service. I sang “Softly and Tenderly.” This was about four years ago before the pandemic. Thing is, when I sung that song, he said, “William, when you sung that song I didn’t think

you could hold that note, but you did and you had perfect pitch.” In the next service we sang, “If I had a hammer” together.

They are holding a service at the baseball stadium for all of us homeless people who wanted to send him off. He was quite well loved and super respected. He’s got a big statue at Room In The Inn and somebody put a bunch of flowers on it. That’s love.

Father Strobel was the most forgiving person. He showed more love than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. He had open arms to everyone. He didn’t care who you were, what you did, nothing bothered him. He loved all. He loved pets too. He was one of the most gracious men

I’ve met in my life. I’ve been through quite a few services in my life, but I got more out of his services than any others because the way he treats people. I could feel it in my heart.

Three years ago, before he really got sick, he came to me and asked me to pray for him. I gave him special prayers every day.

We would also do a group prayer before the winter shelter opened each year, and I remember he was always in the crowd with us. Even though he had his own office, he loved to be among us. He was quiet until he had something to say, and then he wasn't afraid to speak up. He was like me in that way. Except one thing: he knew when to quit, and I don’t!

A photo of Charlie Strobel at his memorial service at First Horizon Park in Nashville, Tenn., on August 11. Strobel grew up near this stadium in Germantown and was a big baseball fan throughout his life.

PHOTO BY ALVINE

Could You Be the Next Joe?

Or Gisselly or Andy or Laura or Ann? The Contributor seeks volunteers

Many volunteers come to The Contributor the best way: They’ve bought a newspaper from a vendor and they want to know how they can help the organization.

Joe First, a music teacher turned Contributor volunteer, is not an exception. In 2011, he met a vendor near the

By Amanda Haggard and Chelsea Jackson

McDonalds on Broadway. He read the paper and started to look for ways to get involved. He saw his chance when he saw the paper was conducting a reader survey. He completed the survey and checked the box saying he would be willing to help as a volunteer in the future. After more than 12 years (and

with the distinction of being one of the longest serving volunteers), First is retiring.

“One of the things that I've noticed over 12 years is seeing people coming to us for the first time, distrustful. You can see whatever weight was on their shoulders, and watching that kind of

come off and away from that and for them to develop trust with us,” First says. “And I just, you know, that’s almost like the biggest payback in a way, to have these relationships with them. I’ve always volunteered my entire adult life, but that part of The Contributor has always felt really the most special.”

PHOTO BY JUSTIN WAGNER

First and others volunteer for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. shifts in The Contributor’s vendor office — their commitment allows vendors to see a familiar face and for staff at The Contributor to focus on housing programs and services. First started off unloading the newspapers on paper release days and then, when he could commit to a regular shift, came in for at least two shifts a week, often covering for other folks and filling in where needed. The basic job is working the desk and computer where vendors come to buy their papers.

As First retires and moves closer to family and to live in a retirement community in Florida, staff and vendors of The Contributor are hoping to fill his shoes.

Folks working in the office like to say a lot of magic happens there. It can be difficult, but each day is different.

“The toughest part is there can be very sad days,” First says. “The rate at which we see some of our friends go that

Top 10 Traits of a Contributor Volunteer

By Christine Doeg

Contributor Volunteers wear T-Shirts that say “Happy to Contribute.” This is perfect for two reasons. Volunteering with The Contributor is a way to truly contribute to your community in a meaningful and tangible way. The work Contributor volunteers do has a direct impact on our most vulnerable Nashville neighbors. Contributor volunteers never leave a shift feeling like they wasted their time. And despite the fact that they are often dealing with difficult situations, the staff, the other volunteers, and the people they serve are inspiring and fun to work with. Either working with Contributor Vendors makes one a better person, or only the best people show up to do this work. It’s hard to imagine a more dedicated group of people exists out there.

The Top 10 Traits of Contributor Volunteers

1. Kindness: The people we serve are on difficult journeys and Contributor Volunteers have to meet them where they are, always trying to provide a smile and a helping hand. Sometimes it’s the only one they will see all week.

2. Dedication: The Sales Office job in particular requires some training and consistency. Volunteers must be dedicated and available to fill one shift a week.

3. Adaptability: There is never a dull moment in the Contributor Sales Office. Contributor Volunteers go with the flow.

we really care about is just sad. They’re dying because of this rough lifestyle and the position they’re in and sometimes you’ll find out a year later or something.”

First says compassionate peers make coming to work in the office enjoyable, and that there’s never a day he has a volunteer shift and feels begrudged to come in.

“I hate leaving for that reason,” First says. “The Contributor’s been one of my favorite parts of Nashville and the biggest part is just being around similarly compassionate people. It has been a real plus for my life.”

Volunteers for The Contributor must be willing to have conversations. Vendors love to talk to the volunteers, and vice versa, and most of the time volunteers are the first people folks encounter at the nonprofit. First’s recommendation is to come into the office with a mindset that you can meet good people and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Some days are busier than others in the volunteer office at The Contributor. Working under pressure is important, but working with the other volunteers is just as important. First has worked with several volunteers who’ve become friends, and one who he found out he had childhood connections with: He had gone to military school with her husband.

“At times, we’ve loaded up — sometimes it was Andy [Shapiro] and sometimes Mike [Reilly] — our little pickup trucks and we’d meet and clean stuff out to take it to places where folks had just gotten into housing,” First says. “Those are the really good days, just really an exciting thing when someone gets into housing and you get to be part of it in any way. I think this is almost universal among all volunteers, but just those interactions with vendors where you see their success and their life going in some way better than it was.”

4. Computer Literacy: Our database is the envy of service organizations across the Metro area and crucial to everything we do. Sales Office volunteers must be capable of learning how to create invoices and input data. (It’s not that hard, we’ll teach ya).

5. A Sense of Humor: Because that just makes everything easier and more fun for everyone else.

6. Energy: Sometimes it can get hectic, but getting into the “flow” is invigorating.

7. A Need for Community: Not sure who you will love more, the vendors, the staff or the other volunteers.

8. Availability: See No. 2. We know it’s not for everyone, but if you have free time during the week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. there is no better way to spend it.

9. Patience: Above all else, our vendors need understanding and empathy.

10. Problem Solving Skills: Everyday is different and every vendor has a different story and different needs.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN WAGNER

"Michael" | BY CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR AARON S.

This is a celebration of life of artist Dylan Ruff (2000-2023). He was a Belmont Alumni who loved people and life. His music is on Spotify under artist name Dyylan. |

BY CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR WENDELL J. #5314

From the Bookshelf

Jen A. Reccommends

I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, By Lorrie Moore

“Failure is how you meet people. Failure is how you sometimes get strong.”

— Lorrie Moore

So much of what happens in our lives is out of our control. Relationships are forged and evaporate into thin air at the whim of the universe. It's how we handle those sometimes devastating moments of happenstance that tests our ability to rely on our fundamental core beliefs of who we are. Life leaves a mark and we are often haunted by all that has come before.

Lorrie Moore's I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home , sets us down gently into the eye of a whirlpooling primordial soup of life, love, loss and carrying on. Moore roots Finn, her protagonist, in the reality of an experience everyone living has probably had. But it is a difficult, painful experience. So

she sends Finn out to distract himself from his original pain with another even more difficult to manage pain.

He embarks on an extraordinary magical mystery road trip with a sort-of-dead therapy clown. There is also a very clever interstitial vining throughout the novel of letters from a Civil War era boardinghouse owner to her sister. All of these seemingly disparate threads come together with ease in the end. Though she is mostly celebrated for her short story collections, I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home is Moore's first novel in 14 years. It is a mesmerizing and deeply satisfying tale, well worth the wait. It tells us that those we love, whom we often fail, will always be with us — haunting us from the great beyond. As someone who is haunted, I found it warmly, reassuringly comforting. Carry on!

My grandmother was a suffragist. She fought hard and picketed on President Wilson’s White House lawn, or as close as she could get to it!

Therefore, I am not recused from voting, no matter how much of a burden it feels.

I did have fun voting for mayor and council members this August 3. I got to personally talk with each representative interested in representing my area. They actually responded well to receiving The Contributor and promised to read my articles.

I had some great teachers in grade school and high school, who taught a thing that I noticed is no longer being taught. That is what is now known as Critical Thinking: how to notice when someone is framing the argument for you instead of allowing you to look at the facts and frame the questions yourself.

Socrates was the first known scholar to develop the ideas behind rational analysis.

When people only react randomly or emotionally, without really being able to evaluate underlying motives, we have a disaster.

Propaganda was used to chilling effect on

Vote Matters

BY LISA A., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

the under educated German population before World War II.

We think we have developed more savvy, but the truth is that many people in the South and in poor populations that are mined for soldiers, janitors and factory workers are taught to respect and obey authority.

Of course, respecting someone who has more responsibilities than you is wise. But questioning authority is our civic duty. Because of the hard work that the Vietnam Veterans did to enable soldiers to have a few rights when fighting a war, we now all have the responsibility to challenge authority figures if we see that they are heading down a destructive or immoral path.

This law is framed as “ The Duty to Disobey.” Naturally, there are very restricted circumstances under which this is OK, but if you ignore it, you could also be thrown in jail for violating the Constitution of the United States, committing a crime, or “just following orders.”

In voting, the same ideas apply. Trump decided to accuse the U.S. Postal Service of mishandling our mail, so the written ballots would not

be admissible in our voting process. Millions of people ignored him.

The startling results brought up the suspicion that perhaps our voting machines are still unethical.

Who knows how far Diebold Nixdorf's influence stretches? Machines and computers most certainly can easily be tampered with. We had real voting results when everyone decided to mail in their ballots. What is your opinion on this?

If my suspicions are correct, then perhaps we should adopt a method that Canada uses. It is super high-tech. They use pen and paper. There are citizens supervising the papers when they get put in the ballot boxes, and there are quite a few citizens of all political persuasions supervising the ballot count. Because they stretch so far from west to east, by the time the eastern votes are counted, all the other votes are already counted. So there is no real delay in the tally.

This reminds me of when the Soviets were ahead of us in documenting what they were observing in space because their astronauts

Spotlight on Chelsea Jackson

BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Readers of The Contributor, remember when I said you’d read more about Chelsea later in her very own Spotlight? Well, that time has come, and you didn’t have long to wait!

Meet our new Office Manager Chelsea Jackson! Chelsea is 22 and she grew up in East Nashville. She's in her final year at Belmont where she studies journalism.

When she was very young she saw Contributor vendor John G. who used to dress in costumes as a clown and as Super Mario, and let’s just say, it made an impression!

Those early interactions peeked her curiosity about the issues that face our society, and eventually led to her peering deeper into those issues that people don’t like or want to talk about like homelessness and injustice.

In contrast to the majority of people, Chelsea

WANTS to talk about/write about these issues.

She pointed out that The Contributor is one of the last print newspapers in existence that

Kid's Corner

were able to just use pencil and paper instead of waiting for a high-tech company to develop a pen that would write in space.

Many times, the best solution is the simplest. It is the one that already exists.

So, as women, poor folk, [there are many more poor women than men, BTW] and other groups who have been traditionally marginalized, it is our duty to study up as best we can, ask lots of questions, pester the librarians and generally make a nuisance of ourselves in order to try to understand issues of our day. To know the people who would like to show up on our behalf in various committee meetings, etc.

It is also our duty to pester the people we actually vote for! This is onerous. It’s a lot like paying bills. But perhaps if we all devoted, maybe 15 minutes to half an hour per week into just looking at things and the people who run our government, not relying on other hucksters, or people who make money off of selling scare tactics but on actual facts, we could be worthy of our grandmothers’ efforts.

deals with these types issues. She went on to say that this opportunity has given her the chance to chase her dreams.

Her journey began at The Contributor as an editorial intern, learning the ropes of the newspaper business from our co-editor Linda Bailey.

So what exactly does she do for the paper? In her latest role as Office Manager, she currently maintains the schedule for ALL the volunteers.

What does she hope to accomplish during her time here? She wants to learn as much as she can from the people here, and become a better writer, to that end she also writes a weekly newsletter for The Contributor.

From her vantage point, having grown up here, she feels Nashville is often portrayed in the media as all sunshine and roses, while the real issues remain hidden, covered up.

Illustration By Jen A.

She wants to uncover and expose “real issues” that affect people in our community.

To give you one example, during the course of this interview she cited The Riverchase Development. (Something I was not familiar with.) It was an apartment complex that was torn down and replaced by a multipurpose development. Displaced residents were supposed to be able to move back in with rental assistance, but even with the rental assistance, it’ll still be to expensive for many of the former residents to return.

This is just one example of the “real issues” highlighted by Chelsea, and things like this are becoming more and more common in our area.

I can’t wait to see what other hidden gems she uncovers, and what other accomplishments she achieves as her journey continues with The Contributor!

HOBOSCOPES

LEO

Maybe we’re turning a corner, Leo. Maybe this is the last of the hard stuff. Maybe just over that horizon there’s another horizon. And just over that one is a place where you’ll be able to breathe and rest and think. But maybe not, Leo. And I’m pretty sure you deserve to breathe and rest and think even if the hard stuff isn’t over yet. This week, take those moments where you can get them. You’ll be ready for what’s past that next horizon.

VIRGO

What’s in your lunchbox today, Virgo?

I’ve got a peanut butter and honey sandwich, some carrot-sticks, and another one of those weird sugar-free lemon bars. If I give you half of the sandwich and all the carrot-sticks, could I have one of your doughnut-wedges? Sure, a good trade benefits both parties, Virgo. But you’ve got an awful lot of doughnut-wedges. Maybe the benefit you need is knowing that by giving up your surplus, you’ve helped to end lack. Carrot sticks are pretty good, too, though.

LIBRA

I don’t like mosquitoes, Libra, but I’ve also never been a fan of smashing them. Mostly I just don’t like the idea of ending possibilities. What if the mosquito I smashed was one of the good ones. Sure, she’s having a little sip of blood right now, but later today she’s volunteering serving broccoli casserole at the old-mosquitoes home? I’m not saying you should put up with having your blood sucked. I’m just asking you to consider options besides eradication.

SCORPIO

Once again I consulted The Stars on your behalf, Scorpio. But The Stars only reminded me that after thousands of successful years, astrology has rebranded as the letter “Y.” They said that my username would stay the same, but that I would need to update my password. But since I didn’t remember my old password, The Stars said I could create a new account but I wouldn’t be able to consult anymore unless I upgraded to something called “Y+.” What I’ve learned, Scorpio, is that change is hard and sometimes it seems unnecessary. But we move with it and we grow, Scorpio. Also, do you have a Y+ invite-code?

SAGITTARIUS

Alright, so that was a number 6 combo with no onions and a large sweet tea, an order of cheesy-tots, a fudgemint shake, and extra napkins. Can I get a name for the order? Just a name we can call so you know when it’s ready? Come on, buddy. It’s not a big thing. It’s just that if you’re going to get all the good stuff that’s coming your way, it seems like you should know who you know who you are first. It doesn’t have to be permanent. Just who you are today. Sagittarius? That was my favorite aunt’s name! Your order will be up soon.

CAPRICORN

This school year is off to a great start, Capricorn! Things are really coming together. You’ve got your lunch-friends and your band-friends and your waiting-for-the-bus friends. I just hope all these new groups of friends are getting to know the real you, Capricorn. It’s not worth faking it just to fit in. It’s fine to go wide, just don’t forget to go deep too.

AQUARIUS

Am I sweating too much, Aquarius? Did you notice it when I came in? It’s just terribly humid out there and I was jogging a little bit on my way over here because by the time I parked I was 10 minutes late. And I wore this light blue shirt that always makes me look extra sweaty. This reminds me of that time I told you not to worry about what other people think. And how you said that it’s not as easy as it sounds. And then I asked you if I was sweating too much.

PISCES

Everybody squeeze in for the group photo! You should take the picture, Pisces, you’ve got the longest arm. Is everybody in the frame? Move it out just a little bit, Pisces. Just a little bit more. Wait, that’s too far. We’re all getting so tiny in the frame. Seriously. Pisces, that’s too far. How are you even holding the phone that far away? I’m just a little dot in the corner now. And now all you can see is the bending horizon of the planet earth. Your ability to back up and get perspective is astonishing, Pisces. It’s a useful skill. But in this moment, we need you closer. Looking at all our faces. Remembering who you are.

ARIES

Did you just hear somebody say “Crunch!” Aries? Oh wait that must have been this single dry leaf I just stepped on on the sidewalk. It must have fallen from one of these trees that’s gently blowing in this subtly-cooling wind. Things are starting to change around here, Aries. Little bits at a time the greens are evaporating into browns. One of these mornings it’s going to be a whole new season. I think you’ll be ready. If you start to doubt it, close your eyes and say “Crunch!”

TAURUS

I tried to get my editor to let me add a graphic of a little red circle next to your name with the number 192 in it. I thought it would give you a little jolt of anxiety, as though you had 192 unread horoscopes that you needed to deal with and then after a moment you would breathe a sigh of relief as you realized that there was only the one horoscope here and that you don’t even have to read it if you don’t want to. You certainly don’t have to respond. It’s amazing the emotional influence those little red circles with the numbers in them have, Taurus. Maybe they should have less.

GEMINI

What do you think ever happened to that pet-store box-turtle that we set free in the backyard, Gemini? Mom bought him for your birthday that summer, but he bit you when you tried to feed him lettuce. So I thought if he didn’t want to be our friend, we could just let him go outside. I did see him one more time that next year. He was crawling under our deck with your initials still nail-polished on his shell. But never after that. It’s hard to keep track, Gemini, of all the things you let go of. I guess that’s the point. But it doesn’t mean you can’t still love them a little.

CANCER

I like the part at the end of the shopping trip where I get to push my empty cart through the parking lot and into the cart-return-area and it folds in with the other carts and they form a giant multi-wheeled super monster-cart. Then the guy pushes that giant monster-cart back into the store and it’s ready for action again. It reminds me of you, Cancer, how you roll around feeling like all you need is your own four wheels and sturdy frame. But if you’ll just get in here with the rest of us we can really become something truly great.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a certified group photographer or a trained grocery-cart returnist. Listen to the Mr. Mysterio podcast at mrmysterio.com Or just give him a call at 707-VHS-TAN1

The New Christian Year

Selected by Charles Williams

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—but he was arguably the most precocious and well-read of this eminent and intellectually fertile group. He was also known to have influenced Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden. Lacking a proper degree unlike his fellow Inklings, this genius Cockney-speaking author, editor, critic, and playwright was eminently well-versed in both philosophical and theological writings of the remote past as of the present day (the mid-20th century) and used this familiarity to good effect in his poetry, supernatural fiction and his lesser-known devotional selections designed for the spiritual benefit of the faithful in the Church of England. This series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year, beginning with Advent (i.e., December) and ending in November, and reaches far beyond the pale of the philosophical and theological discussions of his day. It was under his hand, for instance, that some of the first translations of Kierkegaard were made available to the wider public. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

11th Wednesday after Trinity

I CAN find no simile more appropriate than water by which to explain spiritual things, as I am very ignorant and have poor wits to help me. Besides I love this element so much that I have studied it more attentively than other things. God, Who is so great, so wise, has doubtless hidden secrets in all things He created, which we should greatly benefit by knowing, as those say who understand such matters.

St Teresa: The Interior Castle

11th Thursday after Trinity

LIGHT is all things, and no thing. It is no thing because it is supernatural; it is all things because every good power and perfection of everything is from it. No joy or rejoicing in any creature but from the power and joy of light. No meekness, benevolence, or goodness, in angel, man, or any creature, but where light is the lord of its life. Life itself begins no sooner, rises no higher, has no other glory than as the light begins it and leads it on. Sounds have no softness, flowers and gums have no sweetness, plants and fruits have no growth but as the mystery of light opens itself in them. Whatever is delightful and ravishing, sublime and glorious, in spirits, minds, or bodies, either in heaven or on earth, is from the power of the supernatural light opening its endless wonders in them.

William Law: The Spirit of Love.

11th Friday after Trinity

READING is good, hearing is good, conversation and meditation are good; but then, they are only good at times and occasions, in a certain degree, and must be used and governed with such caution as we eat and drink and refresh ourselves, or they will bring forth in us the fruits of intemperance. But the spirit of prayer is for all times and all occasions, it is a lamp that is to be always burning, a light to be ever shining; everything calls for it, everything is to be done in it and governed by it, because it is and means and wills noting else but the whole totality of the soul, not doing this or that, but wholly incessantly given up to God to be where and what and how He pleases.

William Law: Letters

11th Saturday after Trinity

FOR all other creatures and their works—yea, and the works of God himself—may a man through grace have fullness of knowing, and well can he think of them; but of God himself can no man think. And therefore I would leave all that thing that I can think, and choose to my love that thing I cannot think. For why, he may well be loved but not thought. By love may he be gotten and holden; but by thought never.

The Cloud of Unknowing.

ALTHOUGH it be good to think upon the kindness of God, and to love him and praise him for it: yet it is far better to think upon the naked being of him, and to love him and praise him for himself.

The Cloud of Unknowing.

Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

EVERY thing that works in nature and creature, except sin, is the working of God in nature and creature. The creature has nothing else in its power but the free use of its will; and its free will has no other power but that of concurring with or resisting the working of God in nature. The creature with its free will can bring nothing into being nor make any alteration in the working of nature, it can only change its own state or place in the working of nature, and so feel and find something in its state that it did not feel or find before.

William Law: The Spirit of Love

12th Monday after Trinity

VIRTUE is nought else but an ordered and a measured affection, plainly directed unto God for himself. For why, he in himself is the clean cause of all virtues: insomuch, that if any man be stirred to any virtue by any other cause mingled with him—yea, though he be the chief—yet that virtue is then imperfect. As thus for example, may be seen in one virtue or two instead of all the other; and well may these two virtues be meekness and charity. For whoso might get these two clearly, he needeth no more: for why, he hath all. The Cloud of Unknowing.

12th Tuesday after Trinity

EVEN one unruly desire, though not a mortal sin, sullies and deforms the soul, and indisposes it for the perfect union with God, until it be cast away.

St John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel

OUR souls may lose their peace and even disturb other people's if we are always criticising trivial actions which often are not real defects at all, but we construe them wrongly through ignorance of their motives.

St Teresa: The Interior Castle

12th Wednesday after Trinity

ABBA Agathon used to say to himself, whensoever he saw any act or anything which his thought wished to judge or condemn, "Do not commit the thing thyself," and in this manner he quieted his mind, and held his peace.

The Paradise of the Fathers

VEX not yourselves with trivialities; ye were not made for things, and the glory of the world is but a travesty of truth, only a heresy of happiness.

Eckhart: Sayings.

The Feast of St Bartholomew

NATURAL religion, if you understand it rightly, is a most excellent thing, it is a right sentiment of heart, it is so much goodness in the heart, it is its sensibility both of its separation from its relation to God; and therefore it shows itself in nothing but in a penitential sentiment of the weight of its sins, and in an humble recourse by faith to the mercy of God. Call but this the religion of nature and then the more you esteem it, the better; for you cannot wish well to it without bringing it to the Gospel state of perfection.

For the religion of the Gospel is this religion of penitence and faith in the mercy of God, brought forth into its full perfection. For the Gospel calls you to nothing but to know and understand and practise a full and real penitence, and to know by faith such heights and depths of the divine mercy towards you, as the religion of nature had only some little uncertain glimmerings of.

William Law: A Demonstration

12th Thursday after Trinity

WE repeat the Scriptures with our mouth, and we go though the Psalms of David in our service, but that which God requireth, and which is necessary, we have not, that is to say, a good word for each other.

The Paradise of the Fathers

DO not despise or think lightly of him that standeth before thee, for thou knowest not whether the Spirit of God is in thee or in him, though thou callest him who standeth before thee him that ministereth unto thee.

The Paradise of the Fathers

12th Friday after Trinity

WHILE thou still wishest better to thine own person than to that man whom thou hast never seen thou art beside the mark, nor hast thou even for an instant seen into this simple ground.

Eckhart: Sermons and Collations

A HOLY man once bethought himself how painful it must have been to God to have been seen by his enemies when he was taken prisoner. Our Lord answered him: "My enemies appeared unto Me in my presence as friends, who wished to help me in carrying out the sweetest and most desirable work that I ever worked in my life."

Tauler: Sermons.

12th Saturday after Trinity

WE pray God that his, "will be done on earth," in us, "as it is in heaven," in God himself. A man of this sort is so one, so one-willed with God that he wills exactly what God wills and in the way God wills it.

Eckhart: The Book of Benedictus

NO knowledge, therefore, and no conceptions in this mortal life can serve as proximate means of this high union of the love of God. All that the understanding can comprehend; all that the will may be satisfied with; and all that the imagination may conceive, is most unlike unto God, and most disproportionate to Him.

St John of the Cross:

Ascent of Mount Carmel

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

LOVE is a grace that loves God for Himself, and our neighbors for God. The consideration of God's goodness and bounty, the experience of those profitable and excellent emanations from Him, may be and most commonly are, the first motive of our love; but when we are once entered, and have tasted the goodness of God, we loved the spring for its own excellency, passing from passion to reason, from thanksgiving to adoring, from sense to spirit, from considering ourselves to an union with God: and this is the image and little representation of heaven; it is beatitude in picture, or rather the infancy and beginnings of glory.

Jeremy Taylor: Holy Living

13th Monday after Trinity

I LIVE in Meshech which they say signifies Prolonging, in Kedar which signifies Blackness; yet the Lord forsaketh me not. Though he do prolong, yet he will, I trust, bring me to his tabernacle, his resting-place. My soul is with the congregation of the first-born, my body rests in hope, and if here I may honour my God, either by doing or suffering, I shall be most glad.

Oliver Cromwell: Letters

WE naturalize ourselves, to the employment of eternity.

Benjamin Whichcote: Aphorisms

13th Tuesday after Trinity

DIDST thou ever decry a glorious eternity in a winged moment of Time? Didst thou ever see a bright Infinite in the narrow point of an Object? Then thou knowest what Spirit means—that spire-top whither all things ascend harmoniously, where they meet and sit connected in an unfathomed Depth of Life.

Peter Sterry: Rise, Race, and Royalty of the Kingdom of God

GOD giveth a man the opportunity to repent as long as he wisheth to do, and in proportion as he wisheth.

The Paradise of the Fathers

Pieces of Poetry

Flying a Sign?

WRITTEN BY CHRIS SCOTT FIESELMAN

This thing that I’m doing in The Contributor, I’m wondering why? And what it’s all for?

Calling it “Pieces of Poetry”

To get more people to know about me. I’m sorry I don’t sing or play an instrument, But there are people out there who really can! Who understand, what that means? In God’s Grander Plan.

“Do no hurt and do no harm, Whoever strikes first is always wrong” That makes sense. Shouldn’t it be something? Someone says in a song? Isn’t that where Rare Poetry belongs? There… And in the hands of those so desperate, They’re barely hanging on?

“I can almost hear the Music” Of the things worth being said. But without the music all they are, Are words worth being read! Newspapers are becoming a thing of the past. Every new issue is somewhat familiar, But… Somehow different from the last. Not every city has a street-paper, Uniquely like, The Contributor. New possibilities, published every two weeks, We need now more than ever before. Something to share from the people out there, Who used to be flying a sign! Something new, for them to do, To prove to you they’re trying… By selling something worth buying.

The one thing they need a lot more than cash, Is to wake in the morning with an All Day Bus Pass, And the latest issue of The Contributor, Saying… Hey… For God’s sake… Take the Better Offer… To become a vendor, you have to attend a class. To get there and back, takes an All Day Bus Pass.

Begging to me is… Take… Take… Take… Giving nothing back in return. Selling the paper is money you make, You can honestly say that you’ve earned. And that’s just a start, and it’s just a small part, Of how the paper helps those in need. Food stamps and housing and recovery programs, To help them get back on their feet again, And find a way to succeed.

That’s how I survived for seven years, As a songwriter, having my work appear, Time after time. Again and again. If it worked for me, it will work for them, Foar a paper wroth more than the money that’s spent, With “Pieces of Poetry” published regularly,

Written by Chris Scott Fieselman…

No Camping!

WRITTEN BY CHRIS SCOTT FIESELMAN

I get to connect with them every two weeks. To reach them and teach them through poetry. I consider it an Honor and a Responsibility, To be the one telling, A Songwriter’s Story…

All that you own or all that you’ve known, Which is more important?

All that you’ve done that mattered to someone, Did it really make a difference?

I guess in a way, I do play an instrument. My instrument is, The English Language. I reckon that’s why, I’m what Nashville considers, A Poet Lyricist.

But it takes a friend who’s a true musician, To find the Melody Line and Chords. To turn the words of a Lyricist, Into something so much more… A Song…

But I’m still here. My words still appear. After fourteen years. God’s still always near. It ain’t easy being me. It takes a lot to look this good. My life being told through poetry, And clearly understood.

And a documentary called, “Saint Cloud Hill” That Nashville never answered for, And probably never will…

The People in Power can do as they please, WIth the money intended to help those in need. They make a great salary to offer solutions, They know will never succeed.

“Give them fair warning and then on that day,” The city can legally haul it away. So much for Life and Liberty.

I remember the day that it happened to me. After seven years learning to live in a tent, Like a pioneer sharing my experience. Teaching them scouting and how to camp, Gave them a place to begin again. They felt like they were part of a community. Where they could learn how to stand, On their own two feet. Right where God wanted them to be, Taking on responsibility. But sadly, City Leaders, Firmly Disagree. The homeless are simply a Social Disease, It’s best to consider them the enemy, And a burden upon our economy. So… What are the chances?

They’ll give up the land?

And consent to teach people to live in a tent, Till the day they can afford Apartment Rent? In Nashville that will never happen…

Riley Baxter: A Man in Service

BY DANIEL H., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

It’s rare to come across people nowadays who are purely driven by spiritual faith. A man devoted to his community as a spiritual counselor who reads words from a book and applies them on a daily basis.

In the past year, I have had the opportunity to observe Mr. Baxter at the help center where he volunteers as a case worker to God. Spiritually leading his community family on a weekly adventure through a very old book. We get to experience stories of people who give living knowledge of a better life. Prior to the reading we are always asked about our week, or at least one good thing that we have experienced during the week. We have grown through our shared experiences as a family.

In today’s time being homeless is not a choice we take lightly. Imagine not knowing where to sleep or eat, and if we can survive to see the morning sun as it touches our face to remind us we are alive. Now imagine not having family or even friends to share our daily stories with. The stories read to us connect us to people who give survival advice. Thousands of years old stories are as relevant today as the day they were written.

Pastor Riley also dedicates his time at his house on Monetta Avenue, The Church of the Living God. On Sunday morning, at 9 a.m. he begins his day with a smile and calming voice, which he uses to greet his congregation. There are ministers in service all over the world, and then there is Minister Riley Baxter who rises from his needs only to listen to the people/community/congregation as they

Riley Baxter. PHOTO BY DANIEL H.

ask relevant questions concerning their lives. His advice is/will always come from scripture. In these words he knows for sure he will give sound advice to any who will listen. The door to his house is always open. If you wish to stop by to meet him as I did, you will come away at the end of your day feeling better and happier than you have in a long time. His family/congregation is non judgemental. They too will greet you with a hug and you will hear laughter as people share their lives with each other. This story is not as much about the Bible, but rather who you/we are and how we treat each other. Love and respect anyone who you are around and listen to what is being asked. Please don’t judge harshly at what is being said. We all don’t have the same advantages or lifestyle. But we all are humans and share a hope for a better tomorrow. Thank you Minister Riley Baxter for being in our lives. You have surely made a difference.

Our Almighty Creator's Answers Are Yes, No And Wait

BY MAURICE B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Following our almighty creator's structure and will, we can and should realize that through our prayers and meditation comes His answers in the form of yes, no, and wait.

We have been informed by many that we have turned to wait upon Him, that He will provide us all that we need while we search for immediate answers to circumstances and or situations in or on our path and journey of life. We search for immediate results, taking the difficult circumstance or situations into our own hands.

We humans plot and plan for certain issues to occur in certain manners, our almighty creator is the best of planners. He is the creator of all circumstances and situations. He has already foreseen all of our destinies. Yes with a clear mind and consciousness, we all are in control of our destiny and that's only by placing His structure and will before our own. By lining our will up with His there is more prosperity in and of life.

For instance, the government has structured rules and regulations to be abided by, but many of them have been

changed and or modified over periods. Our almighty creator's will and law never change. For instance, all humans must eat, drink and breathe to continue to live, which is all by our almighty creator's structure and will. No one has any sayings or dealings with, without following His will. A small example is an elderly woman that was in a terrible automobile collision and was taken to a hospital. She was released from the hospital some months later in a wheelchair and upon her return for a follow up they had to admit her because of stomach problems. It was so severe that they had to take her immediately into surgery. After surgery was completed and she was returned to her room the doctor informed the family members of the bad news that she had one month to six weeks to live. Now, today, 10 years later through our almighty creator's structured will she is helping by feeding homeless individuals during her spare time and is going back to school. In all actuality, she has experienced all of our almighty creator's answers while and as she is going through life.

Girls, guns and Quentin Tarantino at the Belcourt’s Lovers on the Lam series

BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC

One of the best things about having an art house like the Belcourt Theatre here in Nashville is that local movie mavens are constantly treated to curated series spotlighting specific stars, genres and themes. The recent, excellent, 1973 series profiled a particularly great year in cinema, focusing on the films of the New Hollywood movement — the greatest era in all of movies. And the Belcourt's ongoing Music City Monday programming puts cinema’s best melodies and harmonies on the big screen — and in the big speakers! — where they belong.

This summer, the Belcourt treats film buffs to Lovers on the Lam — a selection of crime flicks that live up to Jean-Luc Godard’s maxim that, “all you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.” Godard was a huge early influence on the young Quentin Tarantino, and this series includes the two of the best movies the Knoxville Kid never directed.

During my second year in Nashville, back in the early 1990s, my roommate and I moved into one half of a duplex in the Berry Hill neighborhood. The other half was occupied by a pair of sisters,

and the one who shared my interests worked for a music artist management agency. She knew I was into films, and one day she let me borrow a copy of Quentin Tarantino’s original screenplay for Oliver Stone’s psycho-satire masterpiece, Natural Born Killers — literally an unbound manuscript in a box. Stone’s 1994 film differs significantly — especially in tone — from Tarantino’s version. Tarantino went to war with the director and film, and demanded that his name be removed from its credits. Stone made a searing and schizo satire about the dehumanizing nature of celebrity culture. Natural Born Killers is emblematic of Stone’s go-for-broke cinema and it’s one of the director’s best. When the screenplay was finally published in 2000, QT fans could finally howl at Tarantino’s version, which reads as a disturbingly funny dark comedy more than a surreal social commentary. This one is a don’t-miss for the Rodney Dangerfield cameo alone.

Tarantino hated what Oliver Stone did to Natural Born Killers , but he loved what Tony Scott did with his screenplay for True Romance. Clarence (Christian Slater doing his

best Tarantino imitation) and Alabama (Rosanna Arquette as his counterpart) come into possession of a suitcase full of cocaine in Detroit. They drive to Los Angeles where they hope to sell it to a Hollywood big shot.

Scott’s 1993 film straight-

ens-out Tarantino’s originally fractured timeline and also manages to save Clarence’s life — Tarantino kills Clarence in the iconic hotel shootout in the original screenplay. Despite the changes, Tarantino embraced Scott’s romantic take on the film and it’s hard to even think

about this movie without the transcendent joy of its closing scene. True Romance is a great guy-gal-guns flick, but it’s the performances of its off-thecharts ensemble cast that make this one a timeless classic. Slater and Arquette are irresistible. Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, and James Gandolfini make for a terrific trio of baddies, and I’m still quoting Brad Pitt from this movie.

Lovers on the Lam kicked off on Saturday, Aug. 12, with Arthur Penn’s bloody valentine classic, Bonnie and Clyde . Alfred Hitchcock’s seminal 1935 thriller, The 39 Steps is up next on Saturday and Sunday, August 19-20. The stylized and surreal Senegalese robbing and romance road trip film, Touki Bouki screens on Tuesday, August 22, and Sunday, Aug. 27. Natural Born Killers plays on Monday, Aug. 28, and True Romance screens on Friday, Sept. 1, and Monday, Sept. 4. Go to www.belcourt.org for the full schedule, times and tickets.

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.

“The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

LOCALES

G R AT I S

Agosto/2 2023

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.

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L L a a N N ticia ticia

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Ethan van Thillo: La importante visión juvenil y LGBT en el cine del futuro

Viene de la edición #374

La Comunidad

LGTBQ…

La participación de alrededor de 15 proyecciones de temática LGTBQ en el festival demuestra la importancia que se le da a la inclusión y a la representación de todas las voces en la industria cinematográfica.

MP: ¿Cuál es la importancia que esto implica en la diversidad de comunidades estadounidense?

Ethan van Thillo: “Cuando empezamos el festival no hubo otros festivales como el nuestro, que estaba celebrando el cine latino, también celebrando la diversidad como LGBTQ el cine gay y para nosotros eso fue muy importante, exhibir películas que tratan de estos temas o que apoyan a estos cineastas. Nosotros no queremos competir con otros festivales en el mundo o tratar de ser el festival más grande del mundo, lo más importante para nosotros es exhibir películas que son interesantes para nuestros asistentes aquí, o para las personas que viven aquí en esta región.

Eso es lo bueno y estamos trabajando con diferentes organizaciones aquí en San Diego, por ejemplo, trabajamos con el Festival de Cine Gay que se llama Filmout San Diego; también trabajamos con la organización San Diego Pride, y cada película o cada show tiene diferentes organizaciones en donde estamos trabajando con ellos, con temas de inmigración o temas de vivienda o temas de salud. Es importante que nosotros siempre nos enfocamos en nuestra comunidad y nos enfocamos en las organizaciones que están trabajando con las comunidades aquí en esta región.”

Visiones Juveniles (Youth Visions) … Este año, alrededor de 20 cortometrajes realizados por jóvenes cineastas fueron presentados en el Youth Visions. Abarcando una amplia variedad de temas, desde problemas sociales, políticos, personales y cotidianos.

MP: ¿Cuál es el valor que tiene este segmento para el festival?

Ethan van Thillo: “Pues para mí es uno de los segmentos más importantes de nuestro festival. Además de organizar el Festival de

Cine Latino, también tenemos programas educativos aquí en nuestra organización, que se llama Media Arts. Center San Diego. Ya tiene como 23 años que estamos trabajando con jóvenes en muchas diferentes partes del condado. Son jóvenes que usualmente no tienen esa oportunidad de tener equipo de producción o muchos de ellos son inmigrantes, refugiados o están aprendiendo inglés todavía, pues es muy importante que este programa exista para que ellos puedan contar sus propias historias, para que ellos puedan aprender, usar la tecnología, computadoras, cámaras y todo eso. ¿Para qué? Para cualquier cosa que hagan en el futuro ellos ya tienen la capacidad de contar sus propias historias y usar el equipo. Y empezamos hace veintitrés años más o menos educando a estos jóvenes y luego decidimos que es muy importante que no solamente trabajemos con ellos y ellos hagan sus producciones, pero es muy importante para los jóvenes que muestren sus trabajos en la pantalla grande y luego celebremos su éxito, ¿no? y que ellos también aprendan como cineastas que significa introducir sus películas frente de un público, hacer preguntas y dar respuestas después y todo eso. Esto es toda una experiencia para ellos, también muchos de ellos han participado en entrevistas de la prensa; pues aprenden a hacer eso. Pues sí, es algo muy importante del festival, porque la verdad es muy importante la juventud ¿no? si la juventud no está participando contando sus propias historias o haciendo sus propias producciones, o si ellos

Conoce tus derechos:

¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?

no están yendo al festival, el festival no tiene mucho futuro. Eso es una de las cosas más difíciles en esta época donde estamos ahorita con el festival que estamos celebrando 30 años es maravilloso, pero la verdad es que es el futuro, ¿no? Y el futuro son los jóvenes, que si ellos no quieren ir a cine a ver una película en la pantalla grande va a ser muy difícil o si no quieren salir de sus casas porque están mirando solamente YouTube, vamos a tener hay que ser un festival para ellos, hay que cambiar a ver que quieren ellos. Además del programa como mencionaste, también tenemos muestras gratis para todos, muchas escuelas se llama Tu Cine y llegaron casi 2000 estudiantes de martes a viernes de diferentes escuelas por el condado de San Diego y ellos miraron algunas películas, conocieron algunos cineastas y actores. Y además de enseñar como producir películas de videos, es importante enseñar a los jóvenes como ir a un cine y que significa ir a un cine, toda la experiencia de todo eso, porque si no vamos a perder este público del futuro.”

Estrellas de Hollywood…

Un festival que no solo convoca a miles de personas, también congrega numerosos artistas consagrados de la cinematografía latinoamericana y española, que posteriormente los vemos brillar en la escena hollywoodense. Aquí por mencionar algunos: Guillermo del Toro: director mexicano ganador de dos premios Óscar por "La forma del agua" y "El laberinto del fauno".

televisión como "Narcos México" y "The Strain" el homenaje recibido en el SDLFF reconoce su contribución al cine latinoamericano y su trayectoria.

MP: ¿Ya, se consideran algunos nombres para el próximo 2024? Ethan van Thillo: “Uf! No, todavía, en verdad no sabemos. La verdad es que, si tú ves nuestra historia, han llegado personas como Alfonso Cuarón, Diego Luna, Gael Bernal, Kate del Castillo, han llegado muchas personas y muchos de ellos llegaron antes que eran famosos, la verdad y ahora cada año es más difícil que lleguen porque primero están muy ocupados muchos de ellos están haciendo programas de series de televisión en Netflix y todo eso, pues es muy difícil de invitar un actor conocido porque andan muy ocupados y cada año es más difícil, a la última hora es cuando nos dicen ay, pues sí puedo venir, no estoy actuando y no es una cosa que es un año antes, que vamos a saber. Mira, es la misma cosa, con las películas, porque tenemos todo un proceso de selección, una convocatoria recibimos 600 o más películas cada año y es todo un proceso de mirar las películas y que haya un comité un jurado y dura muchos meses para ser todo eso y por eso es muchas veces a última hora anunciamos las películas o anunciamos quién viene y todo.”

Lo que se viene… MP: Para terminar con nuestra entrevista, Ethan la comunidad latina esperará con ansias el desarrollo de la próxima edición del festival.

¿Hay algo que vaya a cambiar o aumentar o podría darnos algún adelanto de lo que se vendrá el próximo año?

Ethan van Thillo: “El próximo año yo creo que es importante, como mencioné, que el festival se enfoque en la juventud. El mundo ha cambiado drásticamente, el mundo del cine ha cambiado, especialmente durante la pandemia, el público, la verdad, muchos de ellos no están yendo al cine, ha cambiado. A veces van a ver películas como Top Gun y todo eso, pero yo creo que eso tiene que cambiar un poco. Por ejemplo, tiene que tener una sección de TikTok, tiene que tener una sección de YouTube, hay que cambiar un poco y a ver quiénes son los asistentes del futuro ¿no? y a ver cómo podemos alcanzar y trabajar con ellos también, eso es lo que tiene que ser el festival, es cambiar un poco porque ha cambiado el mundo del cine y va a ser muy interesante ver si los cines de Estados Unidos con cines de 20 salas vayan a durar la verdad, en el futuro no sabemos, tienen que ver hacia el futuro.”

5. No revelar su situación migratoria

6. No llevar documentación de otro país

7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.

Gael García Bernal: Actor y director mexicano conocido por su participación en películas como "Amores perros" y "Diarios de motocicleta".

Salma Hayek: Actriz y productora mexicana con una amplia trayectoria en Hollywood, conocida por su participación en películas como "Frida" y "Desperado".

Penélope Cruz: Actriz española ganadora del Óscar por su papel en "Vicky Cristina Barcelona".

Diego Luna: Actor y director mexicano conocido por su participación en películas como "Y tu mamá también" y "Rogue One: Una historia de Star Wars".

Este año se le hizo un tributo a Joaquín Cosío, reconocido por sus papeles en películas como "El infierno", "Matando cabos" y "La leyenda del charro negro" y series de

MP: Ir nadando en las aguas de la transformación…

Ethan van Thillo: “Pero sí, lo que sí sé es que el festival sí es muy importante, no solamente por el cine, como mencionaste al principio, es una celebración de la cultura latina, de la comunidad y siempre vamos a estar juntos y querer estar juntos, llegar; ver algunas películas, artistas, escuchar música, no se va a parar eso, pero sí tiene que cambiar un poco con el Nuevo Mundo.”

MP: Muchísimas gracias Ethan ha sido un honor esta entrevista.

Ethan van Thillo: “Mil gracias por todo y nos vemos en el cine”.

Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: news@hispanicpaper.com ó 615-567-3569

1. Mantenerse callado

2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido

3. No mentir

4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos

San Diego Latino Film Festival celebrates 30 years

Foto: Marisela Puicón

Por Marisela Puicón

Contributing writer @mariselapuicon

Foto: Marisela Puicón

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