The Contributor: October 23, 2019

cold weather blues

WANT TO BE A VENDOR?

New vendor training 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday at Downtown Presbyterian Church, 154 5th Ave N. and 10:30 Thursday Room in the Inn, 705 Drexel St. Next vendor meeting November 6 at DPC 9:30 a.m.

How ‘The Contributor ’ Works

BY TOM WILLS, CO-FOUNDER

The paper you just paid for was bought by someone else first, otherwise it wouldn’t exist. That’s how The Contributor works. A vendor who experienced homelessness paid 50 cents for this paper and then sold it to you. By buying it and taking it with you, you’ve just encouraged that vendor to buy another. BOOM! That’s the solution. Now keep reading. This paper has something to say to you.

Street papers provide income for the homeless and initiate a conversation about homelessness and poverty. In 2007, The Contributor founders met at the Nashville Public Library downtown to form one. In a strike of lightning we named it The Contributor to infer that our vendors were “contributors to society,” while their customers could contribute to their work. But, thunder from lighting is always delayed … It took three years, but Nashville embraced us like no other city in the world. The Contributor became the largest selling street paper per-capita on the globe. And today 50 percent of our six months or longer tenured vendors have found housing. BOOM! The thunder has struck.

The Contributor is a different kind of nonprofit social enterprise. We don’t serve meals or provide emergency shelter. We don’t hire people in poverty to create products or provide a service. Rather, we sell newspapers to homeless people who work for themselves. We train them to sell those papers to you, keep the money they earn, and buy more when they need to replace their stock.

Our biggest fans don’t always get this. Like lightning without the thunder, they see the humanity of the vendor but misunderstand the model. Case in point: In 2013 during a funding crunch, a representative of one of Nashville’s biggest foundations exclaimed, “I’m such a big fan that I never take the paper!” We responded, “Well, that’s why we are in a funding crunch.” BOOM! Thunder was heard. Taking the paper makes our

business. Until making these sales, many of our vendors had never experienced the satisfaction of seeing their investment pay off. And when it does, it liberates! They have become “contributors” to their own destiny. And Nashville has become a city of lightning and thunder. BOOM!

Now that you are a SUPPORTER , become an ADVOCATE or a MULTIPLIER

You are already a SUPPORTER because you know that taking the paper makes the model work. You bought the paper and you are reading it. Now your vendor is one copy closer to selling out, which is exciting!

Now you can become an ADVOCATE when you introduce your friends to your favorite vendor, follow us and share our content on social media, contact us when you witness a vendor in distress or acting out of character, or explain why others should pick up a copy and always take the paper when they support a vendor.

Contributor Board

Cathy Jennings, Chair Tom Wills, Bruce Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Ann Bourland

Contributors This Issue

Linda Bailey • Amanda Haggard • Hannah Herner • Tom Wills • Joe Nolan • Nancy Kirkland • Julie B. • Dennis S. • John G.

• Jackie S. • Jennifer A. • Eric H. • Jeff rey B. • Vicky B. • John H. • Mr. Mysterio • Cynthia P.

Contributor Volunteers

Cathy Jennings • Tom Wills • Joe First

• Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • Ann Bourland • Patti George • Linda Miller • Deborah Narrigan • John Jennings • Barbara Womack • Colleen Kelly • Janet Kerwood • Logan Ebel • Christing Doeg • Laura Birdsall

• Nancy Kirkland • Mary Smith • Andrew Smith • Ellen Fletcher • Michael Chavarria

Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom WIlls Contributor Co-Founders

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

Requests to volunteer, donate, or purchase subscriptions can be emailed to: info@thecontributor.org Please email advertising requests to: advertising@thecontributor.org

Mailng Address

The Contributor P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, TN 37203 Main Office: 615-499-6829 Vendor Office: 615.829.6829

model work — not taking it breaks it.

And selling the paper twice doesn’t just fund the paper, it funds housing and change. BOOM! Our vendors report their sales to qualify for subsidized housing and even for standard housing deposits and mortgages. They don’t consider your buying the paper a “donation.” It is a sale. When they sell out, they buy more and build the paper trail of a profitable

And, you can become a MULTIPLIER when you advocate for us AND directly donate to us or become an advertiser or sponsor of The Contributor. Our income stream is made of 50-cent- at-a-time purchases made from our vendors, matched by contributions, ad sales and sponsorships from multipliers like you. Because our vendors are business owners, your donations are seed-money investments in their businesses and multiply in their pockets. Every donated dollar multiplies four-to-seven times as profits in the pockets of our vendors.

Thanks for contributing.

Proud Member of:

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Copyright © 2018 The Contributor, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cathy Jennings Executive Director

Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus

NOW UNDER HIS OWN ROOF, ERIC H. GETS TO TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF

BY HANNAH HERNER

Eric H. is feeling, “a whole lot better.” He’s been in his new apartment for a short while now, after being homeless on and off for 16 years.

Most recently, Eric was staying with an old friend, Charles, who was also a Contributor vendor. The pair met in 2010 when Eric first came to Nashville, and they would stick together on the streets. Charles was disabled and had cancer, so Eric would help out by picking up groceries, doing chores around the house and pitching in on rent. When Charles died in December 2018, Eric was on the streets again.

“When he died, the landlord didn’t even give me time to mourn,” he says. “He made me leave the next day.”

Caretaking is a role that Eric naturally falls into. When he was 12, he took care of his grandmother, who had Alzheimer’s disease. Having problems with his spine limits him physically (you may recognize him by the walking stick he uses), but he’s always down to help out.

“I’ve always been kind of a caretaker. I doesn’t bother me to help somebody, if I can,” Eric says. “A lot of things I’m not able to do. Can’t do any heavy lifting or anything like that. But if there’s something I can do, I’ll go out of my way for somebody.”

Somebody who went out of their way for Eric is Susan Adcock. Adcock is an outreach worker at Open Table Nashville, a nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness access housing and other resources. Eric said it was important to mention Adcock by name because she guided him throughout the housing process by filling out paperwork and helping with more immediate needs like getting clean clothes and transportation.

“If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be where I’m at,” Eric says. “A lot of people out there are still struggling on the streets and they should know about Open Table.”

Now, Eric can take care of himself, too. He says being on the streets was starting to bring on feelings of depression, and he felt embarrassed when he couldn’t shower regularly. He routinely sells at 21st Ave S and Scaritt Pl and on Sundays at the West End United Methodist Church. He wants his customers to see a change in him.

“The streets just weren’t cutting it for me — staying dirty all the time,” Eric says. “My hygiene was getting poor. Now that I’m in housing, I’m able to keep my hygiene up, and the people that buy the paper from me, they see that I’m cleaner and they’re getting what they invest in.”

WE’RE HONORED TO SUPPORT THE CONTRIBUTOR AND TO CHAMPION GOOD NEWS IN NASHVILLE.

COLD WEATHER BLUES

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

Around 20 times from Nov. 8, 2018 through early March of last year, temperatures in Nashville got low enough that Metro opened overflow shelters for people sleeping on the streets. When the weather drops below 28 degrees, emergency shelters open and volunteers canvass camps and places they know people often sleep outside, attempting to encourage people to come in to the emergency shelters.

When news came the week of Oct. 15 that those shelters would not open this winter, service providers, people experiencing homelessness and others where shocked. Since the city started a cold weather emergency plan in 2016, the system has been far from perfect. But it’s been something. And the people who cobble together a plan to try and keep people safe in cold temperatures were not prepared to hear that they’d be on their own to figure it all out.

The potential closing of emergency shelters is a big deal not just because without a plan, many people have to sleep in

the cold, but because every year people die in extreme cold in this city. Simply put, it’s a matter of life and death. At last year’s Homeless Memorial held at Riverfront Park, Open Table Nashville said six people died in the cold in the winter of 2017.

Within a couple days of the announcement that shelters wouldn’t open this winter, newly elected Mayor John Cooper announced the city would fully fund emergency shelters this winter — something that’s not happened in the past. Although shelters will open this winter, a full plan had not been announced as of press time.

“Metro’s emergency shelter program will be fully funded and one hundred percent operational this coming winter,” Cooper said in a release. “As soon as we learned that Metro departments did not have the funding this year to open the overflow shelter, my administration moved to address the problem. I am committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community, and I’m tremendously thankful to our friends in the many non-profit and religious

organizations in Nashville who do such good work on behalf of our unsheltered and unhoused neighbors.”

The fluster of activity — people advocated, asked how to help, found out more about issues of homelessness in Nashville — that happened over the announcement of a lack of funding to open shelters did bring the issue right out in the open.

“We look forward to hearing more about the plan and funds and are so thankful for everyone who advocated about this issue,” reads a Facebook post from Open Table Nashville, a local nonprofit that works with people experiencing homelessness and educates the community around issues of poverty.“It was beautiful to see so many people rallying together to make sure no one is left out in the cold this winter. It sounds like the conversation will continue and we look forward to working with everyone toward solutions that not only keep our friends safe in the extreme weather, but ultimately move toward ending homelessness in Nashville!”

HOW TO HELP

Attend a Winter Outreach Training with Open Table Nashville on Nov. 12. This training will equip people to engage and support their neighbors on the streets during winter; to recognize, respond to, and prevent injuries and illnesses like hypothermia and frostbite; and to better navigate the winter shelter system. RSVP to lindsey@opentablenashville.org. Open Table Nashville asks that participants donate $10 for this training to cover materials, but participants can also give what they can or come even if they can’t donate.

Volunteer this winter. Does your church already partner with Room In the Inn? If not, sign up! If so, see if they can add a few more beds! More info at: www.RoomInTheInn.org. Open Table Nashville is looking for volunteers that can help canvass the city and transport people to shelter on cold nights. If you have a van or bus that you’d be willing to use to help transport people to shelters on the coldest nights, email winter@opentablenashville.org.

Host a donation drive at work, school or in your faith community. Open Table Nashville and other homeless outreach nonprofits need blankets, sleeping bags, thermal socks, tents, tarps, propane, buddy heaters and mylar foil emergency blankets. Also, keep those items in your car or bag so you can give them to people you see.

Could the gaffe around funding emergency shelters cause real change to the system this winter?

PHOTOS BY OPEN TABLE NASHVILLE

ONE YEAR WITH ‘THE CONTRIBUTOR’

BY NANCY KIRKLAND

I am celebrating one year volunteering at The Contributor vendor office, but my connection to the newspaper actually began years ago through a vendor I befriended named Curtis.

I met him because I would walk my dogs by his spot at 8th and Wedgewood. I developed a real fondness and admiration for Curtis and I would take him to run errands, get groceries and regularly take him his favorite treat — a blueberry muffin. We would ask about each other’s lives. He always said he would pray for me, even though he knew that I was not religious.

It was incredible to see him continue to work selling the paper, even through the cancer that eventually took his life. And after he passed, I decided it was time for me to get involved with The Contributor officially.

Most of my past volunteer efforts have been with places where I did not have a sense of satisfaction and that were not well organized. For someone who likes things to run efficiently, this can be a problem! I found myself time and again, cutting out and looking for a better fit. Fortunately, The Contributor has felt like a good fit from the start. There is good communication between volunteers, a wonderful scheduler and leaders who always express their gratitude. Episodic volunteering doesn’t work for me, I prefer to schedule a regular time each week so I can develop relationships over time.

The vendors are pretty amazing. I was immediately struck by how respectful and business-like the vendors are. They pick up on the sales operations quickly, and find their own groove in this nontraditional job. It’s fun to get to know each vendor, learning their quirks and habits, and listening to their stories. When they come into the office, they get more than newspapers — they find companionship, friendly banter, a

clean restroom and oftentimes a bite to eat. I only wish I was better at learning all of the vendors’ names. Sometimes I run into them in different neighborhoods and will stop for a chat so I can hope to call them by name when I next see them in the office.

The office is run very business-like with specific boundaries between the volunteers and the vendors. A volunteer may wish to offer more of their time or assistance to a certain vendor, but it’s not expected. In fact, it’s discouraged unless it is outside of business hours and office location. I think this really enforces the mission of The Contributor, which is to help the vendors become self-sufficient and to see themselves as contributing to society.

A wonderful group of people currently volunteer their time. I’m deeply impressed with the long-term commitment that many of these individuals have made. They are an inspiring group with a sincere love for what they do and the people they serve. Training to work in the vendor office has been pretty much “on the job” and when you do only one shift per week, it takes a while to learn the database and develop any proficiency. Thankfully, there is always one person with experience there to ensure things keep pace!

Recently, a vendor told me about how he has lost some regular customers because they saw him get into his vehicle. They interpreted his ownership of a vehicle as justification that they no longer need to purchase a paper to support a vendor, which is quite sad. The goal of the publication is precisely that — to help people raise their standard of living. Having a vehicle is part of the necessity of life these days. My hope is that people develop a greater appreciation for the progress that vendors make, and avoid drawing conclusions about their level of need.

It troubles me when I learn from vendors how they are sometimes treated. There

are the obvious numbskulls who shout things from their automobile like, “Get a job!” In fact, Contributor vendors HAVE A JOB! Many of these people work harder and longer hours than most people that I know, and under much more stressful circumstances. And on top of it, many deal with physical and mental health issues, and overcome them to sell the paper. That kind of remark just makes me shake my head in disappointment over the level of ignorance about Contributor vendors.

Some people don’t see The Contributor as the quality newspaper that it is. I read most issues cover to cover, and I feel the paper provides well-written articles about many important subjects. I wish people viewed the paper more as a high-quality publication and less as though they are “giving money” to the sales vendor. It happens to be both things: a great paper and a way to help someone who has experienced, or is experiencing, homelessness.

One nice thing about volunteering is that it can offer opportunities for people with lots of different skills. Because I was once a corporate sales trainer, I’m in the process of revising the volunteer training tools. I’m also a clean freak, so tidying up the office is no sweat to me. You too can bring your talents to the table! Time, fundraising, office chores, writing op-eds or letters to the editor about homelessness or poverty — and I’m sure anyone who likes to cook would find their food highly appreciated in The Contributor vendor office! And of course, monetary donations are always welcome.

Volunteering for The Contributor has helped me see a different side of this changing city. When I see someone buy a paper from a Contributor vendor, it makes me feel that Nashville is full of people who are very caring.

Serial

BY JOE NOLAN Film Critic

The title of William Friedkin’s serial killer thriller, Cruising , is a double entendre: It references cops in police cruisers cruising a beat. It also points to the practice of cruising for sex in New York’s gay bars and sex clubs at the close of the 1970s. A gorgeous new 4K restoration of the film has been released on Blu-ray. Cruising is a movie that still has the power to provoke, but it’s even more impressive as a time capsule of a period in gay culture in New York City that thrived between the triumph of Stonewall and the horrors of the AIDS epidemic.

Friedkin shot Cruising in 1979, one decade after the Stonewall riots launched the widespread gay liberation movement. By the time the film was released in 1980, New York had struck down all remaining sodomy laws as unconstitutional. The laws deemed homosexual acts as deviant behaviors and misdemeanor offenses. This progress lead

to a high watermark for gay night clubs in New York in the 1980s. Once it was no longer illegal to be gay, new public expressions of gay culture flourished, but New York’s hardcore leather bars – like the Mineshaft in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District – were almost as secretive as they were legendary.

Cruising started as a novel by Gerald

Walker,

The book was about a serial killer who targeted gay men, but the first time Friedkin read the book he found the novel’s milieu was already dated. But as years passed the director discovered a series of articles about a string of leather bar killings written by Village Voice journalist Arthur Bell. Friedkin also met a

police detective who’d lived in the leather bar scene under deep cover while investigating another homicide case. All these factors came together in Friedkin’s script and film.

To tell the story of NYPD officer Steve Burns (Al Pacino) going undercover to catch a killer cruising victims in S&M-themed leather bars, Friedkin took a documentary filmmaking approach. He lit whole clubs and used multiple small cameras to capture the scene while also allowing Pacino to improvise – drinking, chatting, dancing and witnessing the public sex that was the main attraction at venues like Ramrod. Friedkin captures every squeak of leather, and flash of skin along with accessories like handkerchiefs which were color-coded and worn dangling from pants pockets to message preferences to potential sex partners. Cruising received and X rating from the MPAA before Friedkin cut 40 minutes from the movie. Much of what they captured in the leather bar scenes amounted to pornography, and the finished picture includes graphic sexual language and imagery as well as plenty of bloody violence.

The original production of Cruising split New York City’s gay community, and protests and sabotaging of the film’s production became daily occurrences. Many gay activists feared a film about a violent homosexual serial killer would be used as a smear against the entire community. But the extreme sex clubs in gay New York’s leather bar subculture were happy to host the film – especially before the protests – and the throng of jockstrap-wearing dancers, and bare-chested bouncers in Friedkin’s movie are the actual staff and clientele from spots like the Eagle, the Anvil, and the Spike.

The new Blu-ray from Arrow Home Video is gorgeous to look at and featurettes like “History of Cruising ” and “Exocising Cruising ” illuminate the making of the film as well as the controversy surrounding it. The film’s remastered audio sounds great and the disc includes an archival commentary track by Friedkin as well as a brand new commentary track featuring Friedkin and critic Mark Kermode.

a reporter for The New York Times

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

I do not serve meals outside the meal services of our housing partners around the community unless it is specifically to build community or engage people into the housing system. Our canteen serves great meals. In fact, we just won the divisional “Canteen Cook-Off” with a meal called “Artisan Southern Comfort.” Now imagine if we are serving that meal outside of housing services while the shelter is serving institutional red beans, rice and the mystery meat of the week, then we are causing cognitive dissonance with those who should be in the housing process of shelter. Our food is so good that it can keep someone from housing!

Unreal, you might think. Experience has taught that catered meals, a community BBQ, dinner in the park, and bingo have all pulled people off their path to mental health, addiction recovery, and housing. All of this compassion to meet human needs often reduces the long-term well-being of those benefiting from the day. Those who serve feel great. The participants enjoy community fellowship, which

is so greatly needed, and the homeless experience is extended.

The struggle is real. We have a canteen that could serve 500 meals a day around Nashville, in the city parks, on the streets, under the bridges. But with our good cooking, love for the outcasts, and a strong sense of our community, we would be encouraging people to meet us in community and outside of housing. Thus, we withhold what some would see as compassion so that we might fight for good and fight for the well-being of our neighbors.

This struggle, this cognitive dissonance, is part of what we review in the Nashville Nudge Network, in our programs and services, and in our daily living love out loud. It is from this love that we will continue with our advocacy and community building efforts through LĪFNAV, pursuing life in all its fullness for all.

Then there is the greatest struggle, where I have had limited success, how do we get others who cook better than we do, give more than we

Witholding Compassion - The Struggle is Real THE SALVATION ARMY SPONSORED

do, are more fun than we are, to share those resources in housing? Arms welcoming in instead of hands pushing resources out. I don’t yet know. This struggle is real.

Thus, you are welcome to join us in this Fight for Good, the struggle of our cognitive dissonance. Let’s talk about it as we serve on the canteen and create an intake picnic for LĪFNAV, a personal path to life in all its fullness.

Major Ethan Frizzell serves as the Area Commander of The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has been serving in Middle TN since 1890. A graduate of Harvard Kennedy School, his focus is the syzygy of the community culture, the systems of service, and the lived experience of our neighbors. He uses creative abrasion to rub people just the wrong way so that an offense may cause interaction and then together we can create behaviorally designed solutions to nudge progress. Simply, negotiating the future for progress that he defines as Quality of Life in Jesus!

VENDOR WRITING

WHY IS NASHVILLE SO BLIND TO WHAT HAPPENS IN THE CITY?

BY JULIE B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Why is Nashville so blind? I will tell you why. Because Nashville does not care what happens in their city. They’re taking away bus routes from the people that need them. Discrimination goes deeper than the person. If Nashville don’t have to deal with it, they brush it under the rug and don’t do anything about it. Because no one cares about the people that are not rich and famous. The ones that need the help are the ones that are looked over. And Nashville don’t think anything about it. And that’s sad that no one cares about the people that need it.

No one cares because no one gives a damn about the homeless. If you’re homeless you are trash or dirt or something that people walk on. Everyone thinks the homeless will just go away, but that is not going to happen. So people in Nashville are going to have to realize that they’re the ones that are wrong because you can rant about it or you can do something about it. If you all have something to rant about then email it to the paper and I will answer it.

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE STAYING FOCUSED ON MY NEW LIFE

BY JOHN G., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

BY DENNIS S., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

In 1998 I was homeless in Ohio. I left the house at 18 years old with only the jewelry in my ears. I was homeless for many years. Then, I started to get in trouble: robberies, burglaries, etc. I also had a bad alcohol problem, and I could never stop.

I decided I wanted to make my life better, so I went to rehab. My experience in rehab was far different than I thought. I went to the meetings, but I continued to drink. I just did not take it seriously. I continued to get in trouble with the law. Jail put me in many stressful situations. I was depressed. Nothing helped.

I got out of jail in 2003. I went home to my mom’s house, and I did my best to do good.

After some time, I went back to my old habits. I began to rob again. I began to drink. I couldn’t believe that I went back to that life. I went back to jail in 2005. It was miserable.

I got out, and I started doing good. I continue to do good. God helps me do good. Going to church and reading the Bible helps me to do good. I try to stay focused and sometimes it’s hard, but when I keep the faith, I know I can make it.

Why don’t you have a job? That is one of the questions I hear the most while I am on the street corner selling The Contributor. People don’t understand that just because you can’t see a disability, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. A lot of the people selling The Contributor like myself have a physical or mental disability.

There is a lot of hate and prejudice in this world today, whether it be against homeless people or against people because of their race or where they are from. There was a man a long time ago named John Lennon. He made the most honest statement I’ve ever heard. He said “Love is all you need.” That is what we need to focus on.

I think everyone needs to take a step back and reflect on how you treat others no matter who they are. We are all equal in the eyes of God. There has been a lot of bad publicity on the news and on social media about people in the homeless community. Some true, some not true.

So I decided to dress up in different, silly costumes while I sell The Contributor and try to show people that even though we are in a bad situation we can still maintain our pride and dignity and have fun and smile.

I just want to bring a positive outlook back to the homeless community. Instead of hating on people who you think are less fortunate that you, I think you should smile at them and love them as a person.

Remember, “Love is all you need.”

The Queen’s Tale

A FICTION BY JENNIFER A., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

To look at it, some would say the house was haunted. Joan leisurely padded through the complicated labyrinth of hollow rooms deliberately adjusting her step around the larger slabs of crumbling sallow-waxy wall. She diverted her dull sunken eyes from the cells that contained the mummified bodies of her dead sisters as she passed to answer the knock at the front door. There was no girlish flourish to Joan’s course. And while she plotted each step in total silence, the nagging mantra in her mind screamed, “Father, when will you return from the war?”

In truth, Joan barely knew her father. Her last memory of him was bathed in a blinding light. She remembered the sparkling glint in his dancing black eyes and the first rays of the morning sun gleaming off the sharp, honed edge of his sword as he and the other males of the small colony rallied and swarmed off to war. Their voices were a vibrating mass of lusty bravado ex-

claiming the plunder of riches that would soon be theirs. But that was years ago and the loud bluster of that morning came to Joan’s ear now, as a sad, low buzz. One brief glance at their moldering home was vivid testimony that there were no riches of war.

The knock at the door escalated to rapid pounding. She was used to that. Their once comfortable nest had been pillaged many times before. With the warriors away on their grand adventure; Joan, her mother, and her sisters were seen as easy prey by marauding mercenaries who terrorized the countryside feeding off the defenseless situation of the abandoned females. By the time she reached the front portal, the persistent visitor began shouldering the door. This time they were ready.

She braced herself against the rank, meady stench that would accompany the inebriated intruder through the door. Her senses tingled as she heard the frustrated caller plod away from the house. Her

nose twitched when she heard the tramp’s heavy feet quickly crunching through the debris on the rotting porch, propelling him at high speed toward the heavy door.

At the apex of timely precision, she sprang the latch, gave a mighty yank, and pulled the door open. Joan watched blankly as the surprised barbarian stumbled and tumbled through the jamb into the open vestibule to fall prostrate at her mother’s feet. Without hesitation, and with exact intent, the queen of the domain flung her great sword high over her head and powerfully pulled it down across the midsection of the petrified rogue cutting him in half.

Joan calmly closed and latched the door. She and her mother each took hold of one of the bisected invader’s legs and slowly dragged his bloody bottom half deep into the interior of their lair. That night; Joan, her mother, and her sisters feasted on the loins of the hapless stranger. Nothing was ever the same after that.

SMALL TOWN CELEBRITY

BY JEFFREY B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

IN

MEMORIAM: GLEN C.

BY VICKY B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR

Glen Cravens, 57, died in his sleep from a heart attack earlier this month. He was a special friend of mine and shared many memories and hopes for the future. He was a son, a father, a brother and a friend to many but, more importantly he was homeless. He sold The Contributor at Oakwood Commons and was happy to see me slip in there to sell papers when he left to be with his mom in Lewisburg.

He watched out for me and I’ll never forget when he said, “Vicky you don’t belong out here.” You might even say he was my guardian angel on the streets making it known that I wasn’t to be touched. Even when we weren’t getting along he always had my back. He had his demons just like everyone else that haunted

him, but family meant everything to him and it showed. His smile and casual wave and his bear hugs to those he knew on a more intimate level.

His customers meant everything to him and it showed with his being at his spot day into night, summer into winter. You could always count on him. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for his friends, and I was honored to be one of his.

His legacy will live on in me. What he taught me, what he showed me and just his kind soul for such a burly guy. He’s no longer homeless, but in heaven now. I will miss him everyday, but I know I’ll get to see him on the other side waiting with a bear hug. I love you Glen and always will.

I want to tell a story about a small town person who has been in music videos and movies. I’m in a video with Caroline Jones and Paul Walker’s brother. It’s “The Difference (Goshdamn).” I’m also in a movie called “tell me a story,” which they shot right here in Nashville. I got lucky with that one too. I’m just a homeless person living on the streets who ain’t going to ever get recognized. But somebody who is just trying to do the best he can go stay alive.

I need the public to know that I’m here. I’m no celebrity, but to myself I feel like one. And everyday I get on the corner and I don’t ask for money, but I got a sign that says “smile, you can make the world a better place if you smile.” That sign gets some of the biggest hardest people to smile their asses off. To me that’s like the best thing to ever happen, just to see them smile. They take pictures with me. I feel like a small town celebrity. They don’t know I’m in movies and in the video and all that stuff.

I don’t sell The Contributor when I’m holding the sign. That’s a conflict of interest. The sign is just to see people smile. Believe me, they smile. A lot of people think that my sign is very creative. To be a person that sleeps on the sidewalk, it’s kind of hard to express what you really feel. It gets harder for me each and every day. I thank everyone for what they’ve done for me, even some who stopped and gave me a dollar or five dollars. I thank everybody who buys The Contributor from me. It’s very important to let your customers know you care, and that’s what I wanted to say.

IF WHERE YOU ARE VENDING….

JACKIE S.

If where you are vending you are not making a profit, because people aren’t the fondest of having vendors present, be stubborn and stay on principle. People might not like you there because of people you respect, People might not like you there because you don’t reciprocate funds to area gas stations and bars, restaurants, and other people because you have a family to feed and bills to pay, Stay there anyway.

MOVING FORWARD

ERIC H.

Moving forward I was on the street got help from the people I meet. Don’t give in when life looks thin. ‘Cause I am now able With the help of Open Table. Thank God for Miss Adcock for getting me off the concrete and rock.

DO YOURSELF THAT FAVOR

H.

JOHN

As time passes by, we get smarter or dumber Many times I wish God never created summer But if God put it here, I’m sure there was plentya reasons Learn to love it, just a part of the four seasons

Spring, summer, fall or winter I pray each day not to be a sinner Love God each day, so as you neighbor Keep things real, do yourself that favor

HOBOSCOPES

LIBRA

What time did you set your alarm for this morning, Libra? And what time did you actually get out of bed? I know, I know, you’ve got a system. If you set your clock seven minutes ahead and hit your snooze button three times, you’ll only be five minutes late to work. I think this is a good week to stop playing those kinds of tricks on yourself, Libra. Tell yourself the truth and hold yourself accountable.

SCORPIO

As I drive around my neighborhood looking at Halloween decorations, I’m reminded that there are 206 bones in the human skeleton. That’s a lot to keep up with, Scorpio, but I see you’ve still got most of yours intact. In fact, you do such a fine job keeping your skeleton in order, The Stars indicate that you may end up with a little extra responsibility by the end of the week. It probably won’t be more bones.

SAGITTARIUS

Before Ouija boards gained popularity in the late 1800s, people who wanted to commune with their lost loved ones would use a technique called table-tipping. A group would sit and place their hands on a loose, circular table. One by one, they would speak words or letters aloud. Participants believed that the spirits of the dead would tip the table toward the person who spoke the right word. There’s a much simpler way to communicate with your loved ones, Sagittarius: Talk to them while they’re still alive.

CAPRICORN

For centuries, alchemists sought to turn lead into gold. I can see why they thought this was appealing. But if somebody had actually accomplished this kind of transmutation, it probably would have thrown-off the medieval economy something-awful. The price of lead would skyrocket. The price of gold would plummet. Smart alchemists would invest in silver. This week, Capricorn, stop wishing for gold and learn to love the lead you’ve already got.

AQUARIUS

As my Great Aunt on the Mysterio side always used to say “Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Eye of newt and toe of frog. Wool of bat and tongue of dog.” You know, she was a fantastic cook. I think it’s because she really knew how to follow a recipe. Remember that this week, Aquarius. Improvisation is overrated. Follow the directions for once.

PISCES

Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, “Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.” This is a good week to keep your radar up for exactly that kind of thing. Don’t be too quick to turn down an invitation to parts unknown. Whether that’s a midnight ride to the Pancake Barn or a weekend alone in a yurt in Montana, keep your mind open and your dancing shoes on.

ARIES

When Jacques Cartier explored North America in the 16th century, he was impressed by what he called “gros melons.” Today we call them “pumpkins.” I’m grateful for the name change.

Sure, my 6-year-old nephew would probably like it if they were still called “gros melons,” but for the rest of us, “pumpkin” is a big improvement. It’s a reminder, Aries, that sometimes the right word is as important as the right gourd. Chose yours well.

TAURUS

Well, this is embarrassing, Taurus. I was trying to send you your Hoboscope privately, but I accidentally hit “reply-all” and told the whole zodiac they’re going to meet a tall dark stranger. This will probably lead to a shortage of tall dark strangers in your neighborhood, making my prediction void. Still, keep a curious eye out for all the short pale people you already know.

GEMINI

In many of H.P. Lovecraft’s horror stories, the protagonist is driven mad by a knowledge too terrible to tell. Lovecraft presents a universe in which the truth is so horrifying, we’d all be better off in ignorance. It’s a popular point of view, really. But I don’t think you have to see it that way, Gemini. Go digging for knowledge this week. I think you’ll find yourself more enlightened and less afraid.

CANCER

There’s a kind of magic to watching a live performance. Whether it’s music, dance, dra-

ma, or comedy, there’s nothing like being in the room while an art is happening. Of course, it takes a little bit of surrender from the audience, too. There’s an unspoken agreement that you’ll try to believe in what’s happening on the stage. This week, Cancer, give yourself the same respect you give a performance. Believe what you see yourself do.

LEO

You know those shows where the “paranormal experts” spend the night in an old creepy house and try to document evidence that the place is haunted? They always use, like, night vision goggles and infrared cameras and specialized ghost-detecting instruments. I think you’re kind of in one of those shows, Leo. Not because your house is haunted. Because you’re looking for something that isn’t actually there.

VIRGO

By this point in October, you may find that you’re overwhelmed with all the Halloween hullabaloo. Just remember, Virgo, all these plastic tree-skeletons and inflatable yard-ghosts are the only thing holding back the tidal wave of Christmas marketing that will come pouring down all our chimneys the exact minute the last trick-or-treater falls asleep eating mini-Snickers. Enjoy this season of your life while it’s still here. The next season will get here soon enough.

Mr. Mysterio is not a licensed astrologer, a trained alchemist, or weird sister. You can email Mr. Mysterio at mrmysterio@thecontributor.org, or check in on Twitter at twitter.com/mrmysterio.

ARTWORK BY CYNTHIA P.