Another Dia de Portugal
It was a familiar scene: a sunny day in San Jose, vendors selling linguica, filhos (pastries), marinated pork, beer and wine, books, art, crocheted and embroidered items, and lots of red, green and yellow tee shirts and hats. Music representing the whole Portuguese-speaking world played constantly onstage. Festa queens, bands, little cars and dignitaries from the Azores paraded around History Park San Jose. We were introduced to Portuguese Water Dogs (sort of like labs with perms) and a new volcano exhibit at the Portuguese museum.
Manning my book table, I met so many friends and a few unexpected relatives (thanks, Mike and Sharon, Suzanne, Rob and Dad), and I sold lots of books. Do you know it has been 10 years since the original version of Stories Grandma Never Told was published? Ten years since the book was released on another sunny day, June 6,1998, at the second annual Dia de Portugal in San Jose, yet people are still buying it. I will soon need to go into another printing, but I have copies now if anyone is interested.
Many of the visitors to my table already had "Grandma", but they purchased the novel Azorean Dreams, so my supply of that book is getting low, too.
Some of us look a little older now, hair going gray or just plain gone, our figures a little less svelte, but we keep coming back, dancing to the music, teasing each other and offering lots of warm hugs.
Traffic at my table was steady. It feels so good to have people praise my books and drag their friends over to meet me. I made some serious money, too.
This year's festa fell on the day before Father's Day. On Sunday, I had some quality time with my Dad, then joined Fred and his two oldest kids, Gretchen and Ted, plus soon-to-be daughter-in-law Shelley, for dinner at Original Joe's in downtown San Jose. It was crowded and crazy, but the food was so good I can still taste those raviolis. It was great to be together.
Between church and the kids, my father and I visited 99-year-old Aunt Edna Sousa, one of the first Portuguese women I interviewed back when I started my book. She was married to my great-uncle Tony, my grandmother's brother. Back then, I sat at the kitchen table with Edna and her sister Virginia Silveira and started asking questions. Oh, how they talked. I could barely take notes fast enough, but their stories were fascinating. It's a good thing I did take notes because that was one of those rare occasions when my tape recorder didn't work.
Aunt Edna is living in a senior residence now. A stroke reduced her ability to get around, and she has some memory problems, but she's still sassy and happy to see me. When her sister chides her for not exercising enough, she says, "Hey, I'm 99 years old. I can do whatever I want." Who could disagree with that?
Many of the women in my book were at the festival in their Portuguese costumes, just as they are every year. Some of those I interviewed have passed away. I'm glad I caught their stories before they could be lost.
Will I return next year? Probably. Gotta get my Portuguese fix—and another chance at the raffle prizes. I was sure that $600 check had my name on it. Wrong!
My brother is particularly taken with fado singer Ramana Vieira. She is excellent. I highly recommend her music, especially for those with no previous exposure to Portuguese singing. I also enjoyed Emily Rocha, who has a more contemporary style with lots of energy. We also heard numerous folkloric groups, plus the Out of the Gutter Comedy Troupe from Fall River, Mass. Good stuff.
For more on the annual Dia de Portugal festivities, click here.
On the way to and from San Jose, we had lunch at a Portuguese restaurant in a new Portuguese plaza in Orland, off I-5 between Willows and Corning (about an hour north of Sacramento). It just opened on Mother's Day, and the gift shop and other businesses are still under construction, but the City Gates restaurant is great. Delicious food, gracious service, pleasing atmosphere, and the babble of Portuguese from the kitchen. Check it out at Portugueseplaza.com.
Writing News
I have scored twice in the Readers Write section of The Sun magazine, a wonderful literary mag that I think is one of the best. Each month, readers are invited to submit a short commentary on a particular subject. They're pretty picky, so I'm proud that I've made it into July's "Now or Never" section and also the "Up All Night" section for August. There's no cash pay, but you do get a year's subscription, which is worth something. The themes are also great prompts to write something, even if you never send it in.
My article on the questions writers get asked is in the July Willamette Writers newsletter, and my "Keep 'Em Circulating" column is online at The Scriptorium. I'm still doing my Freelancing for Newspapers challenges at Writers on the Rise. This month it's travel writing for travelers with special needs.
Oregon Coast writing events
The Oregon Coast chapter of Willamette Writers welcomes Donna Fleisher, a novelist active in the Christian market, on July 1, which means if you didn't read about it last month or in the local paper, it's probably too late to make plans to attend, but if you can, do. She's delightful. As a sign of her versatility, she just signed on as sports editor of a local paper. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the Newport Library, and admission is free.
In August, our local Willamette Writers group will take a break so that everyone can go to the Willamette Writers conference in Portland, July 31-Aug. 3. There's still time to sign up. Check the website and register today.
Writers on the Edge is hosting Derrick Jensen on July 19 at the Hatfield Marine Science Center. General admission is $10; students get in free. Jensen is the author of six books, including A Language Older than Words and The Culture of Make Believe.
In August, WOE welcomes youth aged 7 to 10 to a weeklong "Write on, Write Now" poetry workshop. Their work will be featured at the August Nye Beach Writers event, back at the Visual Arts Center. At last check, they still had openings for the workshop. Check the WOE website.
Book Report
We've got some heavy reading this month, both books coincidentally about the brain, but the subject matter is fascinating. I promise to bring in some light fiction next month.
The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes Us Smarter by Katherine Ellison, Basic Books, 2005. Although many people think motherhood turns the brain to mush, science is proving it's just the opposite. The rush of hormones, combined with the demands of caring for the young actually have been shown to cause permanent positive changes in the brain. Moms are smarter, better at multi-tasking, and more empathetic. Parenting sharpens their senses and their memories. Drawing on countless studies and an impressive array of sources, Ellison has written a fascinating book explaining how mothers' brains change with pregnancy, childbirth and lactation. It gets a little scientific for the average reader at times, and Ellison strays off the topic in the final chapters to discuss problems mothers face in society, such as lack of childcare and inflexible work schedules, but overall, she has done a great job. The notes and bibliography are extremely helpful for anyone wanting to follow up on the subject.
Comfortably Numb: How Psychiatry is Medicating a Nation by Charles Barber, Pantheon Books, 2008. This is one scary but enlightening book. Barber, who has spent his career working with the mentally ill, maintains that far too many people in America are taking psychotropic drugs, such as Prozac, when they don't really need them The drug industry has convinced us that feeling bad is not acceptable and we need drugs to feel good, he says. There are times when drugs are called for. Certainly in genuine cases of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or clinical depression, they can be a great help. However, many basically healthy people are being prescribed mind-numbing drugs when they are not actually sick but simply going through a rough patch in life. Alternatives, such as psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, a healthier diet, exercise and supportive friends and relatives may be more effective and safer. The book is divided into two sections. First Barber talks about the prevalence of drugs like Prozac and its brethren and how what he calls "Big Pharma" has convinced so many of us that we need these drugs. Then he discusses other ways of treating mental discomfort. Throughout, he gets pretty deep into how the brain works and how the various diseases affect the brain. These sections can be confusing, but his message overall is very clear: Feelings are normal and we don't need drugs to get rid of them. Fascinating reading.
Summer here looks a lot like spring elsewhere
On a trip from the coast inland to Corvallis late
last month, I was enthralled by the wildflowers
growing alongside the road. They come out every
year, and every year since the first time we came
here as tourists I feel compelled to leap out of the
car and take photos. Last week I was squatting
down trying to get the lupines, daisies and
Scotch broom framed when another woman doing
the same shouted, "Great photo op, eh?" "Sure
is," I shouted back, clicking, clicking, clicking
until my battery ran out of juice.
The sun is out, and I can finally walk the dogs
in tee shirt and jeans (on me, not them) without
layers of fleece and raincoats. Chico and Annie are
getting bigger every day, over 30 pounds at just
four months. They're in school now, where they
hear a lot of "heel, heel, heel, sit, no, sit, no, sit,
heel," etc. They're getting it. I think. Judging by the
photo of Chico at the top of this newsletter, one
might wonder who's training whom?
Happy Fourth of July to all. Please celebrate
safely. Happy birthday, Gretchen, Terry and
Marie. To Mom, Uncle Bob and Uncle Don, we
can't celebrate your birthdays with you anymore,
but we do remember you fondly this month.
Finally, if you can spare some prayers, send them to the folks dealing with the fires in California and other Southwestern states and the Midwesterners fighting floods all too reminiscent of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Have a great summer. Keep cool.
Hugs,
Sue
All contents copyright 2008 Sue Fagalde Lick.
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