Heather Cox Richardson continues to be my go to person for American political analysis and I found something very interesting and encouraging in her newsletter of a few days ago. I have been thinking how hopeless our situation is if 53 percent of Republicans actually believe Donald Trump was the winner of the 2020 election. However, she pointed out something which I hadn't realized and which I have not heard mentioned at all in mainstream media. That is: "A new Gallup poll today finds that 53% of Republicans think that Trump won the 2020 election. But only 26% of Americans identify as Republicans. Journalist Richard Hine crunched the numbers and notes that those percentages boil down to about 14% of Americans who think Trump is still president. They are a minority, but they believe the former president, who continues to insist that he won the 2020 election despite all evidence to the contrary."
three things we love
Many of us will have probably forgotten or never known the name Studs Terkel, (1912-2008), author, actor, historian who practiced a form of what he called "guerilla journalism" through oral history--by listening to people tell about their lives and experiences. Born in the Bronx of Russian Jewish descent, a progressive blacklisted during McCarthy times, it is no surprise that he was one of my dad's favorites. Through interviews on his long running WFMT Chicago radio show and through his many books (among them Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression; The Good War: An Oral History of World War; and Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, he gave voice to both famous and ordinary people, providing us with down to earth, rich and interesting accounts of life in America through the 20th century. "If they think you’re listening, they’ll talk. It’s more of a conversation than an interview.” While researching Studs Terkel for this blog, I came across what I consider an absolute treasure trove for anyone interested in history--an enormous archive of Terkel's life's work: recordings of conversations organized by subject matter over the years on anything from civil rights and advocacy, feminism, dance, to education, jazz, Chicago, you name it and he has material that will transport you back in time and give you insight into where we come from and where we are now. I invite you to visit it. As Theodore Roosevelt put it: "The more you know about the past, the better you are prepared for the future."
In the tradition of sharing some of my favorite music, I thought I would pick a theme and feature some songs I like on that subject matter. Do you know the Joni Mitchell song River? She does a beautiful rendition of it but I was awestruck when I heard Robert Downey Jr.'s version (who knew he could sing too!). Tina Turner's version of Proud Mary has been described as one of the all time great concert performances and is guaranteed to get you going whatever time of the day it is. Many Rivers to Cross brought us college roomates back to our Jimmy Cliff The Harder The Come album days. Down By the Riverside, here sung by Grandpa Elliott, brings me back to my camp days, where I learned many protest songs. Bruce Springsteen did a great rendition of his song The River, Arlo Guthrie does the beautiful American classic Shenandoah, and I love Bob Dylan's Watching the River Flow. Last but not least (I could go on and on) and going back in time to my friend's player piano, (and maybe the geriatric ward), here is an old classic sung by Andy Williams: Moon River.
I have spent the last two weeks with my college roommates in a little artist cottage on the coast of Maine. We met 47 years ago (could it really be true?) in Alice Lloyd Dorm at the University of Michigan. They are both mental health professionals but one of them, Jan Elman Stout, has become a very successful “flash fiction” writer. I hadn’t heard of this genre before she introduced me to it and from my lay perspective, it falls somewhere between poetry and short stories. Brevity, precise word choice, rhythm and tight writing are key. The writer must get right to the heart of the story and get out of the story just as quickly. Jan has won a number of honors for her flash fiction writing and I share with you a short piece below called Stained Lips, first published in the journal 100 Word Story and included in Best Microfiction 2020. If you would like to read more of Jan's work, My Year Inside A Mask is one of my favorites, originally published in Pidgeonholes. And if you want to explore more of flash fiction in general, the SmokeLong Quarterly is a good place to start.
Stained Lips
She dabs her lips with Faithful Fawn. He hovers behind, runs his fingers through his graying hair, eyes fixed on his reflection. How do I look? Her mouth forms a perfect “O,” presses shut. Handsome. He points. When you move your mouth that way you look like a fish. Her mind recedes light-years to their rehearsal dinner. The baby photos her mother had blown up. Adorable, she’d said when she saw his. Your forehead’s so high, he’d responded. She drops her stained tissue in the toilet. Flushes. What’s that lipcolor? he says. Fawn, she answers, and flashes her broad smile.
painting of the week
Pam Smilow, Felt with the Heart, mixed media on canvas, 54” x 80”, $8500.
Sometimes I begin a painting by finding a quote I like and scrawling it across the canvas as underpainting. Much of it disappears as I pile on layer upon layer of paint to reveal the subject matter of the emerging painting but I know the quote is there. In this case, I started with words attributed to Helen Keller: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched--they must be felt with the heart."
This week's featured charity: ACLU
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Self Portrait going grey in the time of Covid…
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her, check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.