Quilt As Art: Valuing Our Work, Tara Faughnan

I had an inspiring time at QuiltCan in Phoenix last month, but I purposely did not attend any of the lectures. I find the whole experience to be overwhelming, for one thing. Another is that while on site, I want to spend as much time with the quilts as I can, and finally, I find the leture hall to be too big. I am naturally antsy and to be in an auditorium with row after row of people is just not my idea of fun. So streaming the lectures at home hits all the right notes for me. I took an all day class with Tara Faughnan and it was amazing to be in the room with her for a day and to see her numerous featured quilts in the exhibit hall was an added bonus. Her keynote talk walked us all through her career as a modern quilter, her lack of success in the more traditional quilt world, and how her work fit so perfectly with the modern quilting sensibility, and how nourishing that was for her as an artist. That was all great to hear, but when she talked about quilting as art, how to value what we produce, and how it connects us to generations of quilters who came before us, that really resonated with me. I love those connections, feeling like I am walking in the footsteps of earlier family members--my great grandmother quilted--and to treasure and value my deep seeded love of fabric. She talked about her own drive, which is greater and more talented than my own, but coming from the same place when all is said and done.

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

This book found it's way onto the New York Times Best 100 Books of the 21st Century. This is notable for a couple of reasons. The first is that there is very little on that list that is not fiction. I would say 10% fall into the non-fiction category and even fewer are memoirs. The other is that two of the author's works of fiction are on that list, making her unique in having two forms represented and in an elite group of authors to have three works represented. The book chronicles the deaths of five young American black men that the author knew who were dead before they were 25, one of whom was the author's brother. The causes of death are varied, and do not really touch upon police brutality nor the prevalence of white supremacists in policing across the nation. It is simply a telling of who they were, why they mattered and how their deaths affected her personally. She is bearing witness and remembering them. Such is the uncertainty that African Americans contend with in the United States in the 21st century--even before an avowed racist was returned to the White House after he was convicted of rape. That is the state of young black male life in the US and then there is the paucity of options available to so many – almost one in 10 young black men are in jail and murder is the greatest killer of black men under the age of 24. It is to these statistics that the author attempts to give both humanity and context in her memoir, in which she relates the unconnected deaths in the space of just four years of five young men who were close to her.

Creekside Market, Jackson, Wyoming

This is the first place we have eaten in Jackson that we hands down agree we would go back to. We are only eating in Jackson two to four times a year, it is not a frequent event, but often enough to be more than a little disappointed with the food we have eaten, even discounting the bang we get for our buck. We know it is a town with a lot of tourists and a lot of money, so we do not expect to find a bargain, but we do expect to find something we would return to. This market with a well above average deli counter exceeded our expectations and we would whole heartedly return. Added bonus is that it did not cost the earth. We split an Italian sub and a Reuben and both were delicious. We would 100% get the Reuben again because it was as good as any Reuben, and that is saying something. The Italian sub was a bit over-stuffed for my spouse's taste, but we both agreed that the quality of the meats included were great, and the pickles were delicious--in other words there was an attention to detail. The added bonus is that it is located right across the street from the Elk Refuge (they even sell low priced binoculars in the market should you have neglected to pack yours and be up for elk viewing)--we parked there to eat in our car while watching about 50 trumpeter swans from various distances away, including close enough to be splashed on by some.

By The Fire We Carry by Rebecca Nagle

This book is and is not about the 2020 McGirt SCOTUS decision that affirmed the Creek (Mvskoke) reservation and, by extension, the reservations of the Cherokee and many others. Justice Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, which opened with: “On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise.” A surprise to me, and maybe most, and the right one. This book is about much more is about much more than the McGirt decision. It’s a comprehensive weaving together of personal memoir, a murder case, and Native history that demonstrates that the present is a loud echo of the past, diminished only by Native resistance and occasional right decisions such as the McGirt ruling. It is not so much a victory but more of a rare instance when existing law supporting tribes was actually honored and upheld by the US government. Her stories meander but act as a comprehensive analysis of stories we know well in Indian Country. Her book is an opportunity to un-erase the past in order to understand the present. This is history about Native Americans by a Native American. She tells these stories boldly, and it is important, because they are going to be actively suppressed, distorted, and misrepresented in the near future .

Brave Brilliant Beautiful Badass

My guild had the most inspirational speaker for March, someone who hit all the right notes for me. Here is Berene Campbell's description of who she is and what she does: I'm Berene, a modern quilt designer, speaker and community project instigator. My sewing patterns feature inspiring messages of positivity and hope, with the goal of making the world a kinder and more peaceful place. I am a big fan of “collective energy” and use community projects to corral fellow creatives to work together for change. These projects include awareness projects, collaborative community installations, fundraisers for social justice causes, and the Handmade Collective Awards - a bursary fund set up for the maker community to fund awards for BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ students. It felt so good to hear someone talking about lifting up women at a time when they are being torn down in my country. She also talked about how doing your part to do the right thing makes a difference, because even though we are all small, we add layers upon layers of support, building up upon each other to reach the goal of hope, love, peace, and treating all people equally and humanely, even the mediocre white men who want to step on us to get ahead.

Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

This is a story of generational trauma triggered by a fictionalized account of a real life tragedy that happened to people close to the author. Fletcher family, wealthy Long Islanders whose patriarch Carl was abducted from his suburban driveway one random day as he left for work. No one knew he was missing until he didn’t come home later that day, causing his powerful mother Phyllis, his pregnant wife Ruth, and their two young sons to exhaust both themselves and all resources at their disposal until he was recovered. And Carl is rescued; found intact with nary any of the maiming and severed body parts his kidnappers threatened would happen. Emotionally, though, he was never the same. He spends the rest of his life in a sort of shell shock. His kids grow up and react to the trauma in their own ways. Eldest son Nathan is so afraid of his own shadow that he compulsively buys any kind of insurance he can find. Middle child Bernard went running as far away as he could from his parents and their town’s idyllic surroundings, becoming a mediocre screenwriter in Hollywood and lives with his own kind of fear. Youngest Jenny, who was born after Carl’s kidnapping, is the smartest offspring and is therefore the one both least and most likely to fail spectacularly. All together this could add up to something great, but I struggled to find the deeper message, beyond that it is hard to hang on to a family legacy when someone yanks the rug out from under them midstream.

September 5 (2024)

This is a dramatic retelling of the violent kidnappings of the Israeli national team by Palestinean terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. The script was nominated in the category of Best Original Screenplay and it is my last movie to watch in that category (it did not win). Most of the movie takes place inside a TV control room, where ABC Sports broadcasters faced an unprecedented crisis. The first surprise is that the lead actress from the film The Teacher's Lounge (one of last year's nominees for Best International Film) is in this as a reporter/translator who provides the link for the ABC reporting team on what is being reported on German television--she is very good, and I was glad to see her in an American movie. It is hard to remember, having lived through the first Persian Gulf War, which took place during prime time viewing hours, that there had never been a televised event like this before. It took a while to realize that if the entire world could see certain aspects of the crisis live and in real time, that meant the gunmen could also see it, adapt their tactics to counter the efforts of police, and indulge in political theater for a billion-plus viewers. The movie manages to picture the madness through what feels like both fresh eyes and period broadcasting. It make you feel like you’re in the thick of it is a remarkable achievement, even though the movie ultimately thins itself out by glossing over historical and political context and treating the incident as a primer in media ethics. Well worth watching.

The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman

I am not into Arthurian literature, and so when I say that I very much enjoyed that, I should also add that if you are a big King Arthur fan, you might not have the same response to this. For one thing, we find out quite early that the king is missing and presumed dead, and the other is that Merlin doesn't get a candy coated Disney treatment here--he is a sexual predator with a penchant for raping young girls that he takes under his wing, which is apparently a return to tradition, but doesn't play as well now as it might once have done. The book opens with Collum, an aspiring knight hoping to join King Arthur's Round Table at Camelot, being challenged by another knight on the road, and the two engage in a heated duel. He does well and is taken in to the fold. The knights who remain now have a monumental task ahead of them: figure out who can succeed Arthur, and with Collum coming along for the ride, they work figure out how to go about identifying such a person. The non-linear adventure they embark on solving the problem of locating Arthur's successor is an examination sorts; who are the people who make up the legends and what are their motivations? It delves into questions of the nature of heroics, of leadership, of bravery, and of knowing when to hold onto the stories and when to move on from them. It's a complicated, meandering, and fascinating story.

Chez Noir, Carmel, California

I picked this out for the big splash dinner on my recent trip to the north end of the central California coast (spoiler alert--I prefer the sourthern end of the central coast--the north is just a little bit rich for my taste), and it did not disappoint. Unbeknownst to me, one of my dining companions doesn't care for high end dining. It often makes her feel belittled, which is not the look I was going for--and luckily, that did not happen here. The restaurant is actually on the first floor of the Craftsman-style house that chef Jonny Black and his wife, Monique Black, who manages the front of the house,live in. They make you feel as if you're being invited into their own home because it is their home.

The cooking draws upon French bistro fare and showcases the bounty of the California coast, with seafood, like spot-on sea bass and swoon-worthy abalone, making a big impression. If selecting from the many delectable dishes proves too difficult, opt for a set menu offering a tour of the greatest hits. For me, the abalone was unforgetable, the very best I have ever had, and I would go back to have it again and again. It is something to dream about. The next best was the agnolotti--which was on the vegetarian option side of the fixed price menu, and did not disappoint. And make sure you do not skip the the ethereal vanilla-scented canelés with an ideal balance of crisp caramelized exterior and creamy, custardy interior--better than most I had in Bordeaux!

Great Expectation by Vinson Cunningham

This story is nestled in the hope and change that many people felt when Obama was elected and came to the White House--he is a black man elected by a mostly white nation and things felt possible then. I travelled to Denmark when my son was studying aboard there, and in the SAS lounge pre-boarding there was a feeling of joy, that we could proudly travel abroad as Americans. The Danes we talked to were astounded--saying that they couldn't possibly elect a Swede, much less someone who looked so different from most of them. The hope quickly faded and it has been abundantly clear that half of us are deeply racist, that we are easily lied to, and that as a result we are in really big trouble right now. So this book, which is set within the 2008 campaign--fictionally speaking--is a bit hard to read in the face of all that. It is a story of a young campaign worker, and what the campaign trail feels like when you go from underdog to winner.