Paper Mache
Earlier this week we aired our annual ceremony for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
One of the writing categories is journalism and this year saw some exceptional entries about a wide range of subjects. This literary art form has certainly changed since the newspaper days of Ernest Hemingway, whose early journalistic experience informed much of his later work as exemplified by this quote, “My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.”
So why all this about journalism? It is an entrée to an appreciation of departing editor Steve Miller. I got to know Steve a little over the years, prompted by my weekly onslaught of press releases about upcoming YSAC events. Who knew that he was a musician and songwriter who had even composed a mini-opera that he performed oratorio-style in our Burrows Theater? Who knew that he had a raspy voice reminiscent of Tom Waits and could belt it out with the best of them? This is all in addition to being a damn fine writer.
Of the many thoughtful comments he wrote about us over the years, one of my favorites was his piece last year titled “The perfection of order ascending from chaos and Opera Night at Justin’s.” Here are a few excerpts:
“It was just about all I hoped it would be: our community showing up for something different, a little quirky, an event that sets us apart, helps define our personality. It was something that few of us had thought of, few of us think of, hardly any of us really know anything about, but there was everyone getting into the experiment. It was Opera Night at Justin’s Kitchen.”
He concludes with “there’s a lot to be said for a small community making its own fun, making its own mark, its own way.”
Steve will now return to the heartland, his ancestral home in eastern Nebraska, near the land of Willa Cather who, coincidentally, worked as a journalist for a while after college. Thanks, Steve, for brightening this small community with your insights, your curiosity, and your artistry.
Go to yubasutterarts.org for more on our upcoming events.
(Paper Mache is a weekly column about the arts community by David Read, director of Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture.)