The Witches Tree
Disco balls, betrayal and Shirley Clayton-Never Forgotten
Well hello! Sometimes I get the most amazing comments, but people send them directly to me. Like this one replying to my (not really) recent post about the movie Anora:
Have you ever seen Red Rocket? I prefer that film by Sean Baker over Anora. The thing that bugged me about Anora is sort of portraying her as a gold digger. Plus, the jealousy by another stripper; their "cat fights" if you will. To me, Baker leaned into stereotypes versus "real" people; the movie didn't provoke empathy for sex workers, as is his declared desire. That said, I'm a fan of Baker's, and Mikey Madison was amazing.
Thank you anonymous giver of comment and movie advice. I can’t believe I missed this movie! (FYI..it looks like Red Rocket is streaming on Amazon Prime). Here’s a trailer to pique your interest:
I’ve been working on some stories for The Guardian US about the recent immigration situation. I really like this one about Raegan Kline and Alfredo Linares. The newlyweds decided to bail on the US because they didn’t want to risk Linares being deported. But experts still say that so-called self deportation — which began literally as a joke started by two comedians in the 1990s — isn’t yet a trend. Yet will it be? If things keep going in this direction, the US will surely not be a safe place for anyone to come. Our economy will also suffer — especially perhaps California’s. I believe this is the real reason for the immigration raids. Trump et al want to break California’s economy. I personally don’t think they care about skin color or nationality. That’s just a ruse. Many of his flunkies are children of immigrants, have kids/grandkids with all shades of skin or are married to immigrants (of course, Trump himself has married a couple). I’m convinced it’s all about the money — and power.
With such bleak circumstances, how do you find joy? On Thursday I’ll be attending a Good Trouble Lives On event in remembrance of the great John Lewis. These events are happening everywhere so check them out!
I have some other ideas, which I’ll share soon in a forthcoming post. I’ll be hosting some short, fun and inclusive online writing workshops in September. They’re not therapy, but they’re therapeutic. I hope you’ll join (free for anyone who donates here). I do believe there’s something magical about having your story told. Here’s the text Kline sent me after she saw the Guardian story:
But I also believe there’s something even more powerful about telling and sharing your own stories — especially for people who don’t consider themselves writers. This is what we’ll do in the workshops.
I recently had the chance to visit Louisville. There’s a tree in the historic and stunning Old Louisville neighborhood called The Witches Tree. It’s mangled, tortured and filled with baubles — especially mini disco balls. Did you know that a Louisville company was the hot spot for disco ball production and even made the one that appears in Saturday Night Fever? The legend of the tree is that if you throw your bauble up — we had mini-disco balls — and it gets hooked on a branch, your greatest wish will come true. So of course we kept throwing until all of ours were hooked:)
As well as this excitement, we had my mother’s much delayed celebration of life in Iowa. We honored her long life and quirky spirit by playing bingo. I gave everyone $100 United States of Shirley Clayton- Never Forgotten treasure to keep in their wallets as remembrances.
I also recently had a major betrayal by a so-called friend. I was in total shock by this encounter. What a surprise! — and not the kind I like, either. But things happen, don’t they?
Hope you are having a fabulous summer with lots of fun, good luck and no betrayals.
Discovered your writing after visiting Waterloo and thinking of Jodi and you. Did you visit Floral Terrace pedestrian street, half a block from the Witches Tree? I spent about 18 years living in two different houses around the fountain there.