"Rediscovering Lone Pine"

A novel by Andrew Popper

(reviewed by C. G. Wagner)

The best stories are those that can be read at many levels, and "Rediscovering Lone Pine" is intriguingly multilayered. Told in the first person, present tense, the story draws the reader in at once as a confidante of the narrator, giving it the cinematic, intimate feel of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and bonding intrigue of "Stand By Me."

We join the narrator, Grant Harper, at the very beginning of a childhood mystery, sharing his internalized experiences and seeing through his mind the wild fears that his fevered imagination conjures when he realizes his friend has disappeared into the lonely wilderness. We then come of age along with Grant and his surviving gang, Hannah and Mickey, sharing their traumas, their loyalty, and the crises that would unite and reunite them, including their many searches for their lost friend Jason.

Approaching the book as a straight mystery story, this reader was trying to anticipate twists and predict the outcome - and was happily proven wrong at almost every turn. For where is the satisfaction in not being surprised by a mystery story? Was the detective investigating the disappearance of Jason merely a faux antagonist who would later become an ally? Was Grant's recollection of the events surrounding Jason's disappearance clouded by an amnesia-inducing trauma? My imaginings were nearly as fevered as protagonist Grant's.

The book's cover proclaims that "Rediscovering Lone Pine" won the Maryland Writers Association Prize for Mainstream Fiction. I'm not sure what level of literature "mainstream fiction" is - perhaps somewhere between a good beach book and high art. It's accessible and engaging; one cares about the characters, worries about them, hopes for the best. Living in their world with them is satisfying. My only complaint is that I would have liked just one more scene with my friends. We'd been through so much together!

Review posted at Amazon.com 8-26-09

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On September 26, author Andrew Popper discussed and read from his book at a convenience store where we get our coffee every morning.

Part 1

Part 2


Part 3


Part 4

Photo and videos by C. G. Wagner, copyright 2009

Wandering Souls: Winter's Tale Well-Told

I cannot praise Wandering Souls highly enough, a small troupe of players bringing to passionate life both the comedy and drama of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale." It was a seven-actor, 20-character tour de force by the peripatetic Wandering Souls, performing their "outreach" production in the beautiful art deco Bethesda Theatre in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, for a limited three-show engagement.

Pared down to its 90-minute essence (the play is perhaps best known for having the greatest stage direction of all time: "Exit, pursued by a bear"), "The Winter's Tale" was accessible to the small audience who was privileged to see it. Though the company did its own marketing, the booking at the between-seasons theater was apparently spur-of-the-moment; the first signal of its existence was the change on the marquee on the day of the first performance.

The vibrant young cast (could any of them have yet seen his or her 30th year?) brought conviction and energy to their multiple roles; the awkwardness of female casting in male roles was deftly handled (Kristen Garaflo as Florizel, Karen Novak as larcenous rogue Autolycus, and puckish Kelsey Meikeljohn as sons of a king and a shepherd), all effusing great charm. One could even hold a warm spot for the irrationally jealous Leontes (JJ Area), for his beliefs, though misguided, were so utterly heartfelt.

The soul of Shakespeare's tragicomedy belongs to the gracious queen Hermione, unjustly condemned for that very graciousness, and her outcast daughter Perdita raised as a shepherdess, parts played with equal helpings of irreproachable nobility and pastoral gaiety by Betsy Rosen.

Kudos to director Adam Jonas Segaller's smart adaptation and clever "stripped down" staging. As actors dart behind a curtain to make a costume (and character) change, or sit on folding chairs off to the side to await their next entrance, there is no attempt for realism except through our connection to the emotions portrayed. This was how Shakespeare often introduced audiences to the staging of his works--suspend your need to see the great battlefields or the passage of time--and the beckoning to use our imaginations is a compelling invitation to adventure.

Kudos also to the Bethesda Theatre and facilities director Tom Davis for offering Wandering Souls the run of the place. The use of the professional venue was intended to show the larger theater-going community what this intrepid band of players is committed to doing elsewhere on its tours of churches, homeless shelters, nursing homes, detention facilities, and community centers.

According to the Wandering Souls' mission statement, printed on the back of the single-sheet program, the troupe is driven by "a belief that the arts can fuel our imagination, engage our personal growth and help unite individuals and communities. Yet, the richness of the arts is often considered a luxury. By bringing stripped-down, high quality, energetic performances to those who have little or no access, we hope to break down that misconception and provide opportunities for a broader cultural exchange."

As the company's Artistic Director Becky Peters was giving her introductory speech before the play--explaining how important it was not just to make the arts more accessible but to actually go into the communities who would not otherwise benefit from these experiences--I commented to my companion, "This was what I wanted to do 30 years ago."

The final performance at Bethesda Theatre is tonight (September 19) at 8 p.m.

links
Bethesda Theatre
Wandering Souls

love, hosaa,
soul still wandering

Rx Music

Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast....

It's not exactly a "future" story, because it's happening right now, but one of the trends I've been following for a number of years is music therapy.

The idea that music can heal (or at least facilitate healing in some way) is not new, but it still raises the eyebrows of high-brow practitioners.

The latest story to lower that skeptical scorn comes from Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, thanks to the Music Rx Unit donated by the Children's Cancer Association.

The portable cart has instruments that young patients can play with, and interactive video for demonstrating various instruments. As patients, children participating in music therapy become more relaxed, their pain and anxiety are reduced, and they communicate and bond better with family and hospital staff.

The Music Rx program also includes live performances, filling hospital corridors with stress-reducing sounds. The program planners are also building a recording studio, further extending young patients' involvement in their own music therapy.

I hope adult patients aren't left out of the mix. When my parents were in hospital and nursing home situations, the only sounds they were exposed to were noisy carts and chattering staff, other patients' TV's turned on to Headline News (with the same headlines repeated all day long, repeatedly!), and nothing in the way of soothing sounds.

One day a volunteer musician visited the nursing home where my father was and went from room to room to play guitar and sing just one song for patients who couldn't get out to the great room. I saw my dad that afternoon, and the expression on his face was so light and childlike in its joy. He said I missed all the fun, and he started singing! That became one of the best memories I have of my dad in his declining years.

Music didn't heal him, but it certainly helped him.

love, hosaa
humming