Essay: Monster Mash
Halloween is upon us. Prepare to be assaulted by all kinds of vampires, werewolves, and other ghost-like creatures that cloves of garlic, religious crosses, and even silver bullets aren’t likely…
Video: Writing Local History. That Isn’t Local.
Local historian and award-winning writer Jim Gregory has just completed a new video, Writing Local History—That Isn't Local. He writes that it's a kind of primer. "Because no matter how…
CAC Individual Artists Fellowships Available
The deadline to apply was May 5, 2023. Artists and cultural practitioners living and working in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Kern, or Ventura counties can now apply for California…
“Chinatown” Didn’t Wow SLO in ’74
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, and Roman Polanski all made a special “appearance” in San Luis Obispo on May 3, 1974. Their stopover here was brief, barely more than…
Personal History: On What Would Be Her 100th Birthday
[caption id="attachment_1701" align="alignright" width="361"] Kathryn L. Alexander: December 5, 1922-March 8, 2016[/caption] That my twin sister and I were to behave was not only required, it was simply understood. That…
Essay: On Becoming an Old Man
As of today, I have officially turned not only into my father, but into an old man as well. Because I refuse to cut grass in anything other than an…
Essay: Sweet Sweet Soul
Soul music: a compelling, distinct, and dynamic kind of music very popular in the 1960s. Here’s a good example: Sweet Soul Music, Arthur Conley Originating in the African American community…
Essay: Kind to the Very End
Boy did I miss a lot of big news while I was away in Vietnam. Some fifty years ago I left the good old USA for a yearlong commitment in…
Essay: It’s Her Laughter I’ll Remember
Mother’s Day wasn’t invented for my mom, but she definitely earned her stripes raising the three of us. I can’t speak for my younger brother or older sister, but I’m…