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May 21, 2020
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Almost every time I go to watch a show on HBO, it starts with a Public Service Announcement.
Well, I've been feeling "not OK" for most of my adult life, and, personally, it's not OK to feel "not OK." This doesn't mean that I should get down on myself or blame myself or turn on myself for the sh*tty way I feel. It means that living my entire life feeling "not OK" is an unacceptable way to live. I need to believe that we'll find a clear path through this seemingly endless state of "not OK-ness;" otherwise, what's the point?
Just like last week, I struggled with whether or not to write a newsletter because, as unbelievable as it might seem, I have been trying to be more upbeat and positive in my communications with you as we zombie-walk our uncharted way in this time of Corona. But if I were to wait until life is all peachy keen, you would probably never hear from me again. Besides, to imagine that life pre-virus was peachy keen, I would need to completely ignore the reality that even with an employment rate under 4%, millions of our neighbors lived hand-to-mouth, some days not knowing where their next meal was coming from, and they were only one paycheck away from losing their home.
Many of us are only now beginning to experience and understand the underlying terror that erupts unimpeded when solid ground starts to liquify beneath our feet. Many of us are only now beginning to understand the deep grief that comes from losing all that we hold dear. Worrying about the future has become our new "normal," but for far too many others, this anxiety has been their reality from cradle to grave. This. Is. Not. Okay.
Having been the steward of the Clinton for eight years now, I've been able to hang out with folks many decades younger than myself. These amazing young seekers have helped me be less myopic, and in hearing about their priorities, their passions, and their hopes and dreams for what lies ahead, I've felt my world-view evolve. I am so grateful to Millennials and GenZ-ers for all that you have taught me, and I am sorry that my Boomer generation screwed things up for you. I heard the heartbreaking news this morning that a young man who worked at the Clinton several years back recently died from a drug overdose. He was 27. I can't help but feel that I failed him, that we ALL collectively, as a society, failed him.
See, this kind of "not OK" is not okay. We need to do better, and that won't happen until we are less complacent, less complicit, and are far less concerned with "what's in it for me?" and more concerned with "what can we do to make sure we all make it safely through together?".
Here are a couple of videos that lifted my spirits this week. May they brighten your.
Alice Cooper--Don't Give Up
Chanticleer--Distance
I like to believe that the Clinton is unlike any other venue in Portland. Even though I'm an atheist and I no longer attend church, I still love liturgical seasons, and we celebrate our own seasons with films/events held annually. Here's just a few.
In January--
On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (now in its 16th year), we host an annual MLK Tribute with a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary, KING: A FILMED RECORD...FROM MONTGOMERY TO MEMPHIS. This landmark documentary chronicles the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery, Alabama, and culminating with his assassination in Memphis in 1968. This is always a FREE community event.
The Poe Show is usually the Sunday evening closest to Edgar Allen Poe's birthday, and it celebrates the master of the macabre with spoken word, music, improv, and skits that are inspired by Poe, are interpretations of his work, or roasts of Poe. The evening always ends with a special guest reading "The Raven," Poe's most treasured poem.
In May--
On the Sunday evening closest to Pete's Seeger's birthday, we host the annual Pete Seeger Tribute and Birthday Celebration in support of Columbia Riverkeeper. This year was cancelled, but it would have been our 6th annual party to honor the life and legacy of one of America's most beloved activists and singer/songwriters. Most commonly associated with American folk music, Pete’s passion for the Hudson River helped spawn not only the cleanup of that industrialized river but a whole organization to protect and restore rivers around the globe. Local musicians provide a concert, we experience the wisdom and musical genius of Pete himself through the magic of video, we hear first-hand stories from those in Portland that knew Pete personally and had the good fortune to spend time with him, and we close out the evening by raising the roof through a sing-a-long to the many heartfelt, honest and inspiring songs that Pete wrote or were a part of his repertoire. Some years we even have birthday cake, and we've raised thousands of dollars for the work of Columbia Riverkeeper.
In December--
I'll spend more time on THE BIG LEBOWSKI later, but every December 26 we screen DAKOTA 38, a documentary that is in a way the realization of a dream. In the spring of 2005, Jim Miller, a Native spiritual leader and Vietnam veteran, found himself in a dream riding on horseback across the great plains of South Dakota. Just before he awoke, he arrived at a riverbank in Minnesota and saw 38 of his Dakota ancestors hanged. At the time, Jim knew nothing of the largest mass execution in United States history, ordered by Abraham Lincoln on December 26, 1862. Four years later, embracing the message of the dream, Jim and a group of riders retrace the 330-mile route of his dream on horseback from Lower Brule, South Dakota to Mankato, Minnesota to arrive at the hanging site on the anniversary of the execution. DAKOTA 38 was filmed the first year of their journey--the blizzards they endured, the Native and Non-Native communities that housed and fed them along the way, and the dark history they began to wipe away. This past December was our 8th annual screening, and each year it is offered free to the community and we take donations to support the work of Native American Youth and Family Center.
In Memoriam A. H. H.
OBIIT MDCCCXXXIII: 54
(and in memory of Isaiah)
BY ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON
Oh, yet we trust that somehow good
Will be the final end of ill,
To pangs of nature, sins of will,
Defects of doubt, and taints of blood;
That nothing walks with aimless feet;
That not one life shall be destroy'd,
Or cast as rubbish to the void,
When God hath made the pile complete;
That not a worm is cloven in vain;
That not a moth with vain desire
Is shrivell'd in a fruitless fire,
Or but subserves another's gain.
Behold, we know not anything;
I can but trust that good shall fall
At last—far off—at last, to all,
And every winter change to spring.
So runs my dream: but what am I?
An infant crying in the night:
An infant crying for the light:
And with no language but a cry.
VIRTUAL SCREENINGS THAT BENEFIT CST
Instead of going into great detail on our virtual screenings in this newsletter, especially since films will come and go in terms of availability, I'll keep the homepage of the Clinton Street Theater website up-to-date, so it's one stop shopping for all the film screenings that benefit us with a portion of the proceeds from your ticket. Look at that page for a quick description of each film and the links to rent/purchase. If you click on any one of the film titles, you will go to a page with a more in-depth description and a link to the trailer.
Available NOW!!!
New York Children's International Film Festival
THIS VIRTUAL SCREENING ENDS ON MAY 24TH. Grab some popcorn and get ready for a fun, artful film experience for kids and adults alike. With these hour-long screenings of the best of the New York International Children's Film Festival's short films, you can bring some artful, inspired storytelling and hilarity to your home screen. Two short film programs are available, Kid Flicks One recommended for ages 3+, and Kid Flicks Two for ages 8+. Have a great film experience with your kids, with plenty of ideas and themes to talk about long after the screening is done (and you'll have 48 hours to rewatch as much as you'd like!).
Kid Flicks Part One (ages 3 and up)
Kid Flicks Part Two (ages 8 and up)
THE WOLF HOUSE
THE WOLF HOUSE tells the story of Maria, a young woman who takes refuge in a house in southern Chile after escaping from a German colony. Although animated, it is NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN.
UP FROM THE STREETS
A film looking at the culture of New Orleans thru the lens of music. Hosted by Oscar nominee and 6-time Grammy Winner Terence Blanchard, the film tells the story of how music and culture intersected to create a distinct form of expression.
Two feature films directed by women!!
BULL
In a near-abandoned subdivision west of Houston, a wayward teen runs headlong into her equally willful and unforgiving neighbor, an aging bullfighter who's seen his best days in the arena; it's a collision that will change them both.
TO THE STARS
Under small town scrutiny, a withdrawn farmer's daughter forges an intimate friendship with a worldly but reckless new girl in 1960s Oklahoma.
SUNRISE/SUNSET
After failing his university entrance exams for the third year in a row, a young Korean man travels to New York City to visit his long-distance girlfriend.
HEIMAT IS A SPACE IN TIME
In this immersive film essay, master documentary filmmaker Thomas Heise dives into four generations of his own family archives to trace the profound cultural and political upheaval of Germany's last century.
FOURTEEN
“The work of New York’s Dan Sallitt reaches screens so infrequently (his previous film, The Unspeakable Act, premiered in 2012) that, when it does, it only accentuates what so much American cinema lacks. His latest, Fourteen, a beautifully understated portrait of two lifelong friends (played by Tallie Medel and Norma Kuhling) who slowly grow up and apart from one another, approaches female friendship and young adulthood with tenderness and a nuanced understanding of time and its passing. Again looking to the less fashionable ends of French cinema for inspiration (Maurice Pialat, mid-period Éric Rohmer), Sallitt paints an clear-eyed portrait of flawed, recognizable people, devoid of untoward drama but pitched at a level of such honesty as to unsettle with its emotional acuity.”
– Jordan Cronk, Film Comment
THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD
"A genuine triumph. Independent in the best sense of the word, Thousand Pieces of Gold gives us the Old West through a piece of candle-lit silk, hardship diffused through tears and smoke. This is classic Western filmmaking."
- Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times
OTHER MOVIE-VIEWING RESOURCES
YouTube, in partnership with Robert De Niro’s multiplatform storytelling company Tribeca Enterprises, recently announced We Are One: A Global Film Festival, an alternative for movie fans featuring programming from 20 top film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Cannes and Venice, among others. The 10-day digital event will run from May 29 through June 7 and will offer free festival programming (including films, shorts, documentaries, music, comedy and conversations) on YouTube. Proceeds will benefit the World Health Organization COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund as well as local relief partners in each region. Interested? Go to YouTube and subscribe to the WE ARE ONE festival channel.
IN OTHER NEWS
Stop by and say "hi" to Anne Marie at the Lucky Horseshoe! It's open for take-out from Thursday-Sunday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Available to-go will be two kinds of empanadas, a few snacks, growlers of beer and cider, packaged beer, wine, and a few other beverages including a line of Mason jar low-alcohol cocktails. Anne Marie will also have some cloth masks made by her friend Julie for sale. Watch for updates on the website or Facebook page.
Need a mask? (Please wear a mask when you are interacting with others!) Long-time friend of the Clinton, Rev Phil is back in Portland and now part of a worker owned small business, Faith Masks, using quality donations collected locally to sew masks for delivery far and wide. Keep yourself and those around you safer with tailored masks handmade from recycled 100% cotton t-shirts, recycled jersey sport mesh, or fashion lace. Did I already mention that YOU NEED TO WEAR A MASK?!!!
An Unwavering Horizon by Gina Williams is now available online through Powell's and various other outlets. Georges M. writes, "Gina Williams is a fantastic poet with a heck of a strong voice. An Unwavering Horizon is full of gorgeous lines, irony, tragedy, self- and outer-world reflection, and the illumination of wilderness along with the shifting impact of familial love, distance, and misunderstanding. The most wonderful thing about this collection is how each poem tells a compact (and valuable) story, the details and mood making you feel like you're wholly there, sharing each intense moment, whether beautiful, heartbreaking, or as pleasant as picking berries."
Some writers have new books coming out in the midst of the pandemic; and, as it happens, one was authored by dear friend of the Clinton, Judith Arcana. Hello. This is Jane. is a story collection rooted in Judith's memories of Chicago’s pre-Roe abortion underground — fiction that's based on a true story. The release date was May 3rd, the anniversary of Judith's 1972 arrest as one of the "Abortion 7." Download a free preview or purchase a copy NOW.
Do you like to garden? Virtual Gardening Classes with The Gardening Goddess are available Saturdays at 10am via Zoom! All classes are $20. To register please email: jolieann.donohue@gmail.com
- May 23rd Gardens for Bees, Butterflies & Beneficials
- May 30th Troubleshooting the Organic Vegetable Garden
Jolie Donohue, The Gardening Goddess, shares her 25 years of gardening experience. She has taught gardening for over 10 years at Portland Nursery, Portland Community College and Mt Hood Community College. www.jolieanndonohue.com
Yes, I am still plugging my book. A few folks have told me that they are taking some time to read it while they are self-isolating. If you want to join them, you can order a copy from Powell's Online Book Store, Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
"What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad."— Morpheus
Don't be a stranger. Write until we can meet again.
Kind regards,
Lani Jo
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