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Redheads Writing in Cafes Except When It’s the Backyard

A heaviness hangs in the air. It’s been there for the last few weeks and it’s stifling. There has been a lot of shitty things happen in the last few weeks, including our provincial election, the deaths of two well-loved celebrities and a thickness in the air that leaves us all feeling worried, scared, uncertain. This disillusion has us unsettled. I don’t like it. I’m certain no one else does as well. This has opened a dark rift for many of us.

During my darkest moments, I do my best writing. I have been harnessing the darkness these last few weeks, the things I write require it. However, I need to harness it so it doesn’t take hold of me, rip away at my soul and push me into the mire. It’s a battle that is always hard fought by me and so many others and doesn’t always end in a fairytale ending. I’ve seen too many taken by the evil demon. With all of the negativity in the air right now, politically, life, life ending, channels are opening up again to talk, try to understand, heal. My heart breaks for those who could not cast out the darkness.  You will have noticed that I haven’t blogged in a while, only posted about my events. A huge part of it was I honestly felt the only things I could write out would include a demonic presence and a world falling apart. So… I avoided it.

Blogging to me meant writing poignant, clever and sometimes funny pieces, whether it be sharing the things I enjoy or waxing poetic about life. Several months ago, two friends began journalling their daily observations and I, for a short period of time, also joined in, until I realized by observations became repetitive and melancholy. I don’t think that was what the exercise was meant to be. Last Friday, a group of us sat around the table in my backyard, gossiped, wrote and talked about life. It felt good, I felt energized afterward and it opened something up. Some of us see the sunshine, some of us drink in melancholy and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

A blogging project I am now beginning is talking about the women who have inspired me during my life, kicked my ass when I thought I was failing and have lifted me up out of the darkness. The first person I want to talk about is Thea Munster.

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Tarot reader, thereminist, hearst driver, writer, world traveller, ghoul, b-movie queen, zombie walk creator, fiend.

I was not in a great place in my life, I avoided going out and definitely didn’t want to be around groups of people. Somehow an acquaintance convinced me to come to a Zombie Walk Committee meeting. Previous to this, I had been to a few walks. I loved the idea of dressing up as a Zombie and then disappearing into a crowd of the undead. After some arm twisting, I relented and went with her. Believe it or not, I am an introvert. There are many times that I have to talk myself into going out to events and honestly did try to talk myself out of this one. I am so glad that I didn’t. Not only did I walk into a group of people who were working on that years walk, I had found my fiends. A table of like-minded people who didn’t judge me for my very dark, very creepy interests. I found my people.

The meeting concluded, Thea and I chatted for a while, she was on her way to the Bovine to watch friends in a Misfits cover band and asked if I wanted to come. Instead of immediately making excuses for having to go home I blurted out yes and didn’t regret it. There was no awkwardness, no uncomfortable silences, we talked non-stop. This was how I met Thea. We were friends from that moment on, even periods of time between not seeing each other made no difference. We always pick up where we left off.

Thea has always been my inspiration. Seeing how she goes after her dreams, makes them happen and radiates a green glow from them, I am driven to work harder at my own dreams. I get to be the dark little girl with the crooked smile fearlessly.  Thea, thank you for being a true and honest ghoulfiend.

Please follow Thea on her blog and other social media. I have listed them below. You will definitely want to follow her on Instagram, she is posting videos playing the Theremin and they are spooktacular.

Blog: My1000moons.com

Instagram: ghoulygal

Twitter: boneyardbetty

Please sir, May I have some more books?

Junction Reads's avatarJunction Reads

Murder, The Maritimes, Migration, Mayhem and More!

May promises to be all that it’s meant to be…our big book send off! Fall will be here before you know it (sorry, but it’s true) so you need to join us on Sunday May 27 at 5:15 for your last reading feeding!

These are also the last readings before you really start to organize and manage your schedule of summer reading! These books are essential inventory!

David Huebert  Peninsula Sinking “brings readers an assortment of Maritimers caught between the places they love and the siren call of elsewhere. From submarine officers to prison guards, oil refinery workers to academics, each character in these stories struggles to find some balance of spiritual and emotional grace in the world increasingly on the precipice of ruin. Peninsula Sinking offers up eight urgent and electric meditations on the mysteries of death and life, of grief…

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Owen Sound Twin Drive-in Theatre
I just found out that the Twin Drive-in Theatre, just outside of Owen Sound, is being torn down. My heart sunk a little when I saw these words, that was immediately followed by a torrent of childhood memories. Good memories. Flushed with nostalgia, I began to reminisce about hot summer nights, curled up in the back seat of the white, Pontiac station wagon, dressed in our PJs. Anticipating dusk so the movie would begin.

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In the summer and even early fall, we spent many Saturday nights at the Owen Sound Twin Drive-in Theatre. With no air conditioning at home, it was an escape from the stifling heat of the century-old, badly insulated Victorian house we lived in.  My Dad would pack up the Igloo cooler with bottles of Pop Shoppe cream soda and root beer and it would be one of the few occasions our Mom would allow us to have junk food. We grew up in a household free of it. Fresh popcorn, sugar controlled Freshie and homemade cookies were her snacks of choice for us. Occasionally, our parents would let us buy something from the concession stand.

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Before heading out for our night of movie entertainment; we were put into our pajama’s, our parents knowing we would never make it through the second movie. We tried, oh trust me, we tried.

My Dad would always try to get us there early, like many others, he wanted a prime spot.  This would mean waiting extra time for dusk and time to play in the rusting structures of the play area. How we didn’t end up with lead poison or lockjaw still confounds me. Running wild with hoards of other children, our parents hoped we’d exhaust ourselves so they’d be allowed enough peace and quiet to hear the voices through the vintage speaker mounted on the driver’s side window.

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Since 1950 and when the Owen Sound Twin Drive-in Theatre first opened up, the long line-up of cars would cruise in, set-up the speaker in their window and then make their way to the concession stand. That drive-in saw many cars filled with young lovers, families with kids in PJs, teenagers excited that they could test their new driver’s license and freedom and older couples enjoying a date night. When I think of drive-in theatres, I often imagine the voice of Wolfman Jack drifting from the radio, in sync with the crunching sounds of popcorn and the release of metal pop bottle lids.  We usually parked close to the concession stand, allowing our car to be filled with the smells of food cooking and the sounds of beverages being poured into wax-lined paper cups.
Drive-in-concessions-stand.courtesy-LAPL

One memory that has always stuck with me is that of being scared shitless to go to the bathroom that was attached to the concession stand. It was mere feet away. One of the movies from a double feature that particular evening was The Car. In this movie, the car was possessed and was running people down and starred the very handsome James Brolin. I was so scared of this evil vehicle that I was convinced that it was in the drive-in. I remember begging my mother to take me to the washroom. She was frustrated by this since I’ve never been scared to go on my own before that night. Oh, the 1970s. A time when you’d let your young child wander off to a public washroom all on their own.

It’s sad that drive-in’s and bowling alleys are dying away. They both have filled my heart with so many wonderful memories and I often wonder what could be done to keep them open and popular for today’s society. Would adding fun extras such as live music, trivia contests or some other events to entertain the masses, while they wait for the sun to go down, be enough?  I’m afraid it won’t be. Let’s hold onto those wonderful memories and continue to tell others our stories of hot, humid summer nights at a double feature at your local drive-theatre.
Please share your stories in the comments below.

A must read from the blog 1000 Moons (reblogging)

Upon landing on the Garden Island of Kauai, Hawaii my skin was caressed by the soft breeze of the Pacific Ocean, the aroma of fresh plumeria drifted upwards from my lei, overtaking my sense of smell, and my sight was dotted with the slogan “aloha” against the gorgeous techicolour scenery. Aloha was emblazoned on everything, […]

via Kauai, Hawaii: Experiencing the Aloha Spirit through otherworldly tradition — 1000 Moons

Sacrifices, stories & souls in Soulpepper’s startling, lyrical, theatrical Idomeneus

If you can, go see this play. It was beyond amazing!

life with more cowbell's avatarlife with more cowbell

Michelle Monteith, Stuart Hughes and Jakob Ehman. Set, video and lighting design by Lorenzo Savoini. Costume design by Gillian Gallow. Photo by Cylla von Tiedeman.

Soulpepper Theatre takes us on a turbulent, soul-wrenching homecoming journey in its production of Roland Schimmelpfennig’s Idomeneus, translated by David Tushingham, and directed by Alan Dilworth with assistance from Gregory Prest. Idomeneus is currently running in the Michael Young Theatre at the Young Centre in Toronto’s Distillery District.

The 10-year long Trojan War is over and Idomeneus, King of Crete (Stuart Hughes), is on his way home with his fleet of 80 ships; exhausted, battle-bruised and too long separated from loved ones. So close and so far, they are beset by a terrible storm that takes each ship down one by one. Aboard the last ship afloat, and facing certain death, Idomeneus strikes a bargain with Poseidon: he will sacrifice the first living…

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Saying Their Names

Please read Duncan’s post. Words that need to be said.

https://wp.me/p1RtxU-2M8

Contemplation from a Blanket Fort

This resonates with me on so many levels. A year ago, I quit my job to write full-time. It was the most incredible and most terrifying thing I’ve ever done and I have only looked forward since that day. As Thea mentions, people do look at you differently when you do things such as quit a job to fulfill a dream or retire when you are still young (which is actually perfect because you get to enjoy your time). We live in a society where we are defined by what we do for a living, except… when it isn’t that standard 9 to 5 job. I get asked often what I do for a living and when I say that I am a full-time writer… I get that, ‘No, really. What do you do for a living — you have two heads,’ reaction.

Since making this decision, I have felt lighter and happier. I’ve said this many times, but life is just too short to not fight for your dreams. Thank you, Thea for this reminder and wonderful blog post.

Thea's avatar1000 Moons

Who says retiring is easy? You would think so when leaving a job in search of a new path and embarking on a life of leisure.

IMG_3180 Retirement Bowling Party: Capes Required

I use the word leisure because I believe that when you are doing something you truly love surely the word “work”, as an adjective, doesn’t apply. I have more than a few desires, some require effort, that I am eager to try.  But there I go, defending myself for retiring again!

What I didn’t realize until now was how much the job I did for a living was intertwined with my identity. I mean, I used to sit back and imagine what I would do if I didn’t work (mermaid tale, beach, vegan cooking classes, fancy hat club etc), but that daydreaming doesn’t usually include time for self-reflection, self-analysis, the discovery of who I really am, or how others…

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Killer B Cinema Presents Eegah and Cat Women of the Moon!

Looking for the perfect Valentine’s movie double bill? Ready to see two movies about love going oh so wrong. Well, we got them for you! Eegah and Cat-Women of the Moon are the perfect double bill and all for the low, low price of $5. That’s right FIVE DOLLARS! And there will be trivia with prizes and a special raffle prize!

Doors (back performance space) open at 8 pm and the movies begin at 8:30 pm.

Eegah (also known as Eegah: The Name Written in Blood) is a 1962 American horror film directed and produced by Arch Hall, Sr. (credited as Nicholas Merriwether), written by Bob Wehling based on a story by Hall Sr., and starring Hall Sr., Hall Jr., Marilyn Manning and Richard Kiel in the title role.

The film’s notoriety was enhanced as a result of being featured on episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Elvira’s Movie Macabre, and was said by many to be an all-time worst film and one of the films listed in Michael Medved’s book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time.

Cat-Women of the Moon is an independently made 1953 American black-and-white science fiction film, produced by Jack Rabin and Al Zimbalist, directed by Arthur Hilton, that stars Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory, and Marie Windsor. The film was released by Astor Pictures.

Notably, the musical score was composed by Academy Award-winner Elmer Bernstein, though his last name is misspelled as “Bernstien” in the opening credits.

Each month join Lizzie Violet & Zoltan Du Lac for a double bill of B-moves from the 1930s to 1970s!

Thank you to the Imperial Pub and their staff! They make our monthly event extra amazing!

We hope to see you at The Imperial!

https://www.facebook.com/events/180689159187213/

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Killer B Cinema’s January Line Up!

Hello and Happy New Year!

Killer B Cinema presents Cocaine Fiends & Ed Wood’s Jail Bait! Two killer B-movies to kick off your New Year right and for the low, low price of $5. That’s right FIVE DOLLARS! And there will be trivia with prizes!

Doors (back performance space) open at 8 pm and the movies begin at 8:30 pm.

Cocaine Fiends (also known as Cocaine Madness and The Pace That Kills) is a 1935 American exploitation film directed by William O’Connor. The film, starring Lois January, told the story of a woman called Jane Bradford, who gets involved with a drug dealer and becomes addicted to cocaine. Similar to other movies of the genre, the final film was a reissued work with additional scenes, mostly using footage from the earlier silent The Pace That Kills (1928).

Jail Bait (also known as Hidden Face) is a 1954 American film noir and crime film directed by Ed Wood, with a screenplay by Wood and Alex Gordon. The film stars Clancy Malone as the delinquent son of a famous doctor and his involvement with a dangerous criminal. Famed bodybuilder Steve Reeves made his first major screen appearance in the film. The film belongs to the film noir genre and contains themes typical of it such as plastic surgery and identity theft.

Each month join Lizzie Violet & Zoltan Du Lac for a double bill of B-moves from the 1930s to 1970s!

Thank you to the Imperial Pub and their staff! They make our monthly event extra amazing!

We hope to see you at The Imperial!

https://www.facebook.com/events/159234011351748/

killer-b-cinema-poster__jan-6-2017

Canadian Ginger Anthology! Killer B Cinema!

I am super excited to announce that my poem Foxglove, about an aging redheaded superhero, is in the amazing anthology, Canadian Ginger. I am honoured to be in this book along with some super talented writers, including Margaret Atwood. Yes, that Margaret Atwood!

canadianginger

You can get your copies at Indigo (available online and in stores), Amazon or directly from the publisher Oolichan Press. I’m certain they are in other stores as well and I will update the list when I know where.

Please go buy a copy and support Canadian redheads and authors!

Author list:
• Margaret Atwood • Aidan Chafe • Carolyn Clink • Anita Dolman • David Fraser • Maureen Foss • Kim Goldberg • Heather Haley • Carla Hartsfield • Tracy Hamon • Penn Kemp • Kateri Lanthier • Joanne Levy • Winona Linn • Christine Lowther • Bruce Meyer • Rebecca Pǎpucaru • Charlie Petch • Rachael Preston • Heather Spears • Diane Tucker • Jordan Watkins •  Lizzie Violet • Darryl Whetter • Jennifer Zilm

This Saturday, please join me and my partner in crime Zoltan Du Lac for another Killer B Cinema!  You get two killer b flicks for only FIVE Dollars!  There will also be trivia with prizes!  Click here for the link to the invite.

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