My Napolitana Grandma, Adele Roth–Adela/Adelina Zollo/a Roth, was a firecracker. Pictured left with her two brothers (I think?). Definitely il fratello Louis/Luigi on the right, the famously charismatic and gifted musician I had the privilege of meeting with his partner, Carl, in my early years. She used to make me cry as a child because…
Month: October 2017
The Things We Carry
My favorite bookstore in childhood was “The Bookery” in a place called Placerville, California (Pictured above, source and source) Every day-after-Christmas from the ages of 0 through 9, my dad and uncle (and sometimes my mom) would take me there. We would spend hours. And I would spend all of my holiday gift money on stacks and…
A Love that Blinds / An Ode to Home
I’m sitting in a loft on the edge of Piazza Amadeo in the early morning hours. The twenty-four hour clock on my phone reads 06:07. A rhythmic creak of a bed frame next-door accompanies the whirl of the street cleaners out my window. Here I am in Napoli, Italia. In a city that is truly…
Dynamic Duos
Let’s talk about a different 45. The almost-45 years that my parents have been together. No, they never thought they’d be a trio with me in the mix–what brought them together like magnets was music. They lived for music and their spiritual quests in tandem. When I was on a 9+ hour flight a day…
Excerpts
It all happened alongside a beach bonfire. I had recently come back to town–Santa Cruz, California that is, and some creative, inspiring, interesting folk I used to know invited me to the beach. There’s something about bonfires. They’re old world. People throughout history have gathered around flames to warm themselves and share stories. They’re a different…