This is my desert notebook
Monday, December 1, 2008
A long-time fascination of mine is the road between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It is a strange, long desert drive that usually entails lots of caffeine and singing in the car.
I just spent a long holiday weekend in Las Vegas, and kept a running list of the objects I saw along the road that leads to what was once home for me.
When you leave in the very early morning from L.A., the first thing you notice is a slog of traffic that eventually lets up--like the desert itself, the road gets more barren the further you go.
It rained in L.A. last week, so this time we drove into the desert that smelled of rain. A unique, earthy scent. And as you look far beyond the highway, you can see streaks of sunlight coming down on far away purple mountains. Actually, I couldn't tell if it was sunlight or rain.
We stopped at a very chic gas station, as gas stations go. 18 varieties of coffee and clean bathrooms. It smelled like rain at this gas station, instead of gas.
Plow further into the desert and the misfit-type of stuff starts to emerge. You don't even have to go looking for it; strange things just appear on the side of the road, giving you more to think about.
On rickety, white plywood signs, each of the ten commandments was painted in big, black block letters. Pitched like forks, every thirty feet--reminding you to honor your mom.
A bigger sign appeared, reading, "WE LOVE TRUCKERS".
Gotta love the desert marketing campaigns.
As we drove further this time, again that same old thought crossed my mind: Why isn't there a bullet train between these two, fair cities?
Telephone poles and electric lines stretch out, connecting who knows what to who.
All the familiar Joshua Trees pop out.
A black crow pecks at the ground all by himself.
And that old, abandoned water park is still sitting there, in the middle of the Mojave. "Water Park & Resort" it is called. Resort? Bad business deal?
A hollow shack that looks like a tee-pee has graffiti all over its right side. I wonder if it is some lucky kid's fort that he plays and pretends inside of.
And at some point on the drive--nothing, nothing. Nothing.
Cue the music and more thinking.
Rain clouds, cottonwood bushes, shiny big rigs carrying goods that no one will buy this year.
I look to the right, and in the next lane there is an old man, leaning over the steering wheel of a gray Cadillac, as if he can't see at all. The strangest thing: there is a hands-free earpiece glowing in his left ear, and I can see it blinking a very blue light. It's as if he is digitally programmed.
In twenty-five minutes we will arrive in Baker, my favorite random desert stop-over. Aliens and Greek food! Love it.
"Pit stop"...I keep seeing those words throughout this desert ride. What is a "pit" "stop" anyway?
Ron Paul Revolution signs are still standing on low hills. I wonder if they know that the election is over?
A Winnebago passes us with ease. Who has a Winnebago anymore?
We loop through the mountains, and busted tires litter the road.
A white cylinder tank labeled "ROCKET FUEL" sits on the east side of the freeway.
When it rains in the desert, the colors are so different--the whole time it seems like we are riding through someone's water-colored painting, all milkweed and periwinkle brush strokes.
Here we are passing Baker, and the parade of billboards begins: Showgirls and magicians and all-you-can-eat buffets. And every adult dream that ever has been.
Another sign that Nevada is near:
"REAL FULL AUTOS" and a picture of an M-16. "Try one! at the GUN STORE!"
I see the pottery sale that is always there with large orange planters and clay swans, and I know we are close. The freeway starts to clear even more, and I begin to see stucco-covered homes, Spanish-tile roofs.
The Strip in the distance, and the faces of Penn & Teller and Studio 54 and Rita Rudner and Barry Manilow crooning on a billboard. And I know that I am home.
I just spent a long holiday weekend in Las Vegas, and kept a running list of the objects I saw along the road that leads to what was once home for me.
When you leave in the very early morning from L.A., the first thing you notice is a slog of traffic that eventually lets up--like the desert itself, the road gets more barren the further you go.
It rained in L.A. last week, so this time we drove into the desert that smelled of rain. A unique, earthy scent. And as you look far beyond the highway, you can see streaks of sunlight coming down on far away purple mountains. Actually, I couldn't tell if it was sunlight or rain.
We stopped at a very chic gas station, as gas stations go. 18 varieties of coffee and clean bathrooms. It smelled like rain at this gas station, instead of gas.
Plow further into the desert and the misfit-type of stuff starts to emerge. You don't even have to go looking for it; strange things just appear on the side of the road, giving you more to think about.
On rickety, white plywood signs, each of the ten commandments was painted in big, black block letters. Pitched like forks, every thirty feet--reminding you to honor your mom.
A bigger sign appeared, reading, "WE LOVE TRUCKERS".
Gotta love the desert marketing campaigns.
As we drove further this time, again that same old thought crossed my mind: Why isn't there a bullet train between these two, fair cities?
Telephone poles and electric lines stretch out, connecting who knows what to who.
All the familiar Joshua Trees pop out.
A black crow pecks at the ground all by himself.
And that old, abandoned water park is still sitting there, in the middle of the Mojave. "Water Park & Resort" it is called. Resort? Bad business deal?
A hollow shack that looks like a tee-pee has graffiti all over its right side. I wonder if it is some lucky kid's fort that he plays and pretends inside of.
And at some point on the drive--nothing, nothing. Nothing.
Cue the music and more thinking.
Rain clouds, cottonwood bushes, shiny big rigs carrying goods that no one will buy this year.
I look to the right, and in the next lane there is an old man, leaning over the steering wheel of a gray Cadillac, as if he can't see at all. The strangest thing: there is a hands-free earpiece glowing in his left ear, and I can see it blinking a very blue light. It's as if he is digitally programmed.
In twenty-five minutes we will arrive in Baker, my favorite random desert stop-over. Aliens and Greek food! Love it.
"Pit stop"...I keep seeing those words throughout this desert ride. What is a "pit" "stop" anyway?
Ron Paul Revolution signs are still standing on low hills. I wonder if they know that the election is over?
A Winnebago passes us with ease. Who has a Winnebago anymore?
We loop through the mountains, and busted tires litter the road.
A white cylinder tank labeled "ROCKET FUEL" sits on the east side of the freeway.
When it rains in the desert, the colors are so different--the whole time it seems like we are riding through someone's water-colored painting, all milkweed and periwinkle brush strokes.
Here we are passing Baker, and the parade of billboards begins: Showgirls and magicians and all-you-can-eat buffets. And every adult dream that ever has been.
Another sign that Nevada is near:
"REAL FULL AUTOS" and a picture of an M-16. "Try one! at the GUN STORE!"
I see the pottery sale that is always there with large orange planters and clay swans, and I know we are close. The freeway starts to clear even more, and I begin to see stucco-covered homes, Spanish-tile roofs.
The Strip in the distance, and the faces of Penn & Teller and Studio 54 and Rita Rudner and Barry Manilow crooning on a billboard. And I know that I am home.
Thank you, Las Vegas
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Dear hometown and the participants in the Vegas Valley Book Festival,
Thank you for coming out celebrate books and all that is literary.
A special thanks to all those who came to the Noir panel on November 7th. Hopefully, we entertained you.
An even more special thanks to my fellow panelists: Jarret Keene, Tod Goldberg, Todd James Pierce, and Vu Tran (who wasn't on the panel, but should have been up there with us).
Las Vegas always opens my eyes to something new.
Thank you for the love and support.
xo,
Lori
Thank you for coming out celebrate books and all that is literary.
A special thanks to all those who came to the Noir panel on November 7th. Hopefully, we entertained you.
An even more special thanks to my fellow panelists: Jarret Keene, Tod Goldberg, Todd James Pierce, and Vu Tran (who wasn't on the panel, but should have been up there with us).
Las Vegas always opens my eyes to something new.
Thank you for the love and support.
xo,
Lori
This week: Vegas Valley Book Festival!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Hi, all,
The Vegas Valley Book Festival is coming up next week. From November 6-8, poets will read, music will play, art will be shared.
I'll be speaking on a panel called "Vegas Noir," along with Jarret Keene, Tod Goldberg, and Todd James Pierce. Steve Grogan will moderate. We'll be discussing the book Las Vegas Noir and the topic of the "Great American Las Vegas Novel." Who will write it? What will it be about?
My panel is Friday, November 7 at 3:30 p.m. at the Fifth Street School in Downtown Las Vegas.
I am very excited about this event, as well as Jarret's "Operation Desert Word Storm" that will make Vegas' First Friday Art Walk more literary than ever--lots of performers and warrior poets to watch and love.
We'll get a chance to dance around Downtown Las Vegas and have a Noir-inspired drink or two.
I would be beyond delighted to see everyone at the Noir panel.
Lots of love and hope,
Lori
p.s. Here's the Vegas Valley Book Festival schedule.
p.p.s. The photograph above is one I snapped in Los Angeles at Union Station. I recently found out that this picture was chosen to be the cover of a book. The Southern California Review will don my art, when it comes out in November 2008.
The Vegas Valley Book Festival is coming up next week. From November 6-8, poets will read, music will play, art will be shared.
I'll be speaking on a panel called "Vegas Noir," along with Jarret Keene, Tod Goldberg, and Todd James Pierce. Steve Grogan will moderate. We'll be discussing the book Las Vegas Noir and the topic of the "Great American Las Vegas Novel." Who will write it? What will it be about?
My panel is Friday, November 7 at 3:30 p.m. at the Fifth Street School in Downtown Las Vegas.
I am very excited about this event, as well as Jarret's "Operation Desert Word Storm" that will make Vegas' First Friday Art Walk more literary than ever--lots of performers and warrior poets to watch and love.
We'll get a chance to dance around Downtown Las Vegas and have a Noir-inspired drink or two.
I would be beyond delighted to see everyone at the Noir panel.
Lots of love and hope,
Lori
p.s. Here's the Vegas Valley Book Festival schedule.
p.p.s. The photograph above is one I snapped in Los Angeles at Union Station. I recently found out that this picture was chosen to be the cover of a book. The Southern California Review will don my art, when it comes out in November 2008.
Vegas Valley Book Festival
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Hey, readers, writers, friends, and fam,
Some new news for you. I will be at the Vegas Valley Book Festival from November 6-8.
I will be sitting on the panel called "Vegas Noir" with my fellow Las Vegas Noir writer Tod Goldberg and editor Jarret Keene. The panel is on Friday, November 7th at 3:30 p.m. at the Fifth Street School in Downtown Las Vegas (located at Fourth Street and Lewis Avenue).
Tod, Jarret, and I will talk, read, answer your questions, maybe tell a joke or two, and generally entertain you. If you are interested in Noir, this would be an excellent talk to see, while at the Festival. Afterward, we will sign copies of Las Vegas Noir.
The Festival is Las Vegas' largest annual literary event, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
I really hope to see you there.
xo,
Lori
Some new news for you. I will be at the Vegas Valley Book Festival from November 6-8.
I will be sitting on the panel called "Vegas Noir" with my fellow Las Vegas Noir writer Tod Goldberg and editor Jarret Keene. The panel is on Friday, November 7th at 3:30 p.m. at the Fifth Street School in Downtown Las Vegas (located at Fourth Street and Lewis Avenue).
Tod, Jarret, and I will talk, read, answer your questions, maybe tell a joke or two, and generally entertain you. If you are interested in Noir, this would be an excellent talk to see, while at the Festival. Afterward, we will sign copies of Las Vegas Noir.
The Festival is Las Vegas' largest annual literary event, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
I really hope to see you there.
xo,
Lori
A killer time
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Last night was the big Night of Noir here in L.A., and the event was superb. So many people to thank for making this happen.
Imix Bookstore: Located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock, this colorful and eclectic little shop opened its doors and heart to us. Thank you for your support and for the fantastic gallery space, in which we read, sang, and talked Noir.
Laura Ellis: Jazz singer/femme fatale, thank you for putting on a show that made men blush. You were fantastic!
Glen Golightly: Thank you for being a super Master of Ceremonies and keeping the audience entertained.
The USC Master of Professional Writing Alumni Association: Thank you for supporting us writers, as we schooled Los Angeles on what Noir is all about.
Thank you to my fellow Noir writers in crime: Los Angeles Noir Editor Denise Hamilton, Emory Holmes II, Christine McKellar, and Tod Goldberg. You are all such fine artists.
Jethro Nededog: My friend and producer of this fabulous event. You are a talent in every way. This whole thing was all you--cool, coordinated, classy, and community-oriented. Thank you for making this happen.
To friends and readers and patrons, who came out to see us, thanks for your support.
Imix Bookstore: Located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock, this colorful and eclectic little shop opened its doors and heart to us. Thank you for your support and for the fantastic gallery space, in which we read, sang, and talked Noir.
Laura Ellis: Jazz singer/femme fatale, thank you for putting on a show that made men blush. You were fantastic!
Glen Golightly: Thank you for being a super Master of Ceremonies and keeping the audience entertained.
The USC Master of Professional Writing Alumni Association: Thank you for supporting us writers, as we schooled Los Angeles on what Noir is all about.
Thank you to my fellow Noir writers in crime: Los Angeles Noir Editor Denise Hamilton, Emory Holmes II, Christine McKellar, and Tod Goldberg. You are all such fine artists.
Jethro Nededog: My friend and producer of this fabulous event. You are a talent in every way. This whole thing was all you--cool, coordinated, classy, and community-oriented. Thank you for making this happen.
To friends and readers and patrons, who came out to see us, thanks for your support.
Celebrate the Dark Art: Night of Noir in L.A. This Saturday
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Come out this Saturday night to Imix Bookstore in L.A. (neighborhood of Eagle Rock, to be exact) to hear writers celebrate the dark art of Noir.
Writers Denise Hamilton, Tod Goldberg, Emory Holmes, Jim Pascoe, Christine McKellar, Gary Phillips, and I will read from our respective Noir stories.
We will see which city produces darker crime fiction--Los Angeles or Las Vegas? The birthplace of Noir or Sin City?
In case you didn't know, the Akashic Books Noir series started in Brooklyn, where the publisher asked local writers to whip up dark tales from around their block. The anthology was so popular that Akashic moved on to other bouroughs of New York City, and then out-of-state and around the nation.
Of course, the series eventually made it out west, and now here we are in L.A. with quality crime fiction about the very neighborhoods that you live in. Of course, not to be overlooked, there's Las Vegas Noir, which paints a very lively, very full picture of just how dark life can be--even off the Strip.
So, if you like fiction, and you like dark tales, see your way over to Imix on Saturday. Live jazz chanteuse and wine bar not to be missed.
Saturday, June 28
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Imix Bookstore
A Night of Noir
Thursday, May 29, 2008
In case you couldn't get enough of the Akashic Noir series, and you live in L.A. (or visit often), you're in great luck.
My friend Jethro Nededog, the USC Master of Professional Writing Alumni Association, and I are putting on "A Night of Noir." At a little local Los Angeles bookstore, writers from Los Angeles Noir and Las Vegas Noir will meet up to read their work, sign books, and generally have a great time.
Please join us! Here's the details...
Who: Amazing writers such as Tod Goldberg, Denise Hamilton, Christine McKellar, Gary Phillips, Emory Holmes III, Jim Pascoe and other writers (including me!) will read from their work. And sign books.
What: This summer's ultimate in Noir literary events.
When: Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 6pm to 8pm
Where: Imix Bookstore, 5052 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (323) 257-2512
Why: Noir writers are generally very cool. Jazz singer Laura Ellis will perform selections from her show "Femme Fatale: The Music of Film Noir." And the event includes a no-host wine bar.
Hope to see you there,
Lori
My friend Jethro Nededog, the USC Master of Professional Writing Alumni Association, and I are putting on "A Night of Noir." At a little local Los Angeles bookstore, writers from Los Angeles Noir and Las Vegas Noir will meet up to read their work, sign books, and generally have a great time.
Please join us! Here's the details...
Who: Amazing writers such as Tod Goldberg, Denise Hamilton, Christine McKellar, Gary Phillips, Emory Holmes III, Jim Pascoe and other writers (including me!) will read from their work. And sign books.
What: This summer's ultimate in Noir literary events.
When: Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 6pm to 8pm
Where: Imix Bookstore, 5052 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (323) 257-2512
Why: Noir writers are generally very cool. Jazz singer Laura Ellis will perform selections from her show "Femme Fatale: The Music of Film Noir." And the event includes a no-host wine bar.
Hope to see you there,
Lori
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