ISSUE 66 | SEPTEMBER 2016
NATIONALSTEINBECKCENTER
NEWS
“…What Makes a Writer”
“It is a long and difficult craft to learn…
Nearly every one can write the
first four chapters of a book.
It is writing the third book
when no one would look
at the first two
that makes a writer.”
—JS, 1948
Notes From the Director
Susan Shillinglaw
Ten years ago the National Endowment for
the Arts launched the BIG READ program. In
2007, the second year, The Grapes of Wrath
was added to the list and communities in
eleven states chose Grapes from the expanded
selection of novels—among them Salinas.
Communities who read together, the thinking
went, might be more cohesive. Reading binds.
North Carolina. Grapes resonated in each town because Havre
had lost a railroad line and jobs; because logging no longer drove
the economy in Enterprise, Oregon; because textile mills had
closed in North Carolina and cotton fields lay fallow. Steinbeck’s
narrative spoke to people in these communities, as is the case
each time I’ve been fortunat–e enough to talk about the book
in cities around the U.S., my own Travels with the NEA, not dog
but book by my side.
In 2007, when the National Steinbeck Center launched their first
BIG READ, Amanda Holder, Director of Marketing, distributed
copies of Grapes at the Salinas market. Anthony Newfield and I
gave a talk on Grapes that year in Salinas, and I was fortunate to
speak about Grapes in other small communities that I otherwise
would never have visited: Havre, Montana (a city whose name
I mispronounced until I arrived at the airport in Montana) and
Enterprise, Oregon; Bath, Maine and Roxboro and Salisbury,
I hope that Sun, Stone and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short
Stories means something equally compelling to Monterey
County this September and October, as our community reads
the book together. This is the first BIG READ I’ve helped
coordinate, and I’ve been delighted by the enthusiasm of the
NSC staff as well as our partners. Archivist Lisa Josephs and
Coordinator of Marketing Eric Mora led the charge; they cowrote the NEH grant and have
Continued Page 4
CALENDAR
Call 831.775.4721 or visit www.steinbeck.org for more information
on our upcoming events.
September 16, 4pm
BIG READ launch: NSC Director Susan Shillinglaw will give a talk on “Steinbeck’s
Mexico.” Plus music and food! For complete listings,
please see page 4-5.
October 1 & 2, 11-5pm
“From Pen to Brush” As part of Salinas Open Studios, Hijos del Sol will show
20 original paintings by Salinas artists, each inspired by the 20 stories in Sun,
Stone, and Shadows, the BIG READ selection. Come to the NSC to create a
cempasuchil (marigold) for a loved one and experience the work in progress for
the upcoming exhibit, “Days for the Dead.”
NEA BIG READ 2016
Sponsored by the National Steinbeck Center
in partnership with
The Western Stage, Hartnell College
Hijos del Sol
Maya Cinema
Salinas Public Libraries
Monterey Public Library Library
Monterey County Libraries
SEPTEMBER
Sept. 6: NSC, 10-5pm
National Read a Book Day! Free NSC admission10am-5pm!
10% off books in NSC bookstore! Pop-up discussion of “My
Life with the Wave” at 12pm. Contest for copies of Sun, Stone,
and Shadows.
Sept. 9-15: Maya Cinema, Main St. Salinas
Hola Mexico Film Festival showcases great Mexican films.
See schedule.
Sept. 10: The Western Stage, Mainstage Theater, Hartnell
College, 7:30pm Opening Night of Bandido. A brilliant
retelling of the controversial life and death of Tiburcio Vásquez,
a thief and hero. This play is a stunning biography, a thumping
melodrama, a political epic and a musical satire by the
contemporary theatre icon Luis Valdez.
From Sept. 16 through Nov. 1
Pop up exhibit by the National Steinbeck Center.
Bring a Bandido ticket to the National Steinbeck Center for free
admission. Show a copy of Sun, Stone, and Shadows to The
Western Stage Box Office for a half-price ticket to see Bandido.
Sept. 10: National Steinbeck Center, 5pm
Mariachi Festival and Tequilla tasting.
See www.steinbeck.org for details.
Sept. 11: The Western Stage, Mainstage Theater,
Hartnell College, 2-5pm.
Bandido Talk-Back Session with Director, Cast, and David
Serena, Monterey Peninsula College Professor of Ethnic
Studies and Political Science. Q&A with panel. Pop-up exhibit
by the National Steinbeck Center.
Sept. 11: Alisal Street, Salinas, 11am-5pm
El Grito Parade and Festival: Celebrate Mexican Independence
Day. Stop by the NSC pop up exhibit for the chance to win a
free copy of Sun, Stone and Shadows in Spanish or English.
Castroville Library
King City Library
California State University Monterey Bay
Monterey County Office of Education
“Voices of California,” Department of Linguistics,
Stanford University
Stone, and Shadows. Bookgroup led by Susan Shillinglaw,
Director, NSC.
Sept. 16: National Steinbeck Center, 3-7:00pm
NEA BIG READ Kick-Off and Open House: Free admission
all day! 3:00: Archives highlights from our SteinbeckMexico collection. 3:30: The Western Stage premieres a
dramatic adaptation of “My Life with the Wave.” 4:30: Susan
Shillinglaw’s opening talk, “Steinbeck’s Mexico.” Music by
CSUMB concert band, Sharp Nine. 5:30: Voices of California,
Stanford University oral histories in Salinas. 6:00: Tacos served
on the patio.
Sept. 17: Monterey Public Library, 1pm
Sun, Stone, and Shadows Discussion with Susan Shillinglaw
Sept. 19- Oct. 16: John Steinbeck Library
SET THE SCENE ART CONTEST for students aged 13-18
and adults 19 and up. Entries will be displayed at the John
Steinbeck Library the public will vote on their favorite. A panel
of local artists will also judge the entries. See contest rules
and prizes on the Library's website.
Sept. 21: National Steinbeck Center, 5:30pm
Sweet Wednesday (with pan dulce): “What Can Literature Tell
us about Ourselves?” Rafael Gomez, Professor of Mexican
Literature and Spanish at California State University, Monterey
Bay.
Sept. 24: Monterey Public Library, 1pm
“When We Were Mexico: A Frontier Province and Its
Capital—Monterey,” Dennis Copeland, Monterey’s manager of
museums, cultural arts, and archives.
Sept. 24: John Steinbeck Library, 10am-6pm
The Fantastic Unreal: Programs throughout the day focusing
on the first section of Sun, Stone, and Shadows. See Library's
schedule.
Sept. 13: Hartnell College Library, 10-1pm
10th Anniversary Celebration: Celebrate the building’s birthday
with cake and giveaways, including copies of Sun, Stone, and
Shadows.
Sept. 25: The Western Stage, Mainstage Theater, Hartnell
College, 2-5pm
Bandido Talk-Back Session with with legendary playwright Luis
Valdez and David Serena, MPC Professor of Ethnic Studies and
Political Science. NSC Pop-up Big Read Display.
Sept. 14: National Steinbeck Center Bookstore, 6pm
Books and Bites: Come discuss stories in the first half of Sun,
Sept. 27: CSUMB Student Center, 2pm
The Western Stage performance of “My Life with the Wave”
followed by
Discussion of “Tell Them Not to Kill Me” with Donaldo Urioste,
Professor of Spanish and Chicano Literature
Sept. 28: Maya Cinema, 153 Main St, Salinas, 7pm
BIG READ Steinbeck Film Series: Forgotten Village (1941) with
introduction by Ruben Mendoza, CSUMB Professor of Mexican
Archaeology. Q&A at closing with Susan Shillinglaw and Ruben
Mendoza.
Sept. 29: National Steinbeck Center, 5:30pm
Sweet Thursday: “The Mexico We Left Behind” Claudia
Melendez, author of A Fighting Chance and journalist at the
Monterey Herald, leads a discussion of Sun, Stone, and
Shadows.
OCTOBER
Oct. 1 & 2: National Steinbeck Center 11am to 5pm, both days.
Salinas Artists’ Open Studio “From Pen to Brush”: Artists ages
17-30 from Hijos del Sol will showcase artistic interpretations
of the 20 stories of Sun, Stone, and Shadows. On Oct. 2 at
2pm, there will be a panel discussion with the artists.
Oct 15: Cesar Chavez Library, 10am-6pm
The Unexpected in Everyday, Urban Life: Programs throughout
the day focusing on the fourth section of Sun, Stone, and
Shadows. See Library's schedule.
Oct. 15: King City Library, 12pm
The Western Stage performance of “My Life with the Wave”
Oct. 19: Hartnell Student Center, 12:30pm
The Western Stage performance of “My Life with the Wave”
Oct. 19: Maya Cinema, 153 Main St., Salinas, 7pm
BIG READ Steinbeck Film Series: Viva Zapata! (1952) Intro by
Donaldo Urioste, CSUMB.
Oct. 20: National Steinbeck Center 5:30pm
Sweet Thursday: “Mexico in the Modern Imagination,” Ruben
Mendoza, CSUMB Professor of Mexican Archaeology.
Oct. 21: National Steinbeck Center, 12-2pm
Archives Q&A with highlights from our Steinbeck-Mexico
collection.
Oct 1: Cesar Chavez Library, 10am-6pm
Scenes from Mexican Reality: Programs throughout the day
focusing on second section of Sun, Stone, and Shadows. See
Library's schedule.
Oct 21: John Steinbeck Library, 10am-6pm
Intimate Imagination: Programs throughout the day focusing
on the final section of Sun, Stone, and Shadows. See Library's
schedule.
The Western Stage performance of “My Life with the Wave” at
2:30pm
Oct. 23: Artesanias, Fiestas & Cultura, 27 4th St., Gonzales,
1pm
“El Mexico que Dejamos”: Discussion of Sun, Stone, and
Shadows in Spanish, led by Claudia Melendez.
Oct. 5: Maya Cinema, 153 Main St, Salinas, 7pm
BIG READ Steinbeck Film Series: Tortilla Flat (1942). Film intro.
tba.
Oct. 6: National Steinbeck Center 5:30pm
Sweet Thursday: "A View of Mexican Culture by Exploring
Human Behavior." Leslie Price, Professor of Psychology at MPC
and Hartnell.
Oct. 26: Maya Cinema, 153 Main St, Salinas, 7pm
BIG READ Steinbeck Film Series: The Pearl (1947). “Legend
and Ecological History” by William Gilly, Professor of Biology at
Stanford University.
Oct. 6: Castroville Library, 6pm
The Western Stage performance of “My Life with the Wave”
Oct. 27: National Steinbeck Center 5:30pm
Sweet Thursday: “The Bull in Commerce and Culture,” Bruce
Elliott, former Senior Biologist for the California Department of
Fish and Wildlife.
Oct 8: John Steinbeck Library, 10am-6pm
The Tangible Past: Programs throughout the day focusing on
the third section of Sun, Stone, and Shadows. See Library's
schedule.
Oct. 28: National Steinbeck Center, 10am-5pm
Día de los Muertos Exhibit opens: Curated by Jose Ortiz,
founder of Hijos del Sol, the exhibit touches on themes and
images of the holiday.
Oct 9: Alisal Street, Salinas, 10am-2pm
Ciclovia- Open street project where people enjoy art, music
and activities with no motor vehicle traffic. NSC pop up exhibit
and chance to win prizes, books, and more.
Oct. 12: National Steinbeck Center Bookstore, 6pm
Books and Bites: The second half of Sun, Stone, and Shadows.
Discussion led by Susan Shillinglaw, Director, National
Steinbeck Center.
Oct. 13: National Steinbeck Center, 6pm
Sweet Thursday: Reader’s Theater Extravaganza: Performance
of “The Panther” by Everett Alvarez High School students,
directed by Taylour Matz. Performance of “Permission Granted”
by Alisal High School students, directed by Veronica Pulido.
Coordinated by Mike Roddy..The Western Stage performance
of “My Life with the Wave.” Discussion to follow.
NOVEMBER
Nov. 1: National Steinbeck Center
Día de los Muertos and Closing Party- The NSC and our local
partners invite you to join us for our final event and street
parade celebrating NEA BIG READ.
All events free and open to the public
Membership Profile: Patrick Moore (Bonn, Germany)
Eric Mora, Marketing and Membership Coordinator
My first involvement with the National Steinbeck Center was
as a volunteer, greeting visitors at the docent’s desk, providing
them with general information about the museum, and urging
them to sign our guest book.
If you ever glance at our guest book, one of the most salient
trends you’ll notice is just how far some of our visitors come
from. I always knew that Steinbeck was an internationally
renowned author and that his works had been translated into
several languages. However, it is quite different to know that an
author’s works have been translated into another languages, than
to meet real people who have been so moved by those works as
to travel to the author’s hometown and namesake museum.
Similarly, when I began to work for the National Steinbeck Center
as a marketing and membership coordinator, I was struck by
how far some of our members come from. One day, when I was
processing membership renewals, Patrick Moore’s renewal form
stood out to me because of his German address. I decided to
reach out to him to find out more about why he has chosen to
support the National Steinbeck Center for many years.
The following is the result of an email exchange between
Patrick Moore and myself:
When Patrick Moore first heard of the National Steinbeck
Center, it was still under construction. He was in California
visiting his parents, who moved from Detroit to San Jose in
the late 1970’s. However, his connection to John Steinbeck
started long before the Center was built in 1998.Between
1977 and 2088, Moore worked as a political analyst for
Radio Free Europe, an international news and broadcast
organization. He first worked for Radio Free Europe in
Munich, then in Prague. “Steinbeck visited our offices
for several weeks in 1954 and wrote broadcasts for our
listeners in Eastern Europe because of his commitment to
freedom and democracy, especially to the right to receive
and exchange ideas without government interference,”
writes Moore. “He was particularly concerned that the
communist authorities in Czechoslovakia prevented his
friends there from receiving the books that he had sent
them.”
4
“Everything around you is cynically designed to destroy
you as individuals. You must remember and teach your
children that they are precious, not as dull cogs in the
wheel of party existence, but as units complete and shining
in themselves,” Steinbeck said in that 1954 speech. “This
dedication to freedom and the rights of the individual
makes Steinbeck relevant today and will still ensure him
a wide audience tomorrow. He delivers his message in a
straightforward prose that most everyone can appreciate,”
states Moore.
Of his favorite Steinbeck novel, 1936’s In Dubious Battle, Moore
writes, “In Dubious Battle packs in the social and political
dimensions I love in Steinbeck’s work and maintains an almost
constant, riveting tension throughout. Although I am also fond
of The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden, there is something
to be said for the punch that only a relatively short work like In
Dubious Battle can deliver.
Now, Patrick visits the museum every time he is in California
and continues to showcase the power of the individual by
supporting the Steinbeck Center. “I strongly believe in grassroots support for projects of great value to the broad public,
such as the National Steinbeck Center. Membership enables
me to help ensure not only that the wonderful exhibits and
bookstore will still be there on my next annual visit from
Germany to California, but also that important programs, such
as encouraging young writers, can continue.”
organized outreach programs. Cudos to both, as well as to our
newest hire, Jennifer Kim, who, in her first two weeks on the
job, has thrown herself into helping organizing the program.
Without our local partners, none of this would have been
possible. All have enthusiastically embraced this book and the
possibilities of a community read. Many thanks to each.
We have a terrific schedule of events published in this issue
of the NEWS. Please attend as many as you can. Reading
and learning together is a joyful experience—appreciating
the rich diversity of Mexican literary voices. Our BIG READ
program also includes art, film, drama and music—a range
that Steinbeck would appreciate. Creative expression crosses
boundaries.
On September 16, come to the NSC to help us launch the BIG
READ!
BOOKSTORE
The National Steinbeck
Center bookstore is
expanding!
Yessenia Guzman,
Store Manager/ Tour & Volunteer Coordinator
This summer has been amazing! We have been very busy! I
love it! Kind of sad to see summer come to an end, but I am
excited for the fall, my favorite time of the year. The museum
Store is doing great. Books are selling and so are other items
like shirts, hats and tote bags. New black and pink Steinbeck
shirts are one of the top sellers—both my favorite colors. We
have new books for children; the children really enjoy looking
at these books and reading while their parents check out the
rest of the gift shop. You can also purchase Sun Stones and
Shadows in our gift shop.
Tours
Now that school has started again
in most areas, more school groups
are being scheduled. I recommend
2 weeks in advance to schedule a
tour, although most teachers plan a
few months ahead, which is really
good.,Tours are fun; I enjoy seeing
these young adults so interested
in John Steinbeck. Our exhibit will
soon be full of students.
Volunteers
The National Steinbeck Center has approximately 50
volunteers, from our youngest volunteer of 16 to our oldest
of 90. Our volunteers are great and knowledgeable people. I
really admire their dedication to this Center. I enjoy listening
to their stories. I am glad to be working with them; everything
has been great in my new position. Thank you to our
Volunteers for the time you dedicate to this Museum. You are
awesome.
Building Sign Changes with CSUMB Ownership
David Butler,
Director of Finance and Administration
Bookstore Sales Up
Bookstore sales are up over 20%. This is due to increasing
the variety of items, some of which are home-made scented
soaps, custom hand-crafted mugs and new books. Two
Cannery Row models from the old Monterey Maritime
Museum are now on display in the Bookstore.
The front of the building at One Main Street is spruced up!
Valley of the World
The Valley of the World Awards is back this year after skipping
last year. This is a significant fundraiser for the National
Steinbeck Center and its being managed by one of our prior
employees, Sandra Silva, who now works in her family
Agriculture business. This year the Valley of the World will be
honoring Bill Barker, Miles and Garland Reiter, John C. D’Arrigo,
Donald G. Wolf, Debbie Benson and Jessica Souza. The event
is November 16, 2016 at the Corral de Tierra County Club.
5
ARCHIVES
Peter O’Crotty, Editor of
the The Monterey Beacon
Lisa Josephs, Archivist
In late July, Peter O’Crotty contacted me about his father’s
editorship of The Monterey Beacon in the 1930s—offering to
donate his father’s archive to the National Steinbeck Center.
The Beacon is a lovely publication—although the editor seems
to have scrambled to fill out issues. Peter noted that his father
occasionally submitted his own work to the magazine under
pseudonyms, rather than let pages go blank. “Michael Holcroft”
is one of these names--Peter O’Crotty’s name is penciled in
under the Michael Holcroft bylines.
In the June 22, 1935 issue, the senior Peter O’Crotty’s editorial
note appears above the first column of John Steinbeck’s The
Snake:
The Beacon as an experimental magazine, does not pay
for stories, but in this case, the author, having fallen in
love with Cochise, our steeplechase horse, we have
concluded a horse trade whereby the author is entitled
the use of our horse, for our use of his story.
Now in the NSC archives are a copy of this June 22, 1935 issue
of The Beacon three bound volumes of other issues of The
Beacon, from August 1934 to September 1935; bound volumes
of issues of Rob Wagner’s Script, from October 1929 to March
1936 (also edited by O’Crotty); and a copy of the Carmel Cymbal
along with a related set of nude photos. For the Carmel Cymbal,
O’Crotty senior was mastermind of “hijinks”—a crime that
Steinbeck notes in Sweet Thursday is forbidden in Pacific Grove
and seems to have been unwelcome in Carmel at the time of
Mr. O’Crotty’s hijinks.
A few weeks after Mr. O’Crotty
accepted Steinbeck’s The Snake for publication in The
Monterey Beacon, he became front page news in The Carmel
Cymbal on July 17, 1935: “Peter O’Crotty plants nude girls on
Carmel streets and photographs them to make a little side
money.” His son suspects that “my dad and his bohemian
nudist friends were just in a ‘Let’s shock the straight laced
Carmel citizens’ mode” at the time of the photo shoot, early
July around 5 A.M.
Peter O’Crotty, a camera and tripod in hand, was accompanied by
three artists’ models in capes. He snapped them without capes
in a number of locations: an Oldsmobile dealership, the Bank of
Carmel, the Post Office, and on Carmel streets and beaches.
Mr. O’Crotty’s reported plan was to create a booklet to “refute
the story that Carmel has a nudist colony (This is a deep one.)”
and to provide some advertising for the city, since the booklet
“would sell in large numbers.” His son says that Mr. O’Crotty
was “a creative guy who was fond of outlandish thought.”
Outlandish or not, the senior Mr. O’Crotty had forethought in
his plan, determining “through an attorney that while he needed
no permission to photograph and print a picture of any building,
he would be liable to suit if he combined in that photograph any
feature which might be considered objectionable.” Rather than
asking permission with nothing in-hand, Mr. O’Crotty visited
the businesses featured in the shoot with a mock-up of the
proposed advertising booklet to ask for permission to use the
nude shots taken in front of the featured businesses. At the
time of publication, The Carmel Cymbal reported that only one
business owner was asked and that his answer was “no.”
The booklet was never produced, as—not surprisingly-Mr. O’Crotty could not secure the approval of the business
owners. The same issue of The Carmel Cymbal contains W.K.
Bassett’s letter to the editor, expressing deep disapproval of
Mr. O’Crotty’s venture. He declares that Carmel “still contains
enough self-respecting residents, to block this little scheme
of yours.” W.K. Bassett’s letter accuses Mr. O’Crotty of trying
to “clean-up at the expense of the sensibilities of the decent
people of Carmel.”
Peter O’Crotty’s 1935 hijinks will no doubt delight today’s
viewers. And John Steinbeck fans must, in hindsight, appreciate
Mr. O’Crotty’s willingness to lend Steinbeck a horse.
6
New Staff Introduction
Jennifer Kim,
Education and Public Programs Coordinator
As a newcomer to the Peninsula and to the NSC in particular,
I had to do my homework. I went online, on Yelp and a handful
of other sites, to make a to-do list for myself. What must I
discover here? What must I indulge in?
So I went about checking off the places on my self-made list.
Aquarium, sand dunes, 17 Mile Drive- check check check. For
two months I did all the things a conscientious new local had
to do, and it was all fun. At the end of that time, when friends
back home in San Diego asked if I were settled in, I confidently
answered, “Yes. I think I have a grasp of this place now,” and
smiled with the phone in hand.
I then decided to read Cannery Row, a book I haven’t read
before. In one sitting, just a few chapters into the book, I
realized how much I didn’t fully grasp this place I now call
home, Steinbeck Country. School curricula on Of Mice and
Men and The Red Pony were distant memories, and I was
humbled to begin discovering the Peninsula in earnest,
Cannery Row in hand as my guide. Steinbeck’s description of
the raucous streets during the day and the quiet stillness at
night (formerly Ocean View Ave., changed to Cannery Row in
1958, in homage to Steinbeck’s book) fills me with excitementstrolling down its street now, I feel I’m a part of a history that
Steinbeck made come alive.
As I join the team at the National Steinbeck Center, serving
as the Education and Public Programs Coordinator, I hope to
make many other discoveries. I earned my B.A. in English
Literature and M.Ed. at the University of California, San Diego.
Since then, I’ve worked in a variety of educational settings,
from teaching in secondary schools to counseling in higher
education. Get in touch with me at [email protected].
I would love to hear your thoughts on upcoming programs.
Suggestions for what you want to see and do are very
welcome!
Staff Picks:
Favorite
Stories from
"Sun, Stone,
and Shadows"
The History of Pao Cheng
By Jennifer Kim
In the shortest piece in the collection, Salizar
Elizondo in The History of Pao Cheng creates a
fantastically imaginative piece about the origin of
inspiration and vision. The proverbial question of
whether it was the chicken or egg that came first is
evoked on these three pages with an elaborate and
somewhat disturbing twist. Elizondo, born in Mexico
City and a lifelong writer and lover of conversations,
blurs the line between the writer and the character
he creates, leaving the reader questioning what is
reality and what is imagined?
The Switchman
By Lisa Josephs
I have traveled on overnight trains on three
continents. While airports in the United States,
Europe, and Asia tend to blend together in my
memory, train stations and trains do not.
Even the problems associated with train travel are
unique to a place and change with the seasons.
This story casts all of those time and location
specific problems in the most absurd terms. The
hyperbole is hilarious, having suffered through
more train delays than I care to recall. I think
the absurdity also comments on the systems of
organization we see around us, whether it is train
schedules or social order.
August Afternoon, Jose Emilio Pacheco
By Eric Mora
If you liked John Steinbeck’s The Red Pony, you
might want to give August Afternoon a chance.
Both are coming of age stories in which the young
protagonists are forced to come to terms with
their realities. What I loved about August Afternoon
is that it is told as a recollection from the second
person point of view, and it perfectly depicts the
self-consciousness and embarrassment inherent in
growing up. Added bonus: no pony dies in this one
and, at four pages in length, it’s one of the shortest
stories featured in Sun, Stone, and Shadow!
Get in touch! [email protected].
5
7
Thom Steinbeck, 1944-2016
Susan Shillinglaw, Director
I think I last saw Thom when Rachael Maddow accepted
the John Steinbeck Award at San Jose State University on
February 25, 2012. The pictures from that event tell a small
story about Thom, I think. For the formal poses he was
solemn--and Rachael imitated his frown, teasing him a bit.
As she does so well, however, she soon drew out the best
from Thom—as they chatted he was engaged, laughing,
joking with her.
I first met burley, energetic Thom in 1988, soon after I
became Director of the Steinbeck Center at SJSU. Then
he was working on a script for In Dubious Battle, a hefty
typescript he showed me proudly. Later he wrote his own
books, and he was immensely proud of his fiction, as well
he should have been. Thom and I enjoyed sharing stories of
our shared interests--his father, California, the ins and outs
of the Steinbeck world, his family.
Perhaps the best time I had with Thom in the not so distant
past was interviewing him at the Carlsbad Library in 2010,
an interview that was taped. Thom recounted “the colorful
stuff” about his father. That afternoon he was at his best,
wearing a blue work shirt and white fedora, relaxed in a
comfortable chair on the stage; he was personable and very,
very funny as he read his own piece on Travels with Charley,
recalling his memories about “two highly opinioned people
in a truck crossing the country.” Charley loved to be sung to,
Thom said, and his father wrote a song for
Oh Charley dog,
They’re calling you a frog,
Such an insult pretty poodle never had.
But you sit there in the flood,
With your whiskers full of mud
And the pollywogs refer to you as dad.
Thom recalled his father teaching Angel, the next dog, how to
swim in the Sag Harbor pool: “Angel went right down to the
bottom, standing… I had to dive to get the dog up.” Thom
was hilarious and had the audience chuckling throughout. That
afternoon he went to painful places as well. “Cathy [in East
of Eden] was not all of my mother, but she could be ruthless
at times.” He willingly answered audience questions: “How
did your father balance writing and family?” “He didn’t,” Thom
quickly responded. “All he wanted to do was write…” although
he did “his level best” to be a good father. He made sling shots
for his sons—“the kind of thing he had as a kid.” When Thom
was a child, “I was fairly sure my father was out of work,” Thom
quipped. “I had no idea what he did” because he never talked
to his young sons about writing.
By the time Thom was 13 or 14, he asked his father why he
wrote books: To “remind people of their humanity,” Steinbeck
told his son. Maybe Thom’s life and work did the same,
reminding us of the range in all of us—Thom’s hearty laugh
floated throughout a life that wasn’t always easy as a famous
author’s son.
I think I sent this letter to Thom, I hope so. In 1962, John wrote
his sister Beth about Thom, comparing his two sons, as a parent
should never do—and yet we can’t help ourselves: “I’ve always
felt that Tom was the deeper… Tom is moody and inward and
not nearly as good company, but I think there is more there if it
can ever get out….there has always been a difference. For one
thing, John does not do original thinking but Tom does…”
In fact, in darkness and in light there was a lot of his father in
Thom Steinbeck—the first son named after his father’s favorite
uncle, Tom (Uncle John in The Grapes of Wrath, Tom in East of
Eden). All were deep, “original” thinkers.
8
The National Steinbeck Center
presents
The 11th Annual
Valley of the World Awards
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016
6 P.M. to 9 P.M.
CORRAL DE TIERRA COUNTRY CLUB, SALINAS, CA
16 HONOREES
HALL OF FAME AWARDS
Bill Barker (Posthumously)
Miles and Garland Reiter
AG LEADER AWARD
EDUCATION AWARDS
John C. D’Arrigo
Debbie Benson & Jessica Souza
Donald Wolf (Posthumously)
Tickets are available for $300.00 per person, or $250.00 if purchased by October 16, 2016
Buy your tickets today! Support the NSC's educational outreach and museum refurbishing!
A special Thank You to our Sponsors
Joanne Taylor Johnson
Robert L. Meyer
Mike and Mary Orradre
For sponsorship opportunities or to reserve your seat, please call Sandra Silva
at (831) 775-4739 or email at [email protected]
9
ONE MAIN STREET
SALINAS, CA 93901
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO 466
In May, the National Endowment for the Arts
awarded the National Steinbeck Center a
Big Read grant, one of 77 communities in
the United States to receive funding for
2016-17. From September 16, Mexico’s
Independence Day, to November 1, the Day
of the Dead, Monterey County will read Sun,
Stone, Shadows:Twenty Great Mexican Short
Stories. Copies are available in English and
Spanish at the NSC bookstore.
Save the Date:
December 16-18
Comic Con in Salinas, CA