Hot Air Quarterly at Old City Hall
This Saturday, The Hot Air Quarterly will be giving a reading at Old City Hall; entrance is free. There will be a reception from 6 – 7 PM, where tasty finger foods, wine, and unleaded beverages will be served. From 7 – 9 PM authors and poets from The Hot Air Quarterly will read. The line-up is as follows:
Larry Greco Harris
Hal White
Celeste White
Phil Fountain
Jim Dowling
Sharon Brisolara
Peter Wright
It’s a scrumptious assortment of diverse talent and style. Larry Greco Harris has garnered quite a following with not only his excellent poems, but also his electrifying performances when he reads them. Larry’s work ranges from the light-hearted to the thought-provoking to the unsettling. Recently, he was invited to work on the Poetic Justice Project, a theater project on the Central Coast dedicated to the examination of “crime, punishment, and redemption.”
We’re also thrilled to be welcoming my brother, Hal White, who is one of the world’s foremost econometricians. Hal teaches at U.C.S.D., where he has his own chair (and desk, too, I’m willing to bet!), and he is, in addition, one of the hottest jazz trumpet players in the known universe. Okay, sure, I’m prejudiced, but I know you would agree if you heard him play! And, of course, he is the esteemed author of “The French Underpants” which appeared in the Autumn 2008 issue of The Hot Air Quarterly. Hal will be reading his version of this landmark family kerfuffle on Saturday (not to be missed, I assure you!), while I will follow by reading mine.
In addition, we’re delighted to be hosting Phil Fountain, who is well-known in Redding for not only his cartoons, but his wildly playful and hilarious writing. He is a regular contributor to anewscafe.com and one of the “guys behind the curtain” at the Firesign Theatre e-zine, It’s Just This Little Chromium Switch Here.
Jim Dowling’s wry, subtle humor and sharp, yet compassionate insights make his work a pleasure to read on the page. Even better is to hear it read in his voice! Jim shares with Larry the vocation of teaching at-risk youth (though Larry is now retired). Jim has been a member of the Hot Air staff since winter of 2008, and a railroad man for much of his adult life.
Sharon Brisolara, a sophisticated and subtle poet and frequent contributor to Hot Air, will be reading her thoughtful, evocative work. Sharon was born in New Orleans, conducted research in new York, Mississippi and Costa Rica, worked in Morocco and the Comoros Islands for the Peace Corps, and now lives in the North State with her lovely daughter.
And lastly, Peter Wright, a former sea captain who grew up in England, sailed the world, and is the author of several books, will be reading. Those who have heard Peter read before know what a treat it is to hear him read his spellbinding memoir; those who haven’t shouldn’t miss this opportunity!
Free copies of the winter issue of The Hot Air Quarterly will be distributed at the reading. We are honored to have the gorgeous work of artist Barbara Enochian gracing the cover (cover image above). For this issue and the last, Jim and I have been hand-tipping the art on the cover, so each copy is unique and hand-finished.
In addition, there will be a free drawing to win a piece of my found object work, “Rondel” (pictured below). It’s a found object triptych and can either be hung on the wall or set on a surface, as pictured. You’ll need to be present to win; we’ll announce the winner after Peter’s reading. 
Our nonprofit sponsor for this event, which is making it possible for us to serve wine to our guests (I’m hoping; just as long as we don’t need an act of congress passed, I think we’ll be able to), is Hill Country Health and Wellness Center. Hill Country is located in Round Mountain, and not only are they a community health center dedicated to providing quality care to every person who walks through their doors, regardless of ability to pay, they practice an enlightened and broad definition of health. Among other things, Hill Country believes that such things as beauty and creativity are as important to health as clean water and healthy diets. They’ve made arrangements with Hawkman Studios to provide rotating exhibits of original art in their beautiful new lobby (designed by Trilogy Architecture, the noted “green” architect who designed the new Redding School of the Arts) and they support the local Intermountain art scene as well.
My co-editor Jim Dowling and I bankroll a limited print run and put on events such as this reading and reception. It’s one of the ways we like to give to our community, and given the difficult economic climate we’ve all been dealing with, we feel such efforts are even more important to brighten people’s days. We don’t have unlimited funds, though, so donations are gratefully accepted, no matter how big or small*. For anyone who’s feeling more flush than others these days and would like to support the magazine and/or the readings, we’ll have a donation jar at the tables where copies of the quarterly will be available and where drinks are being served. Both cash and checks are welcome; please make checks out to Jim Dowling or Celeste White.
And please do join us whether you donate or not! We at The Hot Air Quarterly love to show people a good time, and it should be a delightful evening of varied and delectable pleasures for the heart, mind, and palate.
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* Many thanks to Peter Wright, Bill and Catherine Camp, and George and Janet Linville for their donations!
After the reading, copies can be found at The Shasta County Arts Council, the Redding Library, Sue’s Java Cafe, Pacific West Graphics, Infinite Designs, The Kimberly Nicole Boutique, Westside Java & Caffe, The Vintage, Vintner’s, and The Cornerstone Cafe and Brown Trout Gallery in Dunsmuir. If anyone who owns a business would like copies of The Hot Air Quarterly to distribute, please contact us at keswickhouse@earthlink.net
We are currently accepting submissions in the areas of short fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, and poetry. Please send submissions to keswickhouse@earthlink.net.
Above, top: “Koi Pond,” by Barbara Enochian, the cover art for the Winter 2010 issue of The Hot Air Quarterly. To see more of her work, visit www.barbaraenochian.com.
Monday, February 8, 2010