User Posts : The Southwest Voice

Editor's Note

Every winter, with Christmas just around the corner, I start craving my favorite auntie’s sugar cookies. With a faint hint of anise, there’s something about her cookies that will make me drive almost two hours in traffic, just to sit at the kids table and help decorate — and eat — batch after batch!

Do you have a favorite holiday cookie? If so, share the recipe with The Southwest Voice and we’ll enter you into a drawing for a family pass to the Kern County Museum’s Cookies at the Clocktower. Just post the recipe as an article at: www.swvoice.com by Monday, Dec. 8!

Also, thanks to everyone who contributed stories, calendar items and photos for our Southwest “Youth” issue. From our cover story featuring the Bakersfield Youth Symphony Orchestra to eighth-grader Anita Lay’s contributed article on a recent Chinese fashion show, you will read examples of incredibly talented Southwest youth.

There are two more issues of The Southwest Voice left for the year, so keep the stories coming!

Win tickets to Cookies at the Clocktower!

Santa Claus is coming to town real soon and The Southwest Voice wants to know what kind of cookies you’ll be cooking up for the jolly man in red! Will you be baking sugar cookies shaped like candy canes, gingerbread men begging to be eaten, or the classic and always tasty chocolate chip?

WIN TICKETS TO COOKIES AT THE CLOCKTOWER!!!!!
Share your favorite holiday cookie recipes with us for a chance to win a family pass (for up to five) to the Kern County Museum’s Cookies at the Clocktower taking place on Saturday, Dec. 14, from noon to and 3 p.m. Enjoy craft activities, magicians, a visit from Santa and, of course, cookies!

For your chance to win, submit your recipes at: www.swvoice.com. Feel free to include a picture of the finished product or the kids doing a taste test! Entries must be received by Monday, Dec. 8, and the winning entry will be randomly selected and featured in an upcoming issue of The Southwest Voice.

Also, be sure to check out the museum’s Holiday Lamplight Tours on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 3 to 8 p.m. Costumed interpreters, carolers, strolling minstrels and hundreds of old-fashioned lamplights set the stage for a holiday tour of Pioneer Village that will take you back in time and show you how the holidays of yesteryear were celebrated. A festive and educational experience for the whole family, admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children and an additional fee for carriage rides and refreshments. For more information on the Holiday at the Clocktower events, call 852-5000.

December events

Nov. 29 — Relay For Life Holiday Boutique
Help raise money for Relay for Life by shopping at Team Kim’s first annual Holiday Boutique. The boutique will be held at Valley Baptist Church, 4800 Fruitvale Ave., from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include a barbecue, refreshments and raffle’s throughout the day. Details, contact Michelle Dean at 829-1380.

Dec. 5-6 — Chez Noel Home Tours
The Assistance League of Bakersfield invites you to tour three beautifully appointed and sumptuously decorated homes in Southwest Bakersfield. After you’ve toured the homes, shop our Holiday Boutique and Bargain Box at the Assistance League, 1924 Q St. Tickets are $30. For more information and home locations, call the Chez Noel hotline at 861-9223.

Dec. 5-28 — The Magical Forest
Enjoy a holiday adventure that includes Santa’s secret shoppe, a forest of sights and sounds, tantalizing food, Santa at the North Pole, the Grinchmobile and train rides, live entertainment and more than 30 crafters! The Magical Forest is open each night from 6 to 9 p.m. Located at the top of the Stockdale Towers parking structure at 5060 California Ave. Tickets: Children 5 and under are free, children 6 to 12 $4; adults $8, and seniors $6. Details, call 834-2272.

Dec.6 — Han’s Tae Kwon Do Toys for Tots Fundraiser
Han’s Tae Kwon Do Academy, 3536 Stine Road, will be hosting a toy drive and national team fundraiser, benefitting Toys for Tots. Mario Cart event will start at 3 and Rockstar 2 event will start at 5 p.m. Cost is $10, and you must bring a new, unwrapped toy for registration. Details, call Francis Esposo at 833-2625.

Dec. 6 — Bakersfield Masterworks Chorale Christmas Concert
Bakersfield Masterworks Chorale will present “Christmas Concert 2008” at 7:30 p.m. at Harvey Auditorium, 1316 G St. The concert will feature beautiful selections from Handel’s “Messiah” as well as other wonderful holiday choral music. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $25 for preferred seating. For tickets, call the Bakersfield Symphony office at 323-7928.

Dec. 10 — Kern Photography Association Anniversary Celebration

Do you have a camera? Do you love to take pictures? Then we’re the place for you. Come join the fun at 1300 Easton Drive at 6 p.m. We’ll save a slice of cake just for you! Details, visit: www.kernphotographyassociation.org.

Dec. 11 — Be a Santa to a Senior Wrap Party
Come and Join us this evening and help wrap presents for Be a Santa to a Senior at 350 Calloway Drive. There will be light refreshments, and hopefully carolers, to keep us full of the Christmas spirit while wrapping. Bring your own scissors and tape. Details, call Patty Mell at 321-3235.

Vitamin myths debunked

The past couple of weeks, national news has highlighted several large studies that reinforce what the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the American Council on Science and Health have recognized for years: vitamin supplements will not prevent cancer or heart disease.

The reason for this involves three well-designed biological mechanisms that maintain nutrient homeostasis (balance) over a broad range of intakes. These three mechanisms dispel the myth that vitamins are not stored in the body, nor is it necessary to consume a specific maximum amount of any nutrient on any given day. Rather, it is the average intake over a week or two that is important.

The three mechanisms are:

• Storage capacity of all nutrients last from weeks to months, even longer in some cases.
• Changes in absorption rates range between twofold and fourfold when needs increase.
• Retention or changes in excretion rates occur when needs increase.

Let me use vitamin C to illustrate these often-misunderstood functions. Vitamin C has a storage capacity of roughly 1500 mg for the average adult male. Consuming just 60 mg a day can maintain this. To illustrate just how easy this is to maintain, one naval orange contains 80 mg.

During periods of increased need or decreased availability for any vitamin or mineral, absorption rates increase between twofold and fourfold, and excretion rates are simultaneously reduced. Additionally, the vitamin, in this case vitamin C, is conserved in the tissue that needs it the most. In “Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease,” Robert Jacobs, Ph.D., notes that “overall, the body turnover of ascorbic acid amounts to about 3 percent of the existing body pool per day.”

According to “Present Knowledge in Nutrition” by Barbara A. Bowman, “When doses of ascorbate is less than 100 mg, no ascorbate is excreted in the urine. By contrast, at steady-state [chronic intakes for doses greater than or equal to 500 mg] all of the ascorbate dose is excreted in urine.” At 100 mg, about a quarter of the dose is excreted, and at 200 mg, the figure rises to half. With higher doses of vitamin C, virtually all the absorbed dose is excreted.

Most consumers fail to understand that there are an estimated 4,000 different plant chemicals that play a role in health. To assume popping a pill that contains a fraction of these compounds will actually enhance health is naïve, unnecessary for most, and in some cases potentially dangerous.

— David Lightsey works with Glinn & Giordano Physical Therapy, and is the author of “Muscles Speed and Lies - What the Sport Supplement Industry Does Not Want Athletes or Consumers to Know.”

Community Library Project connects kids to reading

Three years ago, I became concerned that the community in southeast Bakersfield did not have a branch library within walking distance to the Virginia Avenue Elementary School (in the Fairfax School District) where I work. Our school library is not accessible after school hours, nor on weekends — although our school libraries at Shirley Lane and Fairfax Middle School are both open late one night a week.

As a public school teacher, I was a little tired of hearing about how poorly our students have done on standardized tests. As I educated myself further about reading, I learned just how essential access to print material is in terms of reading success. I believed that access to print could be improved, but it would take a community effort to bring about change.

With these thoughts in mind, I approached Fairfax School District Board members with a request to begin the Community Library Project, with assistance from students who had been chosen to participate as volunteer librarians. The local Unitarian church was willing to house library books and provide a location for this new community initiative.

The Board approved the proposal.

So, every Thursday evening, from 4 to 8 p.m., the Community Library Project, a community solution to a quality-of-life issue, has been running. The librarians have changed a little, as interest waxes and wanes and as students get older. These librarians are absolutely integral to the library’s operations. They work hard to make their own community a better place. After three years, the library is an established part of the community. School field trips from Virginia Avenue Elementary can walk down the street (about three blocks) and enjoy the benefits of a public library. This is especially important for kindergarten students.

I am tremendously proud of all the students who have served as librarians for the Community Library Project. The motto of the Community Library is “Helping Families Help Themselves,” and they have done and are continuing to do just that. By working hard together, these students have helped to solve a serious community problem.

Serenading our Sister City

Hundreds of years ago, European cities with their own symphony orchestras were considered very fortunate. Such a feat signified that a community had reached a certain cultural and artistic level — the equivalent of a feather in one’s cap.

Traditionally, these groups of musicians honed their talents to perfection so the ultimate goal could be achieved: a concert tour.

“By traveling to other villages and towns, an orchestra was able to show what they had accomplished — it would express how much your community must value the arts,” said Maxim Eshkenazy, conductor of the Bakersfield Youth Symphony Orchestra (BYSO) at a recent parent meeting.

Eshkenazy’s explanation of why symphony orchestras go on concert tours further emphasized the importance of a very exciting plan for the 2008-09 BYSO — the group’s 70-plus student musicians will go on tour April 1-9, 2009 in Bucheon, South Korea.

Fundraising is already underway for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of playing orchestral music at several venues in Bucheon, an official Sister City of Bakersfield.

A letter-writing campaign, Cold Stone ice cream event, California Pizza Kitchen pizza night and See’s Candy sale kicked-off the efforts for each student to raise the approximate $1,700 cost per student for the trip. The final payments for the trip are due by Feb. 23.

Currently, BYSO members are selling Gold Canyon Candles for the holidays. Ongoing efforts to obtain additional corporate sponsorships continue as well. All donations are tax deductible.

The original community orchestra for young players began in 1985 as a Bakersfield College class, disbanding after a few years, according to the BYSO Web site.

In 1992, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra (BSO) string players Barbara Byers and Rebecca Brooks approached BSO Conductor John Farrer with a proposal to reorganize the group under BSO sponsorship.

Today, the BYSO remains an affiliated group of the Bakersfield Symphony. Students wishing to be in the BYSO audition each September — even if they have been admitted in previous years.

Weekly, two-and-a-half hour rehearsals take place at Thompson Junior High School. Each season, three concerts are held at Cal State Bakersfield’s Doré Theatre.
BYSO funding is provided by corporate and private contributions, player tuition fees and ticket sales.

The Bucheon tour will be a first for the BYSO, which only adds to the anticipation, said Regina Pryor, BYSO board president as well as a music teacher at Tevis and Thompson junior high schools in Southwest Bakersfield.

“When we told the kids that this trip would be happening, they were very surprised,” Pryor said. “You could just feel their excitement.”

She credited Frank Tripicchio of the Sister City Corporation as an integral part in making the necessary Korean connections.

Bucheon’s history is rooted — literally — in its fertile soil and peaceful farming villages in the central part of the Korean peninsula between Seoul and Inchon.

Today, Bucheon is considered a thriving cultural center with three major universities, countless beautiful parks — including one called “Bakersfield Park” modeled after several parks in its Sister City — a modern stadium, theaters, museums and the Bucheon Philharmonic, considered to be “Korea’s best symphony orchestra.”

While in Korea, the BYSO will perform a collection of songs by American composers — “Stars & Stripes,” “Porgy and Bess,” and scores from “Westside Story” and John Williams — as well as a popular Korean folk song. One of the audiences will be a Korean high school and in turn, the BYSO will reciprocate as an audience for young Korean musicians.

The Bakersfield musicians will each stay during the entire trip with a Korean host family in their home — one that includes a Korean family member who speaks English and a child who plays music. Not only will this add to the cultural exchange during the trip, but the room and board provided by these Korean families is keeping costs down for the trip itself, according to Pryor.

The younger musicians (seventh through ninth grade) will have the option to stay at a Korean home along with a fellow BYSO member, she said.

Hundreds Korean families have applied — much more than needed — to host an American student, Pryor said.

“They consider it (hosting American student musicians) an honor,” she said.

Each host applicant must include a detailed plan of the sight-seeing they would plan for their guest. There will also be joint activities among the different families and their BYSO guests, according to Pryor.

“These kids will come back changed people,” she said. “They will be ambassadors for their city, their state and their country and will learn a true appreciation of other cultures.”

The BYSO will also be changing for the better, according to Eshkenazy, who told the young musicians’ parents that because of this momentous concert tour, “These kids will be working harder and playing better than they ever have before.”

Bakersfield Youth Symphony Orchestra
If you or your business would like to make a tax-deductible donation toward the group’s trip to Bucheon, call Regina Pryor at 332-9582.

Sports shorts: On the road with the ’Runners!

Road Trip — This columnist had the humble pleasure of traveling with the Cal State Bakersfield men’s basketball squad as they embarked upon their first roadie of the ’08-’09 season. What a treat it was!

We flew out of Bako and headed for Denver where we caught our charter bus to Laramie, Wyo. for the season opener. Now, I must tell you that Laramie is probably not on the radar as far as vacation destinations go! At 7,200 feet, I would describe the area as high plains. As we drove through the middle of town we passed numerous cowboy-themed watering holes — thus, the aptly named team: Wyoming Cowboys! It looked sunny and balmy outside, but as we disembarked from the bus we grouped together and leaned at a 45-degree angle so as to cut through the 35 mph wind.

At the on-campus arena that evening, players and coaches worked diligently on their game plan. The next morning we awoke to a 4-inch layer of snow and 20 degree temperatures. It looked pretty from the hotel window, but the bent, leafless trees told of the continuing wind thrust. When the ball tipped at 7 p.m., the players and coaches were ready. All was well for CSUB for the first six minutes of the game, but we were not able to overcome a couple of scoring droughts and ended up on the wrong side of a double-digit loss.

The next morning, with bumped, not bruised, egos, we set off in our bus for Colorado Springs to do battle with the Air Force Academy Falcons on Sunday. At 5,000 feet and with trees with leaves still attached, Colorado Springs was more picturesque. It was quite striking how the campus and its buildings are literally carved into the side of a mountain range just west of the city. Sir! Yes, sir! There was a very special feeling being on the grounds of the Academy as one felt honored and carried a sense of patriotism.

When playing the Falcons, CSUB held a three-point lead at the half, but the Falcons flew to a 10-point lead in the second half and the ’Runners fell by eight. CSUB represented well, playing two Mountain West Conference teams on the road within two days of each other.

CSUB basketball players are an exemplary group of very respectful young men. Likewise, Coach Keith Brown and staff epitomize professionalism. A team going through this transitional process should be judged by inroads made through scheduling and recruiting. The current marquee schedule, and recent Garces recruit Stephon Carter, evidence this. Drive on down to the Rabobank Arena as the Roadrunners climb the invisible ladder to the status of Division I athletics. Yours would be but a short road trip!

CSUB men’s basketball: Home game schedule

Monday, Dec. 1 — University of San Diego

Saturday, Dec. 20 — Boise State

Tuesday, Dec, 23 — Cal Poly

Tuesday, Dec. 30 — University of Portland

Friday, Jan. 2 — Saint Mary's College

Monday, Jan. 12 — San Jose State

Saturday, Jan 17 — UC Riverside

Saturday, Jan. 31 — Utah Valley University

Monday, Feb. 16 — Seattle University

Tuesday, March 3 — Cal State Fullerton

All CSUB men’s basketball home games are played at Rabobank Arena, 1001 Truxtun Ave., and start at 7 p.m. with the exception of the Jan. 31 game against Utah Valley, which begins at 2 p.m.

Happy 95th birthday, Hollie!

Dad we are so blessed to be able to celebrate your 95th birthday. Everyday is a gift to still have you in our lives.

Love,
The Schilly, Crow and Morris families

Happy birthday, Aniya!

Happy second birthday to
Princess Aniya!

Love,
Mommy, Daddy & Big Brother

BASA girl's softball sign ups

Signups for B.A.S.A. are Jan. 10 - 11, 17 -18 from 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, Jan 14 and 21, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at North Rosedale Park. Visit our web site at www.leaguelineup.com/basa for more information or call 392-2016.

Editor’s note

I am feeling especially patriotic as election season has come to an end and I had a chance to participate in an election that is sure to go down in history books. I also felt immense patriotism and gratitude at The Southwest Voice — sponsored U.S. Army Field Band concert Oct.25 at the Harvey Theater.

As the band played their “Armed Forces Medley,” I watched former servicemen and women from the crowd, now in their later years of life, stand at attention with p ride as if they were right back in their platoons. Seeing loyalty still beat strong in their hearts made me grateful for all they had done to protect the liberties, such as voting, that I enjoy today.

The event was a huge success and I’d like to thank everyone who attended. Of course, along with Brian Ernst, I’d also like to thank the band for their moving performance.

This election season also made me aware of the power of our youth. The way so many youth made their voices heard at the polls made me wonder: What else do our youth have to say?

With that, I would like to invite the youth of Southwest Bakersfield to submit articles for the Nov. 26 issue of The Southwest Voice. Know a young person with something to write about? Encourage them to e-mail article submissions and photos to me at: Nerlendson@swvoice.com.

November Events

From softball tryouts and video game tournaments, to coffee- or wine-themed festivities, Southwest Voice readers can mark their calendars with these events:

Nov. 15-16 — All I Want For Christmas
That’s right, Christmas is creeping around the corner and you know what that means: shopping! The All I Want For Christmas event, brought to you by Baby Fest, will be held at the Golden State Mall, 3201 F St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit: www.baby-fest.com for details.

Nov. 15 — Bobby Sox registration
Bakersfield Bobby Sox, a girls softball league, will be accepting registrations for ages 4-18. Sign ups will be on Nov. 15 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Cataldo’s Pizzeria, 3611 Stockdale Highway. Players new to Bobby Sox need to bring a copy of their birth certificate. For girls born 2002-2004 cost is $80, and for girls born 1990-2001 cost is $100. Details, visit: www.bakersfieldbobbysox.com or call Kathy at 832-1271.

Nov. 15 — ‘United We Brawl’
DeVry University Bakersfield, 3000 Ming Ave., will host “United We Brawl,” a fundraising opportunity for United Way of Kern County and a video game tournament for high school students, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Contestants must be at least 16 years of age and enrolled at a Kern County High School. Registration deadline is Nov. 13. Participants are encouraged to make a minimum donation of $25. All donations will benefit United Way of Kern County. To register, call Laurie Arichea at 833-7120.

Nov. 22 — Olive Knolls Church Craft Fair
Visit Olive Knolls Church, 6201 Fruitvale Ave., from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for its annual craft fair, pancake breakfast, and soup and salad lunch. There will be more than 50 vendors and thousands of unique, handcrafted items. Admission is free, meals are $5 per person. Details, call Jaime Johnson at 399-3303.

Nov. 22 — Coffee roasting 101
Let the captivating aroma amuse your senses and allure you and a friend as you learn about coffee roasting all the way from bean selection to roasting. Event begins at 10 a.m. and cost is $40. Proceeds benefit Court Appointed Special Advocates. Details, call Nicole Stanford at 321-4876.

Nov. 22 — Wine Fest
Presented by Junior League of Bakersfield, “Starry Night” is the artistic-inspired theme of the this year’s Wine Fest. Enjoy food from Bakersfield’s finest restaurants, wines from California’s most notable wineries, as well as live and silent auctions. Event begins at 7 p.m. and cost is $60. Details, call the Junior League at 322-1671.

Why fists fly

My high school-age daughter could hardly tolerate it when a fistfight broke out on the field during her soccer game. She couldn’t believe how rough the game played out, and complained, “We’re supposed to be out here for fun!”

Why do children bring up their fists? Chances are it has to do with socioeconomic upbringing. Reading “Framework for Understanding Poverty” by Ruby K. Payne Ph.D. helps clarify why people of different classes do the things they do. It’s especially helpful to teachers because most of us are from middle-class households, yet many of us teach children in the low socioeconomic strata.

Those in a lower socioeconomic groups tend to settle conflict with fists rather than words. Payne also describes the differences between generational and situational poverty as well as the traits that go with them. She notes that poverty occurs in all races and in all countries.

There are four reasons one leaves poverty, including that it’s too painful to stay, having a vision or goal, influence from a key relationship, or having a special talent or skill. The two things that help one move out of poverty are education and relationships. To be the best teachers we can be, we must understand our students. In society, a better understanding of cultures, classes, and faiths will make us better neighbors, friends, and citizens.

— Peggy Dewane-Pope is an eighth-grade teacher at Stonecreek Junior High School in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District.

To the point

Fencing — to many this word means separating your property from that of another with a barrier or wall. It actually is the name of an Olympic sport with origins deep in the past. It is a sport that is fast and athletic — a far cry from the choreographed bouts seen on film or on stage. Instead of swinging from a chandelier or leaping from balconies, you will see two fencers performing an intense dance on a 6-by-44-foot strip. Movement is so fast that touches are scored electrically — much more like “Star Wars” than Errol Flynn in action.

Fencing for gold
Fencing is one of only four sports to be included in every modern Olympic Games since the first Olympics in 1896. Fencing was also a sport in the original Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. The tip of the fencing weapon is the second fastest moving object in sport; the first is the marksman’s bullet.

In April 2003, Keeth Smart was the first American fencer to achieve a No. 1 world ranking, winning the World Cup in Athens, Greece in men’s saber (also referred to as sabre) fencing. In 2004, Sada Jacobson was the first American woman to place No. 1 saber fencer in the world. Since that time, U.S. fencers have had great performances on the world stage, culminating this summer in Beijing, where the U.S. women’s team swept the competition by taking first, second and third place in saber. The men’s saber team took second place defeating the much stronger and higher rated European teams.

About the bout
Foil, épée, and saber are the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. While some fencers compete in all three events, elite competitors generally focus their energies on mastering one weapon. Competitors win a fencing bout, an individual “game,” by being the first to score 15 points (in direct elimination play) or five points (in preliminary pool play) against an opponent, or by having a higher score than an opponent when the time limit expires. Each time a fencer lands a valid hit (a touch) on an opponent, a point is scored. The time limit for direct elimination matches is nine minutes, three three-minute periods with a one-minute break between each.

Local sword play
There is a venue here in Bakersfield where those with ideas of swashbuckling and sword play can make them a reality. You can acquire swordsmanship skills that will allow you to compete in this high-tech sport. The local club has members from ages 10 to over 65 years old. It is a sport that has no age limits. Fencing athletes from Stockdale, East, and Garces high schools and Cal State Bakersfield, together with members of the general community, meet every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Fruitvale Norris Building, 6221 Norris Road. There, as the Guerra Fencing Club, the group participates in lessons and competition for two hours each week.

Ethan Childress, former CSUB Fencing Club instructor and East High School teacher, and myself, a chemical engineer and nationally ranked local fencer, formed the club with the assistance of many participants from the CSUB Fencing Club and the Stockdale High School Fencing Club. Their efforts engaged fencing master Jose Guerra, who has had international competition and coaching experience. Guerra travels weekly from Antelope Valley to coach the class and give private lessons.

Several club members participate in USFA sanctioned tournaments, including the yearly Summer National Championships. I obtained seventh place in saber during the 2008 National Competition and rank ninth in the nation in saber in the veterans over 60 group.

Fencing is an NCAA sport. Several former club members have continued fencing in college. Guy Rodgers, a former club member and visitor when in town, is on the UCLA fencing team. Kim Silken, formerly from Stockdale High School, is on the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo fencing team.

Fencing is a great sport for families. Our club has a father and son who participate. This allows parents and children to develop a deeper understanding of each other and spend quality time together. As many martial arts do, fencing develops discipline, coordination, and stamina. Many call it “physical chess.”

Group lessons and private lessons are available. Fees are $65 per month and equipment is available for rental. If you are interested in participating or learning more about this Olympic sport, call Jose at 992-7327, or me at 319-2235.

Pages of our past

In his book “Obscene in the Extreme,” Rick Wartzman takes a brave look into the world of 1930s politics through a single event in Kern County history. While some may see the banning and burning of John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” as a single moment in our past, Wartzman takes us behind the scenes into a world where fear and hatred abound. It was more than a novel to those who lived here. It was edging into their lives, and residents thought democracy was at stake, social order was on the brink of chaos, and power would shift into oblivion.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting with Rick before he spoke at the Southwest Branch Library. A very pleasant man, Rick eagerly answered my questions.

NM: What prompted the book “Obscene in the Extreme”?
RW: I saw a photograph of Bill Camp presiding over book burning of grapes of wrath while writing my first book, “The King of California.” It’s the kind of image that stays with you. At a book reading here at Russo’s, a friend and I were talking and the photo came up. She asked if I saw it and I said yes. She asked if I knew about the librarian, Gretchen Kneif, who fought the censorship. I didn’t so I started poking around with it. The moment it became a book for me was in the drama itself, even though it happens in a week. A first I didn’t think there was enough drama for a book. But it became a great window into the class politics of 1930s America.

NM: How long did it take to write?
RW: It took four years.

NM: Did you come to Kern County to research?
RW: I did a lot of research at Beale Library, the Local History room in particular. I also did a fair bit of interviewing here too. I was able to talk to Clell Pruett, who was the only surviving character when I wrote the book. I talked to Bill Camp’s sons. I also talked to then-young librarians who worked with Gretchen Kneif and others who made the trek from Oklahoma and Missouri.

NM: Has there been any controversy about your book?
RW: No. I’ve actually had very nice responses. When writing the book, I tried to be more than fair minded. I tried to understand the perspective of those who censored the novel, to understand what would compel someone to be so scared of a book. I tried to step into their boots and examine their fear. That is what became really interesting to me. The 1930s in America, particularly in California, was a strange and nervous time. What they were afraid of wasn’t just the novel, but what it represented. It threatened their way of life; it threatened the social fabric of America as they wanted it to be.

NM: Do you see similarities between 1939 and today?
RW: Yes, there are three parallels that I see. One is that censorship remains a real issue in this country. Some 2,000 books are challenged each year in this country. The second thing that struck me was the fields around here haven’t changed much. The only thing that has changed is the faces of those working. A lot of the fear, really, the xenophobia or fear of the outsiders those south of the boarder feel, is not too dissimilar than what the migrants who came in the 1930s felt. Lastly, we’re at a time where the economic parallels are striking. We’re going through the worst financial crisis that we’ve had since the ’30s. In my mind, he (Steinbeck) raised the question of capitalism and it isn’t much different than it was in the ’30s. How can we have so much want in a country with so much plenty?

NM: Did you look at the censorship of “The Grapes of Wrath” in other parts of the country?
RW: I looked at it and mentioned it in the book, but it wasn’t that interesting to me. Some readers wanted more of the censorship side of it and I was more interested in the politics side of it. In Kansas City, Buffalo, and East St. Louis it was banned on obscenity grounds. It was banned here by the board of supervisors on profanity, lewdness, among other things. It was the other things that interested me. I felt it was way more interesting here because it was more than obscenity. They (the board of supervisors) went on to say, “We don’t like how you depict our community.” It’s the class struggle of the ’30s that I think really is the root of the fear about the novel, at least here and in California. That’s what intrigued me. And that’s what I think is the story.