UC Irvine’s Basic Needs Center launched a mobile food pantry on Nov. 15 and Andrea Mora, Director of UCI's Basic Needs Center, joins host Janeane to share details

Andrea Mora, Director of UCI's Basic Needs Center, joins host Janeane on November 20th to talk about the launch of the mobile food pantry

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to today's show

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 13, 2023 — The Basic Needs Center at the University of California, Irvine will unveil its new mobile food pantry, a 22-foot-long customized delivery van, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the Pereira Drive roundabout in front of the Aldrich Hall flagpoles. The first 200 attendees will receive collapsible Tupperware products.

The center will also launch its ZotFunder campaign, running until Dec. 31, to raise money to stock the mobile pantry, which is designed to make food more accessible to all enrolled students at UCI and bring it nearer to where they live.

The UCI Basic Needs Center received an innovation grant of $245,000 from the UC Office of the President to purchase and adapt the van, now painted blue and adorned with colorful images of produce and anteaters. Food distributions will begin on Dec. 8 at Arroyo Vista housing and on Dec. 15 at Verano 8 housing. The winter-quarter distribution schedule is pending, but the vehicle will be at these locations once per month on Fridays.

“For years, we’ve been hearing from students that access is really important to them. We envisioned a second pantry model that would bring food closer to students, and with the mobile food pantry, it’s now available,” said Andrea Mora, director of the UCI Basic Needs Center.

Once students check in at the vehicle, they will select items from a menu of perishables (milk, almond milk, eggs, yogurt, tofu and frozen prepared meals), nonperishables (bread, pasta, oats, peanut butter, tuna, soup and beans) and produce (apples, oranges, lemons, yams, potatoes, onions and carrots). They will also be screened for CalFresh benefits eligibility and have access to informational resources.

The mobile food pantry will operate in tandem with the UCI Basic Needs Center’s FRESH Pantry, which will be open Tuesdays through Thursdays as of Dec. 8.

Students wishing to use the mobile pantry will be told its location when they make an appointment through the UCI Basic Needs Center website. Appointments are currently required, but this may change based on the first distribution. The center may start taking walk-ins around 2 p.m. on Dec. 15.

“We’re excited to take this new effort out to the community,” Mora said.

Watch UCI's mobile food pantry on ABC News.

UCI’s Brilliant Future campaign: Publicly launched on Oct. 4, 2019, the Brilliant Future campaign aims to raise awareness and support for the university. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UCI seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. Learn more at https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

Coming up Wednesday November 22nd, 2023 @9:00am LIVE on KUCI - Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz, an author, attorney, meditation teacher, and popular lecturer. Rabbi Spitz shares details of his latest book - Duets on Psalms and more

 

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to today's show featuring
Rabbi Spitz

Elie Kaplan Spitz is an author, rabbi, attorney, meditation teacher, and popular lecturer. He served as the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Israel of Tustin, CA for over 33 years and as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee of Jewish Law and Standards for twenty years. He has published four books: Does the Soul Survive? Jewish Views of the Afterlife, Past Lives, and Living with Purpose (2000, 2015); Healing from Despair: Choosing Wholeness in a Broken World (2008), and Increasing Wholeness:  Jewish Wisdom and Guided Meditations to Strengthen and Calm Body, Heart, Mind and Spirit (2015), and Duets on Psalms: Drawing New Meanings from Ancient Words (2023).  

His writings address topics of both Jewish and universal concern, including:

> How would a contemporary juror view survival of the soul?

> How to live a balanced life and sleep better at night

> How are Biblical writings relevant to us today?

Rabbi Spitz will also share:

> His journey to becoming a Rabbi

> How the Psalms in his new book can apply to anyone of any faith

> How these messages bring solace in a time of divisiveness, etc

> What he would like readers to take away from his new book

Psalms are our people’s songs, an ancient playlist that still strikes a chord in our hearts. From lamentation to celebration, the Psalms speak to us from generation to generation.

Rabbis Elie Spitz and Jack Riemer take us into a deeper exploration of the Psalms, going beyond the surface meaning of the words with new, thoughtful interpretations, taking a fresh look at these ancient texts and the relevance they can hold for us today. These contemporary translations of the ancient text reveal new facets of insight and understanding.

It is a testament to their lasting power that the Psalms continue to provide readers with solace, challenge, inspiration, and more. Duets on Psalms will inspire you to revisit these ancient texts and see them with fresh eyes because, in the end, it’s not what the psalmist intended that matters but the meaning you gain from each psalm, making their words your own.

“Rarely do we get to sit by the side of two spiritual leaders at the height of their powers, to savor their wisdom as they unveil the deep wisdom and compassionate heart in the Book of Psalms. These ancient poems, newly translated, have spoken to seeking souls across the generations. Thanks to Rabbis Riemer and Spitz, they can speak to us now!”

—Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Dean of Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University, author God of Becoming and Relationship: The Dynamic Nature of Process Theology

“In Duets on Psalms, two remarkable rabbis breathe new life into the ancient words of The Book of Psalms. Rabbi Elie Spitz and Rabbi Jack Riemer perfectly complement one another offering us close readings, new translations, modern scholarship and timeless wisdom. They give us the tools to allow the words of the Psalms to open our minds and enter our hearts. This illuminating work is a literary journey filled with faith, wisdom, hope, healing, meaning and inspiration.”

—Rabbi Naomi Levy, author of Einstein and the Rabbi and To Begin Again

“Not just rabbis and pastors, but everyone who loves the Psalms should own this wonderful book. Rabbi Jack and Rabbi Elie have not only learned the Psalms all their lives, they have lived the Psalms through decades of ministry to people in every possible phase and crisis of life. This book oozes with authentic wisdom that only comes from investing a lifetime in both God’s Word and God’s world.”

—Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life

“In Duets on the Psalms, Rabbis Riemer and Spitz, two of the master teachers of our times, prove the truth of the rabbinic adage, ‘Turn [the Scripture] over and over again, for all is in it,’ by providing new readings of familiar texts. Through their multi-layered explorations of and commentaries upon eleven psalms that address the gamut of human emotions and aspirations, they provide the reader with new insights and meanings into the human condition that stimulate the mind but more significantly transform the soul. Theirs is a spiritual masterpiece!”

—Rabbi David Ellenson, Chancellor Emeritus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

“What a brilliant combination. Rabbis Jack Riemer and Elie Spitz, two of Judaism’s most inspirational teachers, offer a lifetime of insights on the Bible’s most inspired book. A work to read and reread and to return to for inspiration.”

—Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Jewish Literacy and Words that Hurt Words that Heal

“When great souls come together, there can be sparks. When they unite to find new meaning in the sacred songs and poems of the book of Psalms, a fire burns.”

—Craig Taubman, singer and composer

The Power of Purpose-Driven Initiatives during the holidays and throughout the year! Here are some ways you can volunteer in Orange County right now

There are numerous volunteer opportunities throughout Orange County during the holidays and throughtout the year. Oranizations of all sizes need your help, from animal shelters to homeless outreach and food banks. Here is a link filled with resources!


Volunteer Opportunities | Enjoy OC (enjoyorangecounty.com)

Wednesday November 15th - Kelly Sather, winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for her forthcoming powerhouse of a book, Small in Real Life.

Kelly Sather, winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize for her forthcoming powerhouse of a book, Small in Real Life. As a former entertainment lawyer, and screenwriter, Kelly has really captured the emotion, ambition, humanity, and conflict in her characters on their search for power, fame, love, and the possibility of and redemption. Kelly's writing is undeniably moving and sharp-- an easy read with so much to discuss-- the dark side of the quest for a better life.

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ABOUT THE BOOK
Small in Real Life invokes the myth and melancholy of Southern California glamor, of starry-eyed women and men striving for their own Hollywood shimmer and the seamy undersides and luxurious mystique of the Golden State. Exiled to a Malibu rehab, an alcoholic paparazzo spies on his celebrity friend for an online tabloid. Down to her last dollar, a Hollywood hanger-on steals designer handbags from her dying friend’s bungalow. Blinded by grief, an LA judge atones after condescending to a failed actress on a date. When hunger for power, fame, and love betrays the senses, the characters in these nine stories must reckon with false choices and their search for belonging with the wrong people. Small in Real Life offers an insider’s view of California and the golden promises of possibility and redemption that have long made the West glitter.

ABOUT KELLY SATHER

Kelly Sather is the author of SMALL IN REAL LIFE (Oct. 2023), her debut short story collection, and winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, a book that evokes the myth and melancholy of Los Angeles. A former entertainment lawyer and screenwriter, she pulls back the curtain to reveal the power, desire, and illusions beneath the California Dream. Her work has appeared in Santa Monica Review, J Journal, Pembroke Magazine, PANK, and elsewhere. She grew up in L.A. and lives in Northern California.

“Kelly Sather is a clear-eyed observer. These stories remind the readers of the thrills and dangers of living, and that we are never far from the undercurrent of human emotions, both mysterious and meaningful.”
—Yiyun Li, author of The Book of Goose

2023 Drue Heinz Literature Prize Winner explores the seamy undersides and luxurious mystique of California

Pittsburgh, PA – Kelly Sather of Larkspur, CA is the 2023 winner of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for a collection of short stories. Sather's debut book, Small in Real Life, was selected by author Deesha Philyaw. The University of Pittsburgh Press will publish Small in Real Life on October 3, 2023.

“This compact but mighty collection explores both the heights and depths of the unsavory business of being human,” says Philyaw, National Book Award finalist and author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. “With exquisite, emotionally rich prose, every single story surprises and unsettles. Tenderness co-exists with terror, beauty alongside betrayal. Characters are at turns earnest and terrible as they grapple with longing, lust, grief, regret, and disappointment in these utterly original stories. The heart of this brilliant collection is chaos––the way the universe is chaotic, unpredictable, and simply dazzling.”

The stories in Small in Real Life invoke the myth and melancholy of Southern California glamour, of starry-eyed women and men striving for their own Hollywood shimmer no matter the consequences. Exiled to a Malibu rehab, an alcoholic paparazzi spies on his celebrity friend for an online tabloid. Down to her last dollar, a Hollywood hanger-on steals designer handbags from her dying friend’s bungalow. Blinded by grief, an LA judge atones after condescending to a failed actress on a date. When hunger for power, fame, and love betrays the senses, we must reckon with false choices and our human struggle to appear brighter to our beholders. Small in Real Life offers an insider’s view of California, and the golden promises of possibility and redemption that have long made the West glitter.

“I’m thrilled and honored Deesha Philyaw selected my story collection for the Drue Heinz Prize,” reflected Sather. “When I submitted the manuscript I imagined this step towards publishing, but to hear the good news, that my stories were selected by a writer I admire so much and my first book will be published this year, was tremendous. I’m grateful to Deesha Philyaw, Drue Heinz and University of Pittsburgh Press for their support of the short story.

Kelly Sather is a writer, former entertainment lawyer, and screenwriter. Her stories and reviews have appeared in Santa Monica Review, J Journal, Pembroke Magazine, PANK, ZYZZYVA, and elsewhere. She grew up in Los Angeles. and lives in Northern California.

In addition to publication by UPP, the Drue Heinz award also includes a cash prize of $15,000. Drue Heinz, who passed away in 2018, created the endowment for this accolade in 1981. Jane McCafferty is the managing editor for the Drue Heinz Prize.

###

Small in Real Life by Kelly Sather, will be published by the University of Pittsburgh Press with an on-sale date of October 3, 2023 · 150 pp · 6 x 9 · ISBN 9780822947998 · Cloth $24.00 · eBook available.

PRAISE

“Small in Real Life is a heart-piercing and haunting debut. Kelly Sather is a writer possessed of rare courage—the courage to render our darkest tendencies and the last flicker of light we are terrified to lose. Each of these gorgeous, unflinching stories is the shard of broken mirror, refracting pieces of our impossible lives, showing us what we’ve done and what we look like right now.”
—Bret Anthony Johnston, author of Remember Me Like This


“This compact but mighty collection explores both the heights and depths of the unsavory business of being human. With exquisite, emotionally rich prose, every story surprises and unsettles. Tenderness coexists with terror, beauty alongside betrayal. Characters are at turns earnest and terrible as they grapple with longing, lust, grief, regret, and disappointment. The heart of this brilliant collection is chaos––the way the universe is chaotic, unpredictable, and simply dazzling.”

— Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and finalist for the National Book Award


“In Kelly Sather’s phenomenal short story collection, she compresses the daily commotion of life into riveting moments of reckoning, whether earned or forced. Desire can obscure or illuminate, and in these compelling stories, Sather’s characters deal with the complications of wanting and existing in the world. Sentence by sentence, Small in Real Life is one of the best debuts I’ve ever read.”
—Michele Filgate, editor of What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About


“Reading this very brilliant debut feels like holding a live wire, receiving a kind of shock our current literature seldom gives. It’s a shock we need. Kelly Sather’s characters, seeking escape from unbearable lives, are canny, naïve, cruel, bewildered, sometimes a little despicable, always entirely human—and utterly indifferent to our sympathy. Small in Real Life has a rare wisdom, born of freedom from illusions most of the rest of us can’t bear to let go of. This is among the most impressive new books of fiction I have read in years.”

— Garth Greenwell, author of Cleanness

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 13, 2023 — The Basic Needs Center at the University of California, Irvine will unveil its new mobile food pantry, a 22-foot-long customized delivery van, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15

NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


https://news.uci.edu/2023/11/13/uc-irvines-basic-needs-center-to-launch-mobile-food-pantry-on-nov-15/



Contact: Cara Capuano

949-501-9192

ccapuano@uci.edu


UC Irvine’s Basic Needs Center to launch mobile food pantry on Nov. 15

Delivery vehicle will expand student access to essential provisions



Irvine, Calif., Nov. 13, 2023 — The Basic Needs Center at the University of California, Irvine will unveil its new mobile food pantry, a 22-foot-long customized delivery van, at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, at the Pereira Drive roundabout in front of the Aldrich Hall flagpoles. The first 200 attendees will receive collapsible Tupperware products.

The center will also launch its ZotFunder campaign, running until Dec. 31, to raise money to stock the mobile pantry, which is designed to make food more accessible to all enrolled students at UCI and bring it nearer to where they live.

The UCI Basic Needs Center received an innovation grant of $245,000 from the UC Office of the President to purchase and adapt the van, now painted blue and adorned with colorful images of produce and anteaters. Food distributions will begin on Dec. 8 at Arroyo Vista housing and on Dec. 15 at Verano 8 housing. The winter-quarter distribution schedule is pending, but the vehicle will be at these locations once per month on Fridays.

“For years, we’ve been hearing from students that access is really important to them. We envisioned a second pantry model that would bring food closer to students, and with the mobile food pantry, it’s now available,” said Andrea Mora, director of the UCI Basic Needs Center.

Once students check in at the vehicle, they will select items from a menu of perishables (milk, almond milk, eggs, yogurt, tofu and frozen prepared meals), nonperishables (bread, pasta, oats, peanut butter, tuna, soup and beans) and produce (apples, oranges, lemons, yams, potatoes, onions and carrots). They will also be screened for CalFresh benefits eligibility and have access to informational resources.

The mobile food pantry will operate in tandem with the UCI Basic Needs Center’s FRESH Pantry, which will be open Tuesdays through Thursdays as of Dec. 8.

Students wishing to use the mobile pantry will be told its location when they make an appointment through the UCI Basic Needs Center website. Appointments are currently required, but this may change based on the first distribution. The center may start taking walk-ins around 2 p.m. on Dec. 15.


“We’re excited to take this new effort out to the community,” Mora said.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

November 8th at 9:00am LIVE on KUCI 88.9fm - Janeane speaks with Steven Davis, UCI professor of Earth system science, who shares details about the UC Irvine-led science team and how to eat our way out of the climate crisis

lead author Steven Davis, UCI professor of Earth system science

LISTEN  to today's show

UC Irvine-led science team shows how to eat our way out of the climate crisis

Researchers explore the benefits of producing farm-free food

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 6, 2023 — Agriculture is one of the hardest human activities to decarbonize; people must eat, but the land-use practices associated with growing crops account for roughly a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions evaluate a new solution to this problem, one that eliminates farms altogether.

In a study published today in Nature Sustainability, the UCI-led team of scientists assess the potential for widescale synthetic production of dietary fats through chemical and biological processes. The raw materials for this method are the same as those used by plants: hydrogen in water and carbon dioxide in the air.

“Large-scale synthesis of edible molecules through chemical and biological means without agricultural feedstocks is a very real possibility,” said lead author Steven Davis, UCI professor of Earth system science. “Such ‘food without the farm’ could avoid enormous quantities of climate-warming emissions while also safeguarding biodiverse lands that might otherwise be cleared for farms.”

Davis and his co-authors highlight other environmental and societal benefits of farm-free food in the paper, including a reduction in water use and watershed pollution, local control over food production, diminished risk of weather-related food shortages, and less need for low-paying and physically demanding agricultural labor. Another plus, according to Davis, would be the possibility of returning existing farmlands to a natural state, which could enhance biodiversity and build up natural carbon sinks.

“I like the idea of not depending on photosynthesis for everything we eat,” Davis said. “At whatever scale, synthesizing food will alleviate competition between natural ecosystems and agriculture, thereby avoiding the many environmental costs of farming.”

Davis highlighted the practice of razing tropical rainforests to create space for palm oil plantations. Cookies, crackers, snack chips and a lot of other middle-of-the-store products are made with dietary fats coming from this source. He asked if anybody would notice if the oil used to bake their cookies came from a food refinery up the road instead of a plantation in Indonesia.

The authors of the paper said they focused much of their attention on fats because they are the “simplest nutrients to synthesize thermochemically,” pointing to established large-scale soap-making and polymer chemistry techniques.


The researchers estimated that agriculturally derived fats correspond to roughly 

1 to 3 grams of emitted carbon dioxide per thousand calories, whereas molecularly identical fats synthesized from natural gas feedstock using available electricity would produce less than a gram of CO2 equivalent emissions, and nearly zero emissions if using carbon capture from the air and non-emitting sources of electricity.

“The beauty of the fats is that you can synthesize them with processes that don’t involve biology. It’s all chemistry, and because of that, you can operate at higher pressures and temperatures that allow excellent efficiency,” Davis said. “You could therefore build big reactors to do this at large scales.”

A big remaining question is, will people accept food created in this manner?


“Food is a tougher problem than electricity; few people care where the electrons in our wall socket originate, but many people care a lot about where their food comes from,” Davis said. “Processed foods are thus a likely use for synthetic fats. Folks may be less concerned about what kind of fat is in a store-bought cookie or pie crust because they don’t know what’s in there right now.”

Davis’ collaborators on this research project, which received financial support from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, included Ken Caldeira, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, Calif., and Breakthrough Energy, Kirkland Wash.; Kathleen Alexander, Ian McKay and Matthew Shaner, Orca Sciences, Kirkland, Wash.; Juan Moreno-Cruz, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; Chaopeng Hong, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, China.

ABOUT PROFESSOR STEVEN DAVIS

Professor of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine: [Ph.D. in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University]. Prof. Davis works to understand and find ways to meet the challenge of satisfying global demand for energy, food, and goods without emitting carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

He is interested in studies of coupled human and natural systems and sustainable systems analysis, including: energy technology and policy; of pollution and resources embodied in international trade; of socio-economic inertia and “lock-in” of environmental problems; and of the complex interactions of energy systems, agriculture, climate change, and global ecology.

Learn more: Steven J. Davis - Earth System Scientist (uci.edu)

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

Coming up November 1st 9:00am - G.B. Smith and his stunning photobook “Pathways”

G.B. Smith and his stunning photobook “Pathways” (G Editions, Nov. 7, 2023). The book features several of Smith’s recent multi-award winning images, and the curation reflects the simplicity and uncluttered form of his distinctive black and white style. Informed by his experience with color blindness, Smith’s work encourages the viewer to examine a world that exists beyond color.

LISTEN to today's show featuring G.B. Smith.

Among Smith’s many accolades are three consecutive Gold Medals in the architecture, fine art and nature categories at the Prix de la Photographie awards in Paris.

Believing that art should make a positive impact, Smith will be donating proceeds from the sales of “Pathways” to the Breast Cancer Alliance.

“I have long admired G.B. Smith’s singular ability to focus and to strip away distractions to help others see the most important elements….he studies his subjects with care and thinks deeply about all that he wants us to see.”
–Lawton W. Fitt, former head of The Royal Academy of Arts


About G.B. Smith

Born in the industrial heartland of England, G.B. Smith began his photographic journey almost fifty years ago as a teenager in apprenticeship of traditional film techniques both in the darkroom and with large plate cameras. The simplicity and deliberateness of his images today reflect the mindfulness of this traditional approach, manifested in modern digital technology. Having grown up with extreme color blindness, Smith strips away visual distractions to focus on the structures and patterns as he sees them. His images bring solace to a psyche constantly overwhelmed by the overstimulation of color, and encourage us to look beyond color. Given his industrial heritage, many of his studies gravitate toward decaying man-made structures and their interaction with the regenerative power of nature. A truly global citizen, having lived on multiple continents and worked extensively in six, Smith now resides in Maryland. To learn more, visit: www.gbsmith.com and follow him on Instagram @g.b.smith.photography


In an interview, G.B. Smith can discuss:

• His journey as a photographer, from his teenage start to his current artistic prowess
• How being color-blind contributes to his signature minimalist, black-and-white approach to photography
• Why he’s donating proceeds from book sales to the Breast Cancer Alliance, underscoring his commitment to making a positive impact through art
• The Baltimore-area imagery featured in the book, offering a captivating narrative rooted in his surroundings
• His “other persona” as one of the longest serving CEOs of a public high technology company, and its influence on his artistic approach

Coming up 11/1/23 9:30am - Greta Valenti, multi-talented musician with Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse, performing at Making Memories festival November 12th!

BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE

Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse (pronounced \bo\ \gree-gree\ ) California-based blues rock americana soul band created by Louisiana-born-and-raised musician Greta Valenti (Well Hung Heart) and UK British Blues Hall of Fame Inductee, Robin Davey (The Hoax, DVL, Well Hung Heart). Joined by the talents of musical heavyweights: Tom Rasulo (Dave Matthews, Gerard Way) Drums/Production in the UK & USA OR Alex Thomas (Anna Calvi, Bat For Lashes, Squarepusher) (UK) on Drums; Emma Jonson (UK) & Sam Robertson (USA) or DANIEL KIRKPATRICK (USA) on Keys, plus Stephen Mildwater (UK) and Chris Cunningham (USA) on Bass in the UK/USA respectively. PLUS VARIOUS OTHER PLAYERS AND GUEST APPEARANCES AT VARIOUS SHOWS.

LISTEN to today's show featuring Greta Valenti.

To fully understand Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse is to experience the band live, a mix of soulful songs, intense energy, and world-class award-winning musicianship. RhythmBooze summed up the show finale as “A mind-boggling, blistering finish with everything thrown in including the kitchen sink...truly memorable”. When LouderSounds preaches “Let Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse twist yer melons and remind you of the wonder of life” it might be because the band vibe is easier to pin down than their unique take on the roots genres. Rockshot Magazine elaborates “This extremely entertaining collective is a New Orleans-inspired, American blues-folk-soul band, who refuse to be pigeon-holed”.

Beaux Gris Gris and The Apocalypse debut album Love & Murder spurned Top 10 hits in genre charts across Europe. The albums wide-reaching appeal earned it a #13 placement in the “Top 50 Albums of the year” by Classic Rock Magazine, describing it as “A sensual, vibrant cocktail“

Guitarist Robin Davey was the youngest ever inductee into the British Blues Hall of Fame. He spent time as an artist on Atlantic and Interscope Records, and has recorded with a wide spectrum of artists from Mick Jagger to Katy Perry. Multi-award-winning vocalist and songwriter Greta Valenti is Louisiana-born-and-bred creative with generations of her family dating back before the Louisiana purchase. Her rock outfit Well Hung Heart (OCMA’s Best Live Band) toured the USA opening for the likes of Fitz & The Tantrums, Twenty One Pilots, Foreigner, and Offspring.

Having headlined festivals across Europe, including Upton Festival (UK), The Great British R&B Festival (UK), Moulin (Netherlands) and Blues Alive (Czech Republic), the band were nominated for Band of the Year at the European Blues Awards. THIS YEAR, THE BAND WILL BE WORKING ON THEIR THIRD ALBUM AND TOURING EXTENSIVELY ACROSS UK, EUROPE, and the US.

While Beaux Gris Gris is the musical arm of their creativity, the pair have also established their own multi-award winning CREATIVE agency, Grow Vision, SPECIAILZING multimedia content and development. Daryl Hall INVITED them to direct / produce his show “Live From Daryl’s House” for Viacom for two yearS. Helping to bring the show from a 30 min syndicated TV show to a 1 hour, dolby surround premium mainstay on VH1/MTV Live. Their feature documentaries “THE CAMARY EFFECT” & “The Unbelievable Plight of Mrs. Wright” haVE won over 50 film festival awards, and secured distribution through Gravitas Ventures. Their visual work FOR MAINSTREAM BRANDS, LIKE Taco Bell, HAVE secured them MULTIPLE ADVERTiSING AWARDS & CLIENTS ACROSS VARIOUS industries.

Here's where they will be performing in November:

WHO | Alzheimer’s Los Angeles, the oldest community-based organization serving families living with Alzheimer's in the greater Los Angeles area.

WHAT | 3rd annual Making Memories Festival

WHERE | L.A. State Historic Park

WHEN | Sunday, November 12th @ 12 pm – 6 p.m.

WHY | This event raises awareness in the greater Los Angeles community and helps people access programs and resources. 100% of funds raised stay local, and provide free care and support for individuals and families.

PERFORMERS | Ozomatli, J.Rocc, Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse, La Misa Negra, DJ Monalisa, UCLA ACA Lion Dance troupe, local native artists, etc

BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE RELEASE 28 TRACK LIVE ALBUM,
“LIVE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 2023” RECORDED LIVE ON TOUR ACROSS THE UK.

PRESS RELEASE JUNE 12, 2023

Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse had no idea if their seasoned sound engineer, Jerome Bach, hit record on a multitrack recording as they took the stage on a Tuesday night in May 2023. The venue, Arlington Arts in Newbury, was wired to record live shows, and thanks to Jerome’s quick thinking, most of the performance was captured with full multitrack capabilities, becoming the first 14 tracks on their first live album, “Live in The United Kingdom 2023”.

The 28 track double album was recorded during the band’s 3 week UK tour in April and May of 2023. The collection includes songs from the band’s first two albums, ’Love & Murder’ and ‘Good Times End Times’, plus some choice covers including “Make It Wit Chu” by Queens of The Stone Age, and “I’m on Fire” by Bruce Springsteen. For fans of Robin’s former band, The Hoax, there is also a cover of “Fistful of Dirt” as well as multiple guest appearances by former bandmate and songwriter/guitarist, Jon Amor. The set also includes a new song “Penny Paid Rockstar” which is previously unreleased.



A Beaux Gris Gris show is never the same twice, if there is a setlist it is rarely fully adhered to, and this is reflected on each disc. The first 14 tracks are from “The Theatre Show” is a more considered affair. Recorded on May 2nd at Arlington Arts Centre in Newbury, UK, the bands mellower songs ‘Bungalow Paradise’ and ‘Alone’ get an outing. During the delicate piano intro and stellar vocal performance by Greta Valenti in “Baby Baby”, you can hear a pin drop. However, on Disc 02, “The Club Shows’, it’s a far more rowdy adult affair. The rooms are tightly packed and sweaty. The audience is up close and personal; songs are bent and stretched to go with the flow. Recorded in Brecon, Edinburgh, and Poynton. Not originally intended to be an opportunity to record a live album, by chance guitarist Robin Davey, used a simple 8 track set up to run his personal in-ear mix that also had the ability to record. After the band started listening back to each show, it became apparent these recordings would be a perfect accompaniment to the full multitrack theatre show.


Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse “Live in the United Kingdom 2023” is out on all streaming platforms worldwide and available via shows as a double album 6 panel CD set starting June 23rd, 2023. Physical albums available for order online starting July 14th.

CREDITS: BEAUX GRIS GRIS & THE APOCALYPSE - “LIVE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM 2023” IS:

Greta Valenti: Vocals/Percussion (USA), Robin Davey: Guitar/Backing Vocals (USA/UK), Emma Jonson: Piano/Keytar/Backing Vocals (UK), Stephen Mildwater: Bass/Backing Vocals (UK), Tom Rasulo: Drums/Backing Vocals (USA)



Recorded live on tour April & May 2023 across the UK. Recorded by Robin Davey & Jerome Bach. Live sound by Jerome Bach. Mixed & Mastered by Robin Davey. Produced by Robin Davey & Greta Valenti. All photos by Rob Blackham. Album design by Greta Valenti.
A GROW VISION Production. © & ℗ MMXXIII GROW VISION™. A GROW VISION + DEVIL HILLS ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER/X | YOUTUBE

Coming up 10/25/23 at 9:00am on KUCI - LAST SUMMER OF NATHAN LEE directed by Quentin Lee and starring Harrison Xu

LISTEN to today's show

What do you do when you find out you have terminal brain cancer just before graduating from high school? Live life to the fullest, of course, which is what Nathan Lee does in this high-spirited Asian LGBTQ+ film.

This high-spirited LGBTQ+ drama LAST SUMMER NATHAN LEE, starring Harrison Xu, Natasha Tina Lia, Matthew Mitchell Espinosa, Dru Perez, and Aaron Guest, follows Nathan Lee (Harrison Xu), an Asian American teenager, who finds out that he has terminal brain cancer right before his 18th birthday, and vows to live the remains of his life with passion and laughter for one last summer with his friends and family...and refuses to die a virgin. Knowing that his gay best friend, Dash (Matthew Mitchell Espinosa), wants to become a filmmaker, Nathan offers himself as a documentary subject to Dash, who is also in love with Nathan.


LAST SUMMER OF NATHAN LEE

A coming-of-age story releasing in theaters October 20th and available on VOD November 22nd.

WATCH TRAILER HERE

Director Quentin Lee, and cast members Harrison Xu and Natasha Tina Liu


IN THEATERS ON OCTOBER 20TH

AVAILABLE ON VOD NOVEMBER 22ND

Synopsis:
Nathan Lee (Harrison Xu), an API teenager, finds out that he has brain cancer right before he turns 18 and vows to live the remains of his life with passion... and refuses to die a virgin. Knowing that his gay best friend, Dash (Matthew Mitchell Espinosa), wants to become a filmmaker, Nathan offers himself as a documentary subject to Dash, who is also in love with Nathan.

Nathan and Dash decide to document as much of his remaining life as possible. Without reservation, Nathan experiments sexually and falls in love with Lorelei (Natasha Tina Liu), another high school friend. As Nathan realizes he cannot reciprocate Dash’s true love, he decides to marry Dash, a Dreamer Immigrant, and gifts him American citizenship.

ABOUT HARRISON XU

Harrison Xu is a dual US/Canadian citizen and USC graduate who has appeared on award-winning shows such as Shameless, Grey's Anatomy, and American Horror Stories. His most recent credits include a supporting role in a Lionsgate feature opposite Dennis Quaid and Sean Patrick Flannery and a recurring role on Nickelodeon's Warped. He is also an accomplished voiceover actor in animation and dubbing, most recently dubbing the leads in the wildly successful shows All Of Us Are Dead and Sweet Home.

He also enjoys writing and shooting comedy sketches under his production company Banana Split Studios. When Harrison isn't acting, he can be found at the ice rink, climbing rocks, or hopelessly looking for his keys.

Directed by:
QUENTIN LEE

Produced by
DENNIS ESCOBEDO

KIT DeZOLT

HARRISON XU


Cast:
HARRISON XU

NATASHA TINA LIU

MATTHEW MITCHELL ESPINOSA

DRU PEREZ

AARON GUEST


Running Time:
92 Minutes

Coming up 10/11/23 at 9:00am - Australian-born star with over four-decades on Days of Our Lives, Thaao Penghlis

LISTEN

It’s one of the greatest runs in television. During his more than four-decade run on Days of Our Lives, Thaao Penghlis has kept the plots twisting and the passions burning by playing two look-a-like villains, Count Tony DiMera and his impersonator Andre DiMera.

But the Australian-born star is much more than a guy who knows how to deliver a nasty line and take a woman’s slap. A world traveler and celebrated host of Hollywood dinner parties, Penghlis has authored the memoir Places: The Journey of My Days, My Lives, and the cookbook Seducing Celebrities One Meal at a Time.

And now this child of Greek immigrants is pouring his own passions for all things Greece into a new podcast, The Lost Treasures, a thrilling detective story-style exploration of Greece’s greatest contribution to the world’s literature, the poet Homer.

In a rollicking Mediterranean-hopping adventure, The Lost Treasurers explores the Iliad and the Odyssey through the amazing life of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who changed history when he discovered the real-life locations and treasures in the epic poems.

Written and narrated Penghlis, the podcast draws on his exclusive access to 60,000 pages of long-hidden documents and diaries. “Against all odds, Heinrich Schliemann proved that the myths of Troy and the myths of Mycenae really happened,” says Penghlis. “For more than 20 years, my interest in this subject never waned. Two visits to Troy, five to Greece, I completed the journey. And I’m still wanting more.”



About The Lost Treasures

Growing up in Sydney, Australia, Thaao Penghlis always dreamed of becoming an archeologist, dreaming of one day unlocking the secrets of the history of his Greek ancestors he can trace all the way back to ancient Alexandria. “But as my acting career took over my interest in the subject was instead translated to taking journeys to the historical places that I explored with guides,” Penghlis says.

Now, the star of Days of Our lives, TV’s Mission: Impossible reboot, and movies and plays is the one playing the guide with his new podcast, “The Lost Treasures,” a deep dive into the life of German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann.

In the 19th century, Schliemann rocked the academic world by establishing the real-life locations in the Iliad and the Odyssey. His discoveries include the glittering cache of gold and other artifacts linked to the Homeric king Priam in the actual site of Troy, in modern-day Hissarlik, Turkey.

“The poems of Homer were part of the education I chose for myself, collecting knowledge from cultures that gave me a greater meaning and understanding of that path,” says Penghlis. “When I finally visited Schliemann’s gravesite, it brought me closer to him, like a long-lost relative that I grew to love.”

To research the podcast, Penghlis embarked on his own odyssey, gaining exclusive access to research materials with a little help from his notoriety playing a master-of-disguise Nicholas Black on 1980s Mission: Impossible in the 1980s.


“I had walked into the Archaeological Museum in Athens when an employee recognized me from Mission Impossible,” says Penghlis. “He gave me a huge embrace and wanted to know what he could he do to welcome me in Greece.”

Within minutes, Penghlis’ fan had set him up a meeting with the Greek minister of culture and an exclusive visit to a library containing 60,000 pages of Schliemann’s documents and diaries.

“These materials took me to magnificent sites in in Athens, Mycenae and Troy where Schliemann’s extraordinary finds changed the course of history and smashed the myths of ancient Greek heroes,” says Penghlis.

Penghis now shares those discovers in The Lost Treasures. The four-episode podcast includes three story chapters enhanced with immersive audio effects and a fourth that features a reading from Penghlis about why he wrote the story and his inspiration and drive to do so.

“My purpose in telling these stories of Lost Treasures is to romance my audience, inspire them with the notion that ‘Gods of Men’ once walked in these lands of my ancestors,” he says.

Lost Treasures will release on Tuesday, September 5th and will end with the (fourth) conclusion episode on Tuesday October 17th. The show will be available on all major podcast platforms – Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, etc.


Podcast Socials:

https://www.instagram.com/losttreasurespod/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094319043355

Thaao Penghlis’ Socials:

https://twitter.com/ThaaoPenghlis

https://www.instagram.com/thaaopenghlis/

https://www.facebook.com/ThaaoPenghlisOfficial

Coming up! STATE OF THE UNITY Directed by Nathaniel Paul Hoff & Jillian Speece

STATE OF THE UNITY

Directed by Nathaniel Paul Hoff & Jillian Speece

Releasing Friday September 8th @ Laemmle Monica Film Center,

September 11th @ TCL Chinese Theatre,

and On Digital and On Demand October 6th

 

LISTEN
 to this episode of GTFO

­

WATCH TRAILER HERE

­

Synopsis:
In 2016, Brooklyn-based band, The Bergamot embarked on a timely journey to perform in all 50 States while inviting people to sign their message of unity on their station wagon (known as The Unity Car). What ensued is a heartwarming tale of human perseverance, empathy and understanding during one of the most polarizing times in American history.

Directed by:
NATHANIEL PAUL HOFF

JILLIAN SPEECE

Produced by
NATHANIEL PAUL HOFF

JILLIAN SPEECE

Running Time:
88 minutes

For access to all available press materials click HERE

© 2022 MPRM, LLC

Coming up September 20th, 2023 - LIVE on KUCI - Susan Charles, Professor of Psychological Science and Professor of Nursing Science, and Associate Dean of Academic Programs in the School of Social Ecology - UC Irvine

LISTEN

Well-being improves across young adulthood and into midlife, according to a new study by Susan Charles, professor of psychological science at the University of California, Irvine.

“Contrary to negative stereotypes of aging, late life is a time of relatively stable and high levels of well-being,” says Charles. “With older age, people focus more on the present and less on planning for the future, and this mindset is one possible explanation for high levels of well-being later in life. Older adults generally report greater satisfaction with their close friends and family members, which may also explain why people who are older have relatively stable levels of well-being over time.”

Charles and her research team followed 1,000 people, ages 22 to 95, over two decades for the study, which was published earlier this year in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. They asked participants about the positive and negative emotions they were feeling that day, in the past week and in the past month.

You can read more details here. Professor Charles is enthused to discuss her team’s findings.


Susan Charles, Ph.D

University of California, Irvine

Website: https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/scharles

research: Emotion Research Lab (uci.edu)

ABOUT SUSAN CHARLES

Susan Charles is Professor of Psychological Science and Professor of Nursing Science, and Associate Dean of Academic Programs in the School of Social Ecology at the University of California-Irvine. Her research examines social and emotional processes across the adult life span. She is interested in how affective experience varies across the life course, and how they are related to cognitive physical and mental health. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for over 20 years. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the Association for Psychological Science.

Coming up Wednesday 9/13/23 at 9:30am - Ana Homayoun and her latest book, ERASING THE FINISH LINE: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admissions

LISTEN

ERASING THE FINISH LINE: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admissions, author, academic advisor, and educator, Ana Homayoun addresses issues that are critical and timely for parents, teens, educators, and anyone who cares about our kids today.
With mental health issues on the rise, college pressure, new technology like ChatGPT, social media, and the fear of what's to come in the future, Ana re-envisions what skills young people really need to thrive in school, and more importantly, in life.

“Ana Homayoun fearlessly questions the prevailing mindset that a good life is simply a linear path from good grades to a good school and ultimately a good job…Erasing the Finish Line will resonate deeply with caring adults who believe that young people deserve the opportunity to self-define success and chart their own authentic path.”*


Discussion Points with Ana Homayoun:

College admissions has become a faulty finish line for adolescent development; it is not only misleading but is harming the wellbeing of children and parents.

Our world is fast-changing and rife with uncertainty; students are dealing with the effects of COVID (emotionally, socially, academically) and facing a new technological world (i.e. ChatGPT), requiring increased creativity, innovation, connection, and leadership.

Parents can nurture their children’s growth and model the skills that will help them succeed. By focusing on daily habits - like organizing, prioritizing and planning, starting and completing tasks, and being adaptable when something doesn't go as planned - you can model and work with your tween/teen to further develop these skills.

People are so obsessed with high test scores and college admissions that we are missing developing critical and crucial skills that are key for lifelong success. Our laser focus on these achievements leaves students feeling anxious, demoralized and unprepared.

By focusing on skills - like executive functioning skills

Connection is another critical skill that is one of the most important for our future success. But without realizing it, we often approach connections transactionally, rather than with authenticity. We then miss out on meaningful, mutually supportive relationships that have the potential to enrich our lives.

In ERASING THE FINISH LINE: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admissions (Hachette Go; 8/29/23; $29; ISBN: 9780306830693), renowned teen and early career development expert, author and educator Ana Homayoun offers a groundbreaking new way of thinking about education for parents, teachers, administrators and policymakers deeply invested in the emotional development and well-being of children today.



For decades, we have been collectively brainwashed into believing that getting into a “good” college is an all-encompassing key to a successful life. Year after year, this frenzy causes students and their families to be overtaken by the rollercoaster ride of the college admissions process which leaves students feeling anxious, demoralized and unprepared.

What if we’ve overlooked the critical skills young adults need to navigate an ever-changing world? What fundamental skills help young people adapt, persevere, and thrive?



Focusing on foundational executive functioning skills that empower kids to develop their own blueprints for success, ERASING THE FINISH LINE flips the way we think about education altogether. In her accessible and solutions-oriented guide, Homayoun shares stories of her former and current students to shift our perspective beyond pre-prescribed paths and expand our vision to help each young person thrive in school and life.

Readers will discover how to:

Understand the importance of prioritizing foundational skills


Develop a system based on executive functioning skills


Build valuable social capital while fostering genuine connections


Identify their energy profile and how to recharge


Expand perspective through shared experiences and exposure


Remain adaptable in the face of disappointments and setbacks



ERASING THE FINISH LINE: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admissions
Hachette Go | August 29, 2023


About the author:

Ana Homayoun is an academic advisor and early career development expert working at the intersection of executive functioning skills, technology and personal energy management. She is the founder of San Francisco Bay area based Green Ivy Educational Consulting and the author of three previous books: That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week, The Myth of the Perfect Girl and Social Media Wellness. She lives in San Francisco. To learn more about her work, please visit www.anahomayoun.com.

Here's a speaking reel to see Ana in action: https://vimeo.com/835643325/e08f006581?share=copy





Advance Praise:

“In this timely and important book, Ana Homayoun gives students and families the blueprint they need to launch into a fulfilling life and engaging career.

— Jeffrey Selingo, New York Times bestselling author of Who Gets In and Why and There Is Life After College


“Erasing the Finish Line is the book I will recommend over and over in the coming years, a gift to parents, educators, and adolescents confused by the conflicting demands of achievement and fulfillment.”


— Jessica Lahey, New York Times bestselling author of the The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation


"Ana Homayoun has given parents a blueprint for guiding all kids — not just the most advantaged -- in the “how,” not the “what”, of authentic, lifelong success… …This book will come as a relief for every parent who wants to help strengthen the bones of the building, not just its facade."

— Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out and Enough As She Is


“Eye-opening and compelling, this book has the answers that parents and educators need right now. ”

— Jordan Shapiro, author of Father Figure and The New Childhood


“…This book is practical, extraordinarily empathetic, and a breath of fresh air, and it's just what the doctor ordered for anxious parents and anxious teens alike.”

— Anya Kamenetz, author of The Stolen Year and The Art of Screen Time


“In her thought-provoking book, Ana Homayoun fearlessly questions the prevailing mindset that a good life is simply a linear path from good grades to a good school and ultimately a good job…Erasing the Finish Line will resonate deeply with caring adults who believe that young people deserve the opportunity to self-define success and chart their own authentic path.”


— Kyle Schwartz, author of I Wish My Teacher Knew and I Wish for Change*


“This book offers smart, practical advice that will help every parent reset household expectations for what success really means.”


— Gregg Behr, co-author, When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids

Coming up on KUCI 88.9fm - Wednesday 9:00am PT - Melanie Brooks talks about her new book, A Hard Silence: One Daughter Remaps Family, Grief, and Faith When HIV/AIDS Changes It All

LISTEN

In the mid 1980s, Canada's worst public health disaster was unfolding. Catastrophic mismanagement of the country's blood supply allowed contaminated blood to be knowingly distributed nationwide, infecting close to two thousand Canadians with HIV. Among them was Melanie Brooks's surgeon father who, after receiving a blood transfusion during open-heart surgery in 1985, learned he was HIV positive.

At a time when HIV/AIDS was widely misunderstood and public perception was shaped by fear, prejudice, and homophobia, victims of the disease faced ostracism and persecution. Afraid of this stigma and wanting to protect his family, Melanie's father decided his illness would be a secret. A secret they'd all have to keep. They did not know that her father would live past that first year, but he did. And for ten years before his death in 1995, from the time she was thirteen until she was twenty-three, Melanie's family lived in the shadow of AIDS. She carried the weight of the uncertain trajectory of her father’s health and the heartbreaking anticipation of impending loss silently and alone. It became a way of life.

A Hard Silence is an intimate glimpse into Melanie's memories of coping with the tragedy of her father's illness and enduring the loneliness and isolation of not being able to speak. With candor and vulnerability, Melanie opens her grief wounds and brings her reader inside her journey, twenty years after her father died, to finally understand the consequences of her family's silence, to interrogate the roots of stigma and discrimination responsible for the ongoing secret-keeping, and to show how she's learned to be authentic now.
Endorsements:


“Melanie Brooks is that rare writer who can delve as deeply into the world of ideas as she can the pitted terrain of the human heart. She brings these formidable gifts to her moving and important memoir, A Hard Silence, the tale of her doctor father who in 1985 was infected with the AIDS virus during a blood transfusion. But this is not simply the story of a daughter’s premature loss of her beloved father, for this was AIDS during the 1980’s, a time when the disease was shrouded in a dark mystery that brought out fear and bigotry, homophobia and the ultimate persecution of this ravaging disease’s victims, including Brooks’s surgeon father who up until his death ten years after his diagnosis kept his condition a secret, one his family had to keep as well. I cannot think of a writer more naturally suited to tell this timely and essential story, not just of her own personal grief, but of society’s fearful response to calamity and all that that entails.”—André Dubus III, author of Gone So Long and Townie


"At the heart of this brilliantly written memoir is the family secret that Melanie Brooks kept for ten years, from the time she was thirteen until the death of her father in 1995 from AIDS. She describes the isolation affecting her family as they kept this secret, the impossibility of sharing fear and grief during a time very like our own, a time of deep division and rampant prejudice. Written after twenty years of struggle and reflection, Melanie Brooks's ability to share with great clarity A Hard Silence, fills me with a sense of urgency, gratitude, and awe."—Abigail Thomas, author of Still Life: The Next Interesting Thing and A Three Dog Life


"Melanie Brooks's tender narrative of living with the secret of her father’s AIDS diagnosis during the epidemic’s era of shame and stigma echoes loudly today. This beautifully rendered memoir asks important questions about the complexities of loss and grief, the roots of stigma and shame, and the courage necessary to endure that resonate in this new and unfortunate age of social exclusion.”—Richard Blanco, author of The Prince of los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood


"A vivid and thoughtful exploration of a daughter’s grief for her father, and a family’s unwanted place in history, A HARD SILENCE movingly depicts the long toll of stigma and the healing power of words."—Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a Body: A Murder & A Memoir


“A profound and riveting journey through shame and grief, A Hard Silence is, quite simply, unforgettable.”—Monica Wood, author of The One-in-a-Million Boy, When We Were the Kennedys, Ernie’s Ark, and Any Bitter Thing.
""The strength required of Brooks to endure the cruel fate of her father’s illness could have been surpassed only by what she summoned to write this superb, heartfelt memoir. With mesmerizingly beautiful prose, A Hard Silence is a case study in grief and survival, of the power of family bonds, of the ways in which we are both sustained and failed by our faiths and each other. I could not put it down."—Jerald Walker, author of Street Shadows and The World in Flames



Author Bio:

Melanie Brooks is the author of Writing Hard Stories: Celebrated Memoirists Who Shaped Art from Trauma (Beacon Press, 2017). She teaches professional writing at Northeastern University and narrative medicine in the MFA program at Bay Path University in Massachusetts and creative writing at Nashua Community College in New Hampshire. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast writing program. She is currently completing a Certificate of Narrative Medicine at Columbia University. She has had numerous interviews and essays on topics ranging from loss and grief to parenting and aging published in Psychology Today, the HuffPost, Yankee Magazine, the Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Creative Nonfiction, and other notable publications. Her forthcoming memoir, A Hard Silence (September 2023), explores the lasting impact of living with the 10-year secret of her father’s HIV before his death in 1995. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband, two children (when they are home from college), and two labs.