Here is my complete bibliography as of spring 2021. New arrivals are expected.
Part One: Books I Wrote, Illustrated, and Designed
Living On The Earth
Most people who know my name associate it with my book Living on the Earth, which has been published five times in English, once in Japanese, once in Spanish, and once in Korean. The Japanese edition has been in print continuously since 1972. A French edition and a second Korean edition are both in process as of 2021. With flowing line drawings and handwriting, and a groundbreaking layout, Living On The Earth expresses the spirit of a multi-generational yearning for oneness with nature. Widely imitated to this day, Living On The Earth changed the way books are conceived, and influenced countless artists and graphic designers.
First edition, The Bookworks, Berkeley, 1970. Their second title, ever. Only 10,000 copies printed, all sold within three weeks of publication. Printed on a paper made from sawmill scraps and bark called Karma Kote.
Second edition, Random House/Vintage Books, 1971. This was the first paperback ever on the New York Times Bestseller list, selling at least 350,000 copies before going out of print in 1980.
Japanese edition
地球の上に生きる / Chikyu no ue ni ikiru Translated by Mariko Fukumachi Published 1972 – present by Soshisha Ltd., Tokyo
30th anniversary edition Random House/Villard Books, 2000
4th Edition (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2003) with its distinctive metallic gold embossed sun on the cover, and 100% post consumer waste recycled paper and soy-based ink throughout.
Korean edition 지구에서 즐겁게 살아가기 / (Small Seed, Seoul, Korea, 2005)
Spanish edition Viviendo en la Tierra Translated and lettered by Juan Antonio Martínez Sarrión Kachina Ediciones, Albacete, España, 2017 with recycled paper and vegetable inks
50th Anniversary, 5th English language edition (Echo Point Books & Media, Brattleboro, Vermont, 2021) with sustainably sourced paper and vegetable inks.
French edition Vivre sur la Terre Editor: Lila Hervé-Gruyer Translator: Virginia Gettle Calligrapher: Harmonie Begon Published by Editions Ulmer, Paris, 2022
Being of the Sun
First edition (1973) of Being of the Sun (Harper & Row, New York)
A nature, spirituality and music book on creating one’s own one-person religion, finding the divine in nature and within, with songs, ceremonies, projects and practices created or adapted for the authors’ own nature-as-spirituality religions. It is a companion volume to Living on the Earth.
太陽とともに生きる / Taiyo to tomoni ikiru Japanese edition of Being of the Sun Soshisha, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, 1974-1980, 2007 – present Translated by Mariko Fukumachi
Earth Time (Random House, 1972) Poetic astrological calendar with large colorful drawings.
Earth Time (back cover)
A Set of Three Children’s Books (1972):
Sylvie Sunflower Centerfolded in Ms. Magazine’s January 1973 edition, in the “Stories for Free Children” series curated by Letty Cottin Pogrebin, one of the magazine’s founders. A little girl living with her parents and their friends on a rural commune gives a tour of her life there.
The Family of Families We are all one family.
Happy Day! Cried the Rainbow Lady, Full of Light A wordless journey into the stars.
(All three, as a set, Harper & Row, 1972) These coloring books advise “No one has to color inside the lines.”
Set of Three Children’s Books, Japanese editions 1974
Sylvie Sunflower, Japanese edition Soshisha Ltd., Tokyo, Japan 1974
If anyone can send me good scans of the covers of the Soshisha Ltd. editions of The Family of Families and/or Happy Day Cried the Rainbow Lady, Full of Light, I would love to post them here!
Part Two: A Book I Designed and Illustrated
The Earth Mass (poetry by Joe Pintauro) (Harper & Row, 1973) “An oldie, hard to find, and worth its weight in emeralds” Dama, Onelist.com Lots of Alicia’s crayon and ink drawings, with ceremonies and poems for life’s passages by Joe Pintauro, who was also a novelist, playwright, and professor.
Home Comfort Text by the Monteverdi Artists Collaborative, which included Ray Mungo, Verandah Porche, Peter Gould, Marty Jezer, and Richard Wizansky. Other illustrators include Peter Gould and Doug Parker. The poetry of Verandah Porche is one of the highlights (Saturday Review Press, 1973).
“After the Liberation News Service was chased out of DC by the feds, the darkly cheerful band of artist/intellectuals chose to bivouac in the hills of New England, purchase farms and learn to farm them, and invent recipes, myths, costumes, dances, unending in-jokes, even architecture. In the winter of 1971-72, they planned a communal book, each agreeing to write portions of it, and the pieces were read aloud in the communal dining space they had dubbed the Cafe Depresso. The artists of the tribe rose to the occasion with copious illustrations, and the family graphics professional, Doug Parker, assembled the pieces into a book. Decades later, it’s still fresh, charming, funny and even useful. ” (My review of the book on Amazon.)
Loved “Home Comfort” and “Living on the Earth.” Such beautiful ideals. Still part of me, even after so much time. Thank you.
Catherine Ednie Farming and living an artisanal life in Maine
William Shakespeare’s The Tempest: A New Age Adaptation by Michael Fleck (New Age Press, 1978) Script of a wild and colorful 1976 multi-media production on Maui, when Fleck was working as the creative director of the Maui Community Theatre. He depicts Shakespeare’s drama as a battle of cold-hearted corporate real estate developers versus environmentalists, both bohemian and indigenous, and their spirit allies. My ink and watercolor cover and monochrome pen and ink drawings throughout.
Another World, a novel by Yoshimoto Banana (hardcover edition) (Shinchosha Ltd., Tokyo 2009) Banana-san, an always-astonishing storyteller, introduces us to a woman who is really a cat, and the man who loves her. Another World, a novel by Yoshimoto Banana (paperback edition) (Shinchosha Ltd, Tokyo, 2010) この世界にようこそ / Kono sekai ni yōkoso Welcome to the World, a children’s book by Yuko Hirose (Mille Books, Tokyo, 2015) A book to read to little children about what to expect in life.Rainbow Sweets, a cookbook by Orie Ishii (Wave Publishers, Tokyo, 2016)
Orie’s stylish raw vegan desserts are decorated with edible flowers; every recipe is beautiful, healthful, and delicious.
This was my first experience working with a graphic designer who deftly combined hand lettering and line drawings with color photographs. Kudos to Wave Publishers!
A delightful chilled drink of ginger, pau d’arco and stevia tea mixed with cranberry concentrate.
Pour three quarts of pure water into a large pot. Add two pieces of fresh ginger root, each the size of your thumb, each sliced one half inch thick, so that you are maximizing the surface area from which the volatile oils can be extracted. You don’t have to skin the ginger, but be sure to wash off any dirt before you slice it.
Bring the ginger and water to a boil, and let it simmer five minutes, then turn off the heat. Add a large handful of fresh or dried stevia leaves and a half cup of pau d’arco bark and let the tea steep for half an hour (you really want to extract the essences from the herbs) and then cool for another four hours (until it really is cool).
Then strain out all of the vegetable matter, add it to your compost heap, and add the final ingredient to your tea: cranberry extract syrup (pure concentrated cranberry juice). Four ounces should do the trick. Stir well and pour into a gallon glass jar to chill in the refrigerator. Alternately, one can use one quart less water in the tea and add one quart of “Just Cranberry” juice after the tea is cool.
What you get is a beautiful cool red drink that is sweet, sour, pungent and slightly bitter, and strengthens your immune system, improves your digestion, lowers your insulin response to carbohydrates, and cleanses your urinary tract. A delightful refreshment for a hot summer afternoon.
Janet Klein singing at McCabe’s in Santa Monica, California, with seven of her eight Parlor Boys
Janet Klein studied the gestures and expressions of the silent screen stars, collected the clothes, graphics, recordings and sheet music of their time, injected her own intelligence and joie de vivre, and evolved a character so convincingly authentic and yet so lighthearted and witty that she has stage presence for miles. Each of the three performances I’ve attended in LA was packed, and many audience members told me they were regulars.
Everything moves on Janet’s face when she sings. In between songs, she jumps for joy and flounces around. Miraculously, nothing she does is corny. Eyebrows raise when she dances, lifting her long skirt to expose long calves and ‘20’s style character shoes, with T straps and Cuban heels.
Janet listens raptly to a trumpet solo.
Her shows include surprises. The second show I saw was a Fanny Brice variety show, with comedians, knife throwers, and a redheaded flapper who would dance on and off stage bearing a sign that said “Applause.” That was the first time I heard Janet sing with a Yiddish accent. This year at the Steve Allen Theatre in Hollywood, she’s got a fabulous early film archivist sharing his treasures as the first set of her show. She’s there the first Thursday of each month.
The sheer number of musicians on stage with her staggers the senses: Seven or eight, most nights. At the last show, I counted two guitars, two violins, a tuba AND an upright bass, a piano AND an accordion, and, at one point, two cornets and a slide trombone. (No drums!) Musicologist and performer Ian Whitcomb, descended from the British music hall entertainer who wrote “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing,” always sings at least one solo, plays a panoply of instruments, and delights the audience with his dry humor.
Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys have many albums out now, each loaded with retro gems of song and graphic art. Both her CDs and downloads are available from Amazon.
Alicia, I love you !!!!!!! You are a wonderful ray of light in my life. Your music, messages, visuals & CD are extraordinary. Bravo – really a fabulous job on the disc. I had something like a religious experience upon hearing it for the first time. A most expertly guided journey. I later played America The Blues on my program, on a show w/ ‘The Dark Blues’ as the theme …I think it is on its way to being a timeless classic…. (unfortunately ?!!)… killer though — love so many things about it… fave maybe the background vocals.
Yours on all planets,
Charles Blass Audio Gumbo 89.9 FM WKCR New York City
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Alicia,
I’m a blues/roots programmer and dj for WPFW, 89.3 FM, a 50,000-watt non-commercial station in Washington, D.C. and I report to the Living Blues Radio Chart.
I read a good review of What’s Living All About in Blues Revue magazine a while back; can you send a promo copy for possible airplay?
Thanks and let me know if you need anything else,
Elliott Gross Programmer/DJ The Don’t Forget the Blues Hour www.wpfw.org
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I think this is a very creative record with a lot of wonderful ideas and performances and some pretty extraordinary playing, and endearing vocals all over the place. I like it a lot!! I liked all the songs much better on the second listen. A keeper. Good work.
The album is eclectic, diverse musical styles. Therefore, I can relate to it! What holds it altogether is Alicia’s musical ‘personae’ – the complex character she is creating, through her voice and ideas. As you get to know this character more and more, as the songs and ideas progress, you trust her more and it allows you to enter more easily into whatever type of musical style is coming next. (Also this trust is a reason to want to go back and listen again.) Also the IDEAS are clear. The lead vocals are strong with a lot of presence. The musicians are all brilliant and the soloing is tasteful and creative – no cliches or stumbling around musically anywhere to be found.
Re: “Nature Boy.” I believe that if you can take the listener to a unique Hilltop, and give them a view that they will never forget, even ONCE in a recording or performance, that is enough. One brilliant moment builds a bridge of trust between you and them that will allow them to be more open to whatever you do from then on, even if they don’t relate or understand it. (You may never be able to take them to that High Point again but it doesn’t matter – it’s like great sex or great playing- you may not be able to LIVE with that person, but you will NEVER forget that encounter.) This track took me to that Hill. I feel different now about the whole recording.
Re: “I Could Write a Book.” This track is the track where I first gasped: genius! What an amazing idea. A track like this makes me have to listen to the whole CD over again to see if I missed anything the first time around on those opening tracks. A totally inspired idea that works. No one else has ever done something like this with a standard. Perfect. I played this one for Lin. She liked it a lot, too. (She didn’t think her publisher would like it though! ha ha!) Joe Dolce Platinum-selling Singer-Songwriter Melbourne, Australia
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Dear Alicia:
Thanks so much for your lovely message. I listened to “America the Blues” with great enjoyment. But I must say I was really taken with your rendition of “Floozy Tune.”
I’m sorry to say I never read your book, but one of these days maybe I will.
Best wishes,
Howard Zinn Historian, activist, social critic Newton, Massachusetts
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It’s a charming CD. It doesn’t sound like anything else that’s out there. It says important things in an unassuming way. It’s also very personal. I really like it. Nels Cline Avant Garde/Jazz/Rock Guitarist of reknown Los Angeles, California
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I wanted to touch base with you on what we’re playing from your new CD.
We have been playing the following tracks on a regular basis in our new music rotation:
Floozy Tune
America The Blues
Best Of The Rest Of You
Dr. Sun & Nurse Water
It’s a great disc and we are getting a nice response to it.
I love your CD. There are several songs we will soon add to the rotation. But I had to start playing Floozy Tune right way. It is SO funny!
Brad Freeman Radio Host KHBC Radio Hilo, Hawaii
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I wanted to drop you a line to say I loved “What Living’s All About.” My favorite tunes: “Aquarian Age Liberated Woman Blues,” “Doctor Sun & Nurse Water,” and I really resonated with “Sometimes it Takes a Long Time.”
I don’t listen to KBHC that much, so I was tickled when heard something from your CD on KBHC: Floozy Tune. This was last Saturday, 10:30 a.m. Brad was substituting for Mynah Bird, the regular morning DJ. It was a trip and a treat!
Linda Kane Honomu, Hawaii
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I found it last night, Alicia! And was able to listen to several cuts. Really enjoyed it! And so thank you for sending that!
Listened to (and read the lyrics of) America the Blues and really liked that one as well. I love the song and, of course, everything about it is dead on; obviously it has a *very* strong political statement.
It would, of course, be perfect for The BRAD SHOW and I look forward to playing it at the next available opportunity!
Feedback from Jackie Ryan, one of the greatest living jazz vocalists, IMHO:
I heard your CD!! WOW!!! FANTASTIC JOB, ALICIA!! GREAT TUNES!! WOWOWOWOWOW!!! I can tell you put a lot into it. You did an EXCELLENT and very professional job. You should try selling some tunes to some big names!!!
Jackie recently sang in New York City:
Monday, August 28, 2006, 2 Sets: 7:30 & 9:30pm Jazz At Lincoln Center: Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola With Cyrus Chestnut: piano, Ray Drummond: bass, Carl Allen: drums, Eric Alexander: Sax, Jeremy Pelt: Trumpet, Romero Lubambo: guitar Doors open at 6pm for the 7:30pm set
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I’ve been enjoying it and am always amazed when listening to it at how well done the whole CD is! Felicitations! The musical journey goes through some solid jazz (some fabulous players!), blues, swing, gospel, and folk – that’s a lot to cover in one CD! How on earth (or otherwise) did you categorize the album for online sales? Your voice sounds great – sultry at times, silky at times, and gutsy at times! The lyrics are very creative, inventive and out-of-the-box – a far cry from the usual bill of fare for songs you hear these days. It’s an art to make thoughtful, intelligent, clever and funny songs, and I would say all of these tunes are just that type of art. I hope you’re continuing to write songs like these!
Dear Ruthie! You helped me enormously, coaching me to prepare for recording my third album, What Living’s All About. How fortunate I am! Thank you so much. [from Alicia]
What a lucky day that was on the Red Line, going over to Forest Hills…and such a nice memory that [the late hand-drawn animation artist] Karen Aqua was there, too. Very, very, special meeting you after having been so influenced by your book when I was a teenager. Full circle.
Ruthie Ristich Jazz Vocalist and Professor at Berklee School of Music Boston, Massachusetts
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Sassy, sexy, sophisticated and smart!
Sophia Songhealer New Age Singing Goddess Carmel Valley, California
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Howdy Alicia! I hope this finds you happy, healthy and happy! -L-O-V-E your NEW CD, “What Living’s All About”!!! “Floozy Tune” is one of my favorites! I can’t wait to share your tunes on the air.
Take Care- – – Miss Holley King Radio Host KBSZ-AM Saturdays 8 AM to 12 Noon Radio Free Phoenix Sundays at 2 PM
MY PLAY LIST FOR TODAYS’ SHOW Show No.21 – Sunday, June 25th, 2006 – “Bad To The Bone” – includes: (the funny) – Alicia Bay Laurel – Floozy Tune
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Playlist for radioshow in 3 weeks from now :
Radioshow Psyche Van Het Folk 1st week of August : 2006-8-05 (8PM-10 PM), on Radio Centraal, Antwerp Belgium 106,7 FM :
New acoustic releases, often with serious minimalist ideas..
Alicia Bay Laurel : What’s Living’s All About Track 8, “Nature Boy”
My favourite track of this new album of former hippie living in Hawaii. Jazz is a new inspiration. This interpretation is really well done.
from Gerald Van Waes, Radio Host * * * * *
They are playing Dr. Sun and Nurse Water right NOW! on Radio Free Phoenix. I think it is Liz Boyle DJ-ing right now… Cool huh! Hope you are having a good day!
Miss Holley King DJ Radio Free Phoenix
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It’s a terrific piece of artistry, and deserves to shine at its brightest! We’ve been enjoying Alicia’s new CD a whole lot. [re: Nels Cline] Wotta guitarist! Whoo-ee!
It is so great!! You reach higher place in mountain of music!
The message is so straight. It came into my heart.
Music are so sophisticated. Your vocal is growing up.
So wonderful!!
We are enjoy it.
Always I can feel connected your spirit.
Goddess blessing you!
Sachiho Kojima Vocalist/Songwriter/Bassist Naha City Okinawa
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Got Alicia’s new CD & really do think it’s the best ever. I dearly love jazz & blues anyway & Alicia’s voice is perfect for “Floozy Tune” – the first old timey song. Another of my favorites is “Best of the Rest of You”. I’m tempted to quote lyrics, which are all excellent. Anyway, far as I know, Alicia wrote all the songs except the classic “I Could Write a Book” in which she gives a little talk about the vicissitudes of the publishing business – a subject wherein she knows whereof she speaks. Youse guys are missing out if you don’t check this out. Alicia’s one of our own & she’s done us proud IMO. Pam Hanna Freelance writer, editor and critic (writing on to our commune alumni Yahoo group Mostpost) Thoreau, New Mexico
[Alicia notes: there are TWO jazz standards on WLAA, “I Could Write a Book” and “Nature Boy.” The spoken words on “I Could Write a Book” are from literary agent Michael Larsen’s book How To Write a Book Proposal, Third Edition (Writers Digest Books, 2003) and used with permission.]
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i just got my sample of your disc….i must say, it looks AND sounds very good! congrats on an excellent release! we do so many titles, that it’s rare that i actually LIKE one. but, yours is certainly an exception….totally going to get it on my iPod.
please don’t hesitate to contact me, if/when you have another need for CD or DVD manufacturing. same with your friends: send them directly to me and have them drop your name. i’ll certainly take care of them! cheers, Joe Vent Sales AtoZ Media-Midwest Milwaukee, Wisconsin
[Alicia notes: A to Z Media did a wonderful job manufacturing my CD and both Joe Vent (sales) and Sandra Gray (production) were a pleasure to do business with. Very reasonable prices, too.]
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Dear Alicia:
The CD certainly arrived. I waited until family left, as I like to listen to a new album with undivided attention (NOT as background music!). I sat with the liner notes, read your commentaries and the lyrics. I LOVE the album. You are the most incredibly creative woman!
Floozy Tune is great fun. I like traditional jazz and blues a lot, but tend to get lost in the current stuff. Your sensibility pleases my ears!
I’m recommending your web site to like-minded colleagues and friends.
Hugs,
Barbara
Barbara Neighbors Deal, Ph.D.,
Literary Associates
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Dear Alicia:
It seems new CD is different arrange from ever work. I enjoy many sound, may be your friends. I love illustration of jacket too !
Koki Aso Freelance Journalist Kamakura, Japan
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The Hippie Museuem’s most cherished Fairy Godmother Alicia Bay Laurel, artist, musician, and author of “Living on the Earth”, the more-than-famous hippie “bible” of back-to-the-land living, has just released a new cd, “What Living’s All About”. The description on the cover reads “Jazz, blues and other moist situations”… Read what Alicia has to say about it, and follow links to purchase it on her site.
I’m sorry to late to mail. I went to Tokyo and Kanazawa. The day I back from Kanazawa, your CD came to my home. Thank you!!
When I listen your CD, [my teenaged daughter] Seina came home and she said, “It’s cool! I love this CD!”
We are surprised that this CD has very different world from your 1st and 2nd CD.
I’d like to sell this CD also. Please ask GATS production to inform me when he releases your CD in Japan.
Thank you!!
with love, Yoko Nema Musician Owner, Tata Bazaar Naha City Okinawa
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You are so friggin’ talented it makes me weep… Thanks so much for sending me your new CD. I am enjoying it thoroughly! Aloha nui loa, Barb Barbara J. Fahs, M.A. Hi`iaka’s Healing Herb Garden, LLC Author of Super Simple Guide for Creating Hawaiian Gardens Kea’au, Hawaii
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I listened this morning to all of the tracks and it’s great music. I enjoyed Alicia’s voice and the arrangements—it was well worth the listen! Connie Higginson-Murry Midnight Blues Radio Show
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I was struck by the uniqueness of the sound and some of the melodies and voiceplay grabbed my attention! Don Strachan Author, Watsu Therapist and Tantra Teacher Middletown, California
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I have listened to you music and I am stunned and delighted!!! I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! YES!!!!!! Man….. the jazzy bo ho beat sultry powerful oh yes. Thank you , Alicia, for Being You!
…….Love, Char ~* Webmistress of Hippie Museum Santa Cruz, California
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Dear Alicia,
I just listened to your CD: “What Living’s All About”. Oh, every one of the songs was really good. I especially liked the “doctor sun and nurse water” which is, like the song you recited to me, a poem and a prayer at the same time. I love the “nature boy” also. “it’s not fair” is funny and sad… “america the blues”, so strong. The music, voice, the content of the songs are all so good.
Through these 32 years, both of us have seen pleasure and pain, beauty and sadness of life which, I think, made us closer. I had such a deep feeling of solace being with you.
Good night for now.
Kenichi Iyanaga Saitama, Japan
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Alicia! You did good, mama. What a beautiful baby. I listened and bought it right away. Hilarious and absolutely GORGEOUS. A Hearty Congratulations To You. Thanks for sharing. Emily Capehart Permaculture Teacher Pilot Point, Texas
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Vintage Alicia. Alicia at her best. Milo Clark Pahoa, Hawaii
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New Year card from Lily Bastug, of Santa Barbara, California
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The CD is eclectically superb! On to the 3rd listening… Joel Goldfarb Jazz Pianist Makawao, Hawaii
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This is a fabulous album that has kept me company through hard times, entertained me and made me laugh. Alicia is a true artist. You can’t go wrong with any of her albums; they are all completely UNIQUE, impeccably produced, and she wrote the book on liner notes!
Karin Lease Artist and Environmental activist Sebastopol, California
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Your CD is a delight. I know good things will come of it. Delia Moon Santa Barbara, California
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I listened to all of the songs… GREAT, GREAT, GREAT! You must be so proud because it really is awesome.
Thank you so much for bringing your spirit to the music world. I will cherish this CD.
You never cease to amaze me. 🙂
Hope you have a beautiful day… you are a beautiful and blessed woman.
Peace, Love & Understanding 🙂 Hollywould Redneck Riviera, Florida
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Aloha fairy godmother. I heard your latest album the other day with my mom. High props to you for creating a jazzy piece with a political message. Keep rockin!
My man and I are off the end of this week to Northern Cali for High Sierra Music festival to vend LalaSun. It should be fun.
Kisses to you.
Blessings
(((*leilea*)))
Clothing designer/manufacturer Honokaa, Hawaii
Live free & enjoy! Its the way to be.
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I listened to all of the songs and really enjoyed them. I’m going to continue listening to your CD many more times. Your songs show sensitivity, depth, and breadth of life experience. Jerome Franklin MD Psychiatrist Los Angeles, California
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We got the CD…
Its so cool… i love the cover design… it sounds great! you sound great! you must be so proud and happy… what a great accomplishment… a completion af a trilogy… WOW!!! You go girl!!!
Lihau Daly Hollywood, California
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Hi Alicia
I received What Livings All About last week (what a fast delivery!). I love it! And you signed the cover – thank you. Your voice is so expressive. It sounds better than ever. The other musicians are great too. Alan and I are enjoying it.
Lani Harriman Cupertino, California
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Dear Alicia, Congratulations on your new CD! My favorites are Floozy Tune, The Best of the Rest of You, and Dr. Sun And Nurse Water. I play them over and over. Your songs are a great de-stresser for me and and I love having my lifelong friend singing to me. It doesn’t get any better! Congratulations on your musical legacy to the world. Your hard work, planning, and determination has come to fruition! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BIG LOVE AND HUGS TO MY LIFETIME FRIEND, GERI WOOLLS Huntington Beach, California
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Hi Dear Alicia,
Wonderful album! We listened as we drove to and from Tahoe this week.
There is such a great range of music and the styling is perfect.
Thank you!!
The protest song is great.
The literary statment at the end is a hoot and will be appreciated by every writer I know.
I love your CD. You have such a pure voice and a great selection of tunes. Good for you.
Much love, Stella Resnick, Ph.D Psychotherapist Los Angeles, California
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A few of the highlights that spoke to me were the fun, jazzy feel of What Livings All About. I love your voice, it’s so versatile and pleasing to listen to. Your creative arrangements were not lost on me, either. “Sometimes It Takes a Long Time” really spoke to me so much, and I have always loved Nat King Cole’s recording of “Nature Boy,” and you totally did it justice.
I really got all that you put into it, your creative heart and soul really shined through.
Greg Palast signs Armed Madhouse for Alicia Bay Laurel
June 9, 2006. Greg Palast’s booksigning at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church drew at least 500 highly appreciative people, including me. I subscribe to Greg’s mailing list and, as you have noticed, post some of his writing on my blog.
Greg speaks as delightfully as he writes. He’s got great comic timing. He told us of being shushed by horrified hosts on NPR who said “We don’t do THAT any more!” Of course not, sighed Greg. He winked at us and said “National Petroleum Radio.”
Greg Palast speaks. Jerry Quickley listens.
KPFK Pacifica Radio sponsored and benefitted from the event, and KPFK radio host and poet Jerry Quickley, who spent time dodging bullets in Bagdad as a non-embedded journalist, opened the evening with a recitation of a poem about life in the Iraq war.
My glistening new copy of Armed Madhouse, signed by Greg Palast
I can’t wait to read my signed copy of Armed Madhouse. I gifted Greg Palast with a copy of my CD What Living’s All About and asked him in particular to listen to America the Blues.
Purifoy enjoyed a considerable reputation as a sculptor, and was the founder of the Watts Towers Art Center, preserving Simon Rodia’s folk art treasure after the artist simply walked away one day forever, and the city of Los Angeles tried desperately to tear it down. It was simply too well built.
On the first day, I put an inch and a half of water in the bottom of a large cooking pot and float the unwrapped contents of an entire container of six (turkey) or five (Tofurky) sauages in it. On top of that I place a steel steaming basket, and on top of that a bunch of green curly kale, washed and broken into pieces about an inch wide. I put a lid on the pot, put it over a hot flame, bring the water to a boil, turn the flame down to moderate, and let the whole thing simmer until the kale is limp but still dark green (not olive green) and, if you take a sauage out and cut it crosswise, the inside is one color, tan, throughout. No pink.
Then I remove the kale from the basket with tongs into a big bowl, slice the sausages into it, and toss the whole thing with extra virgin olive oil and Braggs Liquid Aminos. (You could first infuse the olive oil with garlic if you’re not expecting company. That means you press a clove of garlic in a garlic press into a cup of olive oil, mix it well and let it stand a while before adding it to the rest of whatever you’re cooking.) Anyway, that’s dinner for two, unless somebody needs some starch with it. Pasta would be a good choice.
What’s left in the pot is a protein/Italian seasoning/kale broth with lots of flavor and nutrients in it, so you save it in a big clean jar for tomorrow.
Quinoa is a high protein grain that looks halfway between millet and the planet Saturn after it’s cooked. It likes two parts of liquid to one part of grain for cooking. So, if you start with a dry cup of quinoa at the bottom of a pot, you’ll be adding two cups of liquid. Use the broth from cooking the kale and sausages yesterday, and add a little more water if needed to make the total two cups of liquid. Also add two or three slices of extra firm organic tofu, cubed, and, if you have a heaping tablespoon of soaked hiziki (seaweed) on hand, add that. Slice in a zucchini, too. Bring it all to a boil, then cover and turn the flame to the lowest setting. When the quinoa is soft and has absorbed all of the water, it’s done. Remove to a serving bowl and season with olive oil and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.
More excellent info on the health benefits of kale, and recipes HERE.
Prepare this meal when you have an unhurried hour to revell in the beauty of the vegetables and the fragrances of the ingredients. With or without a bed of (organically grown brown basmati) rice under it, this makes a delectible one-dish meal. Really, any rice will go with it, but basmati has a wonderful aroma.
First, assemble and prepare the ingredients: Have on hand, sesame oil for frying (not toasted sesame oil, although you may want to add a few drops of toasted sesame oil at the end as a seasoning), and organic tamari soy sauce, for seasoning. Peel and finely chop: two medium sized cloves of garlic and a piece of fresh ginger root the size of your thumb. Peel and coarsely cut two medium yellow onions Cut up two or three broccoli heads, first by cutting the stems off and cutting the flowering top into separate branches, then by cutting the skin off the stems and slicing them one quarter inch thick. Slice a couple of fresh shiitake mushrooms into half inch wide slices Wash, spin or shake, and cut in 1 inch slices, one large head or two small heads of bok choy Open a small can of sliced water chestnuts, drain off the water and set aside the water chestnut slices. Open a bag of oriental style mung sprouts (the long translucent ones) Cut into cubes: one 8 ounce loaf of very fresh extra firm organic tofu
Other ingredients you can add if you have a bit on hand and want to use it up: (any of them, thinly sliced) carrot, zucchini, Chinese cabbage, or bell pepper.
After everything is completely prepared, and only then, do you begin to cook.
In a large wok, heat three tablespoons of sesame oil, then add the garlic and ginger, stirring quickly to avoid burning them, so that they flavor the oil. When they are lightly tanned, add the onions and stir until they are soft and translucent. Next add the broccoli, and carrot slices if you are including them. Stir until they are half cooked. Then add everything else, and stir until it is all well coated with oil and the bok choy is wilted. Add one half cup of pure water, put the lid on the wok, and turn the heat down a little, and let the whole thing steam until everything is soft enough to eat. Serve immediately, and let people add their own tamari to taste (and toasted sesame oil if they like).
How to cook brown rice: In a heavy pot, place one cup of dry rice over medium heat. Stir the rice with a wooden spoon until it is slightly toasted. Then add two cups of pure water and allow it to come to a boil. When it boils, turn the heat down very low, put a top on the pot, and let the rice cook until all of the water is absorbed and the rice is fully expanded and easy to chew, about 40 minutes. It’s OK to peek, but not for long. You want to keep the heat constant. If you use a pot with a glass lid, you don’t have to remove the lid to see how your rice is doing. You can, of course, multiply the recipe as needed.
Play along! Don’t Contradict!
The facilitator had magic markered, Hard yet bearable.
Arpeggios as surf: my mother’s
Beaked hands pick back toward Chopin.
White keys froth against ebony pebbles.
Her baby grand’s the shape of a rock
You don’t often see. A glacier sheers off
A massive slab. Salt cuts it down to size.
My mother has a small bleed. One night
She freezes, thaws and nobody knows what
Synapses no longer fire. Once the water’s
Frilled lace at Rockaway skirted her ankles
Like Mozart. At 10 she could fill her hands
With sounds. Be private even when the shore
Teemed with good daughters like her
On trolley holidays. My mother practiced
Passages on sand. Her fingers made do
With a cardboard key chart on the kitchen
Table before they purchased week by week
A piano. Eighty summers from that sea
She leaves the brick home rarely willingly;
The glare hurts her laser-ed cataracts.
Let Venetian blinds divide the light in staves.
Baubles on the chandelier fill spaces in with
Half and whole notes scored across the walls.
She asks: When did your friend come to
Tune my piano? Were we over at Foodtown?
He did a lovely job. When I play now listen.
My mother places the beige receiver sideways
On the table’s plastic lace. I listen to the ghost
Twangs of unvoiced strings. Chopin tosses
The piano overboard. My mother floats away
On its polished lid. Five states from her capsized
Living room I catch my breath and dive. How far
She swims my coaxing arms can’t fathom.
We play along shirring the foam. Only the chaos
My mother’s joy provokes comes home.
Alicia Bay Laurel 
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