A Writer in Yosemite, Part One: Malcolm Margolin prepares for speech at Yosemite Writers Conference - By N.L. Belardes
The drive to Yosemite's gateway was uneventful, except for the samurai guys in the white van who seemed to be following myself and Matildakay. We passed the dirty white van down the bumpy 99. I looked in the rearview mirror and these samurai jokers just seemed like they were off to some wicked Central Valley farmland to practice their warrior moves... eventually we lost them as we made a pit stop in Tulare for some Calvin Klein shopping moments (don't ask).
In a mysterious set of circumstances, Matildakay and I went through our usual ritual where we each said, "Where do you want to go to eat?" We almost went to a Japanese restaurant, almost stepped into a Chinese joint, and thought about some country kitchen before wandering into The Velvet Rose, a second story Italian restaurant in Oakhurst filled with paintings of roses.
As soon as we sat down I noticed the publisher of Heyday Books, Malcolm Margolin sitting by himself next to a wall covered with eleven paintings of roses. In the middle of the wall were two fake doors. Above those hung dried roses all wired together in a beautiful banner. Malcolm wore a light blue shirt that contrasted with the mauve of a painting near his head. His grey beard, twisted and wiry, stood out like a beacon, while his glasses gave off a faint sparkle, a telling moment that he was in deep thought.
I wandered over anyways and said a hello. He mentioned he was writing a speech for the following day. "I wanted to get away, so I came here to think about a speech I'm supposed to give tomorrow. Do you know about the Book Fair in Bakersfield?"
"A book fair in Bakersfield?"
"It's in November..."
What a strange a beautiful place--deep in thought near to a wall of rose paintings that seemed as still in their paintings as he seemed sitting in his chair before I headed over. Eventually he passed by our table and greeted Matildakay. He remembered her from the Great Valley Books Writers' Conference in Merced. I invited him to sit, but he wasn't nearly done with his speech and so begged off and disappeared carrying a notepad with plenty of scribbles that certainly needed rearranging...
Matildakay reports:
A great literary weekend
What's your type?
The Mary Wong Lee Memorial Scholarship
Malcolm Margolin is Posh
Hanging out with the Pirates of Yosemite and setting the record straight
Kill Your Darlings
N.L. on Paperback Writer reports:
A Writer in Yosemite: Part One
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Two
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Three
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Four
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Five
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Six
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Seven
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Eight
In a mysterious set of circumstances, Matildakay and I went through our usual ritual where we each said, "Where do you want to go to eat?" We almost went to a Japanese restaurant, almost stepped into a Chinese joint, and thought about some country kitchen before wandering into The Velvet Rose, a second story Italian restaurant in Oakhurst filled with paintings of roses.
As soon as we sat down I noticed the publisher of Heyday Books, Malcolm Margolin sitting by himself next to a wall covered with eleven paintings of roses. In the middle of the wall were two fake doors. Above those hung dried roses all wired together in a beautiful banner. Malcolm wore a light blue shirt that contrasted with the mauve of a painting near his head. His grey beard, twisted and wiry, stood out like a beacon, while his glasses gave off a faint sparkle, a telling moment that he was in deep thought.
I wandered over anyways and said a hello. He mentioned he was writing a speech for the following day. "I wanted to get away, so I came here to think about a speech I'm supposed to give tomorrow. Do you know about the Book Fair in Bakersfield?"
"A book fair in Bakersfield?"
"It's in November..."
What a strange a beautiful place--deep in thought near to a wall of rose paintings that seemed as still in their paintings as he seemed sitting in his chair before I headed over. Eventually he passed by our table and greeted Matildakay. He remembered her from the Great Valley Books Writers' Conference in Merced. I invited him to sit, but he wasn't nearly done with his speech and so begged off and disappeared carrying a notepad with plenty of scribbles that certainly needed rearranging...
Matildakay reports:
A great literary weekend
What's your type?
The Mary Wong Lee Memorial Scholarship
Malcolm Margolin is Posh
Hanging out with the Pirates of Yosemite and setting the record straight
Kill Your Darlings
N.L. on Paperback Writer reports:
A Writer in Yosemite: Part One
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Two
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Three
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Four
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Five
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Six
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Seven
A Writer in Yosemite: Part Eight
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Thursday, August 24, 2006.
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"What a strange a beautiful place--" ...strange and beautiful...?
sounds like quite an adventure for an eventful weekend.
Wow! I still can’t get over the fact that you came across the FOUNDER of Heyday Books(now Heyday Institute). AND had a casual conversation with him. AND he remembered Matildakay from the Great Valley Books Writers' Conference in Merced. What an honor!
And your weekend hasn’t even started. I can’t wait to read more. Especially since I just KNOW it’s going to include more pictures and conversations with Bonnie Hearn Hill. I’ve really enjoyed the previous articles you’ve written about her. I’ve been very eager to buy and read her book If It Bleeds ever since you likened it to Lords: Part One.
You know I have had the same problem with road warriors through that stretch one time was especially thrilling for all parties involved. This van got behind me so I slowed down to let them by and they slowed down I sped up they sped up keeping a few feet from my bumper this went on for 20 miles or so. Finally I locked the brakes up and cranked the wheel hard to port and with very surprised looks on their faces a van load of freaks whizzed by and I tailgated them with an evil smile on my face for the next 30 miles but they seemed to like it.
for some reason this made me think about being in a bar in Tokyo that had a 14-foot gold lizard on the ceiling and posters of Donny & Marie Osmond in the bathroom ...
I was talking to Malcolm today and he was joking that he was going to write a Christian novel. I just laughed and said, "You are a Christian novel." It was meaningless, but for some reason we both thought it was funny and laughed... I think Black Dog might be scary to tailgate on a freeway... by the way, I will post the Noveltown industrial poems next week in a blog...
Malcolm is POSH! And he gave me my new favorite word...
The conference is great so far... I'll be blogging about it if I can ever pry my laptop out of NL's greedy little paws!
hahahah Now I'm picturing matildakay and nl arm wrestling for a turn on matildakay's laptop. "greedy little paws" tee hee!
Don't get any of that in your eye !
That is a photo I would have loved to taken!
Right on, can't wait to read the whole shlameel shlamazzo!!
Give us Bakotopians some deets!!
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