As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho and Westside sections 01/10/09
I find people’s stories of their lives, their interests and the obstacles they have encountered so fascinating. Everyone weaves the threads of their lives into colorful tapestries as they grow. The tapestries eventually become interwoven with other people in their lives and pretty soon a community exists filled with very different people with one thing in common: Their city.
There is a new book out showcasing personal stories of Albuquerqueans – the 2009 Albuquerque Almanac. When one hears the word almanac, one might think of charts, tables, statistics and forecasts. The book is full of anecdotes written by well-known local writers like Bob Julyan and Mike Smith to the unknown from all walks of life including women behind bars, homemakers, aviation engineers and even newspaper columnists (yes, I have a story in the book). The backdrop may be Albuquerque, but the common thread running through the book is the intimate stories told by the author’s themselves: What brought them to the Duke City, what keeps them here, and why they wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Amanda Gardner, editor and publisher put out the word last year asking for contributions to the first ever Albuquerque Almanac and what she got back was a treasure trove of stories on personal and local history. Not only is the almanac full of colorful narratives but poignant poetry as well. There is one story on Ernie Pyle, the WWII war correspondent from Albuquerque. Another story explains who Juan Tabo really was, and yet another highlights the best places to observe wildlife around the Duke City not to mention where to find the best burrito buggies and taco trucks in town.
"We're very excited by the publication of this book which we hope will be an annual event,” says Gardner. “The book acts as a date book/calendar showing annual events and places such as restaurants, animal rescue organizations, museums, coffee houses/tea shops, casinos, theatres, comic shops, libraries and sports facilities. We like to think the book and subsequent volumes will represent the "soul" of Duke City."
What I found fascinating about this book are the stories the authors felt important to tell. Like the story of the Barelas bell tower in Sacred Heart Catholic Church- constructed from two steel beams taken from the fallen World Trade Center. Or the light-hearted tale of how one author got to know the city while searching for her escaped parrot just hours after arriving in town. There is even a recipe for biscochitos, the native cookie. Who knew we even had a native cookie?
Like the stories in this book, the publishing company behind the book has an interesting tale of how it came to be. Gardner started Street Sweeper Press last year with funding from an unlikely source. “Street Sweeper Press is named for a brilliant man who came to a creative writing workshop I ran for nine years at a homeless shelter in Hoboken, NJ,” Gardner told me. “He had a small apartment but came to the shelter for company and for meals. He was a part-time street sweeper earning about $6,000 a year. Unbelievably, he had accumulated some savings which he left to me,” said Gardner. She honored this shy man by starting Street Sweeper Press and indirectly naming it after him. I mention this because I have always felt the back stories are the best threads to the tapestries.
The 2009 Albuquerque Almanac collectors’ edition is now available online at www.albuquerquealmanac.net and soon at various locations around town. If you missed the call for entries last year, don’t worry. Street Sweeper Press is now accepting contributions online for the 2010 Albuquerque Almanac, which promises to be even better. Not a writer? They still want to hear from you. Send in your quirky facts, favorite events, restaurants, things to do, places to go, you name it. Weave your thread into this important tapestry and let your colors show.
Quote of the Week: “My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue. An everlasting vision of the ever changing view.” – Carol King, Tapestry.
I find people’s stories of their lives, their interests and the obstacles they have encountered so fascinating. Everyone weaves the threads of their lives into colorful tapestries as they grow. The tapestries eventually become interwoven with other people in their lives and pretty soon a community exists filled with very different people with one thing in common: Their city.
There is a new book out showcasing personal stories of Albuquerqueans – the 2009 Albuquerque Almanac. When one hears the word almanac, one might think of charts, tables, statistics and forecasts. The book is full of anecdotes written by well-known local writers like Bob Julyan and Mike Smith to the unknown from all walks of life including women behind bars, homemakers, aviation engineers and even newspaper columnists (yes, I have a story in the book). The backdrop may be Albuquerque, but the common thread running through the book is the intimate stories told by the author’s themselves: What brought them to the Duke City, what keeps them here, and why they wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Amanda Gardner, editor and publisher put out the word last year asking for contributions to the first ever Albuquerque Almanac and what she got back was a treasure trove of stories on personal and local history. Not only is the almanac full of colorful narratives but poignant poetry as well. There is one story on Ernie Pyle, the WWII war correspondent from Albuquerque. Another story explains who Juan Tabo really was, and yet another highlights the best places to observe wildlife around the Duke City not to mention where to find the best burrito buggies and taco trucks in town.
"We're very excited by the publication of this book which we hope will be an annual event,” says Gardner. “The book acts as a date book/calendar showing annual events and places such as restaurants, animal rescue organizations, museums, coffee houses/tea shops, casinos, theatres, comic shops, libraries and sports facilities. We like to think the book and subsequent volumes will represent the "soul" of Duke City."
What I found fascinating about this book are the stories the authors felt important to tell. Like the story of the Barelas bell tower in Sacred Heart Catholic Church- constructed from two steel beams taken from the fallen World Trade Center. Or the light-hearted tale of how one author got to know the city while searching for her escaped parrot just hours after arriving in town. There is even a recipe for biscochitos, the native cookie. Who knew we even had a native cookie?
Like the stories in this book, the publishing company behind the book has an interesting tale of how it came to be. Gardner started Street Sweeper Press last year with funding from an unlikely source. “Street Sweeper Press is named for a brilliant man who came to a creative writing workshop I ran for nine years at a homeless shelter in Hoboken, NJ,” Gardner told me. “He had a small apartment but came to the shelter for company and for meals. He was a part-time street sweeper earning about $6,000 a year. Unbelievably, he had accumulated some savings which he left to me,” said Gardner. She honored this shy man by starting Street Sweeper Press and indirectly naming it after him. I mention this because I have always felt the back stories are the best threads to the tapestries.
The 2009 Albuquerque Almanac collectors’ edition is now available online at www.albuquerquealmanac.net and soon at various locations around town. If you missed the call for entries last year, don’t worry. Street Sweeper Press is now accepting contributions online for the 2010 Albuquerque Almanac, which promises to be even better. Not a writer? They still want to hear from you. Send in your quirky facts, favorite events, restaurants, things to do, places to go, you name it. Weave your thread into this important tapestry and let your colors show.
Quote of the Week: “My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue. An everlasting vision of the ever changing view.” – Carol King, Tapestry.
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