Nancy Rommelmann

The Lives They Lived: David Levine, 1926-2009

The last issue of the year of the Sunday New York Times Magazine is always, The Lives They Lived, short profiles of notable people who have passed away in the past year. My stepfather, David Levine, died December 29, 2009, a little after four in the morning. His son and I were with him. Today, David is the Times' last profile in the magazine, a place of prominence, which he undoubtedly would have made a silly joke about. He was a great artist, as the opening by Walter Bernard tells us:

“Hands down, he’s the greatest modern-day caricaturist and one of the great artists of the last half-century,” wrote Michael Kimmelman in The Times after David Levine died almost a year ago. And it’s true: he was." 

Dave, love and miss you xx

 

Travel, Book, Christmas Thanks

It has been a whirlwind month, and looks to continue. First bit of news: on Tuesday, Din and I fly to San Salvador, to meet our great friends Joel and Leticia Pollack, owners of Panther Coffee, in Miami. For a week, we will visit and stay on coffee farms in El Salvador and Honduras. I am going to document the trip pretty tight, so look for photos here.

Second bit of news: my novel, "The Bad Mother," is being published. It takes place in Hollywood. I have the finished proof beside me. Will be available on Amazon, both paperback and Kindle, probably within the week. I realize this is sort of a quiet announcement -- there will be additional blaring in the coming months.

Merry Christmas to all! Thank you for being here xx

 

Jim Carroll and "The Petting Zoo", with Video

My review of Jim Carroll's posthumously published novel, "The Petting Zoo," from the Sunday Oregonian. Instead of a snip (you can just go read it), I give you what's below, a piece I referenced in the review.

 

 

The Dream of the 90s is Alive in Portland

I have never before had the experience of laughing out of my mind, but only on the inside. This did it. It's a promo for the IFC series "Portlandia," passed on to me by a reader, who thought I might like it (boy, you can say that again) in light of my recent article, "Is Portland the New Neverland?" Enjoy.

 

Adventures in Freelancing

Been away a bit; sold my truck; bought a car for myself, and a truck for the business. Conducted two interviews; wrote a book review; refereed a book reading; was part of an event I shall decline to name but to say its sadness and ability to enrage knows no end; read an ancillary piece about said event that made me want to vomit; completely rebranded Ristretto Roasters; changed the business from an LLC to an S-Corps, and am relieved see my father-in-law out of the hospital after a scary three days. Din and I feel a hundred.

Which made me all the more dee-lighted to open an email from my dear friend Jackie Danicki, to the video below, made by writer Lauren Lipton. I swear on my daughter's perfect little noggin, nearly everything in it, with the exception of the exact subject matter, has happened to me. Enjoy.

 

BHAGWAN SHREE RAJNEESH: TWO OPPOSING BOOKS AND VIEWS - RISTRETTO READING SERIES

RISTRETTO READING SERIES, DECEMBER 8, 7 PM  

 

Please join us this Wednesday at 7 PM for what will be a fascinating and perhaps heated discussion about one of the most explosive issues and incidents in recent Oregon history, the spiritual guru/cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and Rancho Rajneesh, the compound he and his followers established in Antelope, Oregon. 

 

Win McCormack, publisher and editor in chief of Tin House magazine, will read from, “The Rajneesh Chronicles: The True Story of The Cult that Unleashed the First Act of Terrorism on U.S. Soil,” his newly re-released book on the rise and fall of cult leader, including the sex, the drugs, the Rolls-Royces and the poisoning at The Dalles. 

 

Also appearing will be Lewis F. Carter, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Washington State University and author of the 1990 book, “Charisma and Control at Rajneeshpuram,” his field study of the compound and the followers of Rajneesh. Professor Carter will present a Power Point of images from Rancho Rajneesh during its heyday. 

 

To say that McCormack and Carter are on different sides of the fence regarding Rajneesh is an understatement. We would love to have you there, to join in the conversation.

 

The series is held at Ristretto Roasters Williams, 3808 N. Williams Ave., Portland.

 

This event is free and open to everyone, as are all Ristretto Reading Series events. For more information, please see the Ristretto Roasters website, and the Ristretto Reading Series on Facebook. 

 

 
Rajneeshee and student interviewer, 1984. Courtesy of Lewis Carter