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Sunset Trail: Thistle Warrior

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On Christmas Day, I met my brother for a sunset hike on Sunset Trail, and the view, of course, was spectacular.  On our way back we saw a figure tidying up the trail, who turned out to be none other than John Brega, who I usually see on a small screen in monthly Friends of Joaquin Miller Park board meetings. Somehow we got on the topic of thistles. My brother excused himself at that point, perhaps triggered by memories of our childhood thistle trauma. But I used this opportunity to put mine to use. "How do you get rid of them?" I asked John. "We used to have to walk around our property with a paper bag and clippers." We couldn't come back inside until the bag was full, no matter how cold it was, how bored we were, or how pricked and stabbed our little fingers were. It seemed an insurmountable task, protecting our garden and yard from their invasion. I remembered seeing them in the Park years ago, feeling crestfallen. But where were they now? The sunset-lit slope...
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4/24 Joaquin Miller Reconsidered: A Closer Look at Oakland’s OG Poet

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Thursday, April 24 Joaquin Miller Reconsidered: A Closer Look at Oakland’s OG Poet Horse thief or humanist? Poet, playwright and author Joaquin Miller left his mark on the Bay Area, the West, America, and the World. Sliding Scale Donations - Get your ticket today! The "big personality" behind Oakland's largest green space is remembered by Oaklanders as a showman, a rascal, and a humbug, but history has forgotten the light this insightful genius brought to some very dark times in America. Kristen Caven, the California Writers Club Writer in Residence at Joaquin Miller Park, shares new information and revelations about the most iconic poet in the country at the turn of the last century. Learn how Miller shaped Oakland, the West, and the World at this engaging presentation, both through his prolific, progressive writing, his humor, his relationships, and his diverse literary and intentional community. You’ll also meet some fascinating historians and writers, and hear some to...
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Live on Notion: Miller Light!

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I'm reposting this entry from Generous Muse last week; it's had 700 views and contains... a big announcement!  --------------- My talk this week about Joaquin Miller went well, but was far more difficult to pull together than I thought it would be. The more I learned, the more inspired I became, and the harder it became to fit his wide and deep story into an hour-long talk. I also think I may have cracked the mystery of why people in Oakland seem to hate him so much. Gertrude Farquharson Boyle Kanno modeling Miller’s bust. Truly I was grateful to have a mountain of information to sink my hands into, to wrap my head around, to anchor my spirit during election week, a deep historical dive that reminded me this country, this world, has survived harder times. What I couldn’t put into the talk I put into a wiki. I barely looked up from my laptop for a week. It was better than processing what was going on in the world and our crazy town. (So weird… feels like  we’ve been here alre...
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