Working Titlez

Storytelling is an art.

Nobody knows that better – or has done that better than Marta Becket.

For over 45 years, Marta Becket has told stories through dance, art, and theatre, captivating audiences, young and old, at the Amargosa Opera House in the otherwise unforgiving landscape of Death Valley in the California desert. And for those unable to have seen her in person, her story is memorialized in her autobiography, To Dance on Sands.

And now, Marta’s closed another chapter, giving her last performance on stage before an adoring crowd. One of her most devoted fans, Las Vegas Review-Journal journalist John L. Smith, dedicates a column to the creative artist that is Marta.

Marta’s last performance certainly not an end to her artistry

On Valentine’s Day, I have a blushing confession: I’m in love with a ballerina. Have been for years.

I know I am not alone in this regard. In fact, it’s safe to say I am just one of thousands of Stage Door Johnnys to visit the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction and make moon eyes over the amazing Marta Becket.

For the past 45 years, Marta has been a one-woman wellspring of creativity in a most unlikely oasis in the California desert less than two hours from Las Vegas.

On Sunday before a capacity crowd at the opera house, Marta officially had her final performance. A series of injuries have prevented her from dancing, and her friends say she decided to put an end to any speculation that she might have one more comeback in her. I would say the remarkable woman has more than earned her bouquets and ovations. She is, after all, 87.

As a boy on desert prospecting trips with my father and grandfather, we passed through Death Valley Junction not long after Marta began her incredible run. She was no more than an oddity then. Some desert rats thought it strange that a trained ballet dancer would inhabit the cobwebbed Corkhill Hall in what was then essentially a ghost town. But that’s one of the great things about the desert: There’s room for every eccentricity.

Marta didn’t just sweep out the Pacific Borax Co. recreation center. She transformed it by painting murals of as eclectic an audience as was ever assembled in the Old Globe. Within a few years, she gained an international celebrity and coverage in major magazines, National Geographic among many.

Decades later, I brought my daughter, Amelia, to meet the great woman. They exchanged books and talked about art. Marta was still mending from injuries suffered in a fall but was generous with her time and energy. As always, she was the gracious hostess.

Although she no longer will perform, Amargosa Opera House Director of Operations Rich Regnell tells me she will continue her artwork and greet visitors. While many of those are curious tourists, a fair number are artists themselves who have learned of Marta’s devotion to her own artistic quest.

“She’s a legend,” Regnell says. “She’s an icon in the business, but she’s also an inspiration. She’s Marta. People are inspired by her. She has inspired people to do what they love. She would say, ‘Do what you want to do and don’t worry. The money will come.’ She’s inspired dancers, writers, choreographers, memoirists, playrights, moviemakers, people who teach art to kids. It’s amazing the amount of people who have been impressed to move forward and do their own art thanks to Marta.”

When word went out that Marta would be ending her long, long run in Death Valley Junction, Regnell’s phone rang constantly. The opera house quickly sold out with a 10-page waiting list to spare.

“The calls varied all the way from ‘Oh my gosh, what do you mean I can’t get tickets,’ to crying on the phone because they’ve been so inspired by her,” he says. “I keep asking Marta if she wants to retire again next weekend.

“This is a new beginning. It’s not the end. Marta will focus on what she wants to do with her art. She’ll continue to meet with visitors.”

There’s even a plan to develop “Dinner and a Movie with Marta” nights at the opera house. No doubt they’ll be a draw.

After all, she is beloved.

Ray Bradbury had it right many years ago. After watching her perform, Bradbury wrote, “Tears came to my eyes. Marta represented to be the spirit of the individual. The spirit of the theater. The spirit of creativity.”

That lovely spirit endures at the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction.

John L. Smith’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Email him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.

When Brooke’s mom Ginger Meurer, deputy editor of the View newspapers, asked me if I could use some help for a few weeks, I was delighted. Yes, I sure could! When Brooke showed up the next day, and jumped in feet first, I was overjoyed. She was unflappable, greeting every assignment with enthusiasm. She got a really good mix of work, from writing and editing, to lots of research. Internships are a great way to gain some “real world” experience and a meaningful addition to one’s resume. If you, or a young person living in your home, could benefit from a publishing internship, please get in contact: cuber@stephenspressbooks.com. ~CHU

Winter Break Internship: Fun!

By Brooke Mikkelsen

When I came in my first day of being an intern at Stephens Press, I thought it would just be a good way for me to get out of the house over Winter break.

Upon arrival, I was given a notebook and told to start taking notes. Then Carolyn launched into all the things I would need to know and do, never repeating herself without my asking, but explaining things that needed explaining.

The scariest part to me was answering the phone. I’ve always been good at communicating with people, but somehow, when that phone starts ringing, I start to doubt myself. This internship really forced me to turn that fear into a skill that I shall probably use for the rest of my life.

The best part was how trusted I was. I got to be the face of Stephens Press for a few weeks, writing letters, returning calls, and even talking to the press!

At the end of every day, when I was about to leave, Carolyn asked me if I had had fun that day. Every day, I answered in the affirmative. Even though my tasks had been to help me grow as an intern, they were also exciting.

I’d like to thank Carolyn Uber for not only giving me this internship, but letting me become a part of Stephens Press. I hope that my positive impact lasts longer than the few short weeks that I have interned!

For great cities aren’t just described by great novels. They are defined and shaped by them.

It comes as no surprise to writers (and readers, for that matter) that the setting is an important part of a story – whether novel or non-fiction – and often, can become a character in itself. The surprise is in finding a literary work that creates an identifiable backdrop – or captures the essence of a city’s character.

Las Vegas is certainly a character – and as a setting – quite popular. Unfortunately, Sin City is also an enigma, as book reviewer Patrick Coolican of the Las Vegas Sun remarks,  and few writers have been able to harness its pulse and put into words. Cynical by profession, Coolican readily admits that tackling the city that never sleeps is a challenge best left alone.

But then came Crit, Andrew Kiraly’s fast-paced vividly descriptive debut novel that isn’t about Las Vegas and until the end, doesn’t even take place in Las Vegas, but still, manages to impress Coolican with its “on-the-money” portrayal of the 24-hour desert town.  Kiraly’s talent gives hope to Coolican that the great Las Vegas novel is within reach. For the full article, read here:

Book signings, blog posts, Facebook entries … all are great ways for a publisher to introduce a new book and its author (or authors) to the public. An easily dismissed medium, but equally as powerful, is the good old-fashioned radio talk show. In fact, listeners get an added bonus: they can actually hear excerpts in the authors’ own voices!

This Sunday night from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Coast to Coast AM radio (100.5 AM and 840 AM, Las Vegas), Emmy award-winning journalist and radio host George Knapp will be sharing the microphone with Vegas Rag Doll co-authors Wendy Mazaros and Joe Schoenmann. They’ll reminisce about days gone by, the Las Vegas mob, and Wendy’s former life as the wife of a hitman.

It promises to be a (late) night to remember: a prize-winning interviewer, an accomplished writer, and a woman with a story that’s difficult to imagine come together to burn up the airwaves with humor as well as drama. If you’re not a nightowl, or won’t be in Las Vegas for this holiday weekend, you don’t have to miss the entertainment; check out the radio’s website here for archived shows and station call numbers across the country.

Kevin Janison

Writers used to squirrel themselves away in remote cabins, dusty offices, revealing themselves only briefly to hand over completed manuscripts to their publishers or to appear shyly at the corner bookstore or coffee house for a book signing or reading. Rarely did authors speak to large audiences or get involved in marketing their great American novel.

But times have changed. Bookstores are closing — both big chains and little indie shops — providing fewer opportunities for book signings and appearances. Authors develop follows through their websites, tweets, and Facebook pages, but never meet face-to-face with their audience. Readers buy online or download straight to their Nooks and Kindles.

Stephen Nasser

What’s a writer to do? Stephens Press authors have found a way to reach out to the community and share their stories by visiting schools and speaking to students. Stu Michaels, author of You Can’t Make This Up! spent time with high schoolers in a creative writing class. Stephen Nasser, author of My Brother’s Voice, has presented stories of the Holocaust at middle school assemblies and Kevin Janison, has entertained elementary-age students with his Deputy Dorkface series. What a delightful partnership! Professional authors doing what they do best — telling stories — and inspiring a whole new generation of budding readers and budding writers.

Stu Michaels

Working with writers to bring their stories to print is a daunting, yet rewarding task. When a manuscript is based on the life a real individual — one who has made an impact on the lives of others – it is especially thrilling. And when that story, and the research behind it, inspires another art form, well … the results are spectacular!

So it is with Helen J. Stewart, First Lady of Las Vegas, a new publication from Stephens Press. Dr. Sally Zanjani, historian and author of ten books on Nevada history, and Carrie Townley Porter, a former Nevada history teacher and Helen J. Stewart researcher for over forty years, collaborated on a fascinating and informative look at a woman ahead of her time, a woman born in the 1800s whose influence can still be felt today.

Using these writings as his inspiration, sculptor Benjamin Victor created a beautifully realistic statue of Helen J. Stewart, a fitting tribute to such a remarkable woman as well as to the dedication and hard work of the authors and the power of the written word.

Zanjani and Townley-Porter will launch Helen J. Stewart, First Lady of Las Vegas,  at the Nevada Women’s History Project luncheon October 8, 2011, at the Bartley Ranch in Reno, Nevada. The authors will discuss the years of research and writing dedicated to the project, as well as sign copies of their book.

And on December 3, 2011, government officials, Helen J. Stewart’s family members, and civic leaders reflecting the organizations on which she made an impact will gather at the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park for the unveiling and dedication of Benjamin Victor’s statue, giving the First Lady of Las Vegas a permanent home.

Stephen Nasser, author of My Brother’s Voice, recently returned from a month in Germany commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at Seeshaupt. Nasser traveled across the country,  speaking and signing books at almost twenty different venues, often two or three locations in one day, telling the story of his struggles and survival in a concentration camp as a young boy, and sharing the story of his brother, who did not survive.

As part of the festivities, Nasser participated in the launch of the German version of his book, Die Stimme meines Bruders, by Wolfgang Maximoser. In addition, German filmmaker Walter Steffen premiered his ninety minute documentary, Endstation Seeshaupt, reenacting the route of the Death train from the Muhldorf concentration camp to Seeshaupt, the point of liberation by General Patton’s third army on April 30, 1945.

Mr. Nasser’s visits were also recognized in German newspapers, with local dignitaries and other concentration camp survivors. His tireless dedication to telling his story, his brother’s story, and to Holocaust education is remarkable.

While preparing to speak at the Ames, Iowa public library about her most recent book, The Home for the Friendless, author Betty Auchard spent time with Laura Millsaps of the Ames Tribune. A wonderful article where Betty shares some of her fondest memories of her childhood in Iowa. For the full interview, click here:

Recently, Cedar Rapids, Iowa native Betty Auchard returned to her roots and spoke with Charity Nebbe of Iowa Public Radio. Click here to listen to Betty as she tells stories from her newest book, The Home for the Friendless.