Paul Lee didn’t last long on the faculty of UCSC. But the reach of his mind and his work are to be found everywhere in Santa Cruz, from our greenbelt, to the Homeless Garden Project, to the long-time Penny University. He came to Santa Cruz in 1966 and became a foundational figure in many organizations, an activist in a number of progressive movements, a mentor and father figure to some, an inspiration and moral lodestar to many more. His friends recall so much about him over the years – but especially those hugs.
The Here & Now
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Mark your calendars: Free self-guided art tour, Open Studios returns in October with 300+ artists
This October, join Arts Council Santa Cruz County for the 36th annual Open Studios Art Tour. It’s free, self-guided, and features 322 artists working in dozens of mediums across Santa Cruz County. The event features seasoned artists who’ve participated since 1986, talented newcomers, and makers and creators of all kinds. Neighbors, friends, collectors, and art […]
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From a writer to a stand-up comedian to the president, People Who Stutter are speaking their truth
Nina G is coming to Santa Cruz next month to perform in a show called “Comedians With Disabilities Act” alongside other comics living with various health/ability circumstances. Writing from his own experience as a member of the People Who Stutter Club, Wallace Baine says that in the great directory of physical, mental or psychological afflictions that plague the human animal, “I got away pretty good.” He tells you why.
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News from the stage: ‘8 Tens’ reboots for fall, Cabrillo Stage seeks next leader & Jewel opens new season
Actors’ Theatre rebounds from COVID and other turmoil with a different spin on its signature short-plays festival, the search is on for a new artistic director at Cabrillo Stage and Jewel Theatre Company ramps up for its 2022-23 slate. Wallace Baine rounds up the state of theater in Santa Cruz.
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Icons of Santa Cruz: From mermaids to otters to VW vans, Life At Sea stickers create a graphic illustration of the California life
In the latest installment of his Icons of Santa Cruz series, Wallace Baine traces the evolution of the Life At Sea stickers that began with Tim Ward drawing a shark in 2003 and which has bloomed into a many-tentacled operation extending from water to land and from Santa Cruz to Hawaii and Florida.
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The Ballad of Sleepy John: An Americana original and master show promoter leaves the stage
Santa Cruz continues to be an unlikely outpost for the rich Americana sound that Sleepy John Sandidge made possible. This weekend, he leaves the stage with a “Locals Only” mini music festival at the county fairgrounds.
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The Great Morgani takes a bow: Santa Cruz performing artist Frank Lima retires his beloved alter ego
His outrageous and bizarre costumes — gold, form-fitting Spandex during Oscar season, dressing as the infamous River Street sign — have stopped and transfixed many of us for decades. Over the course of the past 20 years, Morgani has become a familiar and expected feature of many of the great events of the year, from the World’s Shortest Parade in Aptos to the Wharf to Wharf race and the magnificent FashionART fashion show. As Santa Cruz’s visual mascot retires, how can we recognize him?
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The sounds of Boardwalk summer: What music plays all day and who decides?
Yes, the tunes at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk are automated — but carefully thought out. The rules are clear: nothing with suggestive, violent or potentially offensive lyrics, nothing outside the mood and tempo of “Fun, Fun, Fun.” And the music maestro is Kevin Grewohl, the DJ — uh, audio systems supervisor — of it all.
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Paying it forward: Nativo Gonzalez searches for Santa Cruz’s soul with ‘Paid the Cost’ podcast
Local-centric podcaster Nativo Gonzalez aims to tell the story of new projects and efforts in the Santa Cruz business world, the role of fathers, life-journey narratives, emerging subcultures and the unique joys and challenges of living in Santa Cruz County. For two years, his weekly shows have been doing just that.
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Big Basin is back, and redwoods deliver a tonic for our times
The beloved state park in the Santa Cruz Mountains was radically reshaped by the 2020 CZU Complex fire, beginning its gradual reopening only in recent weeks. In the shoots of green amid the charred trees, Wallace Baine sees a hopeful message about how nature and humanity alike can sprout anew after trauma.