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OT & the highway scribe



Last Updated: 12/3/2009

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Status: Single
City: LOS ANGELES
State: California
Country: US
Signup Date: 6/15/2006

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009 
The Origins of Vedette's Truth

Sets up the oppressive religious and patriarchal atmosphere into which the protagonist is born and explains how her penchant for never telling a lie was born. It's adapted to Omar's "Abuelita." (page 14 in the novel).

The Seduction of Father Olivares

Details Vedette's escape from the Carmelite convent in Seville during the bienio negro. A prisoner, she is unaware of the great general strike of 1934 occurring on the outside, but senses the time to act has come. It is recited to Omar's interpretation of a Venezuelan Waltz, "Pica Pica." (page 99 in the book).

With El Fariz en Las Marismas

Now escaped, Vedette encounters her mentor and representative of all things Arab in Spain - El Fariz - and traverses the wetlands of the Guadalquivir River - las marismas - as the dervish sets her off on a spiritual journey. The Torrez composition is entitled, "Spanish Romance." (page 113 in your epistle).

Chairwoman of the Animal Welfare Committee

A revolutionary turn of events elevates Vedette to "Chairwoman of the Animal Welfare Committee" and she is able to implement an unlikely protection to her four-legged friends. It is imbued with magical realism and animal liberation fantasy, mixed-in with traditional Spanish Civil War symbolism and Andalusian cultural signposts. Torrez's piece is entitled "Tribute to Paco." (page 202).

Marfil's Furious Salsa

Vedette is used as bait by her anarchist friends to lure a neighboring town's priest into a death trap. The piece is Omar's famous "La Danza." (Page 275).

Broken-Hearted Bullfighter

Her anarchist federation thrown out of Cueva del Rio, Vedette and her compatriot Rufian take refuge in the abandoned ranch of a bull breeder where they happen upon three love letters from the bullfighter Zulano to his paramour Rocio. The guitar piece is "Etude in E Minor." (page 284 in the novel).
 
Requiem for La Condesa

A finale wherein Vedette's rival and eventual close friend is laid to rest. It is a day when the moon swallows the sun as she confronts her nemesis, Father Olivares, before "descending to the river" and closing the spiritual circle of her life. Omar's piece is "Tango Gitano." (page 357).
5:40 AM 
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009 

A short post informing anyone who cares that "Vedette Does La Danza," closed the Indie Excellence Awards contest as a "Finalist." That translates into second place in the Audio Book Fiction Category. It comes on the heels of a second place finish at the London DIY Book Festival, and an outright win in the USA Books News "fiction abridged audio book" category a few months ago.

Omar and the highway scribe invite you to watch a videotaped presentation documenting this unique marriage of poetry from the former's novel "Vedette" with music composed and played by the latter.
5:28 AM 
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Wednesday, December 10, 2008 




'Vedette Does La Danza' has placed second in the 'audio books' category' at the Do-It-Yourself London Books Festival. It is the second kudo in as many months. The flamenco-infused spoken word/musical presentation of the scribe's novel 'Vedette,' to cuts from Omar Torrez' albums 'La Danza en Mi Corazon,' and 'Dynamisto,' won the 'abridged fiction audio books' category in the USA Book News Awards contest last month.
7:35 PM 
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Monday, December 08, 2008 

highwayscribery wanted to take a few inches of your time to report the success of his novel "Vedette or Conversations with the Flamenco Shadows," in the Eric Hoffer Awards.

the scribe was nonplussed upon receiving the news a few weeks ago because the "grand prize" ($) went to someone else and all he got was that golden badge pictured there above Hoffer's head.

But then we had a dinner guest over who gave Scribe Jr. a book about which she was very excited because it had just won the Eric Hoffer prize (different category). The fact this literary event had repercussions outside our own home's echo chamber was cause for great excitement and so we pass the news along in all lack of humility.

We have never heard of Hoffer whose big book - out of nine total - was called "The True Believer," and which highwayscribery will read and report back on with "all deliberate speed," as the Warren Court put it.

Apparently, Hoffer was a migrant worker, Nevada gold miner, and longshoreman with almost no schooling and bad eyesight, which should give you parents struggling to pay for Montessori and expensive eyeglasses pause.

He read, wrote and worked throughout the Great Depression counting himself amongst the new pioneers of migrating Okies and Arkies. By 1964, he had graduated to the post of research professor at UCal-Berkeley.

Eric Sevareid called him the "first important American writer, working class born, who remained working class in his habits."
The Hoffer people put out an annual collection of "Best New Writing" and the 2008 edition says of the novel:
Siciliano's "Vedette" is a fantasy, brilliantly intertwined with the myth of flamenco and the history of the Spanish Civil War. Vedette is part Lolita and mostly a survivor, and much to the author's credit, her story is told in shaded points of view that only increase the mystery. Like the people she supposedly haunts, Vedette's story frequents your thoughts long after reading.

Finally, a word about art and literature.

"Vedette," often classified as difficult for the time and place it seeks to portray, was entered along with "The Sidewalk Smokers Club," which was intended to be more current, more easy to relate to, more topical and, hence, more commercial.
"Smokers," although it has had a respectable showing in this year's round of contests, did not place in the Eric Hoffer Awards and "Vedette" did, which should give pause to all you working scribes out there about the intentions and reasons for writing what you write.
7:53 AM 
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Thursday, October 23, 2008 

Stock market goes down, scribe goes up (sort of).

"Vedette Does La Danza," a musical/spoken world collaboration with guitarist

Omar Torrez based upon the scribe's novel "Vedette" has been named sole, top, and singular winner of the USA Books News Award in the "Audio Book Fiction Abridged" category.

The contest is one of the more substantial ones open to independent and self-publishers, largely because it is not restricted to those sectors of the publishing industry, but includes the big boys, too.

In spite of his complete anonymity and neglect as a writer, the scribe would like to take five minutes before picking up the kid from kindergarten and starting to prepare dinner, to note that he's had a pretty good year with "The Sidewalk Smokers Club" novel placing in the Los Angeles DIY and London Book Festival contests, and "Vedette" being designated a 2008 Hoffer Award winner.

Torrez, for his part, has just finished a successful tour as guitarist for entertainer extraordinaire Tom Waits.

the scribe had coffee at Omar's Venice, Calif., digs last week and learned of the impact that Waits' genius had upon him and you can hear it at Omar's My Space page in the reworked "St. Vladimir's Cross," "Dog Heart," and the new "Fishin' Hole."

Here is a cable television production of our work together in the award-winning "Vedette Does La Danza."
6:09 AM 
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Wednesday, April 09, 2008 

The CD is on sale for $10. E-mail us your address highwayscribery@sbcglobal.net and send us your check to 'Vedette Does La Danza' 650 South Sweetzer Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90048.

4:44 PM 
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Monday, June 18, 2007 
Last May 14, Omar Torrez joined the highway scribe for a televised recording session at the City of Calabasas library. The production of 'Author's Night,' hosted by Karyn Foley featured five pieces from 'Vedette or Conversations with the Flamenco Shadows' to Omar's stunning guitar stylings. It came out nicely and you can view it by clicking here. It runs about 40 minutes.
2:55 PM 
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Wednesday, December 20, 2006 
These readings, if you haven't put it together, are from a novel written by the highway scribe called "Vedette or Conversations with the Flamenco Shadows."
You can buy it here.
 
10:51 PM 
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Wednesday, December 20, 2006 
Omar Torrez' Web site is here.
9:53 PM 
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