S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition. On today's show , we'll tell you about a local author's new book. Then backstage we go to an upcoming film festival. Plus , your weekend preview. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. Local author Huda El Mariachi is out with a new middle grade book about interfaith relationships through the lens of a young Muslim girl. Then , Beth Accomando gives us a preview of this year's Oceanside International Film Festival. Plus , Julia Dixon Evans tells us what's on her weekend arts calendar. That's ahead on Midday Edition. So there's a lot to worry about when you're in sixth grade , like fitting in or making new friends. But what happens when you're asked to represent an entire religion and culture ? That's the big struggle for Miriam , the protagonist of the new middle grade book Haile Mariam. When she's transferred to a local Catholic school , she's worried that being the only Muslim American girl in class will put her at odds with her peers. But instead , she learns more about other religions and the beauty in finding common ground. I'm here with Huda Al Morici. She's the author behind Hail Mary Merriam , and she's also based out of Encinitas. Huda , welcome to Midday Edition.
S2: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: Jade , I'm so glad you're here.
S2: First of all , I'm thrilled to be here. But I am actually very nervous about coming in today Because of it being Ramadan , and I kept wondering how was I going to cope being on the show with this very dry mouth and not having had any breakfast this morning. But you know , like Ramadan , always seems to teach us that we are so much more capable than we think we are. And I'm just so excited to be here. I'm feeling great.
S3: This is good , this is great.
S4: And that.
S1: My phone was listening to you and automatically chimed in. They want to know the story to hear , but I do. I wish you a very blessed Ramadan. And I mean , I want to talk about your book because it is inspired by your own experiences as the only Muslim girl attending a Catholic school. So talk to me about your your upbringing and you know how you drew from it for this story.
S2: That's right. And thank you for so much for that beautiful introduction to the book. I think you captured it really well. And and in doing so , you captured a lot of my own middle school experience. At sixth grade , my parents also transferred me to our local Catholic school , and I faced that transition with great trepidation I didn't know , what does it mean to be a muslim in a Catholic school ? Does it mean that you should participate in everything to show that you're very respectful ? Does it mean that you withhold for participating in everything in order to show what you believe in ? And those were really big questions to be figuring out when I was , um , 12 years old. But like my main character , Mariam , it became an opportunity for a kind of literacy in another faith , if you will , or even a bilingualism , like , I got immersed in another religious community in a way that turned out to be one of the greatest gifts of my life. I actually went on to. Unlike Miriam , I went on to Catholic high school. I went to an all girls Catholic high school , and then I went to a Jesuit university. And so , so much of that education and perspective was something that I wanted to offer my readers. And I think that was one of the main inspirations behind telling this story. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. I mean , you know , as kids , we can sometimes have , you know , very black or white ideas about the things we see around us. In this case , the character Miriam has specific ideas about religion and what's right and what's wrong. How do we see that play out in the book ? Exactly.
S2: That was , uh , one of the things that was so important to me to show with this book. And I think a lot of us get stuck in our black and white , right and wrong understandings of faith and and religion and in any kind of idea that. And so what Miriam learns throughout the course of the book is that there's far more important things to consider and to ask herself about her , you know , about her belief system and about the belief system that she's encountering and that there's so many more , uh , commonalities that lead to far more enriching conversations. But , um , that point of getting stuck in that place was another one of my inspirations to write this book , because it I asked myself , well , what about people who never get pushed to move out of that , that space ? They never have the opportunity , whether it's in this kind of immersive community environment , whether it's in an academic course , you know , we have we've made the conversations about religion kind of taboo in our society. And what I was hoping to do is to pry that door open a little bit and to say , it's absolutely okay to talk about our belief systems. Right.
S1: Right. And I know when you speak about Merriam , you're speaking from from personal experience.
S2: And so I did end up taking several religious studies courses. I was a history major , but there was a lot of overlap , and it's continued to be. A real interest of mine is to read about religion as an academic subject. And I think what that does for us is it allows us to zoom out and stand outside of our personal beliefs and to look at the way faith systems act across the board. Right. Like all religious systems sort of operate in similar ways. And all people , faithful people tend to have certain similarities across the way. And I think that helps us connect. And also to have a conversations where we're not as passionate and not as wired to defend , but just to see kind of what's happening here.
S1: I had a similar experience growing , growing up. And so it just it opened up your mind to so much and so much about religion. Um , okay. So tell us a little bit more about Miriam because she's an overachieving. She's the.
S3: Eldest daughter.
S1: With lots of big goals.
S2: We've started coining this term of eldest daughter syndrome. She's a classic eldest daughter of immigrants. She's one of these kids that takes on way too much and tries to solve a lot of problems because she doesn't want to burden her family. At the same time , she's desperate to be recognized as her teacher. sunshine , you know , she says. Oh , being called a teacher's pet gets a bad rap. But I want to be adored. And I want to be loved by my teachers. And she is really struggling. As you brought up in your lovely introduction , with this tremendous burden of representation and feeling like she has to represent her entire faith. But what she starts to learn throughout the book is that none of these things are that her her responsibility , which she needs to do , is to live an authentic life and to be her own true self , and to be free to speak up and to find her her place within her community , within her family , within her friendships.
S1: Oh , wow. Well , Mary also has a younger sister battling illness , and that's something that can be really difficult for young people to deal with. Why was that something you really wanted to to represent in this story.
S2: There's two layers to that. That actually is again , pulled from my own experience. When I was in middle school , my sister dealt with a childhood illness. And the takeaway from it for this book , the way it's showing up and operating in this book is illnesses test our religious belief systems. That's when people tend to really reach for their faith. And we see , again , like I was bringing up before patterns , we see the way faithful people might try to negotiate with with God and say , hey , if if I do this , you know , please give me this outcome. And so when , when Miriam's sister and when my sister also was was diagnosed with an illness , I felt like I had to be on my best behavior if I wanted God to answer my prayers. And I think a lot of people can fall into that. And that's such a tremendous burden for people who are already dealing with so much. And it also then creates this crisis of faith when the transaction doesn't play out. Sometimes our prayers are not answered as we expect them to be or as we desire them to be. And you know , I don't mean for this to book to give any one opinion on any one thing. What I wanted it to be was a conversation starter. So I was hoping that when hopefully children and maybe even read it with their caregivers , that it can open a wider conversation about maybe similar challenges that a family has faced , and to talk about how that family orients themselves around those larger questions and to pose the possibility that , hey , you know , be aware of how the young people in your life or interpreting the teachings that you're giving them , and the tremendous pressure they might be feeling because of certain things that we say casually around children.
S1: And , you know , it's interesting that you mentioned that because , you know , when when prayers are too answered , that can really shake someone's faith and do so for years.
S2: And my sister as well. And the issue that she had , um , she overcame that. But it's something that I have seen play out time and time again because of course , that wasn't my family's only challenge. So every time a challenge has come up , I have seen this kind of religious negotiation. Let's make sure all of our inputs are okay so that we can get all of these outputs. And , uh , you know , again , like you said , it leads to a dangerous place of this transactional relationship with your faith , where I think we're much better off when we have when we just orient ourselves towards our intentions and towards this greater understanding that there are always going to be things that are out of our control. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. And for me that's a very Muslim message. Right. Because Islam itself the word itself means surrender. So when I live that meaning when I live that word surrender , then it takes me out of that kind of negotiation space where I can just offer the prayer and submit to whatever the answer is going to be.
S1: Yeah , that's such great insight. You also dedicated this book to your great aunt. You once described your relationship with her as transformative. Can you talk about the influence she had on you and this story ? Yeah.
S2: And because I also went to Catholic school , I think that takes the weight of my connection to this story. And I ended up talking about most about having gone to Catholic school. But there was a very transformative relationship. At the heart of this book is that my , um , my maternal grandmother was Syrian Orthodox from Lebanon , and we did not have the opportunity to grow up with her. She died when my mother was very young , but in my 20s , my brother traveled to the city that my grandmother was from and met our great aunt. And that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship that lasted throughout my entire adult life. And although we lived at a distance from one another , we kept in touch Uh , over voice notes and through WhatsApp , which. Is.
S1: Is.
S2: Oh , wow , been such a a blessing for a lot of , um , international families and the purity of her affection and her love and her acceptance for us , uh , just showed me what's possible in interfaith relationships and interfaith families. She's truly , sincerely did not care that we were Muslim and that she was Christian. All she wanted was to see us and to be with us. And when we visited her , it just felt so natural to move between churches and mosques in each other's company. It didn't feel like anything that was a stretch or a challenge to offer a prayer in either house of God.
S1: What a great experience to grow up with this. You know , it's it's a middle grade book , meaning it is geared towards kids Miriam's age.
S2: And what I love about that age group is showing the transition from from moving from not knowing a thing to knowing a thing. And that's something I love to do in my work. And if you read Hailemariam , you'll see I kind of exaggerate some of her misbelief in the beginning , and she's very rigid in her thinking , but that only allows me to highlight her transformation even more. And I , and what I hope to do for middle grade readers and middle grade audiences is to make them aware of their thoughts , make them aware of their belief system , and show them that they are in some control. You know , I think that's something we learn oftentimes later in life that we are not our thoughts , that we are not limited by our thoughts , and it's something that we need to be aware of so that we can rise above them sometimes when our thoughts are not helpful. So if I can do any of that for middle grade audiences , that would be my my greatest honor.
S1: It's a middle grade book that so many of us can learn from for sure. Oh , I've been speaking with Huda Al Maharishi , author of Haile Mariam. She'll be celebrating the launch of her book at Warwick's Bookstore in La Jolla on Tuesday , February 24th. And of course , we'll include more details on KPBS. Huda , thank you so much.
S2: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: Still to come. Beth Accomando gives us a preview of this year's Oceanside International Film Festival. KPBS Midday Edition returns after the break. Welcome back to midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman , so on Saturday , the Oceanside International Film Festival launches its 15th year with a day of surf films at the Brooks Theatre. But KPBS Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando says this year has some new challenges that's forcing the festival to split its event over two weekends and two venues. She sat down with executive director Lew Niles and Artistic Director Co-Director of programming Kali star Bruce Niles to preview this year's festival.
S5: We are sitting here in the Star Theater and Liu and Kali , this is the 15th anniversary of the Oceanside International Film Festival. Talk a little bit about the challenges that you had this year.
S6: Yeah , we typically do the film festival in one spot , and it's been the Brooks Theater a lot. We often do our mid-season , bigger events here at the Star Theater , but The Brooks is under construction right now. They're expanding , and so we're looking forward to that being complete to just have a wonderful , better place to present with some of those improvements that they're doing. But we've got our kickoff night and day is Surf Saturday on February 21st at the Brooks Theater. And then we'll move over to the Star Theater Wednesday the 25th through Saturday the 28th.
S5: And talk a little bit about your surf day.
S6: So we always have surf stories. This year we received an incredible number of surf stories of just so many that we couldn't fit them all. But we thought , hey , let's do a whole day because of the situation we were presented. So we've got great stories from all over the world , some really great local stories. Portugal , Ireland , Ecuador and Taiwan , as well as just filmmakers from Oceanside , San Diego and Carlsbad.
S5: Well , in that international flavor you said , comes from actually a local filmmaker going abroad. Yes.
S6: Yes. We've got a filmmaker from Carlsbad who made a film about surfing history in Taiwan. Great little film.
S7: I was raised in Taiwan , and ever since I moved away , I'm continually reminded that I owe everything about who I am to that beautiful , special place. And yet I can't quite put words to Taiwan's hold on me. Since I enjoy surfing , I've used this lens out of sheer familiarity to express both my gratitude and this indescribable feeling through sounds , images , and the perspectives of fellow surfers. So I headed to southeastern Taiwan to ask some of my friends if they could describe what Taiwan means to them.
S5: And Cali , one of the things that will be happening here in the Star Theater is going to be your discussion with director Catherine Hardwicke. So explain what people can expect from this.
S8: Catherine is doing a special one on one with me every year. We kind of do a one on one from past films that I've worked on , and Catherine Hardwicke and I worked together on three different films , and so I reached out to her , and she's just an extraordinary artist , extraordinary human being. And we're really excited. She's bringing something very rare that she hardly ever has presented before. She's going to bring clips from , you know , Lords of Dogtown or Twilight or 13. One.
S9: One. Two. Three.
S10:
S9:
S10: Now you can really help me if I lived here. Hey , boys.
S8: She brings all her notes. She. She'll bring all her costume notes , and she's just going to go through her process , really , of how she makes a film and how she develops it. She gives every detail to her films. I think that's why they're so poignant and they're so branded by her , because every single element of the film , she really does pour herself in. So it's amazing that she's going to share her storyboards. And the best part is , I think at the end of the conversation , we get to have an audience questions for about a half an hour. So I think people are excited about that. They can ask all the lingering questions about Twilight that they've been wondering about.
S11:
S5: Not everyone may be familiar with it as a place to watch movies.
S6: Yeah , we've really been blessed to have a great partnership with the stars , especially for our special events. Amazing theater with over 400 seats , a big , beautiful stage. You know , they do a lot of plays here. They're mostly known for that. But we've brought in movies and special events where we have a Q&A with the stars of the films , and it's gone really well , so we're looking forward to trying that out with the the whole body of the film festival from Wednesday through Saturday with multiple films.
S5: And if people have never been here , it has a gorgeous marquee out here. Is.
S6: Is. Yes.
S5:
S6: It's a really emotional and great story made from a Vista film maker.
S8: Vincent De Luca is the director. He's an award winning international filmmaker who is from Vista , California. He followed a very emotional story about Rafael , who came to this country as an immigrant 40 years ago. He legalized himself , and then he started on a path to help the new immigrants into safety.
S12: La Sierra de muertes a registrado un record.
S8: And he started to receive calls from family members.
S13: Mickey , my kids on the set.
S8: Really took it upon himself to be kind of a folk Lord.
S14: High Mama.
S8: He did it with all his heart. Because he knows how hard that trek is going across the deserts in the mountains. So it's a very beautiful documentary. We're really excited to have a Q&A afterwards. And we'll have a party in the lobby. And we have red carpet that night. So all the local artists come out , and it's a really great opening to the festival.
S5: And this year there's not going to be any narrative features. You only have documentary features.
S8: Last year we had a few features this year. It took a turn onto the theme of our earth and taking care of the the earth and the ocean.
S15: The entire valley has been a battleground for indigenous rights for three decades. In 2023 , the community won a legal case against Chilean mining company called Deco , an Ecuadorian state owned company in army. The court ruled in favor of the community , revoking the mining license and forcing them out. This is the sixth time communities in Interreg have won in their fight to protect their territory.
S6: It's very interesting because every year the vibe of the festival people I often ask is , well , what's your theme this year ? And it's like , we don't go for it and we don't set a theme because it's set by the filmmakers that submit. And and those films often tell a story of how people are feeling in the world that year. So that that senses the Earth. Protecting the Earth. A lot of introspective , a lot of , um , documentary type formats and shorts. The it's I think another thing to really understand is that you can't see these films anywhere else , really. Most of these films are doing a festival circuit. They're not online , they're not streaming. And so it's a great opportunity to come out and then also see and meet some of the filmmakers and ask them questions. If you're your prospective filmmaker yourself or you want to get into film or making films , that's a great opportunity to talk to people. And if you're just a fan , just to talk to them about their story , how they made it and what their process was.
S8: And we put a lot of thought in our programming. Stirling , Arno and I , uh , in our small committee , worked very hard on putting together blocks that really flow together. So it is an experience and that's what we really enjoy about it.
S6: Yeah , they do a great job of working so hard on the curation.
S8: We work super hard in the creation.
S6: Of the different blocks.
S8: And that's what people. I think it becomes a true experience because.
S6: The blocks too.
S8: If you go to our website , it's very comprehensive. All the information about every film , all the trailers. Like you could find something for yourself. No problem.
S5: Luke Hurley was talking about how they programmed to have a flow during the course. Talk about the flow that's going to be happening on Friday night with the films. Yeah.
S6: Yeah. Friday nights. Amazing. There's a there's so many films that are that are nominated for wards. Um , if I let the cat out of the bag on that one. But multiple film blocks programmed by Kali and Sterling and great films like hell , which is an animated film that's just incredible. A little short film written by Parker Croft , who is also a co-writer on Liars of Black Mountain Road.
S16:
S10:
S16:
S6: Nolan Gould , who is Luke and Modern Family , best known for that producer on Hill and then acts in Liars and Black Mountain Road. There's a lot of nominations for the film called tenancy , which is about renting your body out just to make some extra money. Hello.
S17: Hello. Hi. Can I help you ? Uh. Yeah.
S18: Yeah. Um , I got a job posting about an opening here.
S19: McNaught job site. Still work ? No , no , no. This is great. Sorry about the mess. We're still getting moved in here. I'm Chris. Chris glasser.
S18: Um , I'm min min.
S19: Nice to meet you , man. Come with me.
S18: I mean , the posting said able bodied is needed , so I'm assuming you just need people to help out around here. Right.
S19:
S18: No , I'm currently in between jobs.
S11: I see.
S18: What is it that you need me to do here ? Exactly.
S19:
S6: So good. Great stuff. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. We also have joined the club. And that is about the first dispensary in the country. A group of people from San Francisco started that after the Aids Movement.
S20: At the San Francisco Cannabis Club on Market Street today. Patrons were still getting their pot , but hanging over the club is a cloud of uncertainty about just how much longer it can legally operate.
S21: The club openly supplies marijuana for what it calls medicinal use to ease the pain and treat symptoms of people with Aids , cancer and other ailments. But narcotics agents say these are not good Samaritans , but drug pushers.
S20: Late today , a San Francisco Superior Court judge reinstated a temporary injunction stating club founder Dennis Peron must stop furnishing medicinal marijuana.
S9: I know this works for them and is being denied from them for purely political purposes , and they are using patients , my friends , as pawns on this phony war on marijuana.
S8: His lover died and he became an activist. And it's a very controversial yet informative Documentary , and it is a very comprehensive , both sides documentary that teaches us all how that began. And it's a really award winning and amazing documentary.
S5:
S6: Local celebrities , past film makers and alumni usually , and it's just a fun cast of characters. So we'll be doing it for the first time here at The Star. So there'll be all kinds of backstage shenanigans. I'm sure.
S8: It's very important , I think , in this landscape in the world , to.
S6: Recognize the filmmakers with the. Awards.
S8: Awards. Well , I think it's very important in the world at this point to support film in the arts. I think it's kind of a different climate now that we're in , in our lives. And I think that the arts save and they make everything better , and it's amazing and an honor for us to help run this film festival. There are too few and far between in San Diego County , and it's been a beautiful journey , and we have a hard working crew and really dedicated volunteers that try to make this happen every year so people can enjoy film the way we do , or they can see it through different , you know , scope at different lens from all around the world. And it's pretty amazing when we have local filmmakers who have made the grade as well , and we can support their venue. Yeah.
S6: Yeah. The voices of of so many different stories , the locals get to experience these stories from around the world. The people that fly here and come here to see their films premiere. Get to also experience those local stories and regional stories as just a wonderful sharing of , you know , you get educated and you get emotional. You laugh. It's a great experience.
S5: Well , I've always appreciated that. The Oceanside International Film Festival has a real personality. It's nice that you can come to this and you know that you're going to get certain things , which are films that seem to be about community , about social issues , about sports , surf , the environment. So it's nice. It's like a friend. Great.
S6: Great.
S22: Thank you.
S1: That was Beth Accomando speaking with Lou Niles and Carly Niles of the Oceanside International Film Festival. The festival kicks off Saturday with a day of surf films at the Brooks Theatre , and then moves to the Star Theater next Wednesday through Saturday. Up next , Julia Dixon Evans tells us what's in her weekend arts calendar. Midday edition is back after the break. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman for our weekend preview. We'll give you a glimpse into the art and culture scene in San Diego right now. From neighborhood photography to a border inspired take on The Wizard of Oz. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest podcast , Julia Dixon Evans. Hi , Julia.
S23: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having me.
S1: Always great to have you here in studio. Uh , so let's start. I mean , in visual art , there is. There's a couple of free art gallery shows on your calendar. So let's hear about one at Oolong Gallery , which is a relatively new art space.
S23: Right ? I mean , just the last handful of years , they've really been making an impact , bringing in some significant artists with a lot of history and also working with emerging artists coming out of the MFA programs in our San Diego universities. And their newest exhibit is a dual show with Southern California legends William Leavitt and Raul Guerrero. Guerrero was born in Brawley and grew up in National City , and in the 1970s they met. They've been collaborating for over 40 years there. They both have this fascinating mix of like minimal and surreal styles. So think like Magritte and that famous painting of the man with the apple covering his face. It's called The Son of Man , and the Guerrero works in the exhibit feature these , like , desert like scenes , um , with , like , hints to classic artworks. There's animals , there's modern objects. And Leavitt's work includes a bunch of , like , circuitry inspired portraits. There's wires and boards and connections in the place of a face , and this all opens with a reception on Saturday from 6 to 8 , and it will be up through March 21st. This is Ulan Gallery in Rancho Santa Fe , and if you miss the opening reception , you can make an appointment to pop in and see it during gallery hours.
S1: All right. Very nice. And there's another exhibit in Barrio Logan. This one actually has a bit of fun. Local star power.
S23: First , I'll tell you about the exhibit , and then we'll talk about the star power. And this is called Neighborhood Visuals. It's a new photography exhibit at Por Vida Cafe in Barrio Logan. And we've talked about this before. They recently renovated into more of an art gallery with. They have like coffee as well as art rather than a cafe with some art as like an afterthought. You can still get the same drinks I recommend. Their their Mexican style marzipan latte , but now they have these rotating exhibits that are on view and you have enough space to browse them. You don't have to like look around people sitting , having their coffee. And right now. Neighborhood visuals is the exhibit , and it features the work of two local photographers , SD sharpshooter and who shot Jeff 35mm , aka Oscar Cruz and MJ. And they have this collection of 46 photographs that are these glimpses into life in Barrio Logan. I'm thinking of it as a community , a neighborhood. So there's portraits and candidates of people and gatherings. There's some protests and some architecture , like homes and fencing the streets. It's just really vibrant and just really alive. The cafe is open daily from 8 to 6 , but consider going this Saturday because there's a neighborhood book festival and a book drive happening that's right outside Pravda and the entire exhibition , all 46 photographs , was just acquired by the Deen Collection , otherwise known as Swiss Beats and Alicia Keys. They have a world class personal collection of contemporary and living artists , so it's really cool that they just , like , gobbled up this whole exhibit. And as a side note , the Dean collection just today announced that they're bringing their Giants exhibit to the Museum of Contemporary Art , San Diego. It'll be the only West Coast stop of that show. So 37 black artists that'll open up in mid-April.
S1: Wow , that is great. Can't wait for it. And it does. It's. Today is a great day to go to that coffee shop. Yes. Look at the art , I mean. Wow. All right , well , there's an interesting contemporary dance performance in La Jolla on Sunday. So tell us about Shadow Cities.
S23: Yeah , this is Afra Ashari dance company. They formed around 2013 , focusing on African and Latinx street dance inspired choreography and the newest production. They're touring with it now. It's called Shadow Cities and it's a collaboration with Arturo O'Farrill , a piano player and composer. It blends house music and club culture to look into how people can feel divided between cities or generations the way that that , like place and memory and belonging can have all these levels and can you can feel split. Um , there's two performances this Sunday at La Jolla music society , 3:00 in the afternoon and 7:00 in the evening.
S1: All right. And there's a couple of theater shows on your list. Let's start with the a new play at Cygnet Theater called Somewhere Over the Border.
S23: Yeah , this is the San Diego premiere. It's Brian Quijada musical , and it's inspired by The Wizard of Oz , but with a twist that's , you know , it's more relevant to our cross-border reality. They have elements of magical realism in the story , and then the music also has cumbia , hip hop and rock inspiration. And it follows the character of Reina as she kind of leaves everything behind in pursuit of the American dream , her family , her life at home. It sounds like a really great story. There's a couple more days of low cost previews. You can save about ten bucks on a ticket , and then the official opening is on Sunday. It runs through March 15th. This is a Signa in Liberty Station.
S1: All right. And I hear you checked out Hedda Gabler at the Old Globe.
S23: It's very fresh. It was pretty incredible. And this was my first time seeing Hedda Gabler in any form. But I was really captivated by this translation by Erin Cressida Wilson. It's just so dark and Strange and it's a really quick and intense play. It's just an hour and a half. There's no intermission. It has this extremely minimal set. Absolutely everything on stage means something. And Katie Holmes in the role of Hedda , is really brilliant. She's wicked and funny and mesmerizing all at the same time , which is really unnerving. It's just a really interesting production. It's. And it's been extended through March 15th.
S1: All right. Well , the big San Diego Tech Festival is this weekend to ring in the year of the Fire Horse. And on midday we talked to the organizers earlier. So remind us how we can join in on the celebration.
S23: Yeah , this is at Liberty Station. It's a massive three day festival. There's line dancing , fashion shows , contemporary and traditional performances , dance battles and headlining musical acts. There's a bunch of food vendors and artists and creatives and even a petting zoo on Saturday. It's free and all ages. And you can you can just pull up on Friday evening and then on Saturday , all day into the night until 10 p.m. and Sunday until six.
S1: Such a great festival.
S23: It's Sudan Archives. That's tonight at the Music Box. Sudan Archives , otherwise known as. Brittney Parkes , is a singer and violinist. Her sound is a mix of electronic and pop , hip hop and also West African folk music. I love her music and her newest album. It's called the BPM. It's really great , this strong mix of like high energy but also melancholy at the same time. I'm pretty sure it's a breakup album. This is the track dead. It's the opening song.
S1: Yeah , I definitely get breakup vibes from that too. I see it , I see it. Well , before we go , the latest episode of the finest features local musical act Topeka Clementine. Yeah.
S23: Yeah. This is a project of Kai Simovic , who just like , right off the bat , their voice is so captivating. And they were recently at KPBS for our new Music series pilot. They performed on our patio and we jumped on the chance to interview them that day. We talk about the way that they incorporate our activism into their work. Also , our recent personal loss and the way grief shows up in their music , and also the origins of some of their songs and the project name , which actually has nothing to do with Topeka , Kansas.
S24: So the name of the project is Topeka Clementine. But I'm from San Diego. It's from a street corner. It's not from Topeka , Kansas. It's from a street corner in Oceanside. There's Topeka Street and there's Clementine Street. And every Wednesday morning , my friend Jordan , he goes out there and he outfitted a A trailer to be the shower stalls , and he helps provide access to clean , warm running water to all of our houseless neighbors. This is inspired mostly by a man named Mike. This is the ballad of One-Eyed Mike. As you may have guessed , Mike has one eye. I don't call him one eyed Mike to his face. That would be very rude. I just call him Mike. But the thing is , I know a lot of homeless Mike's. I also know a lot of Mike's that live in houses. I think it's just a really common name , and I think the point I'm trying to make is that we're not all that different. And your housing status doesn't determine what human rights you should have access to.
S25: You sleeping on the concrete ? I'm haunted by a memory now. So.
S23: You also performed Ballad of one. I'd make you tell the story when you perform it.
S24: It's. I think it's important to know , too , that Jordan is an inspiration to me in that. Just.
S16: Just.
S23: As Jordan from Russia. Yeah.
S24: Yeah. You know , he started as a street photographer and there's other street photographers that will take pictures of houseless folks and put their photos up in a gallery and tell their story and get all this exposure. And then none of that really trickles back down to people at the street level. But he would always end with an interview , and he would always ask , what do you need right now ? And nine times out of ten , someone said , a shower. So he was like , okay , well , that makes my next move very clear. I'm going to do this. And it was based on the ask , what do you actually need ? And then how can I make that for you rather than , oh , you look like you need a new shirt. Here's a new shirt.
S25: Present , cotton.
S1: Well , you can hear the rest of the episodes wherever you get your podcast , and you can find details on all the events we discussed on our website at KPBS. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia. Thank you.
S23: Thank you. Jade.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
