California Stories eNews

A periodic update about the activities of California Stories, the California Council for the Humanities' multiyear initiative designed to strengthen California communities. To find out more about California Stories and how you can support this important work, visit us at www.californiastories.org

Are you a K-12 teacher planning to cover the history of California immigration and migration in your classroom? If so, check out WeAreCA.org, the Council's website that puts that history at your fingertips. To learn exciting ways to use the website, attend a workshop near you. The workshops, sponsored by the California History-Social Science Project and led by expert teachers, take place this month in Santa Barbara and San Francisco. Find out more and register. And stay tuned for announcements of future workshops in your area.

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TV and radio broadcasts:

"When Medicine Got it Wrong," a California Documentary Project film about how loving parents stood up to the medical establishment and changed how we understand schizophrenia. The film airs on KQED's Truly CA series on Sunday, May 10, at 6 pm.

Arthur Dong's "Hollywood Chinese" a high-spirited look at the ways the Chinese have been imagined in the movies, from silent classics to contemporary blockbusters, premieres nationally on American Masters on PBS on Wednesday, May 27. Check local listings for times in your area.

"Broadway: Around the World in 30 Blocks," a radio series about the cultures and cuisines along Sacramento's most delicious street. The series airs on Capital Public Radio on the second Friday of each month through November 2009 during "Morning Edition." Learn more about the project and listen to the first segment.

Live events:

Oxnard: "Sharing the Channel," a half-hour documentary film on the history of the Santa Barbara Channel and the Northern Channel Islands. (Also see Santa Barbara and Ventura.) 7-8:30 pm, Tuesday, April 21. Del Norte Transfer Station, 111 S. Del Norte Boulevard. More.

San Diego: "Refugee Nation," a theater performance based on the stories of Laotian refugees and their descendants. Friday, April 3 through Sunday, April 5. Jacobs Center at Market Creek Plaza, 404 Euclid Avenue. More.

San Francisco Bay Area
 "Dishing It Out," an exhibit of Candacy Taylor's photographs and stories of older waitresses across the United States. This is an outgrowth of a California Story Fund project on longtime waitresses in San Francisco. Through April 26. Jewett Gallery, San Francisco Public Library, Main Library, 100 Larkin Street. More.

 "Leap of Faith," a documentary film about a group of teenagers who took steps to protect a Japanese Buddhist temple during World War II. 2-5 pm, Saturday, April 18. Enmanji Buddhist Temple, 1200 Gravenstein Highway, Sebastopol. More.

 "Polk Street: Lives in Transition," an exhibit of photographs and audio on the changing face of Polk Street, continues through June 2009 at the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society, 657 Mission Street, San Francisco. More.

 "Uncle Toisan," a Chautauqua performance by renowned writer and historian William "Charlie" Chin. Chin plays a Chinese-America character called Uncle Toisan whose life spans the Chinese Exclusion Act to the post-civil rights era and the emergence of Asian-American consciousness. 1-3 pm, Saturday, April 18. Chinese Culture Center, 750 Kearny Street, San Francisco. More.

"When Dreams Are Interrupted," an interdisciplinary dance piece on the Japanese-American WW II internment experience. 2 pm, Sunday, May 3, YWCA, 1830 Sutter Street, San Francisco. More.

San Luis Obispo: "Erasing the Past, Building the Future" a photojournalism exhibit on participants in a tattoo removal program trying to turn their lives around. Tuesday, March 31 through Monday, April 13. San Luis Obispo Art Center, 1010 Broad Street. More.

Santa Barbara: "Sharing the Channel," a half-hour documentary film on the history of the Santa Barbara Channel and the Northern Channel Islands. (Also see Oxnard and Ventura). 7-8:30 pm, Monday, April 20. Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu Street. More.

Susanville: "Small Moments in Time: Memories of Lassen County," stories, reading and general discussion. 2-4 pm, Saturday, April 4. Lassen Community College Cafeteria, 478-200 Highway 139. More.

Ventura: "Sharing the Channel," a half-hour documentary film on the history of the Santa Barbara Channel and the Northern Channel Islands. (Also see Oxnard and Santa Barbara.) 7- 8:30 pm, Wednesday, April 22. E. P. Foster Library, 651 E. Main Street. More.

Of interest:

Calling all jazz lovers: April is Jazz Appreciation Month and many events are planned around the country. As part of the celebration, the National Endowment for the Humanities is featuring resources and lesson plans on its website and you can also find free materials at http://www.free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=156. And the organizer of the celebration, Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, has issued a new Jazz poster featuring Benny Goodman. To request a free copy, write jazz@si.edu.

Grants available: The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and the National Park Service are seeking applicants for the Save America's Treasures 2009 grant program. Grants are available for preservation and/or conservation work on nationally significant intellectual and cultural artifacts and historic structures and sites. The application deadline is Friday, May 22. More.

StoryCorps now in San Francisco: StoryCorps, the nationwide oral history project that records the stories of everyday Americans as they tell them to friends and loved ones, will be at San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum through October 2009. Recording sessions are by appointment only and can be made by visiting the StoryCorps website or by calling 800-850-4406. Find out more about StoryCorps and listen to sample stories.

Opportunity for young filmmakers: Bresee Foundation's fourth Annual Youth Film Festival on Social Justice invites submissions from young filmmakers on the theme "Hard Times for the American Dream: Personal Stories of Struggle." The submission deadline is April 24. For more information, contact Jerold Kress at 213-387-2822, ext. 123 or jkress@bresee.org.

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(c) 2008 The California Council for the Humanities