Hollywood Indians living in the woods...

My friend Terri Windling has been doing a series on her blog about writers and artists and their work spaces. I can finally say that I now have a studio to work in, instead of a cramped den shared with kids and coffee cups, old candy wrappers and strawberry tops that the kids never seem to throw away. My studio, as we call it, ia a small attic room at the top floor of our house in the redwood forest that is filled with my stuff...knitting supplies, guitars, posters, music, boxes from the move (yes, we are barely unpacking) books, hand drums, and a really cool retro chair bought from our friend Dawni's yard sale in September, which I am sitting in right now. I love this little attic studio. The kids do too... and do the dogs! I have to fight just for the space. Can't tell if it's because they all want to hang out with Mama or they love the magic of the space. Even Piper is happy amongst the books and dolls...and yes, that really is Piper, looking like a stuffed doll that she is!!

This year has brought many changes for all of us, and we are managing to roll with them. Most exciting, of course, is the world premiere of my play The Frybread Queen at the Wells Fargo Theatre and the Autry National Center. The Frybread Queen has been in development for the last three years with Native Voices at the Autry; Robert Caisley has been the dramaturg throughout the process and I am excited to announce will direct the premiere. Producers Jean Bruce Scott and Randy Reinholz locked themselves in a hotel with Rob and me to get the production draft ready to go last November and I am happy to say the script looks pretty solid. It has been a great three years working on the project, and I'm glad to see it finally coming to fruition.

In terms of producing, we will be working on two projects this winter at UCSC with the American Indian Resource Center. On February 17th we'll be hosting Arigon Starr, Robert J. Conley, and Gayle Ross for an evening with Oklahoma Indian Storytellers at the Fireside Lounge at Stevenson College. We're also working on a film symposium with Peter Bratt late in the quarter and are looking forward to that as well.

More sooner than later ;P