Please join us for an evening dubbed “Writers Painting Their Voices” as author John Curl reads from his powerful novel of McCarthy era resistance, The Outlaws of Maroon, joined by poet and literary critic Jack Foley performing some of this poems in tandem with his partner Sangye Land.

These writers will use their voices to paint pictures, celebrate life, and remind us of the importance of love, community, and friendship. A deeply felt critique of our times is implicit and explicit in John’s work.

The recent publication of John’s novel, The Outlaws of Maroon, was spurred by a near-death experience which caused John to recognize the importance of its message for our times, and to realize that his book had to be published now. The Outlaws of Maroon is an adult novel about the world of children. In McCarthy-era New York City, fourth graders find a forgotten room in the foundations of a building, where they struggle to live their dreams. As the cold war of 1950s America envelops their school, they become radicalized.

What does this have to do with a near death experience? At the very foundation of life there exists the will to overcome odds, whether it is illness, or a world corrupted by McCarthy era politics or a present-day government where abuses of power are being exposed. The Outlaws of Maroon opens the door on the difficulty of growing up in a world gone a little mad.

Perhaps, in exploring this world, there is an understanding that the past often reflects our present.

Play the audio below to hear John discussing his novel in an interview with Avotcja on her radio show, Bebop, Cubop and The Musical Truth, which airs every Thursday at 8pm on KPFA 91.7fm.

Jack Foley has published 16 books of poetry, five books of criticism, a book of stories, and a two-volume, 1300-page “chronoencyclopedia,” Visions & Affiliations: California Poetry 1940-2005. He became well known through his multi-voiced performances with his late wife, Adelle, also a poet, and currently performs with his new life partner, Sangye Land. Since 1988 he has presented poetry on Berkeley radio station KPFA; his show Cover to Cover airs Wednesdays at 3pm. Jack has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from Marquis Who’s Who and the Berkeley Poetry Festival. June 5, 2010 was declared “Jack Foley Day” in Berkeley. His recent publications include EYES (selected poems); The Tiger & Other Tales, a book of stories; Riverrun, a book of experimental poetry; and Grief Songs, a book documenting his grief at the death of his wife. When Sleep Comes: Shillelagh Songs, a book of poems, has recently appeared as has Jack Foley’s Unmanageable Masterpiece, a book edited by recent California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia and British scholar/poet Peter Whitfield. Jack Foley’s Unmanageable Masterpiece comments on and celebrates Visions & Affiliations.

Sangye Land is a life-long poetry enthusiast and Jack Foley’s new partner in both life and performance. She has helped edit manuscripts written by her mother, poet Julie Rogers, and lived with her mother and stepfather, poet David Meltzer, during the final year of his life. She is a student of Buddhism and a volunteer for TLC, Transitional Life Care, a Buddhist end of life non-profit education program located in Alameda.

Join us for a powerful and celebratory evening featuring important and treasured voices that have long contributed with depth and passion to the Bay Area’s literary and cultural landscape.