Dear Dana,
Thank you for the catalog presenting your Weldon Kees collection of books, effects, and memorabilia. I remember well the moment, about twenty years ago, when you were asked a question about Kees at the 2002 “Beat Generation and Beyond” Conference in Davis. You admitted, with characteristic candor, that you were extraordinarily well prepared to answer it, and then you did—offering a response that combined scholarly precision with narrative generosity and genuine responsiveness. It was one of those moments when preparation didn’t flatten the conversation but deepened it.
I also saw your recent social media post announcing that you’ve created a documentary about Weldon Kees, a post your brother Ted—the jazz critic—shared as well. I know many people have been discovering you anew on YouTube in recent years, and I hope this documentary finds the wide and curious audience it deserves.
I had a funny and unexpectedly moving conversation last week in which you came up. More “narrative generosity” in the wild. My son, Jukie, and I take a long walk every afternoon, and we often end up at a local Tex-Mex restaurant for dinner. Over time, I’ve become friendly with several of the employees there. I have struck up a friendship especially with Ollie Smith, a charismatic and gregarious presence who makes every visit feel like five-star service, even though this is the kind of place where you take a number and they bring the food to your table.
Jukie and I eat there often because of the large outdoor patio, a space he happily explores after finishing his dinner while I take my time with a salad. Last week, Ollie and I somehow found ourselves talking about Langston Hughes and the fact that this week marks the 125th anniversary of his birth. Ollie mentioned that in high school he had memorized both a Langston Hughes poem and a Maya Angelou poem, and that he had been recruited to recite them before a large audience.
As he described the nerves and the specific poems, the gears turned. I realized I was looking at a living testament to Poetry Out Loud, the national program you created during your tenure as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. It’s a program my daughter once participated in and one for which I served as a judge back when I was poet laureate of Davis. A number of my UC Davis students have found themselves in my class or on my radio show because their love of memorized poetry was sparked by sharing poems out loud as youths.
Ollie told me that he hadn’t initially been ready for the limelight. He didn’t want to recite poetry in front of a crowd, and his teacher had to help calm his nerves when he saw the size of the church in Oakland where the competition was being held. It was, he said, the largest church and the largest crowd he had ever seen.
This surprised me, because I know Ollie now as a confident young man—someone deeply involved in martial arts, including serious sparring. To quote your poem “Pity the Beautiful,” he gives off the kind of assuredness of one of “the golden lads whom / success always follows.”
And yet, when he told me about that day, he admitted somewhat sheepishly that he ended up winning the entire competition. Despite all the sports he’s played, in school and beyond, the trophy he earned from reciting those two poems remains the largest one in his room.
I’m writing you on the day that The Washington Post has cancelled its books coverage entirely, a difficult blow for someone who looked forward to the “Book World” section of my hometown newspaper every Sunday throughout my childhood and high school years. While certain institutions have retreated from cultural programming, others have doubled down, especially you! Also, getting to hear Ollie’s story was necessary antidote to such retreats.
I’m grateful for the ongoing books and publishing coverage in The New York Times, as well as the work you did as NEA Chair to kindle conversations about reading, poetry, and many other forms of creativity. More recently, I appreciate the ways that you’ve inspired poets and authors, including authors like me who have full time jobs, on your YouTube channel.
I was happy I could tell Ollie that I knew the person who had created that nationwide program, and that I would relay his story. So here it is, one small testament to the lasting, lived impact of the work you’ve done.
Your fan and friend,
Andy
It’s February in Davis, meaning high temperatures in the mid 60s. I hope you can plan to join me outdoors for the pub quiz at 2001 2nd Street in Davis. The regulars and irregulars will meet for the social event of the week featuring 31 questions on a variety of topics you should know something about, this week with questions on passing seconds. Today’s pub quiz comes in at 1008 words.
In addition to topics raised above and below, expect questions tonight on the following: magazines, pledges, candy, driving concerns, the reprisals of bards, grooves, adventures, documentaries, children, fruits, nutshells of infinite space, John Keats, Harry Potter, Carol Burnett, fortitude, great Scotts, elementary particles, lauded participants, people named Marianne, torn roofs, famous lights, share drops, the US Capitol Rotunda, mistaken identities, wins, flips, literary nights, cake, ties for third, requiems, satiety, storage forms, blood pressure, pop charts, U.S. states, geography, current events, and Shakespeare.
For more Pub Quiz fun, please subscribe via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/yourquizmaster.
Thanks to all the new players joining us at the live quizzes and to all the patrons who have been enjoying fresh Pub Quiz content. Certain friends have upgraded their memberships recently, which I really appreciate.
We have over 90 Patreon members now, including the new paid subscribers Christine, Bobby, Esther, James, Damian, Jim, and Meebles! I should write a question for Bobby. Thanks also to new subscribers Prescott, Bill and Diane, Tamara, Megan, Michael, Janet, Jasmine, Joey, Carly, The X-Ennial Falcons, and The Nevergiveruppers! Every week I check the Patreon to see if there is someone new to thank. Maybe next week it will be you! I also thank The Original Vincibles, Summer Brains, Still Here for the Shakesbeer, The Outside Agitators, John Poirier’s team Quizimodo, Gena Harper, the conversationally entertaining dinner companions and bakers of marvelous and healthy treats, The Mavens. Hello to Bill and to Jude’s dad. Thanks in particular to my paid subscribers on Substack. Thanks to everyone who supports the Pub Quiz on Patreon. I would love to add your name or that of your team to the list of pub quiz boosters. Also, I sometimes remember to add an extra hint on Patreon. I appreciate your backing this pub quiz project of mine!
I also want to recognize those who visit my Substack the most often, including Michael (thanks Michael!), Luna, Jean, Ron, Myrna, Maria, to whom I send sustained compassion.
Best,
Dr. Andy
Trivia from last week:
- Mottos and Slogans. According to its unofficial state motto, how many lakes does Minnesota have?
- Internet Culture. What company has continued its winning streak on Fortune’s annual World’s Most Admired Companies list for a 19th year, beating all others to the top spot yet again?
- Newspaper Headlines. According to the January 27 New York Times, chronically high levels of two I words can lead to DNA damage and other health problems. Name just one of the two I words.