The Creative Way

On this episode of The Creative Way with host Vanessa Finney, Felicia Lubliner's son Irving Lubliner shares his mother's drive to bear witness. He's collected her writings into a book, "Only Hope: A Survivor's Stories of the Holocaust;" an audiobook narrated by Christine Williams; and now a stage play starring Williams and directed by Liisa Ivary. Irv says the title refers to the force that kept his mother going, and to his own hope that her testament "will inspire others to stand up against bigotry, reject dehumanization, and embrace the rich diversity of the people around us."

As a tribal member with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Chantele Rilatos' art of traditional weaving carries on the work of her ancestors. She describes to JPR's Vanessa Finney using techniques and plant materials native to her people's historical homeland: encompassing Western Oregon from the summit of the Cascade mountains to the Pacific, from southwestern Washington State to Northern California.

Vanessa Finney talks with Ann Powers and Alison Fensterstock, two contributors to the book, "How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History."

The book was published October 1, 2024 and includes material drawn from more than 50 years of NPR's coverage of great musical heroes and creators. This book is a must-have for music fans, songwriters, feminist historians, and those interested in how artists think and work.

In the mood for some Appalachian Goth? How about an ecological dark fantasy occult family drama? Booksellers at Ashland's Bloomsbury Books give their scary-book recommendations from a wealth of Horror subgenres — including cozy mysteries no more frightful than the creak in your rocking chair.

Booksellers:
Susan Chapman
Riley Oken
Nicholas Anderson
Cody Lakin

Books:
"The Bog Wife" by Kate Chronister
"Smothermoss" by Alisa Alering
"The Damned" by J.K. Huysmans
"Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology"
...and many more!

Host Vanessa Finney interviews playwright Octavio Solis, the Artistic Director of the Ashland Beckett Shorts Festival on The Creative Way.

The festival presents six short plays by Samuel Beckett each night in sort of a venue crawl starting on the OSF bricks.

From October 24-27, each night at 7pm, an exploration of Beckett’s experimental theatre takes over downtown Ashland, Oregon.

The entire festival takes place in non-traditional theatre spaces, and rain or shine, audiences will travel from place to place to encounter each piece. All six pieces will be performed each night. Experience Beckett as Beckett intended and explore the boundaries of what defines performance.

Two of the four playwrights featured during the annual Ashland New Plays Festival at Southern Oregon University October 16-20 are Novid Parsi (The Life You Gave Me) and Keiko Green (You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World). They join host, Vanessa Finney, on The Creative Way.

The Life You Gave Me depicts a son's attempt to extricate his mother from an abusive marriage. He faces two challenges: the mother’s own reluctance to leave, and two theater gatekeepers who critique the playwright’s representation of a Middle Eastern family. You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World connects the terminal illnesses of Earth and one man.

Founded in 1992 and managed by a volunteer board of directors, Ashland New Plays Festival is a nonprofit theatre that encourages playwrights in the creation of new works through public readings. It also offers an educational forum to the community through discussions and workshops. The international playwright competition culminates in the reading of four new plays chosen by a team of volunteer readers from hundreds of submissions. Staged readings feature professional actors from Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University’s Theatre Department, the local community, and regional theatre hot spots.

Jeffrey Friedman talks to JPR's Vanessa Finney about two films screening at this weekend's Ashland Independent Film Festival: Taylor Mac's 24-Decade History of Popular Music and MÚSICA! a film that follows four young Cuban musicians over the course of five years - including a field trip to New Orleans.

The Creative Way host Vanessa Finney visits with Oregon's new poet laureate, Ellen Waterston of Bend, to talk about the state's literary landscape.

Vanessa Finney talks with Mark Yaffee, a Native American comedian who was steered into a career in comedy after being urged by his co-workers who thought he was funny. He worked at the DMV.

Audiences may be forgiven for assuming fight scenes in plays are real, considering that actors do an excellent job of bringing them to life. In reality, fight scenes are meticulously choreographed and repeatedly practiced to ensure safety, and to ensure the fights come across as realistically as possible. That task requires a dedicated fight choreographer.

In this edition of the Creative Way, Vanessa Finney sits down with the fight choreographer from OSF's production of Macbeth, Rocio Mendez. They also discuss Rocio's role as an intimacy director on Jane Eyre.