 |
Established in 1917, Culver City, California, celebrated its centennial with a call for words to commemorate this important occasion. The resulting contest provided the works for this lively, wide-ranging collection. Topics covered include city history, services, organizations, parks, and activities along with its storied and still active connection to "screenland"—a place where movies like The Wizard of Oz came to life.
The Culver story opens with Steven Gelb's "Centennial Summer," in which he recalls attending four concerts, walking through the Veteran's Park, and dancing to Big Bands. Norma Glickman praises "Culver City-Baldwin Park": "Leaning against the guard rail / I overlook this perfect, miniature world." Meanwhile, in "The Culver Hotel," Aubre Hess celebrates that "It was a street in London, an apartment in Barcelona, or a café in Paris, and other places. / Some celebrities stayed there such as Clark Gable, Mickey Rooney, Frank Sinatra and other faces." And Sandra Coopersmith, a feature news writer for the city, states, in "Small Town, Big Heart" that "It thrills me to write stories that educate and show / The kindness that resides here, something many might not know."
The collection includes a section citing each contributor, some native to the town, other residents originally from faraway lands. Several works center on Culver City's unique program, L.A. GOAL, a non-profit agency for persons with developmental disabilities. Some contributors have had poems published elsewhere, and many began composing through encouragement instilled through local poetry classes. World traveler and editor Hoult is a published wordsmith and Culver City's Honorary Artist Laureate. The city can be proud of its endeavor to challenge and reward its local artists at such a significant moment in its history. Those interested in how insiders view their community might enjoy this unique portrait of a place.