Mixing It Up
By Christine Neilson
Cambria's Mary Anne Anderson says she was "born to sing, beguiled to write, and persuaded to teach." And, we were destined to meet and become friends.
Shortly after her relocation from Pacific Grove to Cambria last year, Anderson read a feature article in The Cambrian by Kathe Tanner about my publication ViVACE Literary Journal, a selected collection of poetry, prose, nonfiction, and art/photography.
She was tenacious in pursuing a meet up. After a few emails back and forth, we met for tea at Two Dogs in Morro Bay. It was an instant friendship. We were like-minded. Her light hearted laughter was uplifting as we shared similar backgrounds. We both were educators and poets.
"I became a teacher by accident in 1984. My boyfriend moved away and I was depressed. So my mother, in her infinite wisdom, said to me, 'Do something! Go back to school and get your credential.' It was the greatest therapy-turned-profession anyone could have prescribed," she smiles and leans back in her garden chair recalling her years as an adult English as a Second Language instructor in Pacific Grove.
Where did she pick up her aptitude for language?
Over the years, her chronic wanderlust has led her to Europe where she bravely made her living as a busker (street-singer), "picking up languages like a vacuum cleaner picks up dust. I speak fluent German, Boudoir French, Restaurant Spanish, and Airport Portuguese."
Her favorite students were the ones who found their voice and weren't afraid to use it: a strawberry picker/migrant worker from Mexico who used to leave the classroom saying, "Rest in Peace." Or, the Russian physicist who announced one day, "Teacher, I am a problem."
She laughs, "I assured him he wasn't. He had mixed up the verb 'to be' with the verb 'to have.' "
My goal as a teacher was to help these adults find a way to have a life at the same quality level (or better) that they had in their own country/language/culture. And now we can travel around the world and never stay in a hotel."
Now, almost a year later, seated in her home's lush palm lined back yard on Lodge Hill, we discuss her illustrious music and writing credits.
"I have written lyrics for composers on Grammy-nominated albums in Los Angeles, and was a guest vocalist at the Monterey Jazz festival in 2008. Two of my plays, The Climb at Inner City in L.A. and BAR LIES... and other tales, a musical one-woman show previewed at the Carmel Performing Arts Festival.
Like most talented people, she has experienced challenges. "I've been rejected by Hollywood's finest," she says of her screenplays and television sitcom pilots.
But her poetry has earned recognition, and she has two chapbooks, The Road Home, a collection of poems and photographs, and Dreamscape. A jaunt to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico yielded a photography exhibit, Mexico Lindo, and a reading/performance of her bilingual book, Cronicas de un Amor Eternal/Letters to A Love Unsung at the International Authors' Sala, including a musical collaboration with famed Brazilian composer Weber Iago.
As our friendship has deepened, we've shared our writing. Recently this lyrical poem, Jazz in the Kitchen came my way. It is among one of Anderson's pieces that will appear in ViVACE this upcoming year.
Jazz in the Kitchen
Let's see, what'll it be,
a ballad perhaps,
slow-cooked beans and tender beef
lots of sauce and simmer time,
drum brushes basting with rich red wine
punctuated with bass and bay leaf,
the perfect blend of taste and texture.
Voila, le cassoulet!
Or if you're in the mood for something
more upbeat, my bebop is the finest fare.
I'll flash a few mushrooms into the pan
stir quickly, hip-hop around the stovetop,
chop-chop ripe red heirlooms
sautee with stir-fry frenzy
and toss in some snap peas,
for al dente pasta marinara.
But nothing beats
improvisation.
Open up the cupboards,
arms outstretched for couscous,
a potpourri of fresh greens await their cue,
harmonize with beets,
while sardines linger on the shelf
begging for a solo.
Meet me at the table
at the end of the song! |
This past summer, Anderson became the newest member of the Cambria Writers Workshop and is currently writing a fictional memoir, Confessions of a Not-So-Famous Singer, or Please Don't Tell My Mama On Me.
"This vastly diverse group of talented individuals has given me the courage and inspiration to become the best writer I can possibly be. I am honored to be in their presence and to have made such great friends in my new home."
One wonders if you can learn from osmosis just by hanging out with this multifaceted woman. Her lyrical talent stretches from jazz compositions to Hawaiian melodies, and her work with A-list composers has garnered her recognition in the form of national awards. She has also translated songs from Spanish and Portuguese.
In 1997, Ames Anderson came to repair the light fixture on her Pacific Grove front porch and lit up her life. They married in September 2001, shortly after 9-11. "There was no better time to confirm the fact that Love prevails."
For over a decade, Ames and Mary Anne have performed as the musical duo "Simple Pleasures." Starting this month, they will be appearing regularly at the Wine Bar in Cayucos. To punctuate her individual talent, Mary Anne will also be singing jazz there once a month.
In conclusion, after stirring up the tunes and mingling with the locals, the Andersons will migrate in early summer to their second home in Maui. "Maui and Cambria are both on the 'edge' - the continental shelf of the mainland, and the lush island paradise. They are far enough removed from commercial influences to beckon you outdoors and into the expanse of natural beauty that surrounds you."
SIMPLE PLEASURES 
Ames Anderson (mandolin, guitar, dobro, ukelele, vocals)
Mary Anne Anderson (vocals, guitar, autoharp, ukelele)
Starting January 8th, every second Sunday from 2-5pm at the Wine Bar
(adjacent to Remember When Too, 152 No. Ocean Ave. in Cayucos)
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