Deborah Crooks

In 2016, I released a 7-song EP Beauty Everywhere. The title song sprung out of a practice I'd made one year, making lists of beautiful things to raise my spirits during less hopeful moments. As I've sang the song regularly over the years, the literal practice of listing beautiful things has become internalized.  Beauty is everywhere if I look and I'm ever more grateful that I notice it. Today's mental beauty list kept growing and I felt duty bound to share my findings. Especially now, when it's easy to get…

Amid everything, I was interviewed by The Other Side Reviews about songwriting, The Department of the West and what's next Read it HERE

Two Yellow-rumped warblers fly upwards from the sidewalk in a near spiral, sparring over a seed or courting, I can't tell. It's a brief moment, but stunning in its beauty: a light flutter, a flash of white, like looking at a cross-section of a kaleidoscope, their wings and tails and feet and bills synchronized for a moment until they break away from one another. 

I'd looked up from weeding our patch of yard which I've mainly ignored, past bedecking it with holiday lights, for several months. There are soggy…

We began the year with a sail. Espresso was one of 10 vessels—sailing, motor and one small tug —assembled near the Park St. Bridge at 10:30am on January 1 to gather for the annual New Year's Cruise 'Round Alameda Island. In the year's past, the tradition included pit-stopping at several yacht clubs along the way to toast the New Year. This year's Covid-safe event entailed masks for all aboard, communications via VHF channel 68 and waving to other boats as they drew alongside us.  

To circumnavigate…

I wrote “New Roots” as part of the FAR-West-invented Now See Hear Project developed by Phil Ward, which pairs songwriters with a piece of anonymous artwork to use as a springboard for writing (the art itself is inspired by another song). After I sent the completed result to Phil, he let me know the image I’d received was painted by Jennifer Flack in response to a song by Dy Arthur called “Tumblin.’ (Hopefully, we’ll all get together to show and perform this trail of songs at a future conference.) The…

We watched The Bee Gees documentary, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," last night which delighted me for all sorts of reasons. I loved the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack when it was released, even though my mom thought I was too young to see the movie. It was huge (as was dance and disco music during that time. We grade-schoolers went through a phase of doing The Hustle for PE). My pal Sally of course had the album at her house, and I annoyed the hell out of her asking if we could play the record yet…

I don't know about you, but I am ready for the big shift that's happening, change of the season, Grand Conjunction of planets, upcoming holidays and a new year around the corner.  I was pleased to teach a class this morning, then find my "Being Here" piece for the Far-West Lockdown Lemonade Blog went live. A summary of how I pivoted this year amid the pandemic can be found HERE.

take care out there!

The second issue of the Bay Station Eagle, the hyper-local quarterly ‘zine I started earlier this year to reflect my corner of Alameda, is hot off the presses! Available for sale at Frank Bette Art Center, Books Inc -Alameda and directly through me for $5 by clicking below.

This Winter Issue features work by another great crew of local Alameda artists and writers:

• Alice Lewis 
• Jean Chen 
• Candace Rowe, 
• Patty St Louis 
• Joan Wilson Rueter 
• Hugh Morgan
• Jennifer Dailey & 
• Vanessa…

Save the date! QuaranPalooza Goodbye 2020 party NYE 7:30pm-12:30am PST - 

Cello Joe 7:30-7:45 

MJoy 7:50-8 

David Jesitus 8:05-8:15 

Josh Needleman 8:20-8:30 

Lisa Graciano 8:35-8:45 

Dawn Ellerbeck 8:50-9:05 

Deborah Crooks 9:10-9:25 

Frances Ancheta Becker 9:30-9:45 

Kevin Radley 9:50-10:05 

John Rybak 10:10-10:25 

The Genie 10:30-10:45 

David Gans 10:50-11:10 

The Steve Lucky & Carmen Getit Show 11:15 -11:45 

Syzygy 11:50-12:30 

More info soon! http://quaranpalooza.eventbrite.com/