4 minute read
Local Authors & Talent
Local Authors
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."
— Benjamin Franklin
Shari Lewis & Lamp Chop
The Team That Changed Children's Television by Nat Segaloff and Mallory Lewis
Caregivers are Mad as Hell
Rants From the Wife of a Very Sick Man in Room 5029 by Ann Brenoff
Matador and the Mustang
Part 1: How To Find Purpose Within a Dysfunctional Family by J.C. Burkesmith
My Name was Mushroom
My Life as a Teenage Runaway in the Source Family Commune by Wendy Baker
The beloved ventriloquist and pioneering female TV personality Shari Lewis starred in various children’s programming from 1957 to 1999. Lewis and Lamb Chop sang, danced, entertained and educated their way into the hearts of children and their parents for more than four decades. Now this television icon is being celebrated in a new book, which is co-written by Shari's daughter, Mallory Lewis, and Nat Segaloff. “Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop” was released on October 18 and is availiable wherever books are sold. We’re all going to die. And most of us will get very sick before we do; requiring someone to take care of us. Usually that someone is a family member likely not qualified to act as nurse. This is what happened to Ann Brenoff and what’s currently happening to 53 million Americans thrown into the difficult role of caregiver. Brenoff chronicles her onerous experience and frustrations with a touch of humor in her book. “Caregivers Are Mad As Hell! Rants from the Very Sick Man in Room 5029” is available on Amazon. Growing up in Malibu in the 1970s and ’80s, Burkesmith had what looked like a charmed life. Burkesmith’s heartfelt true story of how he found meaning in his pain and suffering. He details the experience of turning the magnifying glass back on himself and taking charge of his life. He has sought to repair his broken family, all the while inspiring and uplifting others. It’s a story of love, of faith, forgiveness, and, ultimately, personal transformation. "The Matador and the Mustang (Part 1)" is availiable wherever books are sold. At the age of 12, Wendy had a relationship with Bart Baker, who is her husband now. The young couple often hung out with Bart’s dad and his girlfriend. Jim Baker eventually changed his name to Father, then Father Yod, and eventually Yahowah. By the time Wendy was 14, after a “difficult childhood” she ran away from home and joined Yahowah’s commune. “My Name was Mushroom: My Life as a Teenage Runaway,” is available on Amazon, Audible, Kindle, and in West Hollywood at Book Soup.
Local Talent
— Honore De Balzac
Exposure
Documentary of an international all-female team’s successful trek to the North Pole exposure-film.com
“Exposure” is a documentary film currently making the film festival rounds, already winning 12 awards. And, in an unusual twist for Hollywood, it’s an almost all-female endeavor. Director Holly Morris, the crew, and the team that made the trek to the North Pole in 2018 are all women. “It all started at Blue Bottle coffee in Malibu and went to the North Pole,” executive producer and Malibu resident Nancy P. Sanders said. 13 women from around the world underwent 18 months of physical training. The meeting place for the actual expedition was in Norway's Svalbard, the northernmost community in the world. The team flew from Norway to Barneo, and then a helicopter dropped them and their hundreds of pounds of gear off at 2 a.m. into -39°F temperatures about 62 miles from the North Pole. It was daylight 24/7 when they began their 10-day ski. The documentary is now a finalist for the prestigious Jackson Wild Media "Breakthrough Film" Award, which recognizes excellence and innovation in nature, science and conservation storytelling; and also a nominee for the 2022 Green Film Network Awards.
Violet Saturn
Up-and-coming band from Malibu is about to hit the road to go on tour to promote new single VioletSaturn.com
The group Violet Saturn is fronted by Spencer Carr Reed and his sister Lauren. The siblings are only 20 and 17 years old, respectively. Lauren is still a senior at Malibu High School, yet their youth has not stopped these two Malibu teens from following their rock and roll dreams. The Carr Reeds have been writing music and playing in bands since they were children. After settling on the name Violet Saturn, the band picked up steam playing before an appreciative hometown crowd at the Malibu Chili Cook-Off in 2017 and 2018. Even the Woolsey Fire that destroyed their home and all of their possessions didn’t stop the pair from pursuing their rock and roll fantasies that are now becoming a reality; neither did the pandemic. The duo was invited as guests on the powerhouse station’s morning show in July to release their song, “Who Is She?” After performing a showcase for record executives in Los Angeles right before COVID struck, the pair was invited to Nashville, where they caught the ears of more record industry big wigs. Violet Saturn eventually signed with Big Machine Records.
