PlayNotes - Season 49, Issue 4 - Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas

Written by Richard Blanco & Vanessa Garcia

Discussion Series

Join us for a Book Club-style Page to Stage with the Portland Public Library. Check out your copy of the script and join us two weeks before previews of each Mainstage Production. Scripts are available at the reference desk at the Main Branch of the Portland Public Library. This year discussions will be held in the Rines Room at 1:30pm two weeks before a show opens. Feel free to come and chat about the plays with Literary Manager, Todd Brian Backus; his Directing and Dramaturgy Apprentices, and special guests. Visit portlandlibrary.com/programs-events/ for more information.

The Artistic Perspective , hosted by Artistic Director Anita Stewart, is an opportunity for audience members to delve deeper into the themes of the show through conversation with special guests. A different scholar, visiting artist, playwright, or other expert will join the discussion each time. The Artistic Perspective discussions are held after the first Sunday matinee performance.

Curtain Call discussions offer a rare opportunity for audience members to talk about the production with the performers. Through this forum, the audience and cast explore topics that range from the process of rehearsing and producing the text to character development to issues raised by the work Curtain Call discussions are held after the second Sunday matinee performance.

All discussions are free and open to the public. Show attendance is not required. To subscribe to a discussion series performance, please call the Box Office at 207.774.0465.

HannaH Cordes, Paula Vogel, anita stewart, and todd Brian BaCkus in a talkBaCk, Portland stage ComPany.

Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas

By Richard Blanco and Vanessa Garcia

PlayNotes Season 49 Editorial Staff

Editor in Chief

Todd Brian Backus

Contributors

Audrey Erickson, Nick Hone, Moira O'Sullivan, Rachel Ropella, & Liana SC

Copy Editor

Adam Thibodeau

Cover Illustration

Cody Brackett

Portland Stage Company Educational Programs, like PlayNotes, are generously supported through the annual donations of hundreds of individuals and businesses, as well as special funding from:

Table of Contents

Letter from the Editors 5

Portland Stage's Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas

About the Play 6 Focus Questions and Pre-Show Activites 7 About the Characters 8 Post-Show Activites 10

An Interview with the Playwrights and Director - Richard Blanco, Vanessa Garcia, and Sally Wood 11 Background on Blanco and Garcia 13

The World of Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas

Cuban Revolution 14 Immigration to Miami 16 Migratory Patterns in Maine 17

Cuban Desserts and Baked Goods 18 Santera, Caracoles, and Oshun 20 Glossary 21

Digging Deeper Found Family Narratives 24 New Age Spiritualism 25

Extras

Recommended Resources 27 Education and Outreach at PSC 28

Letter from the Editors

Dear PlayNotes Readers,

Welcome to an edition of PlayNotes that is sure to make you hungry for soemthing sweet!

In this issue, we explore the world of Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas, a world premiere production here at Portland Stage. Written by Richard Blanco and Vanessa Garcia, this new play follows Cuban-American baker Bea as she decides whether she should return to her hometown of Miami and reconnect with her estranged mother or stay in her close-knit Maine community and bring her heritage and recipes to this neck of the woods. Curious about the process of new pay development and the journey that this story has taken since the writers first began? Check out our "Interview with the Director and Playwrights- Sally Wood, Richard Blanco and Vanessa Garcia" (pg. 11) and get a deeper understanding of the writers' personal creative journeys in "Background on Blanco and Garcia" (pg. 13).

We explore the world of Sweet Goats with the articles “Cuban Revolution” (pg. 14), “Immigration to Miami” (pg. 16) and "Migratory Patterns in Maine" (pg. 17) and give some further information on the Cuban traditions showcased in the play in "Cuban Desserts and Baked Goods" (pg. 18) and "Santera, Caracoles, and Oshun" (pg. 20). Want to learn more about how themes in Sweet Goats appear in popular culture? Head over to articles “‘Found Family Narratives” (pg. 24) and "New Age Spiritualism" (pg. 25).

When compiling each issue of PlayNotes, we strive to provide articles and interviews that give you insight into what the process has been like behind the scenes (see articles in “Portland Stage’s Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas”), contain pertinent information about the play’s setting and major themes (“The World of Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas”), and provide deeper dives into specific subjects that compelled our literary department (“Digging Deeper”). We include a list of books, films, plays, and television shows that we hope audiences will access for more cultural content that relates to the play (“Recommended Resources”).

We are so excited to have you join us in welcoming this fresh-out-of-the-oven play to our stage and we hope you enjoy seeing a Maine story on the Mainstage.

Sincerely yours,

The Portland Stage Literary Department Audrey Erickson

Rachel Ropella Moira O’Sullivan Todd Brian Backus

About the Play

by Audrey Erickson

We’ve all heard the old saying: “made with love.” Baking—a science, an art, and (potentially) a timeconsuming and messy undertaking—fits the saying perfectly. Often, baking is done to celebrate, to share, and to bring people together. This is certainly the case with the main character of Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas; Bea is a Cuban-American bakery owner living in a small town in Maine. While she undoubtedly bakes with love, she also folds her identity, her worries, and her hopes into her pastry dough.

Originally from Miami, Bea misses home, but loves the life she has built for herself in Maine. When she shares her conflict with her Tío Eme, he shows up at her doorstep in an attempt to convince her to move back home, despite her estranged relationship with her mother, Marilyn. As the two spend time together, Bea shows Eme her life in Maine: her bakery, her town, and the quirky cast of characters she calls family. These Mainers and Cuban Americans remind us that we all need a community, that it’s never too late to forgive, and—no matter how far you fly—there is no place like home.

A heartfelt play by poet Richard Blanco and theater artist Vanessa Garcia, Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas mixes up complex relationships, crank calls, and a whole lot of flour, and comes out of the oven (and onto the stage) as a warm and perfectly sweet story for audiences both local and from away.

Sweet GoatS & BlueBerry SeñoritaS

PiCtured, BaCk row: karen Ball, JezaBel montero (aea), keVin o'leary (aea), dustin tuCker (aea)

Front row: Jl rey (aea), asHley alVarez (aea)

Focus Questions

by Liana SC and Nick Hone

1. Do some research on the background of Cuban Punto Guajiro. Where did it originate? What defines it as a unique style?

2. Read the PlayNotes article on traditional Cuban baking (pg. 18). What are some popular dishes? What common trends do you see? Discuss.

3. Family tradition is a hugely important part of this play. Are there any traditions your caregivers and community have passed down to you?

4. A constant theme in the show is familial conflict, especially surrounding the idea of pain and forgiveness. Think of a time where there was conflict in your family. What was the road to forgiveness like? When did you see similar feelings depicted in the show?

5. What does the play’s poetic writing style add to these characters? Choose one character and analyze their specific use of poetic devices and language throughout the play. Find someone who chose a different character and compare and contrast their use of language.

Pre-Show Activities

by Liana SC and Nick Hone

1. The play often described places and people through the lens of flavor, ie. “Cubans love their sugar” or “it's too sweet for Maine.” As a group, come up with a list of words that describe baked goods. Then, choose 3-4 of those words to describe each of the following: yourself, your hometown, and your family. Discuss with the group what those words mean to you.

2. Read the PlayNotes articles on the Cuban revolution (pg. 14) and Cuban immigration to the United States (pg. 16). Discuss the impacts on the Cuban American population and their relationship with both the US and Cuba.

3. There are a few scenes where Bea uses caracoles, or symbolic cowrie shells, in a santería based ritual to divine the future. Read the PlayNotes article on Santera, Caracoles, and the Oshun (pg. 20) and discuss Santería and its traditions, and its importance in afro-cuban cultural heritage.

4. Get into a group of three and divide the following topics evenly amongst your group. Research your topic, then share what you have discovered with the other members of your group. (The United States’ colonial control of Cuba, The US Trade embargo of Cuba, or the Pedro Pan program)

5. This script uses baking as a metaphor for life experience. In your own words, write out a recipe for your life up to this point. Include an ingredient list and a set of cooking instructions!

6. Vanessa Garcia and Richard Blanco are accomplished artists in their own fields. Read the PlayNotes article covering them (pg. 13), then choose one and present what you learned to a partner.

About the Characters

by Audrey Erickson

Name: Ashley Alvarez (AEA) Character: Beatriz Owner of Café Eleguá. Hardworking, caring, and hopelessly stubborn, Bea is torn between two homes. She is a carbon copy of her mother, Marilyn. Makes a mean pastelito.

Name: JL Rey (AEA) Character: Tío Eme Bea’s uncle. Full of life, love, and joy, Eme is not without his demons. He loves his family and only wants the best for his niece and his sister. A baker in his own right.

Name: Jezabel Montero (AEA) Character: Marilyn Bea’s mother. Bossy, matter-of-fact, and just as stubborn as her daughter, Marilyn is haunted by her past. She misses her daughter but doesn’t know how to forgive her or ask for her own forgiveness. More of a home cook than a baker.

Name: Karen Ball Character: Georgette

Bea’s friend and neighbor. Eccentric, well-coiffed, and not a free spirit, Georgie is recovering from a recent breakup with Maynard. She is lonely and looking to fill the void—with spiritual practices or a “forever person,” anything will do. Do not try her blueberry pies.

Name: Dustin Tucker (AEA) Character: Blake

Bea’s friend and fellow from-away-er. Witty, supportive, and a smoker trying to quit, Blake is searching for a purpose. His marriage to local vet Morty has been on the rocks for some time now, and he’s hoping to get the magic back. Not much of a baker, but a budding fromagier.

Name: Kevin O'Leary (AEA) Character: Maynard

Bea’s friend and regular customer. Stalwart, introspective, and gruff, Maynard is navigating some big life changes and seeking some forgiveness. He is very worried about his beloved bird, Clarice. Can’t even operate an oven, but whittles all day long.

Post-Show Activities

by Liana SC and Nick Hone

1. The final scene centers around a call and response poem; what the Mainer’s call “riffin” and what Tío Eme calls a “Punto Guajiro.” Find a small group and practice this yourselves. What does it remind you of? Can you write your own small “riff?" What images come to mind? What rhythms do you discover?

2. A few consistent symbols in the show are birds, with Maynard’s love bird and Bea’s cardinal. What do you think the addition of these symbols meant? What type of bird represents you or how you are feeling today? Draw or describe your bird.

3. Bea and the rest of the characters in Sweet Goats are a very mixed bunch to find in small town Maine. Read the PlayNotes article about Migratory Patterns in Maine (pg. 17), and discuss with a partner. What groups of people come and go from your town? Are you or anyone you know “from away” (from outside of Maine)? How and why did you (or they) move here?

4. At the end of the script, the audience is asked to join the world of the play by going to the bakery. Why do you think this was included? How did it feel as an audience member to be included in the show? Discuss with a group.

Sweet GoatS & BlueBerry

PiCtured From leFt to rigHt: assistant direCtor/dramaturg audrey eriCkson, PlaywrigHts riCHard BlanCo and Vanessa garCia, and direCtor sally wood

An Interview with the Playwrights and Director

Richard Blanco, Vanessa Garcia, and Sally Wood

Edited for Length and Clarity by Audrey Erickson

Audrey Erickson (AE): How exciting is it that this is the first play you've ever written?

Richard Blanco (RB): Yes. What a journey. As a poet, you do workshop your work and whatnot, [but] it's not very collaborative. That's been one of the most surprising and wonderful things, to realize just how collaborative [theater] is—from the prop folks to the actors, the director, even the director of the theater—everyone somehow has a hand in this and it feels awesome.

AE: Vanessa, what was your process like coming into this play?

Vanessa Garcia (VG): First of all, Sally [Wood] has been with us from the start. So that's a blessing, one, because she's Sally, and two, because you don't get to always be with the same director on a thing. And so, you're moving and developing the piece together in an extremely loving room all the time. When I came in, [Richard] had come to see a show of mine in Miami, and it had sort of a Cuban theme. Then we went to go have a martini and we started talking about this [project] and I don't know how but at the end, we were like co-writing this thing. We started with a new page so that we could come in together, which was really generous and fun.

AE: Sally, you've been with this play a long time, too. What was exciting about it to you?

Sally Wood (SW): It's just different from other plays. I can't even really articulate how, it's just this experience that you have. It is a play, it follows play rules, but there's something that I can't quite categorize. When people experience it, they come out lighter and smiling. It just feels like we've all been in something together, which I think is really remarkable.

AE: What is the most exciting part of watching a play change so much?

SW: When we were leaving rehearsal yesterday, Richard's like, "We cut so much, but I don't miss it." And that's a great feeling. It's like we're getting the play to its essence.

VG: From the first time Sally saw the draft, one character died and two characters disappeared.

SW: That's right! I forgot. Yeah, that's the way it goes!

VG: I love being in the room, I love making changes live. I never start in a place of preciousness because it's the closest thing to life we have and that's ever changing anyway. Where do things have to go? What has to get lifted, what has to be there in the first round, so that it's sort of echoing, as a sort of pentimento later. That tapestry is the best thing ever. I just think it's so fun.

RB: For me, as a first-time playwright, it was great to see how much the actors bring to it. Understanding the play from their perspective, it's just so cool. Nobody asks me what they need from my poem. Getting in their head and realizing, oh, my god, another piece of the collaboration, that's so essential. I think that in some ways, it is like poetry in the sense that you're trying to find out, what is the bare bones with this? Do I need 40 lines? Can I do it in 15? And if I'm gonna do the 15, it's usually a better piece.

SW: I've never seen more gracious, grateful, egoless [writers]. You can say anything about [the play] and they're like, "Do I think that? Yeah, I think that," or "No, that's not what I'm trying to say." I haven't had to hold anything back. Every thought comes right out. And I think that's a really special, safe play place. The actors [are] so excited, too, because they're being listened to in a way that actors

typically are not; they don't [usually] get this kind of input. And so they're seeing like, "Oh, I said this about my character. And now Vanessa and Richard have written this in," and you can just see the actor like, "Oh, that's right. I'm a real part of this process now."

VG: It's a kind of blessing that we have people who are tracking each character individually because when you're writing a novel, you've got to track them all in your head. And if you're missing some part of it—you lose threads, you know. They won't allow you to do that, because they're like, "My journey, it's missing this," and that's super valuable.

RB: That's a great analogy, if you finished your draft of a novel and you actually had your characters talking to you. "Do you remember page 43? I don't know what I'm doing there."

AE: How do your past creative experiences (as poets and novelists, etc.) influence how each of you go about writing a play?

VG: I kind of think everything is [collaborative], even novel writing because you end up working with an editor. You're never really alone, you're alone for a little while, when you're getting the stuff out. But then eventually, I gotta get it into the world, so there's always some kind of a process. I don't know if the vehicle finds the theme or the theme finds the vehicle, when you write in different mediums, but I mean, [Sweet Goats] very much feels like a play.

RB: I've always liked theater, and I was historically a very poor reader because we didn't speak English in the house. We had no books in the house except books on how to learn English. So I would always do my book reports on plays because I thought, "I can get through it." And so initially when I got asked to write the play, I was like, "Yeah!" But it is the most challenging genre I've ever attempted. wwAnd now [that] I've seen the beauty of it, it's actually affecting how I write poetry in the sense of less is more. I find myself writing shorter poems and trusting almost the poem itself as an actor, that the poem will do the work that it needs to do and don't have to

superimpose or overwrite it. And that's been a great sort of "aha”!

AE: Our character Bea uses baking as a way to connect to her home and to her identity. Is there a meal that connects you to your roots, connects you to your home, memories?

RB: For me, it's partly baked goods like pastelitos of all kinds, which are basically like a turnover but not really, with meat or cheese or guava. Sometimes when I visit Miami, that's all I do. I don't even need full meals. I just go to every bakery I can, and get wired on Cuban coffee and down these pastries all day.

VG: I think of French bread first. That seems a little weird. But my grandfather taught me to bake while telling me the family story. And you know, the thing that you learn as a kid is "Oh, wait, baking is about waiting." You're just waiting the whole time. So then what happens is you fill the kitchen with stories. So for me when I think of my roots and my family story, even though we're so based in Cuba, it's a baguette.

SW: I think this play is teaching me about food in a way that I typically don't experience food. I'm British-born and my mother was Canadian. So we had the worst food—scoopable meats, boiled potatoes... Food was something to be endured. It was never the kitchen filled with stories. It was "it's gonna be done in 15 minutes."

RB: It's particular also for immigrants and exiles because you can't just find Cuban food. But also it's this way of not only connecting to your family, but to your culture, to your past, or the country that we came from, that some of us weren't even born there. It's that kind of connection. I just discovered [Sal de la Tierra] around the corner yesterday and I got to speak Spanish, which was so cool. They make patacones, which are fried plantains. I'm like, "These are better than in Miami." And I was like, "Oh, I gotta bring back some for the Cubans [in the cast]. They're gonna flip out.

Want to hear the extended interview? Give a listen to the PlayNotes Podcast! Listen now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify,

Background on Blanco and Garcia

by Moira O'Sullivan

deep love for and belief in writing. "Language matters,” he told NBC News.”That's how [poetry] can help heal us—by asking questions we aren't asking of ourselves and others, by changing the conversation, the rhetoric, the discourse, so that we can see beyond abstract language of sociopolitical jargon and arrive at greater truths."

From Cuba to Madrid to New York to Miami to Maine, Richard Blanco has been a man of the world since his mother left Cuba while seven months pregnant with him. The Cuban American poet has lived his life searching for the meaning of home, feeling torn between his Cuban heritage, his Spanish birth, his Miami adolescence, and his childhood yearning to be as American as the Brady Bunch. He has found himself and his home through his writing, piecing together the mosaic of his identity, like so many others in this country whose families come from away. It wasn’t until Blanco was personally asked by President Obama in 2013 to write a poem to read at his second inauguration that the conflicting pieces of his identity fell into place. “For the first time in my life I knew I had a place at the American table. I had found my place. The greatest gift of the whole experience was to realize that I was home all along,” Blanco told NPR. He was at that time the youngest, the first openly gay, and the first Latinx poet to take the podium at an inauguration. Sitting next to his Cuban immigrant mother on stage, he and his poem “One Today” represented the many Americans who come from a vast array of cultures and call this place home.

Since that life-changing moment, Blanco has continued to explore themes of identity and his place in this country in his published books of poetry How to Love a Country and Boundaries, and shares his unique journey in his memoir, The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood Blanco now calls Bethel, Maine, home, as far away from Miami as he can get. He travels giving speeches and workshops, spreading his

A poet at heart, Blanco’s first foray into playwriting wouldn’t be complete without his writing partner and fellow Cuban American and Miamian, Vanessa Garcia. Their joint interest in themes of searching for identity in their work have informed the creative process of Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas. Garcia is a Cuban American multidisciplinary writer: screenwriter, playwright, novelist, and journalist. When describing her work, she says, “My intention as an artist is to record and illuminate the world in which I live.” Her debut novel, White Light, follows a visual artist who gets her big break at a gallery just as her Cuban-immigrant father dies. She must deal with her grief, her heritage, and the pressure to create good art. It was named a Best Book of 2015 by NPR.

Much of her work explores what it means to be, as she calls herself, an “ABC,” or Americanborn Cuban. She was a passenger on the first cruise ship to sail to Cuba in fifty years back in 2016, an emotional journey returning to the land that her family had fled. In the essay she wrote about the experience for Narratively, she said of her nerves before arrival, “For me it feels like a hurricane is making its way through my gut. The ghosts of my family’s stories are bumping up against my skin, from the inside out.” These stories are what propel her own storytelling, be it memoir, fiction, plays, or screenplays. Garcia’s acute awareness of what her family has experienced comes through in her own writing as she navigates her parents’ impact on herself and her life in Miami. As she explains, “Havana existed before I ever saw it for myself—in my bones, my collective unconscious, my DNA.”

riCHard BlanCo and Vanessa garCia, PHoto By James Hadley

The Cuban Revolution

by Rachel Ropella

From 1953 to 1959, the Cuban Revolution was a political and military movement to overthrow the Cuban government led by Fulgencio Batista. Batista, a former military officer, had been elected President of Cuba and served from 1940 to 1944. Prior to being president, he had controlled the nation behind the scenes as the self-appointed chief of the military. By using the threat of military action, Batista was able to force any president of Cuba that he disliked to resign, and he would then replace them with his preferred candidate. When Batista's handpicked successor lost to Dr. Ramón Grau San Martin in the 1944 election, Batista fled the country and worked to disenfranchise the incoming Grau administration. In 1952, Batista ran again for the Cuban presidency. When it became clear that he was not going to win, he staged a coup with military backing and seized power three months prior to the election.

At the time, America backed Batista’s coup and profited, but soon Cubans and politicians of other countries became wary. Senator John F. Kennedy remarked on how the US “publicly praised Batista—hailed him as a staunch ally and a good friend—at a time when Batista was murdering thousands, destroying the last vestiges of freedom, and stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the Cuban people, and we failed to press for free elections.” It was in

this environment that an international spotlight was thrown onto Cuba and the seeds of the revolution were sown.

Historians cite July 26, 1953, as the start of the Cuban Revolution. A young Fidel Castro led an attack on the Santiago de Cuba army barracks in an attempt to overthrow Batista. Castro, who was 27 years old at the time, had been a rising candidate for Congress in the 1952 election that Batista had halted. The attack was meant to be a rally to the people to reject the current government, with Castro wanting a new government to instate open elections and progressive social programs to help the impoverished. However, during the attack on the barracks, Castro and his core group were captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison. During his public trial, Castro denounced the government’s corruption, achieving national recognition and gaining a reputation as a hero among lower-class Cubans.

In May of 1955, the government released many political prisoners after facing international pressures, including Castro, who fled to Mexico and began to organize the revolutionary organization called the 26th of July Movement, named after the inciting Santiago de Cuba attack. Other key revolutionaries affiliated with Castro included Che Guevara and Camilo

a grouP oF Fidel Castro's July 26 moVement reBels mounted on Horses and BrandisHing CuBan Flags

Cienfuegos, who worked together to strategize while in Mexico before they all returned to Cuba the next year.

The 26th of July Movement and other rebel groups gained power and momentum through urban and rural guerrilla warfare. By the end of 1958, Batista’s larger army was scattered in their attempts to stop the revolutionists. After Cienfuegos and Guevara’s small armies were able to capture and “liberate” small towns and villages, they met with Castro and laid siege to the city of Santa Clara from December 28–30 of 1958. After the 26th of July Movement captured valuable military weapons and forced the remaining government to hand leadership over to them, Batista fled the country. On January 1, 1959 the Cuban Revolution had ended with Castro’s the 26th of July Movement taking over the government in Havana.

impacted the economic health of Cuba. The US also established the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, granting lawful permanent residency to any Cuban citizen who had settled in the United States for at least a year prior.

For many, the Cuban Revolution holds a complicated legacy. Castro and the 26th of July Movement became deeply inspirational to revolutionaries throughout Latin America, causing young people to think critically and rise up against corrupt governments. However, Cuba became an area of international focus during the Cold War as tension grew between America and the USSR, leading to strained historical moments such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, in which ballistic missiles were deployed to the island by the USSR and almost led to a nuclear war. Well into the first decade of the 21st century, Cuba and the United States have maintained a tense relationship that is slowly mending through cultural exchanges and a loosened trade embargo.

However the Cuban Americans who left as exiles during the waves of migration from the ’60s to the ’80s still share deep pride for their Cuban heritage and remain passionately, politically engaged with both countries. “An identity as exiles has colored all aspects of the life of Cubans in the United States,” observed Guillermo Grenier, a Cuban professor of sociology at Florida International University. “It has shaped the social life of the Cuban American community and reinforced a sense of exceptionalism…and it has determined the nature of their participation in the political life of the new country.”

While Castro had called for free general elections under the 26th of July Movement, it was clear once he was in power that elections would be postponed indefinitely and that Castro was to have complete authority. Under Castro, Cuba became the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere, backed by the USSR. Furthermore, it became a one-party state where any dissenters were jailed and the free press was banned. After these changes in 1959 and throughout the ’60s, an exile began as Cuban migrants fled to America (especially to southern Florida) to find a better life. Under thenPresident Kennedy, the United States imposed a trade embargo with Cuba in 1962 which deeply

CienFuegos and Castro, entering HaVana in January 1959

Immigration to Miami

by Rachel Ropella

Florida is home to many iconic landmarks and attractions, but one city truly stands out: Miami, known for its Latin American cultural influences and as the hub for Cuban culture in the US. In Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas , the Ramirez family immigrated to Miami during the Cuban Revolution, which was the case for many Cuban immigrants during the 1960s. In fact, between 1961 and 1970, over 290,000 Cubans arrived in the United States. A Cuban community had been established in Florida before this wave of immigration because of the economic and political connections between the Hispanic Caribbean and the US from sugar imports during the 19th century. However, it was not until the exodus of the Cuban exiles in 1959 and Operation Peter Pan (also known as Operación Pedro Pan ) that Miami became the heart of the Cuban American community.

As the new Cuban government began to ally with the Soviet Union in 1959, an exodus began, causing tens of thousands of Cubans to leave their country. The vast majority of those first leaving were from Cuba's educated, landowning upper class as well as unaccompanied Cuban minors. In Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas , Tío Eme recalls how his immigration journey began when he and his sister were put on a plane by their parents as part of the American program Peter Pan. Operation Peter Pan was a secret exodus led by the US State Department and the Catholic Charities of Miami as they helped over 14,000 children ages 4 to 18 travel unaccompanied to the United States

from 1960 to 1962. Steve Velasquez, the associate curator of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, notes, “Since there was no US embassy in Cuba after the revolution, the State Department partnered with the Catholic Church to grant special visa waivers for children to come safely to the US and eventually be reunited with their parents and family members.” Though many children were reunited with their families quickly, others went into foster care and struggled as they were encouraged to assimilate and learn English while wanting to maintain their cultural identity.

To provide aid to the immigrant families and children of Operation Peter Pan, Congress passed the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966, helping those who had entered the US after 1959 become permanent residents. The Cuban Refugee Program also provided more than $1.3 billion of direct financial assistance, Medicare, free English courses, scholarships, and low-interest college loans. This support helped the Cuban community and the city of Miami as a whole to flourish with new businesses and a dynamic art scene that it is still known for today. In particular, the Miami neighborhood Little Havana is at the heart of the city’s Cuban community and hosts the annual Calle Ocho street festival, which started in 1978 as a way for Cuban immigrants to express themselves and educate South Floridians about their culture. The festival is now attended by over 1 million people each year.

While Calle Ocho and Little Havana thrive in Miami, the experience of Cuban immigrants can still be complicated and isolating. Now adults, many of those who were brought to Miami through Peter Pan talk about how their journey shaped their identity, and the complexity of identifying as both Cuban and American. It can especially be difficult for families that have been separated and

a mural in tHe miami neigHBorHood oF litttle HaVana

are seeking political reform and change in both countries. For many, it is their love of their family and shared culture that helps them stay connected and thrive in cities like Miami. In an op-ed for The Miami New Times , Cuban professor of sociology, Guillermo Grenier observed, “Over 70 percent of Cuban Americans in South Florida have family on

the island. Fifty percent still send money to family and friends there. These are powerful sentiments in the community that need to be recognized and nurtured… The family is the bridge between Cuba and the diaspora [in Miami], between the Cuba of today and the Cuba of tomorrow.”

Migratory Patterns in Maine

by Moira O'Sullivan

In Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas, Bea’s family’s immigration from Cuba to the United States is part of a long tradition of people bringing their cultures and traditions to this country. While Maine is still statistically the oldest and whitest state according to the 2014 US Census, which reported a 95% Caucasian population, Maine’s immigrant population has been steadily increasing. The foreign-born population grew by 19.6% between 2000 and 2011, and by 2013, immigrants comprised 3.4% of the state’s 1.3 million residents. As of 2018, they rose to 4% of the population, with the top countries of origin for new Maine residents being Canada (18% of immigrants), the Philippines (9%), Germany (7%), India (6%), and Korea (5%). That same year, reports show that 24,885 immigrants (52%) were naturalized and that 12,413 immigrants were eligible to become naturalized.

But what do all these statistics really mean? As more and more foreign-born people have become Mainers, the state has seen a rise in racial diversity, going from 95% Caucasian in 2014 to 90% in 2020, with the Portland area (Cumberland County) at 87%. While Maine’s White population is still very high (especially when compared to the national average of 61%), the increasingly more diverse population can be tied to many families like Bea’s in Sweet Goats, who have found new homes and communities in New England.

While immigration continues to be a hotbutton issue in the United States, the numbers don’t lie: immigration is a good thing. Not only is it how most of the population ended up in this country in the first place (if you’re

not of Native American heritage, you too come from a line of immigrants), but it’s what keeps our society moving forward. Immigrant communities are more beneficial than many realize. In Maine, they have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes; as consumers, they add over a billion dollars to Maine’s economy; and as entrepreneurs (like small-business owners Bea and Tío Eme), they generate millions in business revenue. In 2014, immigrant-owned businesses generated $60.8 million in business income and employed 14,659 people in the state.

There are, of course, countless things that immigrants bring to our community that cannot be measured in statistics. Portland’s exceptional restaurant and dining options, our vibrant arts scene, and our thriving city life are all due in part to the various cultures and traditions that have been brought here by others. It would be a mistake to discount their contributions, but how do we support our new neighbors going forward? A few places to start: seek out immigrant-owned businesses or donate to nonprofits helping to accommodate new arrivals. Portland is one of the fastestgrowing locations for asylum seekers, most recently many from African countries. Volunteering for and donating to the city’s initiatives to help the inpouring of refugees is a great way to get involved. Check out the City of Portland’s website (portlandmaine.gov) or contact the city manager’s office for how you can make a donation toward providing housing assistance and basic human necessities to asylum seekers in the area.

Cuban Desserts and Baked Goods

by Audrey Erickson

Beyond simple nourishment, food can be seen as a show of love or celebration, a gift to be given, or a way of bringing people together— be it with a religious or cultural tradition or through casual conversation around a kitchen table. Always reflective of the region and time in which it was developed, a culture’s cuisine can teach us about its history, traditions, values, and more. Cuban food and dessert is no exception; today, Cuba’s cuisine is deeply influenced by the country’s cultural, political, and economic history.

Cuban food is reflective of the country’s rich blend of Caribbean, Spanish, and African cultures, with nods to French, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese cuisines. Dishes favor complex flavor profiles and versatile spices that combine and borrow from these countries. Furthermore, Cuban cuisine was largely shaped by Cuba’s fluctuating access to money and resources. In 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power and the country saw subsequent economic instability, Cubans came to rely on cheap and accessible food that they could make special with technique and sparing use of seasonings. As the country’s international relations suffered over its history, more and more dishes were adapted to heavily use ingredients and products that were native to Cuba, or could be grown there following the country’s agricultural boom. As such, we see a lot of the same ingredients appear in many Cuban recipes, repurposed and inventively used to create a myriad of dishes.

The creator of Bea’s frijoles recipe, Nitza Villapol, played a huge part in shaping traditional Cuban food following Castro’s rise to power. Starting out with Cuba’s first popular televised cooking show in 1948, Villapol taught her audiences how to make classic Cuban recipes like picadillo (a stew made with beef, tomatoes, olives, and raisins), vaca frita (fried shredded beef), and arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). Her recipes and approaches changed over the course of her nearly 50-

year tenure in response to the changing national landscape. She eliminated ingredients from her cookbooks that had been sourced from America before the Cuban-American embargo, and she made creative use of pieces of scrap food and unpopular cuts of meat that would have previously been thrown out. Although it was considered a “peasant” dish, Villapol announced congri (rice and beans) to be “a cornerstone of Cuban culture.” She continuously adapted classic recipes to fit the resources of a typical Cuban household.

This period of Cuban history has impacted the country’s traditional baked goods as well. Cuban bread was traditionally a short, round loaf of soft, leavened bread. Following the Cuban war for independence, flour became less accessible since it was largely imported from other countries, and Cuba’s government put a ration on many staple foods and ingredients, flour included. In an effort to adapt, Cuban bakers made their bread into longer, flatter loaves that were easier to cut into small pieces for rationing. Even as economic and trade conditions improved, the common and wellknown bread shape never changed, creating the flaky-crusted and soft-textured bread found in Cuban bakeries today.

a tyPiCal CuBan dinner oF VaCa Frita, riCe, and Fried Bananas

Cuban desserts are an everyday occurrence and made to be extremely sweet; as Bea says, “Cubans love their sugar!” Even though they are common, Cuban desserts—as in many cultures—are especially passed around during holidays, family gatherings, and celebrations. Rice puddings, mango bars, coconut flan, and tres leches are often seen at these events.

Other treats you may see at Bea’s Café Eleguá (and could try to make yourself at home!) include:

Pastelito: A baked puff-pastry made into a pocket, filled with a sweet or savory filling.

A Recipe for Señoritas

by Raúl Musibay, Glenn Lindgren, and Jorge Castillo (Makes 4 to 6 servings)

ingredients

1 can condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk

1 can water (use the evaporated milk can)

3 egg yolks

3 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch (combine this with the water until smooth)

2 tablespoons sugar

Add last: 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature

1 sheet from 1 package of Pepperidge Farm

Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets

1/2 cup powdered sugar (approximate)

Filling:

1. Combine the first five ingredients in a medium pot.

2. Stir on low heat until mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency.

Brazo de Gitano: A cake roll, filled with frosting and jelly (often guava).

Señorita: A flaky pastry filled with layers of creamy custard, traditionally chocolate or vanilla

3. Remove from heat, add vanilla and butter and beat with a wire whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until cool.

Pastry:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Cut the pastry sheet into 3 strips along the fold marks. Place the pastry strips onto baking sheets. Handle the pastry as little as possible!

3. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown. Remove the pastry sheets from the baking sheets and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Split the three baked pastries into 2 layers, so that you have 6 layers in all.

Buñuelos de Viento: A small, fried dough ball, similar to a doughnut.

Cake de Ron: A rum cake, especially popular at Christmas.

4. Sprinkle some powdered sugar to cover all of the layers. Assemble the señorita by spreading approximately 3/4 cup of the filling on the first layer. Top this layer with a second layer, again spreading the filling on top. Finally cover this layer with a third piece of pastry.

5. REPEAT this process with the remaining three puff pastry layers. (When done you will have two large pastries, each with three layers.)

6. Slice these rather large pastries into individually sized portions with a wet serrated knife. For easier slicing, refrigerate the señoritas for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Santera, Caracoles, and Oshun

by Rachel Ropella

In Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas, Bea uses her mother’s caracoles, also known as cowrie shells, to seek out answers for both herself and her friend Georgie. While Bea says that she is not a santera (a priestess of Santería) nor does she practice Santería, she still performs this ritual that has been passed down within her family. But what is Santería? How does one learn their future through caracoles? Below, we’ve created a quick guide to help you learn more about this African diasporic religion that is found in Cuba.

Santería: Santería as a religion developed in Cuba during the late 19th century and came out of the West African diaspora, emerging among Afro-Cuban communities that resulted from the Atlantic slave trade. The practice combines elements of the Yoruba religion of West Africa, Roman Catholicism, and Spiritism, and is a practiceoriented religion with rituals happening in the casa templo, a house of worship, hosted by a santera or santero. While a 2015 Univision survey found that only 13% of Cubans stated they currently practiced Santería, Cuban anthropologist Rafael López Valdés suggested that “many who are not [Santería] initiates still turn to local santeros and santeras in their community for assistance on practical or personal matters,” and that it is still deeply infused into the Cuban culture.

Orishas: Santería is a polytheistic religion, having multiple deities called the Orishas (also known as Orichas) that serve Olodumare, who created the earth. In the practice of Santería, a patakí is a story told about the Orishas in the oral tradition and gives a moral lesson to the listening audience. For example, in Cuban Santería, Oshun (or Ochún) is an Orisha known as the patron of love, maternity, and marriage. In a patakí of Olodumare creating the earth, he realized that the world needed the qualities of love and sweetness as that would make life better and more meaningful. Therefore, Olodumare created Oshun and sent her to earth to help people learn to cultivate these qualities in themselves.

Divination with Caracoles: Divination is a key part of Santería with a santera or santero reading the caracoles. One might think that this form of divination is like fortune telling, but that is not the case; this is a sacred ritual in which the reader is following specific procedures and intensive training to interpret what the Orishas are saying. In the divination, the reader will use 16 caracoles, and depending on how many are facing up (open) and how many are facing down (closed), the reader will know what message the Orisha has sent. Bea explains this to Georgette in Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas, saying, “The Orishas trust you’ll know how to interpret their messages. You just have to take it all in and see.”

Bea's CaraColes in Portland stage's ProduCtion.

Glossary

by Audrey Erickson

Burgoo: A favorite Kentucky meal: a stew with pork, beef chuck, chicken, corn, carrots, onion, celery, and lima beans.

Calabasa: Spanish term for a winter squash.

Camaguey: Cuba's third-largest city with more than 321,000 inhabitants.

CrossFit: A popular form of interval training, a strength and conditioning workout that is made up of functional movement performed at a high intensity. The movements are actions that you perform in your day-to-day life, like squatting, pulling, pushing, etc.

Dissidents: Individuals who publicly express strong discontent or criticism towards, or demand change of, the government. Historically, in many dictatorships, dissidents are sought and jailed for speaking out, in fear of the escalation of revolutionary ideals or organization against the system in power.

Fromagier: A cheesemonger, or one who sells (and often makes) cheeses.

Caracoles: Consecrated cowrie shells, used for the Santerian divination practice called dilogún or caracoles.

Caveat: A warning of conditions or limitations.

Chango: One of the Orishas (spirits) in the Santería and Yoruba culture of Cuba. Chango is the owner of fire, lightning, thunder, and war, but he is also the patron of music, drumming, and dancing.

Cowrie shells: A shell of a snail of the same name, identifiable by their smooth surface and egg-like shape with a long, slit-like opening. The Italian name for the shell is porcellana, from which the term “porcelain” is derived due to their similar appearances. Cowrie shells have historically been used in many cultures as currency, elements of jewelry, or decorative or ceremonial elements.

Croquetica: A diminutive of croquette, used as a term of endearment. A croquette is a breaded, deep-fried roll with a thick binder and a filling consisting of chopped meats, vegetables, cheese, rice, or pastas, or it can be a sweet roll with pastry cream and fruit.

Guaguancó: A subgenre of Cuban rumba that combines percussion, voices, and dance.

Guava: A tropical fruit native to Central and South America, grown today in Florida, Hawaii, and Southern California, among other places. Rich in vitamins A, B, and C, they are small fruits with edible pink, white, or yellow flesh and a yellow exterior when ripe. The fruit has a sweet, floral, at times musky flavor likened to strawberry or pear, and the texture of a pear, with hard small seeds throughout the flesh. Often made into jellies, jams, and pastry fillings, guava features in several traditional Cuban desserts, such as pastelitos and casquitos de guayaba (guava shells in syrup).

Plaza de agramonte in Camaguey, CuBa

a Bowl Full oF guaVas

Home study: Background check necessary to screen potential foster or adoptive parents before placing a child in their home. Home studies tend to be extensive, including a biography and background check of all adults in the household, driving records, a financial statement, family history, medical reports, documented adoption or fostering education, several interviews with all adults living in the household, and at least one interview with a personal reference.

Lazarus-case: Referring to Lazarus of Bethany, a biblical figure from the Gospel According to John, whose miraculous story sees him brought back from the dead by Jesus of Nazareth.

Manifest: To make an individual's wishes come true by mentally visualizing them. Manifestation techniques are based on the law of attraction of New Thought spirituality.

Pastelito: A traditional Cuban pastry made of puff pastry filled with guava paste, and, sometimes, softened cream cheese.

Pedro Pan: Led by Father Bryan O. Walsh of the Catholic Welfare Bureau, Operacíon Pedro Pan (Operation Peter Pan) was a clandestine exodus of over 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban minors ages 6 to 18 to the United States from 1960 to 1962. Parents feared that Fidel Castro’s government could terminate parental rights and place minors in Communist indoctrination centers. The program consisted of two main components: the mass evacuation of Cuban children via airplane to the United States—with Miami as a particularly common hub—and the programs set up to care for them once they arrived. The operation was the largest exodus of minor refugees in the Western Hemisphere at the time. It operated covertly out of fear that it would be viewed as an anti-Castro political enterprise.

Punto guajiro: Also called punto cubano or punto, it is a “poetic art with music,” and a genre of Cuban music that became popular in the 17th century. Backed by guitar and percussion, groups of singers divide into teams and improvise vocal lines over the music, chanting or singing a consistent rhythm.

Mille-feuille: A French pastry consisting of layers of puff pastry and pastry cream. Mille-feuille means one thousand sheets.

Orishas: The powerful spirits of Santería that believers interact with on a regular basis. Each Orisha has its own distinct personality and has a wide variety of strengths, weaknesses, and interests. Unlike Santería’s god, Olodumare, who created the Orishas, the Orishas are mortal spirits, kept alive by their believer’s rituals and religious practices. Because practitioners were not allowed to observe Santería when it first developed, followers of Santería made “Catholic masks” for their Orishas, assigning each spirit a Catholic saint counterpart.

Santería: An Afro-Caribbean religion, developed in the late 19th century in Cuba, based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added; the religion’s blend of cultures is in part because of its origins, being born out of the slave trade in Cuba. Santería (Way of the Saints) is largely categorized by a belief in Orishas (see Orisha) and a focus on building relationships between humans and Orishas through a number of rituals and religious practices. Rituals include drumming and dancing circles, and altar-building, where Santería candles play a prevalent role in connecting with the Orishas and giving thanks. Unlike Christianity, Islam, or Judaism, which encapsulate public worship and widely-marketed holy books, Santería is often an inherited, decentralized worship. Its practices are often shared by family members or chosen family in an inherited oral tradition.

a mille-Feuille witH strawBerries

Señorita: A Cuban dessert, traditionally made up of flaky pastry with layers of creamy chocolate or vanilla custard.

Sugar Moon: The first full moon of March, taking place on or after March 21. Named after the time of year during which maple trees begin to produce sap (signifying the start of maple syrup production).

Nitza Villapol: Often referred to as Cuba’s Julia Child, Nitza Villapol (1923-1998) rose to prominence in the 1950s, with her cooking show Cocina al Minuto. One of the first cooking television shows of modern TV, it taught viewers how to cook mostly classic Cuban recipes. Her TV show and resultant popularity continued through Fidel Castro’s rise to power and into the 1990s. Because of rapid economic changes and scarcity of resources during Castro’s rise to power, Villapol adapted and invented recipes that the average Cuban household could afford and obtain ingredients for. In her cookbooks, she included veiled signs of solidarity with the Communist state.

Tarot: A divination practice with origins in various parts of Europe wherein a seeker can gain wisdom and guidance through a specific spread (or layout) of tarot cards. The different cards of the deck hold different meanings and symbolism, and can be read to answer a seeker’s specific question or provide more general insight into their life and future.

Tourmaline crystal: A crystallized mineral group that can come in a variety of colors (but is often black), used in spiritual contexts to soak up, banish, or repel negative or evil energy, providing balance and groundedness in the lives of those who possess it.

Turks and Caicos: Two groups of islands east of Cuba; a popular tourist destination due to their warm climate and scenic beaches.

Turnover: A handheld pie formed by folding a piece of pastry around filling. A pastry with iterations in many cultures’ cuisines, they can be savory (such as empanadas) or sweet (such as apple or berry turnovers).

Tyranny: A cruel and oppressive government, in which one ruler or political group holds absolute power.

Whoopie pie: A dessert traditionally consisting of two chocolate cake-like rounds surrounding a white cream filling. It is extremely popular in Maine, with reports that it has been enjoyed by Mainers since 1925. In 2011, the Maine State Legislature designated the whoopie pie as Maine's official state treat.

a Pile oF tarot Cards

a Playe oF wHooPie Pies

Found Family Narratives

by Moira O'Sullivan

The strict concept of a nuclear family has transformed in our society, and therefore has changed in our pop culture. Our media content reflects our evolving idea of family as being not just blood relatives, but also those who understand us, support us, and stick around when the going gets tough. The “found family” trope has become increasingly popular in media. We find comfort in watching old reruns of Friends, daydream about being a regular at the bar in Cheers, and we know that if we lived in Hawkins, Indiana, we too could count on our Dungeons & Dragons crew to help us escape the Upside Down in Stranger Things

In Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas, Bea is far away from her mother and uncle back in Miami. She and her husband moved to Maine (where she knew no one) to start their life together, and she decided to stay in Maine after their relationship ended. The thing that kept her there is the community of people she had befriended. Her neighbors and regulars at the bakery are her new family, supporting her in the ups and downs of her relationship with her mother, seeing value in her and her talents, and understanding her in a different way than some of her blood relatives ever will. Without Georgie, Maynard, Blake, and Morty, her world would be a whole lot emptier.

“Found family” is also often referred to as “chosen family,” a concept that has been especially embraced by the queer community. Unfortunately, many LGBTQIA+ people have lost relationships with their parents or blood relatives after coming out. Their friends who understand and love them unconditionally

become their support system, a family they choose and who also chooses them. Because it’s an active decision on both sides to be each other’s rock, chosen family members have a strong bond that is distinct from other traditional familial dynamics. We see these relationships in plays like Rent and Angels in America, and on TV shows like Pose and Glee. Even on reality shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race, the contestants refer to their fellow competitors as their “sisters'' and often continue their friendships after the show ends. Audiences, queer-identifying or not, are comforted by these types of supportive relationships as they give us hope that even if our birth family doesn’t accept us for who we are, many people out there will.

TV shows are inherently riddled with found families because of their structure and longevity. When shows are popular and run for years, we see friendships grow stronger over an incredibly long line of episodes. After seven years of shenanigans, it broke my heart to see the gang in New Girl finally move out of their shared loft apartment, because it felt like we had all grown up in it together. It felt wrong to continue watching Grey’s Anatomy as one by one actors left the long-running show to pursue other opportunities, leaving Dr. Meredith Grey without her dysfunctional family of fellow surgeons to help her through single motherhood and the life-or-death consequences of her job. Viewers cling to these fictional found families like the characters cling to each other—yearning for connection and companionship that defies convention.

To find a family outside of your bloodline is a privilege that we are not all lucky enough to find. Of course, there are extreme circumstances that bring people together, like battling a demogorgon in Stranger Things or saving the world from the Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Whether high stakes or low stakes, there’s something heart-warming about fate bringing unlikely souls together just when they need them the most.

Friends gatHered around a taBle

New Age Spiritualism

by Moira O'Sullivan

Ask any Millennial or Gen Zer what their “big three” are and chances are good that they’ll instantly rattle off their astrology chart’s sun, moon, and rising signs and likely ask for yours in return (mine are Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Libra, but please don’t let that stop you from reading on). While the zodiac is nothing new (our concept of Western astrology dates back to the 2nd century CE), its resurgence in mainstream culture in the last few years is. According to a Pew Research Center survey released in December 2021, 29% of adults in this country said they had no religious affiliation, an increase of 6% from 2016. While younger generations have questioned some of the rationale and stricter beliefs of traditional religions, the search for answers still stands. What is our purpose? Why do we suffer? What does it all mean? After living through the traumatic COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing the evangelical alt-right’s weaponizing of Christianity in politics, many are looking to alternative religions and mystical practices for guidance. A focus on individualism, connection to nature, and a freeform “no rules” structure has made “mysticore” the new go-to lifestyle. According to another Pew survey in 2018, 20% of Americans believe in astrology, while the number of Americans who identify as Wiccan has surged from 8,000 in 1990 to more than a million practitioners today.

As can be expected with anything popular with young people these days, the growing popularity of new-age spiritualism is dominating social media. The “witchtok” hashtag currently earns 36.2 billion views on TikTok and searching #WitchesofInstagram brings up 9.2 million posts. On these apps, one can see users showing off their protective and enchanted jewelry, or giving instructions on how to pray to spirits before homemade altars. However, these subversive trends have not escaped corporate America. Consumers can now buy anything from bath mats to water bottles with mystical imagery like evil eyes, skulls, and runes on them. Everyone wants in on the occulture trend, but being spiritual is more complex than just throwing a Gemini symbol on a phone case and lighting a candle or two. The roots of many spiritual practices are deeply embedded in nonWhite cultures.

In Sweet Goats & Blueberry Señoritas, we see Georgette, a White resident of Maine, asking for romantic guidance from her neighbor Bea by using caracoles, or charged cowrie shells. Documented in West African as well as in AfroDiasporic religions, cowrie-shell divination is also found in Latin America where it plays an important role in religions like Santería and Candomblé. Georgette, who does not know much about these rituals, assumes that any seashells would do the trick. Though she has good intentions and cares for Bea, it’s an example of yearning for spiritual guidance while

tHe zodiaC CHart witH diVination diCe

Burning sage ritual

lacking a full knowledge of the background on the practices being sought out.

So how do people explore alternative religions and healing rituals without whitewashing them? The line between appreciation and appropriation can be distinguished through education and acknowledgement. Learning about the history of witchcraft and even understanding the root of the word “witch”—a term that was brought to North and South America by European colonizers to demonize the spiritual practices of Indigenous peoples and survivors of the transatlantic slave trade— can be a good first step to avoid perpetuating damage. Other ways to mindfully explore these types of belief systems is to be aware of where you shop. Make sure to choose small businesses that benefit the communities that created the practices instead of huge corporations just looking to make a buck. In addition to ethical concerns, there are humanitarian concerns. The high demand for crystals, believed to have unique healing properties, has led to dangerous mining conditions and harmful harvesting practices.

Ninety percent of the world’s jade (a stone used to bring tranquility and harmony to one’s life) comes from Myanmar and is essentially their only resource. The perilous mining conditions have led to jade being called the “new blood diamond.” The Indigenous practice of smudging, or burning white sage to cleanse a space of negative energy, has become such a popular practice among the spiritual community that white sage has been overharvested and could be in danger of extinction.

Lastly, it is important to consider that some practices are explicitly for people who are descendants of a cultural heritage only; for instance, Hoodoo originated from enslaved Africans and was created specifically for Black people. Spirituality can be an incredible way to connect with the universe and find peace in an unsettling world these days, but just remember to do some research before jumping on the next TikTok trend.

Crystals For sale in a sHoP

Recommended Resources

by Editors

Books and Poetry

Boundaries: poems by Richard Blanco and photographs by Jacob Bond Hessler City of a Hundred Fires by Richard Blanco

The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood by Richard Blanco What The Bread Says by Vanessa Garcia White Light by Vanessa Garcia Cooking In A Minute by Nitza Villapol

Plays Anna in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz Sotto Voce by Nilo Cruz

Letters From Cuba by María Irene Fornés

Films and Documentaries: Cuban Food Stories (dir. Asori Soto, on Amazon Prime) The Cuba Libre Story (Netflix)

TV Cocina al Minuto

Visit: The American Museum of The Cuban Diaspora in Miami, Florida Calle Ocho Music Festival in Miami, Florida

Portland Stage Company Education Programs

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Experience the fun and magic of theater on Saturday mornings with Play Me a Story! Ages 4 – 10 enjoy a performance of a children’s stories followed by an interactive acting workshop with Portland Stage’s Education Artists for $15. Sign up for the month and save or pick individual days that work for you. Build literacy, encourage creativity and spark dramatic dreams!

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After school classes at Portland Stage produce a safe environment for young people to find a higher sense of play, stretch their imaginations, and gain valuable social skills such as listening, risk-taking, ensemble building, public speaking, and leadership through storytelling. These classes are fun, creative, spontaneous, and begin to build skills for the young actor or non-actor’s voice, body, and imagination. Visit our website for this year’s offerings!

Vacation and Summer Camps

Our theater camps are fun, challenging, and enriching. We use stories of all kinds to fuel these active, educational and lively, process-based week-long school vacation and summer programs for youth. Theater for Kids works with professional actors, directors, artisans, and composers. Students are invited to think, speak, and act imaginatively, critically, and creatively in an environment of inclusivity and safe play.

PLAY Program

An interactive dramatic reading and acting workshop for elementary school students in grades Pre-K to 5. Professional teaching artists perform children’s literature and classic poetry for the entire school, and then work with select classrooms in workshops based on the stories. Actors actively engage students in small groups/workshops using their bodies, voices, and imaginations to build understanding of the text while bringing the stories and characters to life. PLAY helps develop literacy and reading fluency, character recall, understanding of themes, social emotional skills, physical storytelling, and vocal characterization. The program also comes with a comprehensive Resource Guide filled with information and activities based on the books and poems.

Directors Lab

Groups watch a 50 minute production of a Shakespeare’s play performed by professional actors/ teaching artists. After the performance, students engage directly with the text in an interactive workshop with the actors and creative team. In these workshops, students practice effective communication, creative collaboration, rhetowric, and critical analysis. The program also comes with a comprehensive Resource Guide filled with information and resources about the play we are focusing on. Directors Lab puts Shakespeare’s language into the hands and mouths of the students, empowering them to be the artists, directors, and ensemble with the power to interpret the text and produce meaning.

Portland