A Gathering of OLLI Literati
"I realized that senior citizens in S.F. had interesting backgrounds and experiences
and could tell good stories about those experiences."
and could tell good stories about those experiences."
THE BIRTH OF VISTAS & BYWAYS
|
|
Editor’s Note: Mike Lambert is one of the original creators of the Vistas & Byways online Journal, first published by OLLI-SFSU in 2015. He has been serving as Webmaster for Vistas & Byways for the last 5 years. He receives the accepted literary pieces from our Editorial Board and formats and inserts them into our website. Here is an interview with Mike where he discusses his background and duties with our program. The interview was conducted by Barbara Applegate, a member of the OLLI community since 2018. |
Barbara: When and how did you first become involved in OLLI-SF?
Mike: I joined the OLLI community in San Francisco in the summer of 2015. I was introduced to the OLLI concept in 2010 through the Rocklin Junior College in Rocklin, California. Several of their instructors presented programs to a retirement community, Lake Wildwood, in the Sierra Foothills, where I lived part-time. I liked the idea of being exposed to new ideas and sharing ideas with other senior citizens. As life went on, though, I moved back to San Francisco to live full time in the Spring of 2015.
“How will I keep my mind active?” I asked myself. The answer was OLLI at SFSU.
Mike: I joined the OLLI community in San Francisco in the summer of 2015. I was introduced to the OLLI concept in 2010 through the Rocklin Junior College in Rocklin, California. Several of their instructors presented programs to a retirement community, Lake Wildwood, in the Sierra Foothills, where I lived part-time. I liked the idea of being exposed to new ideas and sharing ideas with other senior citizens. As life went on, though, I moved back to San Francisco to live full time in the Spring of 2015.
“How will I keep my mind active?” I asked myself. The answer was OLLI at SFSU.
1
Barbara: What class were you taking when you first started thinking about developing an on-line literary journal for our OLLI program?
Mike: My first OLLI class upon returning to San Francisco was a writing class: “Playing the Trickster: An Approach to Creative Writing." It was taught by Sarah Broderick, a recent graduate student at SFSU. There were about 20 of us senior citizens in the class. By the end of the second class, I realized that senior citizens in S.F. had interesting backgrounds and experiences and could tell good stories about those experiences. Just like the residents of Lake Wildwood.
Barbara: What led to the idea of an online journal here?
Mike: Back to my experience in Lake Wildwood: we were running a Writing Workshop, which I helped lead. I had become a fan of Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck as a young adult, but I never envisioned doing that kind of writing. Then, in Lake Wildwood, I saw other senior citizens, who looked and talked like me, producing good stories for our Workshop. I wondered if those stories could be displayed in some easy form. I stumbled upon the existence of printed literary reviews, some of which were housed in universities, such as the Cimarron Review at Oklahoma State U.
Then I discovered an online literary review, The Minnetonka Review, in Minnesota. “If they can do it, we can do it!” I said to myself. We started the Wildwood Literary Review, hosted on the Homeowner’s Association website. We produced 14 quarterly issues. Then I returned to live in San Francisco.
By the second week of Sarah Broderick’s class, I began thinking about creating an online review for OLLI-SFSU. At the fourth class session, I asked the class members to stay after the class and talk about an idea I had. We had that meeting. We collectively agreed to try it.
Barbara: Did you have to do much convincing of OLLI-SFSU to get the go-ahead to try it?
Mike: At the end of the third week of the Trickster class, I discussed the idea of an online journal with Gwen Sanderson, the Director of the OLLI Program. After 3 minutes of conversation, she bought into the idea.
Mike: My first OLLI class upon returning to San Francisco was a writing class: “Playing the Trickster: An Approach to Creative Writing." It was taught by Sarah Broderick, a recent graduate student at SFSU. There were about 20 of us senior citizens in the class. By the end of the second class, I realized that senior citizens in S.F. had interesting backgrounds and experiences and could tell good stories about those experiences. Just like the residents of Lake Wildwood.
Barbara: What led to the idea of an online journal here?
Mike: Back to my experience in Lake Wildwood: we were running a Writing Workshop, which I helped lead. I had become a fan of Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck as a young adult, but I never envisioned doing that kind of writing. Then, in Lake Wildwood, I saw other senior citizens, who looked and talked like me, producing good stories for our Workshop. I wondered if those stories could be displayed in some easy form. I stumbled upon the existence of printed literary reviews, some of which were housed in universities, such as the Cimarron Review at Oklahoma State U.
Then I discovered an online literary review, The Minnetonka Review, in Minnesota. “If they can do it, we can do it!” I said to myself. We started the Wildwood Literary Review, hosted on the Homeowner’s Association website. We produced 14 quarterly issues. Then I returned to live in San Francisco.
By the second week of Sarah Broderick’s class, I began thinking about creating an online review for OLLI-SFSU. At the fourth class session, I asked the class members to stay after the class and talk about an idea I had. We had that meeting. We collectively agreed to try it.
Barbara: Did you have to do much convincing of OLLI-SFSU to get the go-ahead to try it?
Mike: At the end of the third week of the Trickster class, I discussed the idea of an online journal with Gwen Sanderson, the Director of the OLLI Program. After 3 minutes of conversation, she bought into the idea.
2
Barbara: Who else was involved in the creation of V&B?
Mike: Several of the students in that Trickster class and a few of their friends. Some that I remember are Charlene Anderson, Jane Goldstein, Cathy Fiorello, Jane Hudson, Richard Simmonds, Don Plansky, Michele Praeger. They all volunteered to serve as editors and webmasters and publicists; functions needed to produce an online journal. Our first issue of V&B was published online in mid-Fall, 2015 with our unique web address: www.vbreview.org.
Barbara: Did you submit any literary work for that first issue in Fall 2015?
Mike: Yes. Using some ideas from the Trickster class I had just completed, I wrote a story about Sister Theresa, who served the congregation at the nearby Old St. Mary’s Church in downtown San Francisco. The title of the story was: “Sister Theresa and the Evil Patrol.” ST* had recently arrived in San Francisco from a Mission in Africa. She was quite upset upon finding out that FF*, the long-time pastor of the church had just passed away. Father Juan Diablo, the new pastor in charge, was disturbed about all the scantily clad people he saw on the streets of SF. FJD* asked ST* to organize an Evil Patrol and help clean up the streets to the style he remembered had existed outside OSP* in Rome. Well, one thing led to another, and then they both perished.
(* Clarification: Trickster techniques: ST = Sister Theresa, FF = Father Fitzgerald,
FJD = Father Juan Diablo, OSP = Old St. Peter’s )
Barbara: Oh, Mike, you are teasing me, aren’t you? Is there any way I could read your story now?
Mike: Yes. We have kept all the 19 past issues of Vistas & Byways and their contents on file in the Big File Cabinet in the Cloud. Past and present contributors and their fans can find those issues by going to the Archives tab at the top of each issue and then clicking on the button for any past issue. Refresh Your Memories from those past works!
Barbara: What are some major differences you have noticed from the first issue of Vistas & Byways to the most recent issue?
Mike: We still have the same structure as in the beginning: 3 to 4 genres of literature, and a listing of the contributors. We are now trying to add more focus to the literary pieces by declaring a unique theme for the writers to explore. The writing theme for this Fall 2025 issue is Time. Our OLLI contributors do a great job of responding to these themes, although they can choose to write on any theme.
We have also been inviting photo essays on specific themes in the past 8 to 10 issues. The photo theme for this issue is Places Out of Time.
Mike: Several of the students in that Trickster class and a few of their friends. Some that I remember are Charlene Anderson, Jane Goldstein, Cathy Fiorello, Jane Hudson, Richard Simmonds, Don Plansky, Michele Praeger. They all volunteered to serve as editors and webmasters and publicists; functions needed to produce an online journal. Our first issue of V&B was published online in mid-Fall, 2015 with our unique web address: www.vbreview.org.
Barbara: Did you submit any literary work for that first issue in Fall 2015?
Mike: Yes. Using some ideas from the Trickster class I had just completed, I wrote a story about Sister Theresa, who served the congregation at the nearby Old St. Mary’s Church in downtown San Francisco. The title of the story was: “Sister Theresa and the Evil Patrol.” ST* had recently arrived in San Francisco from a Mission in Africa. She was quite upset upon finding out that FF*, the long-time pastor of the church had just passed away. Father Juan Diablo, the new pastor in charge, was disturbed about all the scantily clad people he saw on the streets of SF. FJD* asked ST* to organize an Evil Patrol and help clean up the streets to the style he remembered had existed outside OSP* in Rome. Well, one thing led to another, and then they both perished.
(* Clarification: Trickster techniques: ST = Sister Theresa, FF = Father Fitzgerald,
FJD = Father Juan Diablo, OSP = Old St. Peter’s )
Barbara: Oh, Mike, you are teasing me, aren’t you? Is there any way I could read your story now?
Mike: Yes. We have kept all the 19 past issues of Vistas & Byways and their contents on file in the Big File Cabinet in the Cloud. Past and present contributors and their fans can find those issues by going to the Archives tab at the top of each issue and then clicking on the button for any past issue. Refresh Your Memories from those past works!
Barbara: What are some major differences you have noticed from the first issue of Vistas & Byways to the most recent issue?
Mike: We still have the same structure as in the beginning: 3 to 4 genres of literature, and a listing of the contributors. We are now trying to add more focus to the literary pieces by declaring a unique theme for the writers to explore. The writing theme for this Fall 2025 issue is Time. Our OLLI contributors do a great job of responding to these themes, although they can choose to write on any theme.
We have also been inviting photo essays on specific themes in the past 8 to 10 issues. The photo theme for this issue is Places Out of Time.
3
Barbara: I read in your biography for Vistas & Byways that you have written and self-published 2 novels and a book of short stories. When did you start writing? Are you still writing?
Mike: I caught the creative writing bug in Lake Wildwood at age 75. Several members of the Writing Workshop there began bringing in copies of the book(s) they had created for us to review. “You’re a book author?” I asked several people. Driving home one day, I found myself wondering if I could do that. So I tried it. I could. Creative writing has been a good mental activity for me over the past 15 years. It kept some cobwebs from growing in my mind. I am not doing much creative writing nowadays. I have this other gig.
Barbara: We would not have an online journal without a Webmaster. What led you to this "other gig?"
Mike: I learned how to format pages and chapters for my first book using Microsoft’s Word program. I learned how to edit pictures and add them to the pages. I learned that a 75-year-old man, writing his first book, does not appeal to today’s literary agents and commercial printers. Just like Snoopy, I received several rejection letters when I offered my first book, i, Jessica – Finding My Way, to several literary agents. I then formatted my book for printing by a Print-on-Demand publisher-–a subsidiary of Amazon.com. My book got printed and looked as good as those in the bookstores. Those “on-demand printers” are a boon to us hobbyist writers.
That activity is what gave me some formatting skills and experience. I was prepared and willing to take over the V&B Webmaster task when Jane Goldstein retired from the task after Issue 8, Fall 2019.
Barbara: Thank you for talking with me, Mike. It is a fascinating story.
Mike: I caught the creative writing bug in Lake Wildwood at age 75. Several members of the Writing Workshop there began bringing in copies of the book(s) they had created for us to review. “You’re a book author?” I asked several people. Driving home one day, I found myself wondering if I could do that. So I tried it. I could. Creative writing has been a good mental activity for me over the past 15 years. It kept some cobwebs from growing in my mind. I am not doing much creative writing nowadays. I have this other gig.
Barbara: We would not have an online journal without a Webmaster. What led you to this "other gig?"
Mike: I learned how to format pages and chapters for my first book using Microsoft’s Word program. I learned how to edit pictures and add them to the pages. I learned that a 75-year-old man, writing his first book, does not appeal to today’s literary agents and commercial printers. Just like Snoopy, I received several rejection letters when I offered my first book, i, Jessica – Finding My Way, to several literary agents. I then formatted my book for printing by a Print-on-Demand publisher-–a subsidiary of Amazon.com. My book got printed and looked as good as those in the bookstores. Those “on-demand printers” are a boon to us hobbyist writers.
That activity is what gave me some formatting skills and experience. I was prepared and willing to take over the V&B Webmaster task when Jane Goldstein retired from the task after Issue 8, Fall 2019.
Barbara: Thank you for talking with me, Mike. It is a fascinating story.
4
|
We Welcome Comments |
