Kirjahaku

John P. Dodd, the light man at the legendary Caff Cino in Greenwich Village in the early sixties, assisted at the birth of Off-Off-Broadway and collaborated with key figures in New York's downtown world of theatre and dance. This book, illustrated with rare period photographs, recounts Dodd's colorful life and career from the unique perspective of playwright and director Michael Smith, drama critic of The Village Voice and his intimate companion in that transformative decade. Smith's personal narrative, thoughtful recollections by friends and colleagues, and Dodd's own words attest to his originality and unusual force of character. A year-by-year record of his wide-ranging work as a lighting designer confirms the importance of his theatrical art.

Me & Others is the story of my whole life from birth in Kansas City to vigorous old age in rural Oregon, with eventful interludes in New York City, eastern Connecticut, Taos, and Santa Barbara. I have had great joy and exasperation in getting to know myself and others. I have loved and lost and loved again. I have brought children into the world. I have had ineffable satisfactions in putting on plays, writing and publishing books, and playing music. I wanted to tell it all and say how it was for me.

Doreen picks Charles out of a litter of kittens at a Brooklyn Museum art class and carries him home through a snowstorm as a gift for her boyfriend David. "I'm not sure I want a kitten," he says, but how can he resist? As it turns out David is to be Charles's person-for-life. Many surprising and dramatic moves follow, back and forth across the U.S.A., as David pursues his calling and his happiness and raises a family, with Charles as an intimate part. An intelligent cat's point of view sets modern life and love in refreshing perspective.