Michael Janairo

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Category: Writing

  • Moss Hart, Act One and the persistence of You Can’t Take It With You

    Tony Shalhoub as George S. Kaufman and Santino Fontana as Moss Hart in "Act One" at Lincoln Center (Photo by Joan Marcus)
    Tony Shalhoub as George S. Kaufman and Santino Fontana as Moss Hart in “Act One” at Lincoln Center (Photo by Joan Marcus)

    “Act One” officially opens at Lincoln Center later this week, but this weekend I saw a preview showing of it. It’s good. Not great — the story of the life of Moss Hart, the playwright who grew up poor in the Bronx and had only a eighth-grade education (he had to go to work) but who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize.

    The production is magnificent — a rotating set, great period costumes, top-notch acting from Tony Shalhoub (as an older Moss Hart, narrating Our Town-style; as the father of the 11-year-old Moss Hart; and as George S. Kaufman, who works with the young adult Moss Hart); the young adult Hart is strongly played by Santino Fontana, who may be best known as the voice of the evil prince Hans in the movie musical “Frozen”; and Andrea Martin, nailing multiple roles.

    The play (written and directed by James Lapine), though, moves a bit slowly in, yes, Act 1, and feels very much like a less madcap Moss Hart play — a little dated in trying to stay true to the source material, Hart’s 1959 autobiography about his Dickensian early 20th-century life. What also seems dated is the ease of access Hart had to some of the brightest minds of his day, despite his lack of education. Perhaps a 21st century analogy would be talented computer coders and programmers who drop out of college and gain access to the best and brightest in that field.

    What was most interesting to me though was what happened before I saw the show. I wanted to see the play in no small part because I had acted in Hart and Kaufman’s “You Can’t Take it With You” in high school, back in the 1980s.

    At work, one of my coworkers, when I told her I was going to see the play, said, “I performed in ‘You Can’t Take it With You’ in high school.” She’s in her 60s, which means her high school days were in the 1960s. And also at work, another colleague said, “I was in ‘You Can’t Take it With You’ in high school!” That colleague, however, is an intern, a college senior, and her high school days were in the 2000s.

    There it was, three generations of people all working at the same place all having been in the same play, which was first performed 1936 and won the Pulitzer in 1937.

    So if you love the theater, and if you’ve been in any of Hart’s plays (such as “The Man Who Came to Dinner”), then this play is highly recommended.

     

     

     

     

  • The writing game is a waiting game

    When I was in college, my friends and I often joked about the life of being of writer, especially the low pay, imagining a scenario in which a publisher would say something like  … “Great story. Here’s a dollar. What else ya got?”

    What we didn’t talk about was all the waiting that goes along after sending stories out, and the sometimes in-between emails that can come it.

    So on March 17, I got an email from a writers contest telling me of my status in the contest. I was told my story wasn’t lost, that others had been told they hadn’t won, and some had gotten Honorable mentions, but that I was in the “hold” category — which I had never knew existed. The thing is, in one of the write-ups announcing the contest, it had said that winners would be notified around the end of March, so I wasn’t expecting to hear anything — certainly not as soon as March 17. (more…)

  • A few words to a young writer about arts journalism

    I was recently interviewed via email by a high school student interested in arts and entertainment journalism. Here are some of the questions and answers:

    Q: What different professions have you held in order to get where you are now?
    A: I had a journalism internship at the Bellingham Herald in Bellingham, Wash., when I was still a college student majoring in journalism, but I also taught English in Japan, edited a phone book, worked as a copy writer for an advertising agency, and worked as a copy editor at a newspaper before becoming the arts and entertainment editor, all the while I wrote freelance reviews of books, plays and concerts.

    Q: What classes did you take, throughout high school and college, to put you in a place to get the job you wanted?
    A: In my high school, I was on the honors track, meaning I got to take AP classes (history, chemistry, English, calculus), as well as other advanced-level class, but I also took theater courses throughout high school. In college, I was a journalism major, but also took many courses in political science, philosophy and English. In graduate school, I earned a master’s of fine arts in creative writing, but also studied Japanese language and culture.
    (more…)

  • February 2014 Story of the Month

    Vote for The Duck! Do so before the poll closes on March 2, 2014.

    Bartleby Snopes Story of the Month

    The voting for the February 2014 Story of the Month is now open. Read all of the February stories and then vote for your favorite. Voting will close on March 2nd. Please only vote once.

    The winning story will earn an automatic spot in the 12th Issue of our semi-annual magazine due out in July 2014.

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  • Update: The Duck on Bartleby Snopes now live

    Screen Shot 2014-02-22 at 12.43.38 PM

    UPDATE: Fresh new fiction from yours truly now live on Bartleby Snopes http://www.bartlebysnopes.com/theduck.htm

    I just got a note from the editor of the online journal Bartleby Snopes that my short story, The Duck, will be going live online next week at http://bartlebysnopes.com.

    So be on the lookout for the story AND be sure to stay tuned, because the story will be in competition for Story of the Month, with voting done online by readers just like you.

    I’ll have links to the story and to the voting site when they go live.

  • That was fun

    Today is my last day as a newspaperman.

    When I was a kid, I was a paperboy.

    When I was a college student, I was a journalism major.

    As an adult, I’ve done lots of different things (teach English in Japan, teach college writing courses), but for more than 15 years, I’ve been working in newspapers, with most of that time spent at the Times Union.

    Things change — and soon I will be the Assistant Director for Engagement at the Tang Museum.

  • New on Goodreads: Veterans of the Future Wars

    VFWCoversmAn anthology of military sci-fi that I am in — Veterans of the Future Wars — has just been added to Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20691034-vfw.

    If you haven’t already seen it, go check it out today. It is being put together by Martinus Publishing.

    Here’s what’s cool about the anthology:

    It’s military sci-fi about veterans, to honor veterans, and several of these stories were written by actual veterans. Read these tales to share in the adventure, the triumphs and tragedies, and if you like your freedom thank those who have served to protect it. 10% of all profits will be donated to Disabled American Veterans.

    Thanks!

  • My latest identity upgrade: ‘Goodreads Author’

    I just got this email from Goodreads:

    Hi Michael,

    Welcome to the Goodreads Authors program! We have upgraded your profile to an official author account. Your special status as a Goodreads Author gives you greater access to the millions of readers in our Goodreads community—so expect to get to know some passionate book lovers!

    Here’s the link https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7796395.Michael_Janairo

    I haven’t done anything with it just yet, but this next step is all thanks to being listed as one of the authors of the Long Reads anthology.

    Anything you’d like to see on my Goodreads Author page?

     

     

  • A little bit about ZZ on his birthday

    A little bit about ZZ on his birthday

    ZZ (Times Union archive)
    ZZ (Times Union archive)
    I got to write a little bit about ZZ, our family dog who died a few years ago and whose ashes we have saved. The article is called “A human need to say farewell to pets,” and is more about readers’ comments on the web about a funeral home planning to offer pet funerals and cremations than about my dog. But it was nice to see his photo in the paper. You can see a video about ZZ here.

    Anyway, ZZ died a few months shy of his 19th birthday, about six months after the photo of him was taken.

    I’ve just been thinking about the little guy today and missing him.