12:41pm | Tonight at 7 PM, Porfolio Coffehouse is presenting the final installment of Long Beach Writers Read. Local author Dr. Barbara Ardinger will read from her new novel, Secret Lives, which is a tightly woven tapestry of of characters, themes, and stories that explore parts of ourselves we rarely reveal.
Ardinger has published 8 books about women’s spirituality, including Pagan Every Day: Finding the Extraordinary in Our Ordinary Lives, and Goddess Meditations. Secret Lives is her second published novel, preceded by Quicksilver Moon in 2003. They share some characters, but each can stand on its own. Of Secret Lives, she says, “this is the novel I always say is very realistic, except for the vampire.”
I asked her why she set the story in Long Beach.
Barbara: I like Long Beach because it has a history, and real architecture. I moved the women to Long Beach, and gave them houses in Rose Park, because it’s an historic neighborhood. The idea that Emma Clare’s house is like Dorothy’s house landing in Munchkinland, among all the Arts & Crafts houses, makes a good and useful image. I also planted the Center Towers Retirement Residence at the Northern edge of Rose Park, on 10th and Temple. And Temple is, of course, a nice symbolic street name for a book about feminist spirituality. We witches often turn our homes into temples.
Just as I could drive you to the site of anything that happens in Quicksilver Moon [which was set in Orange County], so can I tell you where the characters in Secret Lives live. Matthew, for example, lives in the old house a friend of mine owns. But 20 years ago, so he doesn’t owe her any rent.
Sander: What is your relationship with paganism?
Barbara: I am a pagan. Some definitions: Pagan refers to the Greek and Roman (and probably ancient Egyptian) pantheons. We who worship those gods and goddesses today are, strictly speaking, neopagans. People who follow the Norse pantheons call themselves heathens. The Hindu and Buddhist believers do not refer to themselves as pagans, nor do Native Americans.
Paganism today refers generally to people whose ancestors came from Northern and Western Europe–Germany, France, the British Isles, primarily. We pagans like to say we worship the ground we walk on. That’s because we’re an earth- based religion. We try generally to be friendly with the standard-brand religions (the three religions of the book), but they’re not always friendly to us.
More definitions: The generic term is neopagan. Wicca (Wiccan) is based on the teachings of Gerald B. Gardner, who more or less invented Wicca when he was initiated by a group in the Old Forest of England shortly after WWII. There are other varieties of Wicca, and several varieties of pagan. I am initiated Dianic. Dianic Wicca was more or less invented by Z. Budpest 40-odd years ago. Think of a general religion (Christianity) and the denominations, and you’ve got the various traditions of neopaganism today.
Sander: All religions are, in one way or another, invented, and all contain elements of reality and fantasy. How do you blend these in your novels?
Barbara: I’m writing about pagan women who come from various traditions. There are also New Age characters in the book. The ideas they hold and the ideas they share create conflict, and the opportunity (as an author) to put some of my ideas in a characters’ mouths. Like two or three of the women, I’m one of the Goddess’s thoughty devotees.
The book is written in the style called magical realism, which lets me put a talking cat, a dragon, an inquisitor, and the Norns and their weather war in the book. Also the Neolithic shaman, who ends up being 6 1/2 thousand years old. All of that in a very realistic setting in a real neighborhood in Long Beach.
Sander: What led you to writing in the first place?
Barbara: I grew up in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis between the city and old Route 66. I’ve always been in love with words and with reading. As far as I can remember, I wrote my first story (for my father) when I was in the 2nd grade. In 5th grade, I wrote a puppet show based on The Littlest Angel. We performed it for our parents.
In high school, I was the only member of the creative writing club to have a story or essay for every single meeting. I had a few stories published and also had a meeting with a publisher. My English teacher drove me to downtown St. Louis for the meeting, but the opportunity didn’t go anywhere. I was an English major in college and for two graduate degrees. If I stacked up all my term papers, the stack would be as tall as I am.
Sander: How did you connect with paganism?
Barbara: I’m not totally sure. I grew up Republican and Calvinist, then became a Unitarian in college. After I moved to California, I couldn’t find a Unitarian Universalist church I liked, so I studied for several years with Rocco Errico, protege of George Lamsa, who translated the Bible from the pshitta, the 4th century Aramaic manuscript. When Rocco started classes on Paul and the prophets, I said they were too misogynistic and left. About the same time, friends took me to their Wiccan and pagan rituals.
One day, I was at the Bodhi Tree and a flyer flew off the bulletin board at me. It was a class taught by Dagmola Jamyang Sakya. I took refuge with her and became devoted to Tara. I was already called myself a pagan and a witch at that time, and it was a wonderful experience to be in a room filled with students of Buddhism and be so totally accepted.
Sander: Have you done many public readings?
Barbara: I’m an old speech teacher. I used to belong to Toastmasters, but after I served as grammarian at a meeting and gave them a word I’d made up, they wouldn’t let me be grammarian anymore. I’ve done lots and lots of speeches, readings, and various talks.
I taught public speaking to Marines at National University 20-odd years ago. Marines would rather go into combat than speak to a group of their peers.
Sander: Will you have copies of your books on hand for people to purchase, either for themselves or as gifts for others?
Barbara: Yes, I will. I’ll also have Pagan Every Day, which is my last nonfiction book. It’s not really just about pagans. It’s a day book, an essay for every day of the year. I include Christian saints, holidays from many religions, and other events. I also declare Miss Piggy to be The Goddess of Everything.
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Portfolio Coffeehouse is located on the South East corner of 4th and Junipero, on the Eastern edge of Retro Row.
You can learn more about Dr. Ardinger by visiting her website, BarbaraArdinger.com.
Many of her books are available through Amazon.com.
To learn more about Portfolio Coffeehouse, visit PortfolioCoffeehouse.com.