Image courtesy of How I MADE It. 

How I MADE It: A Show and Tell Event Series, was created by MADE by Millworks Dream Facilitator Heather Kern and arts advocate Sarah Tatro. The inaugural event took place in November and will continue to give Long Beach creatives a place to share their work every second Friday of the month.   

This month, Sander Roscoe Wolff, author of the recently published Musings of a Dunderhead, is standing in for Tatro and hosting a compelling lineup of makers and shakers ready to share their creative processes at MADE by Millworks on Friday, December 9 starting at 6:00PM.   

“I’m looking forward to connecting with people in the community, and encouraging people to move into a place of courage where they can find and speak their own truth,” said Wolff. “It isn’t easy. It can feel scary. Still, in life there’s not much that’s more rewarding.”

Two makers in particular, June Kaewsith, a poet, visual artist, youth mentor and advocate and Dave Williams, leader of MajicBulletTheory, will be presenting on their current projects. 

Kaewsith, aka Jumakae, co-founded ¡DUENDE!, a grassroots organization that offers spoken word workshops to local youth, as well as One Imagination, a local arts and social justice oriented group.

“I’ve known June for many years,” said Wolff. “She’s a dynamic and talented individual, whose command of performance poetry is impressive. She inspired me to get back into writing poetry several years ago, and I am forever grateful for her tenacious and ever-positive energy.”

Kaewsith also helped realize Break the Silence, a monthly open mic event for young, emerging poets, while her personal work is a reflection of her life in Long Beach. 

Dave Williams, trumpeter of the Long Beach-loved Jazz-Funk band MajicBulletTheory, has been composing a new Jazz opera, Portrait of My City. Inspired by events spurred by the 2008 recession and the unsettling social climate of the country, Williams has created a “darkly satirical work,” using Long Beach as a stand-in for the rest of the United States. 

“Dave is an incredibly talented musical artist, producer, composer, and trumpet player,” said Wolff.

Photo by John Wallace.

Williams will share excerpts from the opera and speak about how he created the new work. 

Last, but not least, the former Culture Agent columnist for the Post, co-founder of LongBeachCulture.org and half of the improvisational electronic music duo Toaster Music, Wolff will not only host the event, but will also share the journey behind his latest creative writings. 

Last year, Wolff quit his “day” job after enduring months of emotional stress, brought on by aspects of his personal history. Musings of a Dunderhead faces those issues and reflects upon them. 

“Writing the book was an effort to embrace emotional vulnerability,” said Wolff. “It took about 8 months to write, and another month or two to edit and prepare for release. I have to confess that making it available for public consumption has been terrifying, but I’m heartened by the responses I’ve received from people who’ve read it.”

Following the presentations, audience members are invited to share their own How I MADE It stories in five-minute time slots.

For more information and to RSVP for the free event visit the Facebook event page here.

MADE by Millworks is located at 240 Pine Avenue. 

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