Author: Jon M Obermeyer
Publisher:
Published: 2017-08-16
Total Pages: 172
ISBN-13: 9781548980535
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →
Santa Barbara, CA (pop. 92,000) is known for producing a wide variety of literary talent, notably Ross MacDonald, Sue Grafton, John Sanford and T.C. Boyle. Memoirs like "Hannibal by the Sea" and "Montecito Boy" speak to growing up in the early 20th century. Christopher Buckley has written an excellent Santa Barbara memoir "Cruising State" yet not much has been written about growing up in Santa Barbara in the 1960's and 1970's, particularly the more suburban provincial Goleta Valley, west of town along Highway 101. Jon Obermeyer spent the summer of 2017 going down the "worm holes" of memory each day, spelunking in the caves of his Santa Barbara childhood (Goleta and Montecito) and his early adult years living off Micheltorena Street.Jon observes, "The challenge of memoir is avoiding a tepid, shallow Sears Roebuck catalogue of artifacts and trivia and examining thoughtfully why and how these events made me the person I became." He adds, for almost four decades, my poems (some published) have covered much of this territory, yet it's been enjoyable to work in the flexibility of a prose narrative."A stroke survivor, Jon took up the memoir genre in 2016 as part of a therapy assignment, writing a cradle-to-grave memoir in early 2017. He found the Santa Barbara sections more compelling and entertaining, and decided to focus on the first 25 years of life He wanted to explore how a childhood in Santa Barbara was a formative and distinct experience. This eclectic memoir draws on the fields of popular music, natural history, biology, geology, psychology, neurobiology, California history, sports (surfing, hiking), economics, linguistics and etymology, literature and examines themes like childhood trauma, depression, creative expression and spirituality.The book also features a unique "Mix Tape" compilation of "A side" and "B side" popular music from the years 1958-1983 and a Santa Barbara literary bibliography titled "'D'" is For Dectective Fiction."Jon moved from Santa Barbara in 1983. With the exception of three years living and working in San Francisco recently, he has lived on the East Coast for the past thirty years. Writing from a geographical distance, might be an advantage, he guesses. "I'm not there everyday, driving on Shoreline Drive or Hollister or A.P.S. I have to pull this out of my brain."Jon no longer has immediate family living in Santa Barbara, although his cousin and uncle live in Ventura. Due to multiple cross-country moves, he has misplaced most of his family photographs and his "Olive and Gold" S.B.H.S. yearbooks from 1974-76.Jon uses topical prompts to begin and develop each chapter. He also credits two Santa Barbara Facebook groups for inspiration and obscure fact checking. For example, who was the Santa Barbara High teacher (and assistant football coach) who wore a toga in Roman History class? Answer: Mr. Everett.
