'From chaos to art'

Unsurprisingly, my best writing advice came from a book. In "Bird by Bird,” Anne Lamott utters this wisdom: always give yourself the freedom to write a s---ty first draft.

Brilliance. How many times have you thrown a smash-up of words onto the page and stalked off…and then returned to find that, with a few cuts here, a hacksaw there, you’ve created something wonderful? Funny, that never happens when you tell yourself, “You are writing bilgewater,” and throw your draft into the fish tank.

Which is a roundabout way of saying that I sort of worship Leonard Cohen’s writing. Case in point: a line of poetry that perfectly sums up what we were just talking about: “I followed the course / from chaos to art…”

Cohen’s art keeps evolving. Not content to lie on the page, poems he’s written over the last 20 years are being woven into "Book of Longing," an evening-length work of music by Philip Glass. Oct. 9 is on my calendar; that’s when Glass brings the work to Stanford Lively Arts to open the '07-'08 season. An ensemble of musicians and singers are scheduled to be part of the concert, the work’s West Coast premiere.

This all came down from Lively Arts head Jenny Bilfield, who unveiled the new season yesterday. As usual, there’s a host of music, dance, theater and other arts folks on the line-up. My favorites include Lively Arts regulars Chanticleer and Rob Kapilow, but there are also many fresh faces and works. China’s Jin Xing Dance Theatre is on its debut American tour, and the Turtle Island Quartet is premiering a new work. You don’t exactly see filmmaker Spike Lee every day, either.

I always hear people complain that there aren't good venues for live music down here in the wasteland of the Peninsula. It does seem tough for newbie musicians, but there are at least plenty of names coming to Lively Arts, including: Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, jazz pianist/composer Uri Caine, country singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash, and the Juilliard String Quartet.

Plenty to look forward to; part of why I always say the hardest part of my job is fitting in all the arts events that go on in this area. See? I have an excuse for my writing to be chaotic.

Pictured: Top: Book cover from www.bookoflonging.com. Above: Uri Caine from www.uricaine.com.