While 2011 was considered the year of the rabbit, for author Téa Obreht, it was really the year of the tiger. In March of last year, the 26-year-old released her first novel through Random House and became a literary sensation with “The Tiger’s Wife,” a mystical fable set to the backdrop of the recovery of war in the Balkan area. With rich language, compelling storytelling, magical realism, and historical events, it’s no surprise that “The Tiger’s Wife” was such a hit with readers and critics. As a young literary voice, Obreht writes like a longtime seasoned pro—her writings have already been featured in The New Yorker online, The Atlantic online, as well as in the pages of Harper’s.

Kiss procrastination goodbye; say hello to pen and paper

If the old adage is true, that each of us has a book inside ourselves, then the trick for most people is getting the words from the inside transcribed to pages on the outside.

The problem for many would-be writers is that the idea of having written is far more attractive than the grueling task of writing itself. Yet if you harbor a secret dream of penning the next American novel—or even a breathtaking bodice ripper—one thing is certain: you must sit down and write.

Moto Ohtake's new sculpture lends beauty and motion to Santa Cruz

The newest art installation in the Heritage Plaza on Pacific Avenue in Downtown Santa Cruz is a massive kinetic sculpture, which its creator, local artist Moto Ohtake, describes as his "personal self-contained imaginary universe." On a windy day, the new sculpture, entitled “Aero No. 7,” can be seen wildly gyrating and sending numerous disks orbiting around its base. When the winds subside the sculpture is static and calm. This seems symbolically fitting as both the universe and Downtown Santa Cruz are places that often test the relationship between chaos and order.

Editor’s note: This week’s Poetry Corner features Lola Haskins, who divides her time between Florida and Yorkshire, England. “Still, the Mountain,” her ninth book of poems, won a medal in the 2010 Florida Book Awards. Her 10th, “The Grace to Leave,” will be published by Anhinga Press in 2012. Ms. Haskins loves coming to Santa Cruz.

The Devil Makes Three comes home thirsty and ready to rock

When a band invites you to “stomp, smash, slash, crash, bash, bust and burn,” coming out alive doesn’t seem like an option. But nothing could be further from the truth as The Devil Makes Three shows have nothing to do with violence and everything to do with a rollicking good time.

Local booksellers weigh in on books, book selling and the ins and outs  of the industry

It was books that brought them together. Joe Mancino had been working at Bookshop Santa Cruz for seven years when Kat Bailey, a UC Santa Cruz creative writing and literature graduate, was hired at the bookstore.

Kat Bailey’s Gift Book List:

Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food by Sam Mogannam and Dabney Gough

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai

Wild Comfort: The Solace of Nature by Kathleen Dean Moore

Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy

Cabrillo Stage aims to hit a high note with its festive new show, ‘Plaid Tidings’
It’s the Christmas season: trees, stockings, gifts, chestnuts … and pepper spray in faces while shopping. Things are both festive and chaotic at this time of year when the weather gets chilly and shoppers forget the reason for the season. A cure to the madness—get in touch with the nostalgic side of the holiday. Gather around a piano and sing a few classic tunes with family and friends. Sip some hot chocolate away from the crowds. Sit by a toasty fire and wrap gifts slowly and mindfully. And for a serious splash of holiday cheer, maintain the nostalgic sense of things by taking in an upbeat musical at Cabrillo Stage. On Dec. 16, the musical theater company launches “Plaid Tidings,” a sequel to the original show, “Forever Plaid,” which played at Cabrillo Stage in 2008. This show is full of glad tidings, slapstick jokes, and lots of old, memorable Christmas songs.

Editor’s note: This week’s Poetry Corner features the work of Marvin Bell. As the author of 23 books of poetry and essays, he has been called an insider who thinks like an outsider, and his writing has been called “ambitious without pretension.” His latest books are “Vertigo: The Living Dead Man Poems” (Copper Canyon); “Whiteout,” a collaboration with the photographer Nathan Lyons, (Lodima); and a children's book with illustrations by Chris Raschka, “A Primer about the Flag” (Candlewick). His poems, his teaching, and his columns in The American Poetry Review, “Homage to the Runner,” have influenced generations of poets.

In a dire economy, there’s no time but now to start your own small business

When the economy took a nosedive a few years back, people started scrambling for ways to find extra money. Jobs were chopped. People lost homes. Wages were deducted. Furloughs enacted. Things weren’t (and still aren’t) cheery. So, like many others who are trying to survive in Surf City, I started contemplating various ways to make a few extra (and necessary) dollars here and there.