Mary and her brother Richard, 1941 Interview #1 By Mary Velasco Sellen Recorded, transcribed, compiled and edited by Frances Tompkins This is Mary Velasco, of course now I’m Sellen because I got married. I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico in April 25th, 1921. My mother’s name was Guillermina Gonzales Velasco, my father was Jesus Macias […]
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“Mother And Son” by Mr. Lu, in San Jose, California, 1987. Mr. Lu And His Mother 2/10/86 Mr. Lu told me his mother had visited him three days before. 2/12/86 Engaged in animated conversation with a woman in her 60’s on the bench in front of the hospital. I thought she must be a
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Angelo And The Spider Webs Scenes from the play God Help Me I Might Be Calculated Into An Institution by Frances Tompkins ANGELO: They say if a person breaks a spider web your soul will not be able to feel so good. You feel funny in your face. FRANCES: Did you ever break a spider web?
Last Visit [Sunday, January 30, 1994] Bill Everson went into Dominican Hospital with pneumonia last October 16th, and nearly died. He was in intensive care for over 2 months, on life support, didn’t get out until early this month. They botched a tracheotomy when he went into pulmonary arrest; they cut one of his vocal
FRANCES: Is it true that your superior in the Order forbade you to go out and read? EVERSON: It was the Archbishop of San Francisco. My Order stood by me, but they couldn’t fight him in his own diocese … so I was prohibited from giving any readings in San Francisco for twelve years. He
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I Found My Master (Robinson Jeffers) FRANCES: Was your poetry as strong from the very beginning? EVERSON: No. I found Jeffers, and that’s what made the difference. There’s kind of a shift in the center of gravity within the self when you find your master. Everything that happened before … you’re rubbing your head …
Trickster [Thursday, January 6, 1983] EVERSON: I get my charismatics from my father, the expressive manifestation … the gift of gab. FRANCES: But to be charismatic it seems like you have to be spiritual too. Isn’t that what charisma is all about? EVERSON: Hitler had charisma but we don’t think of his charisma as being
Grace “Johnson” Tompkins, Tim’s grandma, during Frances’s interview with her, circa 1983 Excerpts from I WAS A CANTANKEROUS LITTLE CUSS by Grace Johnson Tompkins Recorded, transcribed, compiled and edited by Frances FRANCES: Tim is lucky to have a grandmother like you. GRACIE: Tim is lucky to have a wife like you. F: I was with
Frances, between husband Tim and William Everson, exuberant after her fruitful interview at his place in the Swanton Woods north of Santa Cruz, California, around 1992 — 23 years after he left the Order and his Dominican name. I discovered him in a second-hand store, picked up the book with his picture on the cover.
Excerpts from My Life In Old San Juan by Mary Velasco Sellen Recorded, transcribed, compiled and edited by Frances Tompkins Mary Sellen between her sisters “San Juan Chickens” (Mary moved to San Juan Bautista, California, in 1922 at the age of 2.) You know I got a group of chickens that come to my yard.
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