Long Beach Open Studios Tour

It’s that time of year again. No, not Halloween–it’s Arts Month in Long Beach (and nationally)! To celebrate, local artists will open their studios to visitors on weekends in October so you can see them in action. This is a free, self-guided event; the only thing you need is the schedule and the tour map, which you can get at LBOpenStudioTour.com. This free annual event started in 2009–visit some studios and show your city and the arts some love.

October 7–8 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Downtown Studios Tour

Artists include Tina Burnight (ceramics, mosaics, mixed media); Lisa Wibroe (mixed media); Jeremy Woodard at Micro Gallery 23 and Heather Ross at Micro Gallery 17; Dave Clark (mixed media); Kathryn Heaton (ceramics); Mauro Zepeda (ceramics); Angie Crabtree (painter); Ziyi Tan (painter/drawer); Norm Ziegler (painter); Adrien Edwards (painter); Loiter Galleries; Mark Morale (painter); and Michele Rene (painter).

October 14–15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Uptown Studios Tour

Artists include Michelle and Mathew Ohm (drawer, ceramicist, textile, mixed media); Jaime Sabatte (mixed media); Gregory Navarro Pickens (painter); Bob Rosenfield (wood worker, sculptor); Joe Devinny (wood worker); Joyce Carol Watanbe (jewelry); Nadine Wener (painter); Ghermayn Baker (wood worker, furniture); Philip M. Smith (enamel, mixed media); Robin K. Smith (jewelry, toy design, mixed media); Jaime Sandberg (photography); Carol Kron (jewelry); Carin Jacobs (costume design); Susan Hartman (painter); Jacob Briggs (painter), Andy Dickson (painter); and Billy Mitchell (ceramicist).

October 21–22 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Eastside Studios Tour

Artists include Artspace 3232 (painter, sculpture, mixed media); Joanna Branch (mixed media); Angelica Fegley (painter); Lance Carlson (painter); Katie Stubblefield (painter); Lisette Thierry (jeweler); Linda C. Fry (painter); Cody Lusby (mixed media); Marka Burns (mixed media); Mic Burns (mixed media); Mike Biagiotti (mixed media); Melinda Rasch (mixed media); Ross Sonnenberg (mixed media); M. Danko’s Black Box MicroGallery; Tonya Burdine (painter); Dylan Mortimer (mixed media); Amelie Simmons (painter); I.Angelov (painter); and 690 Coronado (sculpture, mixed media). 

October 28–29 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Belmont Studios Tour

Artists include Sin Confections (culinary, chocolatier); Angela Wilcocks (painter, drawer); Annie Clavel (painter); Maureen Vastardis (painter, photographer); Amy Bauer and Richard Hecht (fashion designer, painter); Ramon Rodriguez (wood worker, painter, mixed media); Debbie Rodriguez (drawer, graphic designer); Sarah Arnold (painter); Ann Bridges (painter); Dave Conrey with Michele Morgan (mixed media, painter); Andrew Pisula (wood worker, mixed media); Betsy Lohrer Hall (mixed media); Sayon Syprasoeuth (mixed media); Dorte Christjansen (drawer, painter); Lisette Thierry (jewelry); Tom Harmon (wood worker); Louise Ivers (photographer); John White (painter); Donald Tiscareno (painter); Bill and Joan Heynen (wood sculpture); Kris (ceramics); and Gil Cabble (wood worker).

Sponsors of the Long Beach Open Studio Tour include: Zaferia, LB Creative Group and Rod Briggs Memorial Gallery, Wrigley Association, Ultra Unit Architectural Studio, Loiter Galleries, the City of Long Beach, and the Arts Council for Long Beach.

October Is Frightfully Fun for the Whole Family

There’s a slight chill in the air, the days are getting shorter, and Halloween decorations are beginning to appear—spooky season is upon us! Here’s a roundup of family-friendly (and adults-only) Halloween events in and near Long Beach.

Shaqtoberfest at the Queen Mary: Sept. 28–Oct. 31

Back for its second year, this immersive Halloween festival features haunted trails and mazes, live entertainment, themed bars and lounges, carnival rides, tours of the ship that aren’t usually open, a pumpkin patch, and more spooky fun. Tickets start at $29.99.

Carved at Descanso Gardens, Pasadena: Oct. 6–29

Marvel at hundreds of luminous carved pumpkins, fall foliage, and whimsical displays in Descanso Garden’s Camellia Forest and Rose Garden, and check out the glow-in-the-dark Dia de los Muertos altar. Adult tickets start at $35.

Boo at the L.A. Zoo: Oct. 21–29

On two weekends, the L.A. Zoo at Griffith Park will feature trick-or-treating stations, feedings for zoo residents, photo ops, story readings, and an “extinct animal graveyard.” Costumes are encouraged. Free with zoo admission.

Dia de los Muertos Festival, Downtown LA: Oct. 25–Nov. 2

Celebrate the lives of our loved ones who are no longer with us on Olvera Street with a nightly procession, Aztec dancers, community altars, and entertainment including face painting and a theatrical performance of the story of Dia de los Muertos, which is rooted in Mayan, pre-Colombian, and Aztec traditions. Free.

Fright Dive: Oct. 27

This 18-and-over event features DJs and bands performing amid the Aquarium of the Pacific’s galleries, as well as food trucks and cocktails. Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas (fronted by the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants) headline this year’s event. Costumes are encouraged, especially if they’re ocean-themed! Tickets are $64.95; $59.95 for members.

Scarium of the Pacific: Oct. 28–Oct. 29

This fun and educational event at the Aquarium of the Pacific includes costume and coloring contests, a vampire magic show, underwater pumpkin carving, and creepy critters. Free with aquarium admission.

Historical Cemetery Tour: Oct. 28

The Historical Society of Long Beach leads living history tours of the city’s two oldest cemeteries, Long Beach Municipal and Sunnyside Cemetery. The all-ages event features graveside performances by community theater actors in period-appropriate costumes. The performances are 10 minutes and are repeated every 20 minutes. Other attractions include a Dia de los Muertos installation, talks by historians, authors signing local history books, and displays of Long Beach history. Adult tickets are $25.

Long Beach Zombie Walk Halloween Party: Oct. 29

This free, all-ages celebration features live music, food vendors, makeup artists, trick-or-treating for kids, and a zombie walk/shuffle from Rainbow Harbor to Shoreline Village.

How to Turn a Neighborhood into a Community

5 tips on being a kinder neighbor & fostering a sense of community

Do you know your neighbors? Like really know them? Their first names, the types of cars they drive, what holidays they celebrate? If you ever get locked out of your house, could you go to your neighbor's to grab a spare key?

According to a 2018 Pew Research study, roughly a quarter of adults under 30 report that they don't know any of their neighbors. But there's a sense of comfort and safety that can come with knowing them — and building a safe and caring community is a valuable way to stay connected to the place you live.

Learning how to be a kind neighbor is a skill that's good to learn at a young age, and Chris Loggins knows all about that. He's the supervising producer of the animated children's show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood from Fred Rogers Productions. "The show is for two to four year olds and it is directly inspired by Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," he says.

"In each episode, there's a strategy song. Each of them has a catchy tune and easy-to-remember lyrics that help kids develop important social and emotional skills."

We spoke with Loggins and other community building experts about ways we can strive to be kinder, more caring neighbors. While many of these tips are for young people, they are also applicable to the parents and adults in the room.

1)   Get to Know Your Neighbors

It may seem obvious, but getting to know your neighbors is the first step to becoming a kind neighbor. Get out of your comfort zone and make an effort to learn their names and what they do for work. And if you feel comfortable, let them know that you're there to help, if they ever need another hand.

Loggins shares that after a recent move, his new neighbors helped him and his family feel welcome by making sure that his family had things set up. He emphasizes that it doesn't take a lot of money or a grand gesture to be an active neighbor. "You don't have to show up with a fresh apple pie or anything like that," he says. It's truly as simple as saying hello, introducing yourself and asking an open-ended question.

2)   Make Small Kind Gestures a Daily Practice

Another way to take care of your neighborhood, and to show your neighbors that you care, is by making small acts of kindness a daily practice. This can be cleaning up litter or even cleaning up after the pets on your block.

Use the skills and resources available to you — maybe you aren't a baker, but you have an amazing garden. You can ask your partner or kids to help you pick flowers from your garden to give your new neighbor a bouquet. Remember, every small gesture counts.

3)   Remind Yourself that Being Connected Feels Good

It can feel so easy to just go home, close your door and turn on the TV without having to make small talk, but connecting with others is worth the effort. As nerve-wracking as it is, reaching out to new people can actually boost your mood in the long run. According to an article by Emma Seppälä, "social connectedness ... generates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional and physical well-being."

And if you take the first step, your small acts of kindness can encourage others to pay that kindness forward — making even more people feel good.

Marta Zaraska, who is the author of Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100, shares that once in 2013, "there was an instance in Winnipeg at a local Tim Hortons, where one driver decided to pay for the meal or the coffee of the driver behind him at the drive-thru. And that driver was so grateful, he decided to pay for the driver behind him." According to reports on this incident, the chain of kindness went on for more than 200 drivers!

4)   Meet and Engage with Different People

Encouraging your kids to get out there and engage with your neighbors is important, but it isn't always easy to balance this with conversations on safety and the unknown stranger. Like every parent, Zach Norris, who's the executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, Calif., had to work on this with his daughters.

"We need to call into consciousness that this idea of the so-called bad guy and the way in which the so-called bad guy has been leveraged in ways that actually make us less safe," he says. "Most often, harm is done by people that we know. And that includes for children who are some of the most vulnerable folks in our society."

Being told you can't trust the people around you doesn't exactly inspire community, and children pick up on that. One way to combat this unknown stranger outlook, he says, is by reaching out of your comfort zone and engaging with different people in your neighborhood alongside your kids.

Norris, for instance, takes his daughters to events where they hear from "amazing leaders who are incredible and empathetic, and also who are formerly incarcerated, who have committed some acts that may have caused harm, that they have made amends for. And I think those are some of the experiences that we expose them to that I think helped them to understand safety in a more dynamic way," he says.

5)   Check your Implicit Bias

Looking out for your neighbors is an important part of being in a community. But before you go all "neighborhood watch" on someone, if something is making you feel unsafe, Norris suggests you take a deeper look at the power dynamics at play: Why do you feel like someone doesn't "fit in" your neighborhood? Why are you inclined to call the police on someone?

Remember to check your bias, and ask yourself why you feel uncomfortable and unsafe, rather than putting the blame on your neighbors. When asked what someone should do before calling the police on someone in their neighborhood, Norris advises asking themselves whether another person is being "actively harmed."

Getting to know your neighbors and taking care of your community are valuable ways to feel safer in your neighborhood. Actions speak louder than words, and your attitudes towards marginalized and vulnerable people also set an example for your kids. So be mindful of the different people in your community and actively remind yourself to treat everyone with respect and care.

Courtesy of Diana Onong, Janet W. Lee and National Public Radio

December 3, 2021~ If you love Life Kit and want more – subscribe to the newsletter

Q&A with Long Beach Novelist Max Evans

The Bluff Heights Neighborhood Association recently hosted an afternoon book reading by Long Beach author Max Evans at the Wine Crush. Escape to Butterfly Ave takes place in Long Beach and focuses on the world of hip-hop and skateboarding, but also on the importance of family. The protagonist, a single father, creates a warm and caring home for this child while dealing with external forces, such as a very angry grandmother (read the book to find out why she’s so angry). Evans’ first book, Where’s Pops?, is a collection of short stories about dads from all walks of life, and sales of his book support college scholarships for fathers. I spoke with Evans and asked him about his books and writing process.

What inspired you to write Escape to Butterfly Ave?

In the summer of 2016, I had been invited to recordings of hip-hop podcasts to discuss my first book, Where’s Pops? I had also recently read the evolutionary predecessor to this novel called Lit Riffs, published by MTV Books. It was a collection of short stories written by different authors based on their favorite songs. 

One day I’m zoning out hard in my apartment, imagining myself in the audience of a hip-hop symposium. In my imagined scenario, Slug, the emcee for Atmosphere, was on stage taking questions. When I reached the microphone, I said, “You’re the greatest storyteller in hip-hop. Why don’t you create an album that’s a novel of songs that connect to each other from start to finish?” The crowd oohed and ahhed at this prospect. But Slug threw this back at me: “Why don’t you combine a bunch of songs to make a novel?” And bam—my mind took off with this unique concept for a novel. 

What was your writing process?

I made a list of hip-hop songs that contained a story—a beginning, a middle, an end—and played narrative Tetris to see what would fit together. After that, I wrote chapter summaries and knew I was on to something unique. 

But early on, I hit a harsh reality. At a get-together, I shared my outline with close friends who I thought would love the concept since we used to carry record crates into hip-hop clubs that we hosted together. However, none of them gave me any feedback.

The harsh reality I came to is that those who love hip-hop generally don’t read novels. On the flip side, those who read novels usually don’t love hip-hop. Nevertheless, I continued to believe that I would find millions of others who, like me, are passionate about both–Field of Dreams-style.

Originally, my goal was to replicate each song as close to the original text as possible. However, the chapter based on OutKast’s “Miss Jackson” threw me for a loop because it’s more of a rant against a mother-in-law. I really caught fits with Eminem’s “’97 Bonnie and Clyde” because of its intense, murderous details. I realized I had to use each song for what it contributed to the overall story, even if that meant cutting out chunks from the original texts. 

What was the biggest challenge in writing this novel?

Going into the first chapter, I felt rusty. Over a year had passed since I approved the galley copy for my first book. Secondly, my natural talent is with the short story form, so the idea of writing a novel always felt foreign to me. On top of that, I knew that writing a novel takes a long time. I’ve met writers who worked on their first novels for more than two decades. Most people give up. That’s why I gave months to the outline so that I could keep my eye on the prize. I knew the novel had the thrust to lift off the ground when its first chapter won the Donald Drury award.

If academia is not your audience, then who is your book for?

My target audience cyphers at the corner of Big L and Junot Diaz, illuminated beneath the lamppost of Raymond Carver minimalism.

In other words, my adult contemporary audience celebrates a stripped-down approach with an urban flair. These readers are not impressed by the current market of extreme fantasy and filler pages equivalent to empty calories in a processed meal. They hunger to witness soul on the page via the setbacks and triumphs of a realistic character whose parenting struggles are universal. They have a bend toward hip-hop culture but are fulfilled by skillful, fresh narratives found in any artform.

Escape to Butterfly Ave is available at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon.



Each month we will publish a photograph from our neighborhood. The photo above was taken Tom Herzog, who went to the bluff with lots of other celestial lovers to watch the super blue moon rise over Long Beach.

If you have photos that highlight the beauty and uniqueness of our neighborhood, please send them to info@bluffheights.org