Melinda Palacio
Some
say the old zoo at Griffith Park is haunted. The animals may be gone, but the smells
remain, as do their wild spirits. The wafting of pungent earth might be left by
nocturnal creatures who have taken up residence in the former dens. The old zoo
was built in 1912. By the late 1930s, the cages and structures were deemed too
small for the animals and by the late 1960s, the old zoo became a picnic area,
its enclosures too picturesque to tear down.
Children listening from above the empty lion's den. |
It took a New Yorker to dream up
the idea of holding readings at the old zoo. Sara Finnerty and Anne-Marie
Kinney have been hosting the Griffith Park Storytelling Series for the past year and
a half.
Anne-Marie Kinney and Sara Finnerty |
Sara Finnerty grew up in Queens and
thought she would return to her NY hometown when she finished her MFA in
Creative Writing at Cal Arts. Seven years later, she still calls Los Angeles
home. "Everyone thought I was crazy," she said. "But a big draw
for Sara is her love for hiking, especially the night hikes at Griffith Park.
Co-curator Anne-Marie Kinney says
she enjoys the "Gorilla Nature" of the venue. "We have to stake
out a place and claim it," she said. "You have to work a bit for
it."
The SRO crowd at the Griffith Park Storytelling Series |
Anne-Marie and her dog Didi |
When they asked me to read for last
Sunday's event, I eagerly agreed because I had been going to Griffith Park all
my life and never knew about the old zoo. Perhaps if I had been more the hiker
my mother wanted me to be and less of a pony rider, we might've discovered it
on our many trips to the park.
There were four featured readers,
Amanda Yates who invoked the four corners of Los Angeles, Diana Wagman who read
new material from her series of romantic-comedy shorts, Chiwan Choi who read a
powerful piece on blood ties, and myself who took advantage of the captive
audience and read a short excerpt from her new novel-in-progress. Bloody Death Skull provided the whimsical musical interlude (don't let the band's name fool you).
Bloody Death Skull |
Chiwan says he was impressed by the
setting's natural acoustics, the perfect weather, the 'awesome' hosts, and the
interesting mix of writers, which you don't see often. "There were so many
dogs which was great," he said. "The location made it feel like it
was a little get away from life, and for me, personally, I couldn't have picked
a better place for my last reading."
Chiwan Choi |
I was born in Huntington Park and
remained in Los Angeles until I was seventeen. Whenever I read or have an event
in L.A., I wonder if I will see a familiar face. Last Sunday, I was pleasantly
surprised to see my cousin Angie. An even bigger surprise in the audience was
my mom's former student from Heliotrope Elementary, Jocelyn, who is all grown
up. The last time I saw Jocelyn Aguirre-Peraza, she was in
fifth grade and she gave a memorial speech during the ceremony dedicating a
mural to my mother at Heliotrope Elementary in Maywood. The Griffith ParkStorytelling Series at the old zoo was the perfect place for a reunion. The next
event at Griffith Park will be in three months. Make sure you get on their
mailing list and peruse their Facebook page.
Melinda Palacio, Jocelyn Aguirre-Peraza, and baby Austin
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