30 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 23-29, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com LIT Sandra Berris has been living in a literary world her whole life, starting with undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska, where she met her first poetry mentor, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Karl Shapiro. Her new volume, Indelible Shadow, is her second book of poems and a direct response to losing someone to suicide. “Shapiro taught me to be specific,” Berris says, “to write about cereal and/or a magazine. Not to take on the whole world.” It was graduate study that brought Berris to California. After that, she became a teacher and continued as such when her husband’s job took them to Chicago, the city where she was born. There, she taught creative writing for high school and co-started a literary magazine. Berris and her husband decided to retire in Carmel and they found a special place, the Old Murphy House, constructed by Michael J. Murphy. Berris knew that Murphy was the contractor for Robinson Jeffers when the latter was building his Tor House. Berris’ work has been published in various literary journals and university magazines. She gathered all this work into a collection titled Ash On Wind, published in 2017. A couple of years later, a tragedy happened. “We lost someone very close to us,” she says. “A teenage boy who decided to take his life. He was handsome, athletic and had a lot of friends, but he chose to be killed by a train.” To release her emotions, Berris started to write poems about it, throwing them into a drawer. Soon, the drawer was full. The poems were ready, but “who wants a book about suicide?” Berris asked herself. Eventually the book was published by Finishing Line Press in March 2024. “Ever since then, at first every day, now maybe once a week, I keep receiving handwritten letters, texts or email where people say: We lost our sister, or mother, or brother, to suicide,” she says. The stigma around mental illness bothers Berris a lot. “I had no idea that so many families were torn apart because of that. I had no idea about the universality of it.” For the title of the volume, Berris was inspired by the yellow warbler drawn on the cover by her friend, April Pacheco. “The boy [lost to suicide] was Chinese,” she says. “In his culture the yellow bird is an important symbol of all good things.” COURTESY OF SANDRA BERRIS Universal Grief A local author’s new book of poetry fights the stigma of mental illness. By Agata Pop˛eda While living in Chicago, author Sandra Berris co-launched a literary magazine, a project that lasted 18 years. “It was a labor of love,” she says about the experience. “I loved it.” Indoor and outdoor dInIng and takeout Eat + Drink BEACH HOUSE RESTAURANT + BAR @ LOVERS POINT ★ Indoor dInIng & Take-ouT daIly, 4:30pm 620 Ocean View BlVd. Pacific GrOVe 831-375-2345 • beachhousepg.com lovers poInT Beach cafe Is also offerIng Take-ouT daIly, 9am-4pm Monterey’s MOST RecommendedPizzeria Open at 4pm Mon-Thurs • Open at 3pm Fri Open at 12pm Sat.& Sun. 725 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey giannispizzamonterey.com 831-649-1500 BEST PIZZA ’98-’23 ’23 JOIN US NIGHTLY FOR DINNER AT 5pm TWO HAppY HOURS DAILY 5-6pm & 8-9pm Call or go to sardinefactory.com for details, reservations. 701 Wave Street, monterey, 831-373-3775 BEST RESTAURANT IN mONTEREY! Fisherman’s Wharf’s Newest Restaurant Serving Fresh Seafood, Pasta, Steaks, Sandwiches Open Daily at 11:30am Great views at the end of the Wharf #1 www.rockfishmonterey.com • 831.324.4375 57 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey 831-373-1851 www.abalonetti.com ’23 OPEN FOR INDOOR DINING AND TAKE-OUT Everyday 11:30am-8:30pm Monterey County’s Best Calamari Indoor and Outdoor Dining on the Dog Friendly Patio Tapas (Happy) Hour 4:30–6pm Nightly SATURDAY and SUNDAY BRUNCH 9 am–1:30 pm 700 Munras Ave., Monterey | 831-375-0176 | estebanrestaurant.com OPEN EVERYDAY for DINNERat 4:30pm Offering all your favorites plus wine, cocktails, bottle and draft beers. 763 Wave St., Monterey 831.373.3778 thewhalingstation.com ’23 Best Steak and Martini Wood Fired Pizzas, Burgers, Pasta, salads, sandWiches and more 11:30am mon-Fri, 10am Sat & Sun melvilletav.com 484 Washington St., Downtown Monterey 831.643.9525 haPPY hour Food & drinK sPecials Sun-Thurs 4-6pm WEEKEND BRUNCH WITH BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS
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