S T A F F Copublishers Julie Ristau, Lenny Dee Editorial Board Lenny Dee, Diane Hellekson, David Morris, Julie Ristau, Karen Starr, Charlie Sugnet, Jay Walljasper Contributing Editor Kate Sullivan Pacific Northwest Editor David Milholland Art Direction Kate Hunt, Lenny Dee Designers Gail Swanlund, Eric Walljasper, Connie Gilbert, Carol Evans- Smith Contributing Artists Susan Abelson, Oscar Arredondo, Zola Anne Belanger, Tim Braun, Lou Ferreri, David Goldes, Stuart Mead, Ann Marsden, Ann Morgan, Dave Rathman, Gail Swanlund, Valerie Frank Design Direction Gail Swanlund Cover Design Connie Gilbert Proofreader Ann Laughlin Account Representatives Dale Shifler, Kate Sullivan Ad Production Pat McCarty Typesetting JeZac Typesetting Pat McCarty Cover Photographer Gus Gustafson Spiritual Advisor Camille Gage Highpriestess of Roundball Lynda J. Barry Thanks to thee Alex Alexander, Cindy Bartell, Joel Bassin, FACS, Jennifer Gage, Louise Guggisberg, Jim Hare, Nicole Niemi, Musicmaster, Paul Petrella, Jenny Starr, Mike Tronnes, Annette Wawers ON THE COVER Redneck Secrets— William Kitteridge True West, the discreet charm of cowgirls, pickup trucks, and the wide open spaces. Bankruptcy— Robert Sherrill Chapter 11 is the biggest scam since the Trojan Horse and this is how rich corporations use it to grow richer. 12 Couvade— Michael Finley Anxiety and the pregnant man. Another side of a basic question. 16 Nuns—John Callahan More humor from the man who gave us “The Lighter Side of Being a Quadriplegic. 18 Clinton St. Gallery— Lou Ferreri, David Goldes, Ann Marsden, Valerie Frank Some of the Twin Cities finest artists strut their stuff. San Francisco Airport, Summer 1967— Milan Kovacovic Remembering Joan Baez and Vietnam body bags. The author had a ringside seat at the summer of love. 30 The Work of Human Hands— Margaret Todd Maitland A medieval tale set in modern Italy. Ramon—Cathryn A. Camper The Rudolph Valentino of the 11th grade. What makes Ramon run? 40 In Love with Love— Musicmaster Minnesota love sonnets from an unabashed romantic. Queen of Hearts is by artist Mary M. Griep, a St. Paul native whose work is presently part of a group show at MC Gallery. In October she will have a show at Mongerson Wunderlich Gallery of Chicago. This is a self portrait. The Twin Cities edition is published by the Clinton St. Quarterly, 3255 Hennepin Ave. S., Suite 255, Minneapolis, MN 55408 —(612) 823-2103. Unless otherwise noted, all contents copyright ©1988 Clinton St. Quarterly. We encourage your comments, articles and art. All material should be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. O UR P A S T O R A L S U M M E R / p t’s ea Ju c l e y4 w ,1i 9 th 88 i a t n s d el A f m a e s ric h a a is pp at y crowds of people indulge all the patriotic homilies that warm our hearts. Yet Yankee Doodle Dandy headlines remind us there is another world out there, not nearly as physically or psychologically secure as our own. When 290 innocent victims plunge to their death as a result of American policy to defend “our national security interests” in a region that pumps only six percent of our oil, one wonders what are the limits of these “interests.” But even close scrutiny of the mainstream media offers no answers to this question. In fact after a full decade of heated hubub about Iran, the media has taught us little of that nation. How many Americans have learned the root cause of the Iran-Iraq war? Or the religious tenets cherished by Iranian believers? Or even a brief outline of their history dating back to the Shah? In a recent interview, novelist Gore Vidal capsulized the peculiar position of America 1988 in a few, memorable words: “I think of the United States as a kind of small, isolated country that’s living under an artificial dome. It really is the Star Wars dream, only this is one that keeps out information and keeps us totally apart from the rest of the world. We don’t play any part in anything anymore except with all these weapons. We make trouble among weak countries because we don’t dare make trouble with the strong countries; we’d be defeated, as we found ourselves defeated in Vietnam. So you have a nation constantly at war. We’ve wrecked the economy, the educational system has collapsed and I don’t see any way out. I’m praying for a huge depression which will wipe out the national security state. Certainly there won’t be any money left for it. We have a federal budget where 90 percent of the money goes to war; this has been going on for 40 years, and there is no war. So they have to keep cooking up one. After you take out social security and entitlement, you see that defense gets half the budget openly. Then there’s foreign aid, which is war; veterans —that’s war; interest on the debt, that’s war. It adds up to 90 percent. You ask yourself why do they let the country go to pieces for this war? Nobody ever believed in it. I’ve known the leading politicians for the last 40 years. I’ve never met anyone who’s afraid of Russia. They’ll talk about it to scare folks, but they just chuckle among themselves about it. Every month our editorial board convenes on someone’s front porch over Cold Spring and jug wine to help crack this “artificial dome” that obstructs America’s view of the world. At times, it’s not an easy task turning up the right articles that castigate America’s shortcomings without shortsightedly ripping away the buoyant American character that makes events like July 4th so spirited. Yet each meeting we come away cheered by the talent and insights of Minnesota’s writers and artists. We’re proud to present another edition of essays, artwork, fiction and verse. And we’re pleased to report the terrific response to our first issue — the buzz on the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul was nearly all encouraging. But now we face the even tougher task of making Clinton Street Quarterly a commercial success. We need your help—suggestions, subscriptions, submissions, and advertising. Each is crucial to Clinton Street Quarterly. So get in touch with us at our Twin Cities office, so that together we can help raze the roof on America’s artificial dome. Lenny Dee Clinton St. Quarterly—Summer, 1988 3
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