Center for the Study of Art and Community

Chapter 1: A Second Chance Story

Adventures in Dreamland
Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, November 22, 1963, 2:30 PM. I am sitting in the sixth row on the window side of Mr. Kadatsky’s sophomore high school English class. As usual, Kadatsky is searching for signs of imaginative life among the desks.  He is imploring us to wake up and pay attention, to the tall tales, fantastic ideas and metaphors swirling around us in the room.  But the bell is only a half hour away, so I am lying low.

For me, hiding out in these parts is a matter of survival. For most of my emerging-into-my-funky-self adolescence I have been hunkered down in the comforting cave of a waking dream state.  But, Kadatsky’s exhortations and passion make it extremely hard to withdraw, anywhere.  It’s not that I don’t, sort of, like the guy, but every time I come in here, I’m thinking, “What metaphors, what stories?”

A Rotary Journal of Creative Community Building

Welcome to CSA&C's Wild Caught Stories.  For the next year this space will serve as a discussion forum for a community of six thoughtful creative community builders who will share their differing perspectives on culture, community and current affairs. Each discussion cycle will begin with a question posed by one of the six, then, each week, one after another, the other members will write in response to both the current question and whatever has emerged in the ongoing discussion. After six weeks, we will start again with a new question.

The Wild Caught authors are: William Cleveland, Maryo Gard, Puanani Burgess, Milenko Matanovic, Erik Takeshita and Alice Lovelace.

You can follow the discussion and add your own comments below. Past posts are listed by Volume number and question in the Categories section on the bottom right.

The question posed by Milenko Matanovic for this cycle, Volume 4 is:

How do you see the future?