Benicia resident Peter Bray gained some notoriety after one of his songs, “Laid Off American Man,” was mentioned in a column by Herb Caen. Bray wrote the song in 1994 after Bechtel fired him.

BENICIA >> It's been 20 years since Peter Bray left the corporate world with a song in his heart. It brought him fame.

Yes, the longtime Benician wrote and recorded a song after being fired from Bechtel. The title was “Dismissed American Man.” He sent a cassette copy to legendary San Francisco Chronicle gossip columnist Herb Caen, who reprinted the lyrics and called Bray “my hero today.”

“He gave me the top six inches of it,” said Bray, a cheerful handyman and Benicia poetry group regular.

There is more. Within a week, Bray said he received a postcard from noted upstate New York folk singer Pete Seeger that said, “I just read Herb Caen. How do I get a copy of your song?” I thought, “How cool!” “

Two weeks later, Bray received another message in the mail from Seeger requesting a second copy.

“I thought, 'Okay, he liked it, he'll send it to Arlo Guthrie, Arlo will record it and I'll be home free!' I'm rich and fat and famous!” “

Unfortunately, “it didn’t happen,” Bray chuckled. “It’s a great thing, but I fix toilets.”

Bray, 71, still loves poetry and songwriting. He's been at it for more than 40 years, filling pieces of paper – and later notebooks – with rhymes about his children and other things that piqued his interest. He still performs at open mics where he uses humor to connect with listeners.

“If you can get the whole room to shut up and become quiet because you really speak in a low voice and bring it up, you can get the whole crowd of 30 people to move with you,” Bray said. who has self-published three volumes of poetry since 1972. “And then when you add something funny and make the same 30 people laugh, that’s just a kick in the butt!”

A native of Walnut Creek, Bray earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966. He worked in the defense industry for several years, designing rockets, before setting up his own business as a design engineer and graphic illustrator. He eventually got a job at Bechtel in San Francisco, where he worked as a graphics manager. After 10 years, he was laid off as part of a major downsizing.

“So I wrote ‘Laid Off American Man,’” said Bray, who has been writing poetry since the early ’70s. The song begins like this: “I do windows, I do floors, I do hallways, I do doors, I do everything I can, I'm a laid off American man!”

“I had a cassette, I had a cover and I sent it to Herb Caen,” Bray said. “And about a week later, I called one of my designers (at Bechtel) after I left and said, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ He said, ‘PR is on alert.’ I said, ‘What are you talking about ?” He said, “You didn't see Herb Caen this morning? You'd better.” So I went to Raley, got the Chronicle, opened it up and he typed up all my texts.”

The final verses read: “I was vice president in charge of BD, with a mission statement and a cell phone, a company watch and a company loan, I was vice president in charge of BD.” Now I'm a gardener in the promised land, all my tools are in a one man van, now I do windows, I do floors, I do hallways, I do doors, do everything I can, I'm a laid off American!”

Not everything Bray writes or performs is funny. “Weeping at Starbucks” conveys his pain in the hours after his daughter's death from Crohn's disease in February 2012. It begins: “After house coffee and apple sales and ten thousand words of condolence via email, cell phone.”, cards and letters, it runs to that “Crying at Starbucks while the quiet chatter and overheard music compete.”

What drives his creativity? “It’s therapeutic for me and entertaining,” Bray said. “And maybe…it’ll be helpful to someone else.”

Contact Tony Burchyns at 707-553-6831.

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Jack Hirschman, a former poet, activist, and famous beat generation proponent from San Francisco, died on Sunday at his home in the city, said the organization where he was co-founder and director. He was 87 years old.

On behalf of the World Poetry Movement, Ataol Behramoglu said the organization learned of Hirschman’s death just minutes before his scheduled speech in the last of its regular online interviews as WPM board coordinator.

“[It] is a big shock for us close friends and colleagues, ”wrote Behramoglu. “It was a great loss to American and world poetry.”

City Lights Books, Green Apple Books, and many others in San Francisco paid tribute to Hirschman on Twitter when they heard the news.

“Jack was regularly visiting our store and publishing office prior to the pandemic and brightening our day with a joke or story,” tweeted City Lights. “His presence in North Beach is so much missed. To this day, he was constantly reading poetry at various virtual events. We love you, Jack. “

Born in New York City, Hirschman started as an editor at Associated Press and later taught at UCLA in the 1970s before being fired for encouraging his students to resist drafting during the Vietnam War. Shortly thereafter, he moved to North Beach, where he wrote and published his first volume of poetry, “A Correspondence of Americans”, and studied the literary scene at Caffe Trieste and City Lights.

Hirschman was deputy editor of the left-wing literary magazine “Left Curve”, founded the Union of Left Writers of San Francisco and, in addition to his own extensive poetry, translated dozens of international works into English, in particular the poems of a young Joseph Stalin.

will miss Jack Hirschman’s presence in the world. My condolences to my dear wife. https://t.co/VlybMoAFDp

– Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) August 22, 2021

In 2006 he was named a Poet Prize Winner and in the same year launched the San Francisco International Poetry Festival. Three years later he became a poet in residence at the San Francisco Public Library.

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – Janice Mirikitani – co-founder, activist, poet and wife of the Glide Memorial Church, Rev. Cecil Williams – died Thursday morning, according to a church announcement. She was 80 years old.

The post on the Glide website said Mirikitani died with family and friends by her side.

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Janice Mirikitani (Glide.org)

“Our hearts are full of sadness and the tremendous love that it embodied. Janice accompanied everything she did with wild courage and willpower, ”the statement said. “She told her truth and inspired others to accept and celebrate themselves, each other and all of our differences.”

Mirikitani was born on February 4, 1941 in Stockton, California, to a Japanese immigrant couple in the San Joaquin Valley. During World War II, she and her family were interned at the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas.

She studied English and creative writing, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA and worked intermittently as a teacher in Contra Costa County before finding her calling at Glide Memorial Church in Tenderloin in the late 1960s.

Mirikitani went from being an administrative assistant in the church to being a program director, and through her work with the church she began a lifetime of activism and advocacy for marginalized people and communities.

“Janice helped shape so much of the early vision and roots of GLIDE’s impact,” the Church’s statement read. “Your work touched many areas, both in church and on the street in Tenderloin and in San Francisco.”

Mirikitani married the co-founder of Glide, Rev. Cecil Williams, in 1982, and became president of the Glide Foundation that same year. She also continued her work as a writer, poet, and editor, wrote a number of books, and became San Francisco’s second prize-winner in 2000.

Several San Francisco officials issued public statements after news of Mirikitani’s death became known.

“Jan Mirikitani was one of the real lights of our city. She was a visionary, a revolutionary artist and the embodiment of the compassionate spirit of San Francisco, ”read a statement from SF Mayor London Breed. “As a poet, also as Poet Laureate of this City from 2000 to 2002, she used the power of her words to advance the fight for equality and to call for a more just and peaceful world. Through her work at Glide Memorial Church, she and her husband, Reverend Cecil Williams, served our most vulnerable residents for decades and offered everyone a place of refuge and love. “

San Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener posted a memorial service on Twitter with the words: “I am heartbroken that our beloved Janice Mirikitani has passed away. Jan was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met, he combined strength and love like no other. “

It breaks my heart that our beloved Janice Mirikitani has passed away. Jan was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met and combined strength and love like no other.

My condolences to the love of their lives Cecil Williams, the entire @GLIDEsf community and all of San Francisco.

– Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) July 29, 2021

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San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin posted a short clip of Mirikitani reading a poem during a recent online summit on hate crimes and the safety of the AAPI community.

It’s heartbroken to hear about the death of Janice Mirikitani, SF Poet Prize Winner, Glide Co-Founder and a visionary, influential person.

She read a poem at our last summit on hate crime and the safety of the AAPI community and moved us all with the power of her words.

Rest in power. pic.twitter.com/YJNRE4tXzv

– Chesa Boudin 博彻思 (@chesabudin) July 29, 2021

SF overseer Matt Haney also posted on Twitter.

We lost a legend today, the First Lady of the Tenderloin, a poet, someone who loved people, all people and had endless compassion, grace and vision. Rest in power, Dr. Janice Mirikitani.

I grieve for the glide community and the countless people whose lives they have touched.

– Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) July 29, 2021

MORE NEWS: San Jose Unified Schools are reopening for full classroom teaching

A monument to Mirikitani is arranged. No cause of death was disclosed.

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BENICIA >> It has been 20 years since Peter Bray left the corporate world with a song in his heart. It earned him a brush of fame.

Yes, longtime Benizier wrote and recorded a song after being fired from Bechtel. It was titled “Laid Off American Man”. He sent a tape copy to the San Francisco Chronicle’s legendary gossip columnist Herb Caen, who reprinted the texts and called Bray “my hero today.”

“He gave me the top six inches of it,” said Bray, a cheerful craftsman and regular with the Benicia poetry group.

There is more. Within a week, Bray said he had received a postcard from popular New York state folk singer Pete Seeger and said, “I was just reading Herb Caen. How do I get a copy of your song? “I thought,” How cool! “

Two weeks later, Bray received another message in the mail from Seeger asking for a second copy.

“I thought,” OK, he liked it, he’ll send it to Arlo Guthrie, Arlo will record it, and I’m home free! I am rich and fat and famous! “”

Unfortunately, “It didn’t happen,” chuckled Bray. “It’s great fun, but I fix toilets.”

71-year-old Bray still enjoys poetry and songwriting. He’s been around for more than 40 years, filling scraps of paper – and later notebooks – with rhymes about his children and other things that caught his interest. He still performs with open microphones, where he interacts with the audience with humor.

“If you can silence the whole room and get quiet by speaking really softly and bringing it up, you can get the whole collection of 30 people to move with you,” said Bray. Who has published three volumes of poetry since 1972? “And if you slide something funny into it and make the same 30 people laugh, it’s just a kick in the butt!”

Originally from Walnut Creek, Bray earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966. He worked in the defense industry for several years, designing missiles, before becoming a freelance designer and graphic illustrator. He eventually got a job at Bechtel in San Francisco, where he was a graphics manager. After 10 years he was fired during a major downscaling.

“So I wrote Laid Off American Man,” said Bray, who has been into poetry since the early 1970s. The song starts like this: “I make windows, I make floors, I make hallways, I make doors, I do everything I can, I” Ma Laid Off American Man! ”

“I had a tape, I had a cover, and I sent it to Herb Caen,” said Bray. “And about a week later I called one of my designers (at Bechtel) after I left and said,” Hey, how are you? “He said, ‘PR is on the alert.” I said, “What are you talking about?” He said, “You didn’t see Herb Caen this morning? You’d better. “So I went to Raley and got the chronicle, opened it and he put all of my lyrics in.”

The final verses read, “I was vice president for BD, with a mission statement and a cell phone, a company watch, and a company loan. I was vice president for BD. Now I’m a gardener in the promised land, all of my tools are in a one man van, now I make windows, I make floors, I make hallways, I make doors, do everything I can, I’m Laid Off American Man! ”

Not everything Bray writes or performs is funny. “Crying at Starbucks” conveys his pain in the hours following his daughter’s death from Crohn’s disease in February 2012. It begins: “After selling coffee and apples in the house and sending ten thousand condolences through email, cell phone, cards, and letters, it It all comes down to crying over Starbucks while the quiet chatter and the overheard music compete with each other. “

What drives his creativity? “It’s therapeutic to me and it’s entertaining itself,” said Bray. “And maybe … it’s helpful to someone else.”

Contact Tony Burchyns at 707-553-6831.

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On the hard way in this century, one of the few safe havens I have found was the poetry my mother recited to me, from Alfred Noyes’ “The Highwayman”, which Phil Ochs set to music, to the lyrical longings of Edna St Vincent Millay, a bohemian whose house in Greenwich Village was less than a foot and a half wide, was a perfect fit for someone who wrote of a world that stands out on both sides: “No wider than the heart is wide” – words that opened my.

But such poetry has long since disappeared from everyday language.

At the inauguration of the Restorative Presidency, we drank the words of our national youth poet award winner who came with a cup of joe. We inhaled hip hop rhythms and hopeful intentions and were reminded of the poem’s power to find something deeper within ourselves, something that we had forgotten was there.

“Before we do anything we knew,” recited Amanda Gorman, her simple rhyme calling me the Bob Dylan of a similar age when he teased, “I’m a poet and I know, hope I don’t blow.” it. “He was the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. May Gorman rise to similar heights as it lifts our spirits.

Half a century ago, the dean of the living poets for this literary student was the bohemian writer Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who has been largely mistaken for one of the beats ever since he took up the press of a publisher and asked the courts and the nation to grapple with the raw writing von Allen Ginsberg in “Howl”, the first lines of which tore apart the self-satisfaction of the Eisenhower years: “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness and starving hysterically naked.” Ginsberg set the tone for the 1960s, and Ferlinghetti lit the paper fire.

Twenty years later, I took Ferlinghetti to my university to read, and at dinner I was determined to strive to be the gentleman and scholar he was. The copy of his “A Coney Island of the Mind” that he signed up to me became the cornerstone of my library, which is now overflowing with the inked inscriptions of so many other heroes and heterodox literary figures whose volumes serve as tombstones for their lives and their minds stand. Body gone, her words live on.

Cheek to cheek with these images of a vanished world by Ferlinghetti, who passed away last month at the miraculous age of 101, is the collection of poems I published a few years after meeting and being inspired by him. As big as Ferlinghetti’s book, my Positively Prince Street collected the works of poets whom I had persuaded to read in the bookstore next to my home on Prince Street in the old town of Alexandria.

The owner of this magical crossroads of aspiring poets was Irene Rouse, who became a second mother to me during those years. It was the dwindling days when it was possible to gain literary reputation as a poet.

Irene is now buried nearby in Virginia, and her husband Bill died of COVID-19 last year, breaking the last of that part of my heart that was broken on her departure. Now, when I take up our little anthology, I think back to the time it was published and the very first call for it to be distributed. it was, of course, Lawrence Ferlinghetti in his office at City Lights Books in San Francisco. I reminded him of our dinner and his inspiration, and not only did he take a healthy order of books, he managed to sell them too. I acted with his presence in City Lights and persuaded Gotham Book Mart in New York to do the same, and the anthology, as I announced, sold coast to coast.

Of course, rock poetry soon obscured the spoken word, and the closest we came to song as literature, the closest we got to Dylan and his few heirs like the Canadian poet who became songwriter Leonard Cohen and the “new Dylan” Bruce Springsteen, whose “Madmen Drummers Bummers and Indians in the summer,” recalled Ginsberg’s rolling thunder. Books of poetry were no longer sold to the masses like “Howl” and “Coney Island”. My poet friends felt left behind on Robert Frost’s street, which was less traveled.

My other mother Irene had written in my favorite poem “Tricky Heart” that the sustained cadence of her pulse reminded her: “I’m alive, I’m still alive.” While she is gone and so is Ferlinghetti now, along with all the jewels and rubble of my youthful ambitions, the sounds of the streets of America resound in Amanda Gorman, and again comes the heart of who we are and can be, of whom we offer the least – a young person, a black woman who dares to be hip- Hop fully into the literary mainstream. I hear it now and still echoing.

Dalton Delan can be followed on Twitter @UnspinRoom. He has won Emmy, Peabody and duPont Columbia awards for his work

a television producer.

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