Experience The Shakes!

This week we hear from The Shakes, an acoustic band out of Keezletown Virginia, and the musical injection to The Blue Hotel play which art in its second and final week. For full info on the play and an exchange with the director, Michael Trocchia, please wander down to the post below this one...

The Blue Hotel play performance schedule:

Wed, Feb. 25-Sat, Feb. 28 8pm & Sun, Mar. 1 - 3pm
Catch The Shakes live for pre-show music on Feb. 28 7:30-8pm

Court Square Theater, 311 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, Virginia

The Shakes are: Mark Lane, Dan Easley, and Crystal Shrewsbury

And their main website: http://www.towndowner.com/

According to The Shakes myspace page...

"Mark writes the songs, sings them, and plays guitar. Classic rock, country, folk, and blues all make their appearance. His lyrics ask epistemological questions in a style of which Strunk, White, Waylon and Johnny might've approved.

Dan adds support and color to the tunes with an array of instruments and vocal stylings. He has devoted much of his life to the study of popular music from the 1600's to today in an attempt to amass a great big bunch of old tricks up his sleeve.

Crystal plays a strong and steady upright bass. In a past life (and still, from time to time) a bass clarinetist, her string bass experience is in traditional Appalachian old-time music. She provides a solid grounding and careful eye (and ear) to the whole circus.

Dead sober as they may be, their music often sounds a bit drunk. Blame the intoxicating splendor of life itself. Ain't we got fun?"

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Yes we do, and here at the world's greatest Stephen Crane blog we also have comments from Dan Easley and Mark Lane of The Shakes. When reading please bear in mind that both men responded separately and at different times, to the questions below. The third Shakes member, Crystal, apparently had the good fortune not to get involved, as often happens when we of the Red Blog of Courage approach unfamiliar women.

Pat: I found out about this event through an email from the theatre. How do you think myspace and the internet has worked to promote the event so far? What other forms of advertisement are being used?

Dan: I've used the internet in promoting my own work since 1995 or so; so, it's natural that we'd use myspace and other internet services to help promote our band and works. We've had a fair share of interest from local traditional media, especially the local papers, but the internet certainly helps break geographical boundaries with awareness.

Mark: I think it has worked pretty well. Michael has done a great job of getting people to become friends of the play on Myspace, and a Facebook event was created as well. I know I passed it on to the Shakes' mailing list. Just getting the event name in front of people, a lot, is probably important. Vern Zehr created a wonderful poster and flier that was heavily distributed all over the surrounding area in restaurants and businesses as well.

Pat: Who is/are the primary mover/s of the Blue Hotel play, concert & art events and how did they come to approach you and commission the music for the play?

Dan: Michael Trocchia, the writer and director of the play, has been a considerable force. It was his idea to adapt the play, and his idea to have us compose original music for it. I'm under the impression that his wife and the theatre company have both been very supportive - I'm not sure how one man alone could accomplish what he has in the last few months.

Mark: Well, namely Michael Trocchia is the prime mover of the Blue Hotel play and the events surrounding it, though once the ball got rolling there has been a tremendous amount of involvement from the community in the various coordinating events surrounding the play. Michael began talking to me about potentially writing some music for an adaptation of the Blue Hotel he was working on back in the spring of 2008 or so. I can't remember when it was that the arts grant came through, but we had agreed to the project before that time, as it appealed to us anyway.

Pat: Did you and the other band members know about Stephen Crane and/or The Blue Hotel story prior to being approached to do the music?

Dan: I suspect Mark did, as he's rather literary. My tastes tend towards the "Beat Generation" writers, as well as German and Russian literature. Since we've done the music I've grown an interest in Twain, Crane, and their ilk.

Mark: I hadn't read "The Blue Hotel" but I had read some other work by Crane in high school and college. I was an English major in college.

Pat: Can you describe the creative process The Shakes went through when coming up with the Blue Hotel songs?

Dan: Mark and I wrote most of the lyrics individually. The music was an even collaboration between he and I and Crystal, our bassist and bass clarinetist. My aim, and I believe Mark would say the same of his approach, was to try to express the same moods and situations as were in the story, without making too many concrete references to plot, character, or location.

We wanted something that would both enhance the playgoers' experience - reiterate in a musical way the themes presented in the play - while also something that would stand on its own, with or without a familiarity with the story. I'm afraid I'm too close to all three works - Crane's, Trocchia's, and our own - to know if we succeeded. I've heard a few compliments so far, but the great public unveiling won't be for a few more days.

Mark: I read "The Blue Hotel" a couple times when Michael first approached me about writing some music for his adaptation. About half of my writing comes from the Crane story initially and then when Mike was able to give me a draft of his script I read that and began writing songs from that as well. I wrote "Johnnie's Theme" first. The line, "Johnnie, you're a dumb son of a bitch" just wouldn't get out of my head for about a week.

I played that for Dan and Crystal, they jumped on board with the project, and the whole thing really started to work itself out. The Blue Hotel marked a real growth for us in the studio and in our writing as we all shared in responsibilities that normally are left to one person or another. About half of the songs on the CD are character-driven, and the other half attempt to reflect the emotions and atmosphere in the story/play, such as the winter storm and the Swede's slow march through the harsh night to the bar. Also, the song order on the CD is loosely intended to follow the structural narrative of the play.

Pat: How many Blue Hotel songs were recorded and which is your favorite?

Dan: We recorded 14 tunes; nearly half of them instrumentals. My favorite is "The Winter Winds". Within the story, it plays as the Swede is walking from the scene of the fight on to the bar. We tried to make it both a triumphant jaunt and a march to the death. Mark's brief lyrics for it can apply to just about anyone anywhere. We spent a lot of time on the arrangement because the theatre's going to be dark when it's played. I think the three of us really worked as a whole on that tune.

Pat: Aside from the free tracks on myspace, can someone purchase a cd or download an mp3 of these songs?

Dan: Absolutely - in fact, we encourage it! We always release our records as free downloads at http://towndowner.com/. We also offer them for sale via CDBaby http://cdbaby.com/cd/shakes2 , iTunes, and at our live performances. It's important to us to have them available for free - I believe music is a cultural treasure too valuable to be threatened by capitalism. It's also important that people support us financially, whether it's via buying a CD, or just throwing some money in the hat. I quit my job and began living on meagre savings a month or two into this project. I live in a tiny shack on someone else's land. So does our bass player. We're really serious about our music.

Pat: Are you satisfied with the way your music was integrated into the play, or do you know yet?

Dan: Well, I'll see a rehearsal in about a week. From the plans I've heard, I'm satisfied. Early on in the process I was worried there'd be too much music used - outside of Brecht & Weill's work I'm not a big fan of musicals. I think the director's been very tasteful in his application.

Mark: I have seen a dress rehearsal of the play and I am positively thrilled at the way Michael has incorporated our music. He has been a tireless supporter of The Shakes and for that I thank him. The seamless integration of the music with the action on the stage is at times filmic and grand. I think this is going to be a unique theatre going experience, at least in Harrisonburg, and it is a real pleasure to witness Michael's long-held vision coming to fruition. That The Shakes have been able to take part is icing on the cake.

Pat: How would you like to dedicate the rest of your musical career to exclusively producing and performing Stephen Crane inspired tunes?

Dan: I wouldn't. I suspect Stephen Crane would've similarly answered any similarly-worded question. It was an extremely satisfying project, and I'm really happy to have gotten to work on it with Mark and Crystal and Michael. They've been a joy to work with. If I were to again write tunes inspired by another artist, I'd prefer, for my own amusement, that it were a very different person - perhaps Marcel Duchamp.

Mark: I can't say that I'd care to. I will say that I think "The Monster" would make a terrific film.

Pat: What else should people know about all this?

Dan: This is what we do. Very rarely do people out of the blue respond. In ten years of promoting music I've been a part of on a website, yours is the third email from a stranger I've ever received. If someone hears what we've done, I'd love to get an email. Doesn't have to be long, or even complimentary. A simple "I know you exist." would suffice.

All that said, if someone lets us in their ears for a little while, that's a kindness, and an opportunity to have some (hopefully positive) affect on their life. So, we owe them a thank you.

Mark: This is being put on by a community theater. Power to the people.

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Next week on this blog, we'll run post 3 of 3 on The Blue Hotel play...in which PERSONS show and tell us how things went down. In other words, the as yet undiscovered PUNCHLINE, and in this cunning age of ENLIGHTENMENT, who could dare miss it?

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The Blue Hotel: Play & Events Now through March 1

Over the next two weeks (Feb. 18 to March 1, 2009), Stephen Crane fans in Harrisonburg Virginia will be treated to a feast of Crane festivities! A new musical play version of The Blue Hotel opens on the 18th, and will stage ten performances. Saturday the 21st and 28th, talented musical group The Shakes, who provided the score for the play, will perform prior to the opening curtain. And throughout all this, The Blue Hotel inspired artworks shall be displayed in downtown Harrisonburg's The Artful Dodger. And now to the specifics...

Stephen Crane's The Blue Hotel (a new play adapted & directed by Michael Trocchia)

Info site:

http://courtsquaretheater.com/artman/publish/article_255.shtml

Location:

Court Square Theater, 311 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Performance schedule:
Wed, Feb. 18-Sat, Feb. 21* 8pm & Sun, Feb. 22 - 3pm

Wed, Feb. 25-Sat, Feb. 28* 8pm & Sun, Mar. 1 - 3pm
*Catch The Shakes live for pre-show music on Feb. 21 & 28 7:30-8pm

Musical preview site (myspace):

www.myspace.com/thebluehotelplay

Tickets: $10; $8 for groups of ten or more.

Coinciding with the play: "The Blue Hotel" Art Exhibit, artworks inspired by Crane's original story, will be held at THE ARTFUL DODGER in downtown Harrisonburg VA (47 Court Square). The exhibit will open February 13th and run through March 1st 2009, along side of the performance run. This project is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Arts Council of the Valley.

Needless to say, we of the Crane Crusaders and this blog are extremely jealous that we live nowhere near Harrisonburg Virginia. However, location should be no bar to enjoyment of these glorious events. We've tracked down The Shakes and anticipate release of their Blue Hotel cd to be somewhat swifter than Axl's schedule for Chinese Democracy. Shakesman Dan Easley has been skillfully interviewed and his comments will be posted to this blog next week.

But first we'll see comments from Michael Trocchia, director of The Blue Hotel play, in this exchange with your faithful Crane blogger:

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Pat: How did your Blue Hotel project come together and at which point did you know it would be partly funded by an arts grant?

Michael: I read "The Blue Hotel" for the first time in early Fall 2007. I was immediately struck by its dramatic qualities. As I read it over and over, the visual components for staging it fell into place. I took my cues from Crane. The biggest challenge was of course the storm. How to be true to its force in the story? That is when I figured the music must provide that force; it would serve as an emotional equivalent to the storm. But why stop there? Why not find a way to bring out the painterly qualities of Crane's work? And that is when I thought of mounting a coinciding art exhibit of works inspired by the story. I was awarded a grant to fund the music and the art exhibit late October 2008. But I had been making preparations with the musicians and getting things rolling for the exhibit before I knew officially about the funds.

Pat: How and why did you choose the Shakes to do the music for this play?

Michael: I was a big fan of The Shakes beforehand, and a good friend of Mark Lane's. He is a terrific songwriter, and he and the rest of The Shakes know how to get at the heart of the matter in their songs. That is what I wanted. Later summer 2008, I sat down with Mark and we went through a draft of the script. He, Dan Easley, and Crystal Shrewsbury ran with it. The process was thrilling to watch, and in the end they made a beautiful album.

Pat: Have you seen any performances of The Blue Hotel on film or stage before and if so, what did you think of them?

Michael: As I was considering adapting the story, I searched for existing adaptations. I came across Kadar's 1977 film version. I enjoyed the humor he brings out in the Swede, but found the film lacking in the tension Crane renders in the story. I wanted to SEE the scene in the saloon. I wanted to see the gambler and the barkeeper and the Swede together.

I read somewhere too that James Agee wrote a film script of the story but I never got my hands on it, and I read a little of a stage adaptation by Arthur Reel, but wished to do it differently from him.

Pat: I see that you are an instructor at James Madison University in Virginia. Have you ever met Paul Sorrentino of Virginia Tech and the Stephen Crane Society?

Michael: Yes, I teach part-time in the philosophy department at JMU. I've never met Mr. Sorrentino, though I am aware of his work on Crane. My only contact with the Crane Society has been to announce the show. The Society is a wonderful resource. I learned there that Crane was thought to have based Fort Romper on Kearney, NE. That sent me down a path into the history of the town around that time, and some of that history ends up in my adaptation.

Pat: How would you rank The Blue Hotel in comparison to Crane's other stories?

Michael: I'm no good at that kind of thing (i.e. ranking). I will say, though, as I was adapting "The Blue Hotel," I was reading many of his other stories and sketches with the intention to weave pieces of them into the adaptation. Elements, for instance, of "A Dark-Brown Dog," "Billie Atkins Went to Omaha," and, perhaps more obviously, "Nebraska's Bitter Fight for Life" find expression in my adaptation.

Pat: What was the biggest challenge you encountered in adapting The Blue Hotel story for stage performance?

Michael: Besides re-creating the storm, I wanted to keep what I could of Crane's narrative, especially at the opening of the story and the piece about the Gambler. So the character of Barkeeper delivers these two bits to us in the play. While he then serves as our window into the town and its social make-up, he himself is also very much part of it.

Pat: The Shakes have made several of their Blue Hotel tracks available online. Will "internet folk" be able to see any of the Crane artwork or video of the play?

Michael: I hope to get some of the artwork up on the internet, though this may not happen until after the run of the show.

Pat: What would you say is the primary goal of The Blue Hotel performances and exhibits you've coordinated?

Michael: The goal of the project is to bring the work of Stephen Crane, one of America's great literary figures, to the community in a way which deepens an understanding and appreciation of his artistic talents and vision.

The project provides an opportunity for local artists and musicians to cut across artistic boundaries and contribute to a single creative endeavor. By bringing together a variety of artistic talents in the region, the project will reflect the multi-dimensional qualities of Stephen Crane's literary work, broadening the community's understanding and appreciation of this influential author.

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Coming to this blog next week....In which we hear from The Shakes, musical contributor to these Blue Hotel events....In the person of DAN EASLEY, of the group. And, perhaps more!

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I'm Busy Reading Stephen Crane's Letters!

That's right! And, working 14,000 hours per week. But it's so relaxing at the end of the day to crawl into bed with The Correspondence of Stephen Crane Volumes I and II. I just finished Volume I and have put a dent in II. Perhaps i shall review them after i've finished both, as i intend to post reviews of every Crane-related book on this blog, eventually. Right now i will give you my first impressions of Correspondence and the basic info in case you'd like to read along!

Published in 1988 by Columbia University Press, and edited by Paul Sorrentino and Stanley Wertheim, The Correspondence of Stephen Crane Volumes I and II totals 772 pages of every known (in 1988) letter by Stephen Crane and many written to him and to/by Cora. Sorrentino has updated the letters in various volumes of Stephen Crane Studies.

Crane's letter writing is just as good as his story-telling, and i don't think many Crane fans would be disappointed by the man revealed through these letters. His sense of humour is especially sharp. Sometimes he is shady, for instance writing love letters to multiple women at once...but jeez what young man of brilliance and vigor hasn't been there?! It was rather pathetic when Crane runs off to Cuba and doesn't write his debt and panic stricken honey Cora for months (or anyone else in his family). But in Crane's defense he was sickly and overworked and broke at the time too, so extremely distracted. During this period he writes mainly to his agent, Paul Revere Reynolds, badgering him for cash and urging sales of his stories. Crane seems to be dodging bankruptcy from month to month, flinging publication rights into the mouth of the financial beast at his heels, while constantly seeking loans and advances. The poor man!

The Correspondence gives a good insight into Crane's relationships with publishers, agents, and fellow literary men alike, in addition to his family and school chums, which i personally found less interesting. Crane has good rapport with outlandish literary promoter Elbert Hubbard, his lit godfather Willie Dean Howells, and writer co-exile Joseph Conrad, to name a few. He shows fairly good business sense in some of his letters to agents Reynolds and James Pinker, but demonstrates rather poor relations with his publishers, such as S.S. McClure, and doesn't hold back when talking about some editors.

Cora Crane, his common law wife, makes a good showing for herself in the letters she's written. She seems very intelligent, warm-hearted, and devoted entirely to Stephen and his career. We will be discussing much more of Cora in the months to come, including a review of the biography by Lillian Gilkes.

If you'd like to pick up a copy of the Correspondence, i would suggest you do it soon as the book is already 20 years old. Look to Amazon and Alibris for the most affordable/in best condition copy, as if you insist on buying a new copy you will spend $100 to $200 if you are able to find one at all. I was able to buy two sets for $15 for each set, I don't know if you will be that lucky but certainly you could find a set for $35 plus shipping on Amazon. The ISBN numbers are as follows...Volume One: 978-0231066525, Volume Two: 978-0231066549, the set of Vols I & II, somewhat pointless since it's two books no matter what, but easy to look up: 978-0231060028.

Below & above are scans of the dust jackets...

Futuristic Crane Interview

A few days ago the Crane Crusaders Crack Internet Research Team was scouring a site called YouTube for exciting videos about our hero. One titled "Stephen Crane Interview" jumped out and kicked us in the sack! Before we say anything more about it, why don't you click below and watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_xkqYDNGuw

Wow! Watching Stephen Crane in some sort of outerspace war video game was rich & exotic even for our seasoned Crane palates! We had to investigate further, so we checked out the YouTube profile of the person who posted the video, one Dustin Hensley of Ashley, Indiana.

His profile read in part, "My name is Dustin Hensley. I am currently a high school graduate, planning on some sort of college education. I plan to attend FullSail University and study to become a Film Director. My life has recently become a crazy mess, and I have begun this new blog entitled "Deeper." I am becoming more and more focused on my films and will be creating several every month in order to train myself."

We then decided to create a YouTube account so we could contact Dustin for an interview...

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Pat: Who are you and what do you do?

Dustin: I'm currently a high school grad who is trying to figure out what the purpose of my life will be, aside from pursuing my ambition of a career in film direction.

Pat: What inspired you to put Stephen Crane in a futuristic war video game?

Dustin: It was my junior year of high school, and a friend was doing a book report on The Red Badge of Courage. We had originally intended this to be much longer and more in depth, but failed miserably.

Pat: Are you on drugs of any kind?

Dustin: I have some allergy meds, and asthma meds, but I dont take them. Does caffeine count?

Pat: Which would you say is more awesome, Halo video games or the works of Stephen Crane?

Dustin: Halo 3. Hands down. Not the most spectacular story line, but the best gameplay of any on the current market. Now Halo:CE's story line: the SHIZZ.

Pat: This video is a good start, but are you willing to devote the rest of your life to spreading the word about Stephen Crane?

Dustin: I'm not positive about any more Stephen Crane films in the near future, but I suppose one day I could rearrange my priorities. For now, I'm trying to just save money and woo a very special girl.

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We of the Crane Crusaders are quite pleased that the youth of America are being taught Crane in their skools. Bringing him forward into the age of computer games is an even more spectacular thing akin to the goals of the Crane Crusaders. It also fits that given Crane's journalistic pursuit of battlefronts, he might very well have wound up in this Halo scenario.

Tip of the helmet to Dustin for creating this video, and for not ruling out the possibility that he might someday devote his life to the advancement of Stephen Crane's legacy.

Happy New Year everyone!

Crane Christmas Story

Hello and Merry Christmas! I've already opened my gifts and now I'm busy pondering the true meaning of this holy day...you guessed it, a time to read Stephen Crane Christmas stories!

I found this nice one buried in the digital snow of a Google search. The story is called, "A Christmas Dinner Won in Battle" and according to the site it's posted on, "Curiously, this story was first published in the Plumbers' Trade Journal, Gas, Steam, and Hot Water Fitters' Review on 1 January 1895, probably because the main character, Tom, is a plumber."

So was this rewritten for submission to the trade journal? You be the judge, or ask someone who might actually know. My guess is hekka yeah, Crane probably originally had the male hero written as a railway worker. Damn plumbers, always into something! But at least they had the sense to publish the greatest writer of all time!

What we've got here is a neat story of the steady hero, forbidden love, and the obstinate father/tycoon. Throw in some (quickly suppressed) class warfare, extreme violence, and a couple vague references to Christmas, and the end result is a Crane tale that's good enough to re-gift to you via this blog! Enjoy!

http://members.tripod.com/wackyanne/library/xlbattle.htm

:-D

Time to Pay the Piper

I suddenly remembered i haven't paid my Stephen Crane Society dues in at least three years! Whoops! It only costs $10 a year to be in their society, so it wasn't a matter of being too broke to afford renewal. Rather, they just fell onto my dreaded IOWA list, as in I OWe A Lotta People A Little Money. Entities that find themselves on my IOWA list are either too good-natured and/or too lazy to claim the petty debt, or the debt is so old that they've forgotten about it entirely. The good thing about the latter is that when i do finally pay you, it will seem like a winfall to you, and will raise my status in your eyes. As in, "That Pat, he's such a great guy, sending me the $3 he borrowed back in 1986."

The concepts of time and interest are anathema when it comes to the IOWA list. So therefore, when i send my Stephen Crane Society 2009 renewal check to Treasurer Sorrentino, it will only be for $10, but will still make me a member in good standing, and remove them from my IOWA list. Everybody's happy!

But seriously, let's take a look at what it takes to join their Stephen Crane Society. Unlike my crew, the Crane Crusaders, they require no abdominal "STEPHEN CRANE THUG 4 LIFE" tattoos or Ford Madox Ford Society member beat-downs. All you have to do is fill out this paper: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/crane/cranemember.htm and mail in your check. Basically you'll be getting a subscription to the Stephen Crane Studies, which is a wonderful little journal for Crane fans. It is usually published twice a year, and you can order back issues pretty cheap. I think i have all the issues, except for the last few years when i wasn't paying dues.

Membership also gets you on the Crane Society email list, and supposedly gives you voting rights and the chance to become an officer, but i don't recall being invited to do either, not even in my "good standing" days. I think that's because the election takes place at the annual American Literature Association meeting, which is attended mainly by academics.

These are the bylaws of the Stephen Crane Society: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/crane/constitution.htm Article 13.1 holds some faint hope that my Crane Crusaders shall someday defeat the Crane Society: 13.1. SCS may be dissolved upon recommendation of the Membership Advisory Board and a two-thirds majority vote of the members. Intention to introduce a motion of dissolution must be announced by mail to all members at least one month in advance.

Ahh, what a coup that would be! For now however, i'll be content to enjoy my newfound "member in good standing" status. Perhaps you'll want to sign up too, or sign someone else up as a holiday gift. All in the name of Stephen Crane worship.

Imagining Thanksgiving in the Crane Universe

Let's permit ourselves a measure of Crane canon sacrilege on this overly-indulgent, flash-introspective holiday. Perhaps we can pretend that some of our favorite Stephen Crane stories were set in the context of a Thanksgiving Day celebration?

We can rework The Red Badge of Courage to take place following President Lincoln's 1863 appointment of an annual, national Thanksgiving. If the soldiers in Red Badge were truly written with the Battle of Chancellorsville in mind, that would place them in April/May 1863. Why not set them forward a few months? Youthful Henry Fleming finds himself as a fresh-faced army cook embroiled in a deep inner battle over whether he's chef enough to prepare a scrumptious holiday feast for the men of the regiment. He fails miserably at the potatoes and delegates preparation of the biscuits and pies, afraid he might burn them. But Henry finds inner strength in time to prepare a successful ration of mutton.

The plot of His New Mittens doesn't need to be changed as much. The child Horace still ruins his mittens, and is scolded by his aunt and mother for lying about it. He sulks and refuses to eat Thanksgiving dinner, ruining the holiday for everyone else. Then he sneaks out attempting to run to California, but only makes it as far as Stickney's butcher shop. Stickney is extremely busy thanks to the last minute holiday rush, but kindly tries to ascertain what Horace's problem is. Horace mumbles, cries and whines until the distracted Stickney thinks he's talking about being starved and beaten at home, so he calls the Police, who call Child Protective Services. Horace is temporarily removed from the home and his mom and aunt are victimized by neighborhood gossip for years to come.

The Open Boat, we don't even have to go there. I'd rather not think of the Thanksgiving meal they'd eat. Maggie A Girl of the Streets? Poor Mags has the worst parents of all time, and her boyfriend's a complete jerk. Maybe we could rewrite the story so Maggie, Jimmie, and Tommie are rescued by a Christian shelter on Thanksgiving Day, and they find a loving home. But then i suppose it would be more like a Dickens story.

Personally i'd like to have Thanksgiving dinner at the Stimson household, as per one of my favorite Crane stories, The Pace of Youth. Lizzie and her mother have brow-beaten Mr. Stimson into inviting his daughter-courting-Merry-Go-Round-operator-employee to the holiday meal. Young Frank gazes amourously at Liz, while Stimson fumes with disapproval. By the time dessert is served, Stimson is trembling while gripping his revolver underneath the table, but a few minutes later he's passed out on the couch, thanks to the tryptophan in all the turkey he's eaten. The young couple goes upstairs to make out and Stimson soon becomes a grandfather.

Okay so i've taken liberties here. I'm not familiar with any Crane stories that specifically take place at Thanksgiving. If you know of any, or have any ideas for rewritten holiday plot lines, please comment below.

I did find one poem from Black Riders that talks about charity, and perhaps it can be applied to the sudden generosity of the winter holiday season. Or perhaps not, so don't use this as an excuse not to give to the bell ringers. Happy Thanksgiving!

Charity thou art a lie,
A toy of women,
A pleasure of certain men.
In the presence of justice,
Lo, the walls of the temple
Are visible
Through thy form of sudden shadows.