EDITOR’S NOTE
Andy Weir seems to have the kind of fairy-tale story of which every aspiring author dreams. In fact, when you read in Steve Kettmann’s cover story about how Weir’s success unfolded—spoiler alert, he starts off with a blog and ends up with a hit movie based on his book—the first word that might come to mind is lucky.
Certainly, Weir, who’ll you’ll discover in Kettmann’s story to be as self-deprecating as they come, would agree with you.
But how much of his story really was luck? Kettmann takes a closer look at Weir’s writing in The Martian and his new novel Artemis—which he’ll be in Santa Cruz this week to talk about—to explain the real secrets of Weir’s success. That’s my favorite thing about this story—as much as we all marvel at the idea of a lottery-winner-type triumph, the story behind that story about how a self-made artist blazes his or her own path is even more interesting—and important.
I also want to remind everyone that Santa Cruz Gives is on its way to being our most successful effort yet to raise money for the most innovative nonprofit projects in Santa Cruz County—but we need your help. Read the story in our news section this week about one of the SCG nonprofits, Senderos, and then go to santacruzgives.org to contribute to their efforts, and discover all of the other worthy groups we’re asking you to support this holiday season. With more than $100,000 dollars raised in just two weeks, we’ve had a great start toward our goal of $250,000 by Dec. 31. Keep that momentum going, and be a part of the positive change in our community!
STEVE PALOPOLI | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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GOOD IDEA
LOCK STEP
Warming Center director Brent Adams has announced that his local program will assist in cleaning up the San Lorenzo Park encampment from Wednesday, Nov. 29, through Friday, Dec. 1. Adams says that he and fellow volunteers will also help Santa Cruz park rangers with the storing of homeless campers’ personal belongings. Adams says that immediately afterward, the Warming Center will help to open new storage lockers for the homeless at 1220 River St.—part of the recommendations the Homelessness Coordinating Committee unveiled this past spring.
GOOD WORK
GIFTED PROGRAM
Twin Lakes Church in Aptos has announced results from a two-month “experiment in radical generosity,” as senior pastor Rene Schlaepfer termed it. The church raised more than $286,000 for Second Harvest Food Bank—the equivalent of 1,145,000 meals. Parishioners gave 2,300 children’s pajamas to underserved youth and more than $50,000 toward immediate fire and flood relief. Others gave time, volunteering to clean windows, paint curbs and maintain local school buildings. For information on the Food Bank’s holiday giving campaign, visit thefoodbank.org.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I don’t believe in astrology—I’m a Sagittarius, and we’re skeptical.”
-Arthur C. Clarke
