OasisCloud Café
In 2011 we were transitioning from one phase of our life to the next. Duane knew of the large house in Chapala that was available for rent and had an inspiration to open a café there. Mimi was taken by surprise by that, but went along with the idea, and from January 2011 through August we remodeled the house and opened OasisCloud Café August 22, 2011.
We had many fun and memorable experiences over the next three years. We made many friends during this very special time. Late in 2011 Jim Tipton came to us with an idea. Many from the writer community here had started hanging out at OasisCloud and Jim proposed that we start hosting "Meet the Writer Luncheons" to give the writers a venue to promote their work.
We hosted the first "Meet the Writer Luncheon" January 31, 2012 at OasisCloud Café and the last one was on Jan. 21, 2015. We hosted 42 luncheons in that three-year period and had many memorable moments in the process. We remember the luncheons and other OasisCloud highlights here.
Judy Dykstra-Brown
“We know that no one wants to listen to a book about death and grief, but this book is about a lot more than that. Since we’ll probably never convince you of that fact, perhaps our readers can do it for you:”
Readers’ Comments:
Having the courage to speak with unembellished honesty, Judy Dykstra-Brown begins by describing the move she and her husband Bob are planning to make to a more relaxed life in Mexico. As the van is being packed and plans finalized, Judy learns her husband is dying. In beautiful prose and poetry, she chronicles her role of caretaker to Bob, their last days together and the death and rituals that follow. Knowing she will be leaving behind all of her support systems, Judy relocates to Mexico alone, sharing her intensely personal journey of growth and finally the excitement of moving towards a different and full life. Uniquely, Anthony Moriarty follows each chapter with a psychological and/or mystical interpretation of the behaviors that accompany Bob's processes of dying and Judy's struggles with the loss of her husband. This is a must read for anyone who has experienced loss.––Romaine Presnell, M.M.H, Mental Health Therapist at John Hopkins, Supervisor of Counseling Services at Associated Catholic Charities and Group Facilitator for The Wellness Community.
David Bryen
Riding off the Edge of the Map is a true account of the author and two fellow motorcyclists on an adventure-tour into Mexico's rugged and stunning Copper Canyon. They follow an errant map until they have traveled so far into danger that returning is deemed more precarious than continuing. Struggling with nearly impassible roads, injury, terror, and broken equipment, the three men were eventually forced to independently find their way back to civilization from the most remote part of the Canyon. The quest begins in the heart of Central Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains and traces their journey up the Pacific Coast and into the largest canyon system in North America, 1,700 feet deeper and four times the size of Arizona’s Grand Canyon.
Nina Discombe 2nd reading
Nina's book was so popular that we scheduled a second reading for those that missed the first reading.
Secrets can be insidious. If you’ve ever had a secret, or kept one for someone else, you’ve had the monkey on your back.
Big secrets especially have a way of isolating us from others, but they also cut us off from ourselves. They have a way of turning our lives into a pretense, a masquerade – a central theme in The Leprous Veil of Love.
Zofia Barisas
In your hand are stories unlike any you have ever encountered before. They are powerful, poignant, often violent, at times funny, but always wise in their depth and search for reasons behind her characters’ behavior. The themes are universal – the insatiable yearning for love, finding comfort in sex, the suffering resulting from rules imposed by church and society, and family neglect and conflict that have consequences for generations to follow. Barisas is a masterful weaver of plots that shuttle us in and out of time, person and place. Her voice is unique, fresh, lyrical and compelling, a joy to read simply for the way she turns a phrase. There is little doubt that Zofia Barisas deserves a distinguished place among writers of our time.
Margaret Van Every, author of Saying Her Name and A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds
Lau'ana Lei
Inspirations on the Path, is a collection of poems written over Lau'ana Lei's lifetime. She will share some of her poetry and one or more of the short travel stories included in the book. The poem, I Am the Sea won the National Golden Poet Award. The poem was written at a time when Lau'ana was dying of cancer. She explains:
Nina Discombe
Secrets can be insidious. If you’ve ever had a secret, or kept one for someone else, you’ve had the monkey on your back.
Big secrets especially have a way of isolating us from others, but they also cut us off from ourselves. They have a way of turning our lives into a pretense, a masquerade – a central theme in The Leprous Veil of Love.
Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez
The Dark Side of the Dream, the highly-acclaimed historical novel by Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez, is now available at Amazon.com as a paperback and a Kindle version. Against the backdrop of current immigration reform efforts in the USA the novel provides important historical perspective.
Antonio Ramblés
Antonio Ramblés’ collection of serial short stories titled Laguna Tales is one of the works from which he’ll read on February 6th. The book traces two years in the lives of 6 Americans from different walks of life who arrive at forks in their personal crossroads all leading to Lake Chapala.
Roberto Moulun
Roberto Moulun's collection of award-winning fiction, "The Iguana Speaks My Name," will be featured at Oasis Cloud on Wednesday, January 23. The book is nationally-acclaimed in the USA where it was named one of the top 25 independent books of 2012. It includes the title novella and 10 short stories in the magical realism genre perfected by Isabelle Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Patricia Hemingway
Patricia Hemingway will read “Stories from the 21st Century” from her new book, The One Who Got Away. The book is a collection in two parts, the first of which are “San Antonio Stories” (familiar to those who attended Patricia’s December reading).
Judy Dykstra-Brown
“We know that no one wants to listen to a book about death and grief, but this book is about a lot more than that. Since we’ll probably never convince you of that fact, perhaps our readers can do it for you:”
Readers’ Comments:
Having the courage to speak with unembellished honesty, Judy Dykstra-Brown begins by describing the move she and her husband Bob are planning to make to a more relaxed life in Mexico. As the van is being packed and plans finalized, Judy learns her husband is dying. In beautiful prose and poetry, she chronicles her role of caretaker to Bob, their last days together and the death and rituals that follow. Knowing she will be leaving behind all of her support systems, Judy relocates to Mexico alone, sharing her intensely personal journey of growth and finally the excitement of moving towards a different and full life. Uniquely, Anthony Moriarty follows each chapter with a psychological and/or mystical interpretation of the behaviors that accompany Bob's processes of dying and Judy's struggles with the loss of her husband. This is a must read for anyone who has experienced loss.––Romaine Presnell, M.M.H, Mental Health Therapist at John Hopkins, Supervisor of Counseling Services at Associated Catholic Charities and Group Facilitator for The Wellness Community.
David Bryen
Riding off the Edge of the Map is a true account of the author and two fellow motorcyclists on an adventure-tour into Mexico's rugged and stunning Copper Canyon. They follow an errant map until they have traveled so far into danger that returning is deemed more precarious than continuing. Struggling with nearly impassible roads, injury, terror, and broken equipment, the three men were eventually forced to independently find their way back to civilization from the most remote part of the Canyon. The quest begins in the heart of Central Mexico’s Sierra Madre Mountains and traces their journey up the Pacific Coast and into the largest canyon system in North America, 1,700 feet deeper and four times the size of Arizona’s Grand Canyon.
Nina Discombe 2nd reading
Nina's book was so popular that we scheduled a second reading for those that missed the first reading.
Secrets can be insidious. If you’ve ever had a secret, or kept one for someone else, you’ve had the monkey on your back.
Big secrets especially have a way of isolating us from others, but they also cut us off from ourselves. They have a way of turning our lives into a pretense, a masquerade – a central theme in The Leprous Veil of Love.
Zofia Barisas
In your hand are stories unlike any you have ever encountered before. They are powerful, poignant, often violent, at times funny, but always wise in their depth and search for reasons behind her characters’ behavior. The themes are universal – the insatiable yearning for love, finding comfort in sex, the suffering resulting from rules imposed by church and society, and family neglect and conflict that have consequences for generations to follow. Barisas is a masterful weaver of plots that shuttle us in and out of time, person and place. Her voice is unique, fresh, lyrical and compelling, a joy to read simply for the way she turns a phrase. There is little doubt that Zofia Barisas deserves a distinguished place among writers of our time.
Margaret Van Every, author of Saying Her Name and A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds
Lau'ana Lei
Inspirations on the Path, is a collection of poems written over Lau'ana Lei's lifetime. She will share some of her poetry and one or more of the short travel stories included in the book. The poem, I Am the Sea won the National Golden Poet Award. The poem was written at a time when Lau'ana was dying of cancer. She explains:
Nina Discombe
Secrets can be insidious. If you’ve ever had a secret, or kept one for someone else, you’ve had the monkey on your back.
Big secrets especially have a way of isolating us from others, but they also cut us off from ourselves. They have a way of turning our lives into a pretense, a masquerade – a central theme in The Leprous Veil of Love.
Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez
The Dark Side of the Dream, the highly-acclaimed historical novel by Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez, is now available at Amazon.com as a paperback and a Kindle version. Against the backdrop of current immigration reform efforts in the USA the novel provides important historical perspective.
Antonio Ramblés
Antonio Ramblés’ collection of serial short stories titled Laguna Tales is one of the works from which he’ll read on February 6th. The book traces two years in the lives of 6 Americans from different walks of life who arrive at forks in their personal crossroads all leading to Lake Chapala.
Roberto Moulun
Roberto Moulun's collection of award-winning fiction, "The Iguana Speaks My Name," will be featured at Oasis Cloud on Wednesday, January 23. The book is nationally-acclaimed in the USA where it was named one of the top 25 independent books of 2012. It includes the title novella and 10 short stories in the magical realism genre perfected by Isabelle Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Patricia Hemingway
Patricia Hemingway will read “Stories from the 21st Century” from her new book, The One Who Got Away. The book is a collection in two parts, the first of which are “San Antonio Stories” (familiar to those who attended Patricia’s December reading).