W11 Part B: Henderson

Reading notes are from California 13  to Isabel, Lesley, “slim” & Len by Henderson.

• Henderson’s history is really interesting, he was a part of a lot of Civil right changes and the poems are a lot more closer to today’s date than many of our other readings.
• Starting in Berkeley the smells of tobacco, coffee and incense are very suiting to the city. 
• Porno aerobic exercises? Sounds like the fitness trends of the 80s. 
• I’ve never been to Ashby Avenue, and not too familiar with that side of the city, so it’s a bit difficult to imagine it right off.
• Underground secret San Francisco sounds like a conspiracy theory... 
• the travels out of the bay are still the same as he says, windmills then the Central Valley with agriculture, and highway 5 that’s an straight barren travel. Getting out of the grapevine to arrive back into cities of Los Angeles, I can imagine that trip clearly. 
• “Lost Angeles”, this feels strong to me, it’s a small change in words but a huge one I’m meaning
• Flames, that can be both actual fire and the lights of the city? 
• I think it would be interesting to ride the Amtrak up and down California coastline, or even up into Nevada. 
• “Everything is negotiable” in Hollywood, wow that sounds really ominous, and the emphasis too exaggerated that.
• The lady he describes with her name slacks and sunglasses, she sounds like a generic Southern California girl when you read books or watch tv, the glamorous type.
• Smog alert, typical. 
• Requesting wolf tickets? I’m unsure what the author means by this, scrappers? 
• The switch to the ballad from the poem is really jarring in appearance. 
• The song is really generic Southern California themed pop...
• John Wayne airport, people use that in there? Is it a private plane? 
• The poem as it gets more towards the end feels more and more disoriented... 
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