I’d watch the show even if I didn’t have to. I work for The Santa Barbara Channels, the nonprofit that runs Channel 21, SB’s culture, arts and education TV channel on Cox. Mainly I do marketing for them, but occasionally I find myself behind a camera. So there I am giving a count down and cuing host David Starkey at the beginning of most episodes of The Creative Community.

As David says, The Creative Community is a video archive of SB’s writers, poets, artists, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and other creative people in our community. The first episode I worked on featured Bill and Cheri Steinkellner who wrote for Cheers, one of my favorite sitcoms. I was hooked and have worked on every in studio episode since. Other notable guests have included Nobel Laureate Walter Kohn, who garnered one of only two of the shows hour-long episodes. The other sixty-minute show went to Andrew Davis, director of Hollywood films such as Holes—another favorite of mine. Author Erica Jong was the only non-local guest we’ve had, because she happened to be in town speaking at the Writers Conference. Other Writers Conference stars who’ve appeared on the show include Perie Longo, Barnaby Conrad, and Ernie Witham.

Being a writer, poet, playwright, and musician himself, David has his finger on the pulse of SB’s creative community, which makes him the perfect host. I’ve peered at David through the viewfinder of a camera for two and half years now, and seen him mature as an interviewer and relax as an on-air personality. He claims to be recognized wherever he goes.

A few shows were shot on location in places like SBMA for the migrant workers photo exhibit (I edited that episode), and a special at the home studio of painter, and Creative Community set and lighting designer, Ray Cirerol. Most recently, David took a group of poets out to Anacapa Island to do readings for the show.

With a wealth of talented guests, a now seasoned host, and over a hundred episodes in the can, it’s no wonder the show has won a few awards, both national and regional. First place national awards from the Alliance For Community Media went to interviews with Mike deGruy (2006) and Mary Rose Betten (2007), and a first place Western Access Video Excellence Award went to an episode with Annie Crawley.

Sample clips from The Creative Community are available on YouTube, or you can tune into Channel 21 Mondays or Thursdays at 4 pm, Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 10 pm, Saturdays at 6 pm, or Sundays at 11 pm, and see for yourself. You don’t have to watch it, but I sure recommend it.

A Latina lesbian accepted by her family is a refreshing change to see in the film world. Young Anna’s (Melonie Diaz) problem is not her sexuality but normal growing pains. She’s figuring out who she is, getting comfortable in her own small-chested body, and dealing with complications in relationships. Her journey starts when she, by chance, meets Sadie (Nicole Vicius) and gets drawn into a radical, micro feminist group called Clits in Action. The silly stunts C(i)A perform are not important to the film because the plot is all about Anna’s coming of age and standing up for herself.

Girls who ‘remember when’ will appreciate the Blondie-esque music, Sadie’s Jennifer Tilly like voice, and the small part by Guinevere Turner (Go Fish). All girls will enjoy the couple of scenes with Daniela Sea whose character Calvin is much like that of Max who she plays on The L Word.

The LGBT Kick Butts programs would probably agree that there’s way too much smoking in this film. And another problem I had was with an answering machine being used as a device for Anna to hear from girls without picking up the phone. She has a cell phone so there’s no reason for her to have her own landline at her parents’ house. The good news is, by the end of the film we know she’ll be moving away from home soon.

It’s not as trippy as you’d think, judging from the subject matter. It’s about a hermaphrodite. In this case, an individual originally thought to be a girl at birth and raised that way until puberty. Eugenides does give us extensive insight into “Cal’s” sexual development, but don’t expect Anias Nin type eroticism. After all, this is Oprah’s summer reading pick for ’07. The part of the plot that relates the tale of the Turkish-Greek, immigrant grandparents is reminiscent of the divergence in another excellent Oprah choice—I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. Basically, Middlesex is the coming-of-age story of three generations with a recessive gene. I must admit my favorite part of the novel was Cal’s high school crush on a girl referred to only as “the obscure object.”

What is your favorite Oprah book selection?