»♦ » » ? » 4 » » » » t • • • '• ♦ '• » » • * » » r t » • ♦ » ' ,•» » » » ■ « » » » » « November 7,1990 The Portland Observer-Paie 7 Possible Pulitzer for Burbank biographer Pulitzer Prize in Letters for bio­ graphy by the Pulitzer Prizes com­ mittee at Columbia University. “ It’s a thrill,” Merrin said, “and it’s hers,” referring to the Indo­ nesian dancer whose rise from pov­ erty to world prominence Merrin chronicled through four years of taped interviews. Merrin, a 10-year Burbank resi­ dent, said a friend first introduced her to the dancer, who was looking for someone to write her biography from a personal level. It was a job Merrin was eager to accept. "It facinated m e,” she said of working with a woman who had been courted by Indian princes, conductor Leopold Stokowski and author Henry Miller. “She really wanted to reach out to people who had humble beginnings to show By GREG SPRING rxyr—pondwX Leona Mayer Merrin thought many things when she was first ap­ proached to write dancer Devi Dja’s biography, but a Pulitzer prize nom ination never even crossed her mind. “I wasn't sure about the book at all," she said, recalling that first day “I was VCI7 doubtful as to whether 1 could do it.” Even when she received a message saying that the Pulitzer committee in New York had called, she didn’t know what they were af­ ter. She knows now. Merrin’s book, a first-person »hv titled “Standing Ova- tions: Devi • D ja, "■ Woman of o f J Java,” was recently nominated for a them that everything is possible; the American way.” But the soft-spoken Merrin maintains that D ja’s life is also the story of struggle and sacrifice that included her fleeing Europe and being prevented from returning home to Indonesia once World War II erupted. Dja sought asylum in the United States, and so great was her love for this nation that she once turned down an invitation from the Indonesian government to revoke her U .S. citizenship and re­ turn to her homeland. “She was caring, loving, humor­ ous and an amazing combination of u n d erstan d in g and universal good,” Merrin said, though admit­ ting that she had no idea the book would be so critically acclaimed. “One is in trouble if one thinks about that in advance,” she said with a smile. “ I had to tell myself that the joy was in the doing." And Merrin, whose mother was also a dancer, found working on the biography to be a joy. “I think that was the catalyst,” she said, “ and we were somehow celebrating people like my mother as well as Devi Dja. I found so many connecting threads in her struggle to overcome so many in­ credible personal obstacles that the story become everyone’s story, it had a connection to every human being who has shed tears and has ambition.” though this was Merrin’s first book, she is no way a stranger to writing. Merrin has co-authored several unpublished stage produc­ tions, worked for newspapers in both Missouri and Texas. She has worked in public relations for such notables as Irving Wallace, Studs Terkel and Barbara Taylor Brad­ ford. Still, she said, “Standing Ova­ tions,” was quite a challenge. “I thought it was going to be a brief recounting of her life,” she said grinning. “We then talked for four years.” Merrin said finding someone to publish the book was another struggle. “ I recall that all the re­ sponses from major publishers were overwhelmingly enthusiastic, but...” She finally found a taker in Dr. A. Lee Henderson, founder of Lee and Lee Publishing in Santa Monica, who published the book this September. Though happy with the final product, Merrin said that she would have liked to have more time to research the subject. “I think that I’m a typical writer in that the end production is the baby," she said, “and you can’t in­ sult the baby. But if you had to do it again, you’d make a different baby ” LUNCH MEATS ARMOUR Six V arieties 99c SLICED BACON 70* 10 to 12 oz. PKG. MARGARINE IMPERIAL P O U N D OF FOUR QUARTERS Happy Birthday Twyla St»f* photo by BONNIE BURBQVK. , . ; For Burbank author Leona Mayer Merrin, The joy was in the doing. ______ —-------- —-------------------— ------------------ ar----------- Contact Office Held Open House to Welcome Staff ft EACH BARS Celebrates her 14th Birthday Twyla Is an 'A' Student at Madison High School She has always been her dads Ace of Hearts' I p hours Î m Î bv S c 59 THE FRIENDLIEST STO RES IN TOWN SINCE 1908 V- H SPECIALS EFFECTIVE NOV. 6 thru 1 1 1990 ’ tol S t MEMBER OF UNITED GROCERS awmws SIM)** «*llto ZFM DRIVE RECOGNIZES NO UMITS TO LEARNING. African-American achievers share a common trait: a profound commitment, an inner drive, that lets nothing stand in the way of The Iris Court Community act O fice, part o f the Portland Bu- s community policing efforts, held pen house to announce regular of- hours and welcomed two new staff ibers on Tuesday, October 16,at the , 315 N. Sumner, #3 (south of Van- er and Killingsworth). The Police Burau has opened ; contact offices this year, one in i o f the city’s three precintcu. The act offices are within the bounda o f community policing demonstra- projccts being conducted by each inct. Iris Court is the first to hire F and set office hours. Lt. Charles education. Because they know that education is critical for Moose, project facilitator for North Precinct’s Iris Court Demonstration Project, said he is pleased to welcome Ina Hart and Katie Burrell to the project. The two will staff the office from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Hart and Burrell were placed through the Private industry Council’s senior employment program. Police Bureau officials and rep­ resentatives from social service, neigh­ borhood, business and civic organiza­ tions were expected to attend the open house. The public was welcome. “ Having people here for regu­ lar hours will help us to serve this com ­ munity better,” said Moose. success. At RJR Nabisco, we share that drive for educational opportunity. So that every African-American son and daughter can achieve the potential within them. R JR N abisco: C om m itted to Education A century of support for minority education— including millions of dollars nationally for scholarships, faculty and facilities-from Richard J. Reynolds personal gift in 1891 Ki>si City Copter of the Phyiovs Society and Pfae 'Reynolds Auxiliary of t/w Tftyllis Chapter to help establish historically-Black Winston-Salem State University to the company’s $4-million grant to WSSU this year » A major contributor to the United Negro College Fund since •Prince MallAffiliated it was created in 1944, and a founding member of its Cordially invite you and your friends “Million Dollar RoundtableT ► Dedicated to improving K-12 public education by funding to thtir Introductory