Arts & Culture

Homer Joy, the songwriter behind the Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam hit “The Streets of Bakersfield” has died. Joy was a talented performer in his own right, and a leading figure in the so-called Bakersfield Sound movement of country music.  

Owens’ own recording of The Streets of Bakersfield in the 1970’s went largely unnoticed, but his 1988 remake with Yoakam hit number one on the Billboard music country charts.

On this edition of Valley Writers Read, we hear local author Jim Ashford read his short story "Mayday! Mayday!" In this story, you'll hear how a visitor from outer space is attracted to earth by an unfortunate arrangement of yard lights.

This week on Valley Writers Read, we hear a story titled "Inner Beauty" by local author Susan Norman. Listen and hear how a scuba diver has an encounter with coral that leads to some unusual results.

On this edition of Valley Writers Read, we hear a story by local author David Borofka titled "A Tale Told by Rube Goldberg Begins And Ends with Dogs".  In this story, a young lady's song lyrics propel her to unexpected wealth and success.