God On The Rocks

The City By The Bay continues celebrating Movies and Music! Tonight's visitor to the City By The Bay and dropping into God On The Rocks for a few glasses of Pinot Noir and conversation is the amazing talent of Dr. Michael Brant DeMaria. Pull up a stool and enjoy the magic of this man whose music has had more than 250 Million downloads worldwide, earning him four Grammy®nominations, eight ZMR awards, six #1 albums, and a Native AmericanMusic Award. His work is also featured on the Grammy® winning album AllAbout Bullies Big and Small. Michael's music has been featured in projectswith Eckhart Tolle, Mark Nepo, Peter Kater, and Noah Levine.How he got here? The journey . . . Dr. DeMaria's life took a profound turn 30 years ago. Experiencing compassion fatigue, burn out and suicidal thoughts from working with over 2000 cases of severe child abuse and neglect as a child protection team psychologist, he embarked on a life-transforming vision quest guided by a native elder. This journey, which involved going without food or water alone in the wilderness, led to profound heart opening and a reawakening of his first loves of nature and creativity, while instilling in him a sense of the deep mystery of living and dying as far beyond anything we are taught in modern culture.  Thank you for continuing to visit God On The Rocks and bringing along friends to spend time with us. This bartender greatly appreciates your company!You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

The  City By The Bay kicks off our Summer Series celebrating Movies and Music and Tonight's Traveler helps us do just that in style!  Michael Farris Smith pulls up a stool at God On The Rocks to talk all things Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049 and to share a few of his excellent Bourbon discoveries.  There's nothing better for this Bartender than hanging out in conversation with one of my favorite Southern Authors and discussing a favorite movie and bourbon makes the evening go down smooth.  It was particularly wonderful to listen to Michael share stories from behind the scenes and on the set of his recent movies, Desperation Road, and Rumble Through the Dark based on his best-selling novels. Michael Farris Smith is an award-winning writer whose novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Oprah Magazine, Book Riot, and numerous other outlets, and have been named Indie Next, Barnes & Noble Discover, and Amazon Best of the Month selections. He has also written the feature-film adaptations of his novels Desperation Road and The Fighter, titled for the screen as Rumble Through the Dark. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and daughters.You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

The City By The Bay has been hosting a week long Storytelling Festival so imagine our delighted surprise when Dr. Rick Diamond, Story-Healer in the Wild came wandering into God On The Rocks lured by the scent of Alchemy Espresso! Pull up a  stool and join the conversation as we talk about the stories we were told, the ones we tell ourselves, and the journey of discovering our true Story! And, as always, thank you for bringing a friend along with you to God On The Rocks!“Getting to know Dr. Diamond over a couple of Alchemy Espresso’s was such a warm, enlightening experience. It renewed my awareness of how everyone’s story is a part of this tapestry we call life.” Dr. Rick Diamond is a Story Healer. He helps people see what patterns and beliefs have led them to their present moment, and he helps them discover the story their deepest self wants to live. Rick was an award-wining college English teacher for a decade. He then had a series of spiritual experiences, attended seminary, and worked as a minister, before leading an innovativefaith community in Austin, Texas, for 17 years. Rick has led thousands of classes in seminaries, universities, and churches. He’s created and led scores of retreats and events about open- heartedness, accessing our sacred masculine and feminine, personal formation, and more. He works with nonprofits, companies, and organizations to help them create strategies to realize their goals. His worldview embraces both Western and Eastern religious traditions, myth and archetypes, and Indigenous and shamanic practices. He participates in therapy, recovery, men’swork, and in energy medicine and breathwork. Rick is the author of 2 books and hundreds of articles. He created the Story Healing process by bringing together spirituality, myth, art, literary theory, systems analysis, and the joy of awakening.You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

God On The Rocks is OPEN! Our Remodeling project is finally finished and just in time for author, Charles McNair to wind his way up from Columbia, South America and visit with the bartender about his days of discovery on the open road. It's the things that happen when a choirboy puts Alabama in the rearview and sets out on a one of a kind adventure hitching his way to Mexico and get's a ride in a big, gold Cadillac with Kool and the Gang and meets many, strange and wonderful traveling companions along the way.  Charles McNair, a native of the Yellowhammer State of Alabama, released his first novel, Land O’ Goshen, to critical acclaim. Land O’ Goshen was a nominee for the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1994. Charles currently lives in Columbia, South America where he writes full-time, combining freelance literary duties with assignments for corporations and businesses, including “Power of Storytelling” workshops.  He has served as Books Editor for Paste magazine and shared his reviews on Atlanta radio station WMLB 1690. He is currently at work on his forth novel, The Epicureans. Visit Charles online at charlesmcnairauthor.com Thank you for visiting God On The Rocks and bringing along a friend, spreading the word, and sharing the news. Upcoming events in the City by the Bay include a City wide Celebration of Yoga, a new Storytelling Festival, and a Summer long celebration of Movies and Music with some of your favorite authors sharing their passion about their favorite movies and musicians. Stay with us! You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

God On The Rocks is currently closed for a remodeling project. Coming soon - Open Rafters, a little loft hideaway complete with woodstove, Clearstories and stained glass. Check in for the update on what's ahead for the City by the Bay! Reopening with a party and a visit from Pulitzer finalist, Charles McNair on May 3rd. Sending you love for spreading the word about the bar. Keep those postcards coming!See You Soon! The BartenderYou can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

It's officially Springtime and Baseball Season returns with a wonderful reminder that we have emerged from the dark days of Winter, that sometimes Summer's can feel eternal, and that people still love to wander into a bar, pull up a stool, and chat about the things they love and find in common.Tonight's traveler to the City by the Bay who wanders into the bar is Gregory Wolfe is a writer, teacher, editor, and publisher. In 1989 he founded Image—one of America’s leading literary journals, which he edited for thirty years. He was also the founding director of the Seattle Pacific University MFA in Creative Writing program, which he led for over a dozen years. He is currently editor of an indie, non-profit literary press, Slant Books. Wolfe’s writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, First Things, Commonweal, and America. In 2005 he was a judge for the National Book Awards. His books include Beauty Will Save the World, Intruding Upon the Timeless, and The Operation of Grace. He is married to the novelist Suzanne M. Wolfe. They are the parents of four grown children and live in Richmond Beach, Washington.A man with a memory that blows us out of the water, who loves baseball like nobody's business and shares that enthusiasm with a very, thankful Bartender who just happens to have a special place in her heart for the game. You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

It's Big Dog's Night Out at God On The Rocks and all the furry friends joined us for water bowls and treats. National Puppy Day is March 23rd but this past week we lost our precious old dogs unexpectedly within 3 days of each other and decided there was never a better time than to celebrate the true love, loyalty and dedication that we find in our furry beasts.  So many dogs, so many years, and so many funny stories. Not a sad moment, just a lot of laughter, and realizing after the bar closed we had left out some really important stories. Like the night our Daddy picked up a stray dog in the road and brought it home that looked like - a pig. Which we discovered was pregnant within a week or so and then it had puppies - that looked just liked pigs. With corkscrew tails. We do not lie. All the puppies found good homes including the Mama dog and all the new dog owners swore those were the best dog's they had ever owned. For the record, sister's favorite dog movie remains Lady and the Tramp. Mine is Homeward Bound - both versions. And our forever fav is Lady and the Tramp jointly. Favorite dog novel: Racing in the Rain - I have never seen the movie because I. Just. Can. Not. We hope you enjoy this very special visit to God On The Rocks!You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

This week's Traveler to the City By The Bay is the soulful poet, Michael Dechane who dropped in God On The Rocks to discuss his upcoming dream workshop with the Hagen Institute featuring the work of Carl Jung and Jungian Dream Work.  This Bartender had a blast talking with Michael about the many facets of our dream life, the universality of our dreams, and how our dreams might have a positive impact on the world.After earning his MFA in Poetry from SPU, Dechane moved to Switzerland and then the Netherlands, before returning to the States because he fell in love, again. His poems have appeared in Image, Southern Poetry Review, Spiritus, Bellingham Poetry Review, Valparaiso Poetry Review, Lake Effect, Tar River Poetry, EcoTheo Review, Cumberland River Review, Channel, The Night Heron Barks, Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, Maine Review, Exstasis, and elsewhere. He was a finalist in Atlanta Review’s 2020 International Poetry Contest and the winner of Ruminate’sBroadside Poetry Prize in 2020. His poem “Dressing” was included in Between Heaven & Earth: Eve Poems, a 2023 anthology from Orison Books. His debut collection, The Long Invisible, is forthcoming through Wildhouse Publishing in September of 2024.Dechane is currently enrolled in the dream work certificate program through The Haden Institute. This two-year program is a deep dive into the strange and wonderful waters of foundational Jungian concepts, analytical psychology, dream interpretation, equipment for active imagination forays, cultivating the process of individuation, and subverting our rampant cultural 'othering' by recalling our projections. He intends to complete his certification work in December of 2024 and hopes to lead dream groups and individuals who are curious about all that their dreams and unconscious lives have to offer. Michael resides in Asheville, NC, with his person, Regan. He enjoys chasing fish, carving wooden spoons, and everything the Punch Bucket Lit community and reading series has to offer. Learn more about his poetry at www.michaeldechane.com.Explore his marketing consultancy, content production, and SEO services at LinkedIn.Or, find him online at Facebook and Instagram.You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.comYou can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

The new Comic Book store, Silver Surfer is opening this weekend and this weeks Traveler, Jamie Ford knows a thing or two about comics. It's a lifelong love of his based from his early experiences with a childhood illness that left him housebound but thankfully with a Dad who realized comics would help ease the isolated boredom. He visits the City by the Bay in search of the Holy Grail of Comic Books and to celebrate Marvel Madness Weekend. He pulls up a stool to drink gin and tonic and discuss Marvel Characters, Independent Artists, Collecting (and sometimes painfully selling) comic collections, Marvel Movies, and that wonderful news that Pedro Pascal will be entering the Marvel Universe for the Fantastic Four Movie. Jamie Ford is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer, Min Chung, who emigrated from Hoiping, China to San Francisco in 1865, where he adopted the western name “Ford,” thus confusing countless generations.His debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two and a half years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and has been optioned for film and stage. His work has been translated into 35 languages. His latest novel is The Many Daughters of Afong Moy. When not writing or daydreaming, he can be found on Instagram @jamieford and at www.jamieford.comYou can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

It's Valentines Week and this weeks Traveler to the City by the Bay is wild woman, literary author, and editor-in-chief, Mandy Haynes who flew in to help take care of all the patrons at God On The Rocks. There have been so many weddings, parties, and Valentines happenings it has been crazy. The Film and TV Society has a famous fictional couples costume contest, the Cinema is playing all the best romance movies, and it's undeniable - love is in the air. Between taking care of customers there will be the drinking of Tequila and stories of love and lust from here to there. And lots and lots of laughter.This Week's Traveler is Mandy Haynes who spent hours on barstools and riding in vans listening to great stories from some of the best songwriters and storytellers in Nashville, Tennessee. She recently moved to Semmes, Alabama where she lives in a barn at Good Fortune Farm Refuge and helps take care of farm chores and rescues of all shapes and sizes with various medical issues and special needs. She is the author of two short story collections, a novella, editor of several anthologies, and the editor-in-chief of Three Dogs Press and the online literary journal, WELL READ Magazine. You can find her at mandyhaynes.com You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

This week's traveler is New York Times bestselling and award-winning novelist Michael Lister. He is a native Floridian best known for his acclaimed John Jordan “Blood” mystery thriller series and began songwriting after the death of a close friend and in the midst of the devastation of a Category 5 Hurricane that wrecked the Gulf Coast. Michael grew up in north Florida near the Gulf of Mexico and the Appalachicola River in a small town world famous for tupelo honey.Captivated by story since childhood, Michael has a love for language and narrative inspired by the Southern storytelling tradition.Before becoming a full-time novelist in 2000, Michael taught high school, worked as a college professor and inspirational speaker, owned and operated a bookstore, wrote a popular syndicated column, served as a newspaper editor, operated a community theater, wrote plays and screenplays, and worked for a production company. He has lectured extensively in the areas of creative writing, film, literature, spirituality, and self-help.In the 90s, Michael was the youngest chaplain within the Florida Department of Corrections. For nearly a decade, he served as a contract, staff, then senior chaplain at three different facilities in the Panhandle of Florida—a singular experience that led to his first novel, 1997’s critically acclaimed, POWER IN THE BLOOD.Michael is also the author of the Burke and Blade Panama City Beach PI series (THE NIGHT OF, etc.), the 1940s Jimmy Riley noir series (THE BIG GOODBYE, etc.), and the thrillers DOUBLE EXPOSURE, BURNT OFFERINGS, and SEPARATION ANXIETY.  Michael is the recipient of two Florida Book Awards—for DOUBLE EXPOSURE and BLOOD SACRIFICE, respectively. His work has spent time on both the New York Times and the USA Today Bestseller lists, been translated into German, and adapted into stage plays. Currently, DOUBLE EXPOSURE is in development for a feature film and the John Jordan books for a TV series.Michael lives in his beloved North Florida, where in between writing stints, he enjoys time with his family and friends, playing basketball, and making music. Discover more about Michael Lister at https://www.michaellister.comYou can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

It's a full on celebration happening in the City by the Bay tonight! The Wrap party for Fargo, Season 5 is rolling out the Minnesota welcome mat for all the travelers arriving for Chili and Bisquick Biscuits. The Bartender's Sister, Sheila Goode returns to drink a little whiskey and delve into exactly what it is about Fargo 5 that makes it so special and worthy of our time. Please join us as we explore the greatest lessons we can take away from this marvelous season featuring Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Joe Kerry, David Rhysdahl and many other wondrous, talented people. The City by the Bay Community Arts Calendar reveals that the next few weeks the city will be all abuzz with: The Songwiter's FestivalPen Pals InternationalThe Red Hand Files (letters) of Nick CaveA Salute to the Genius of Prince Labryinths: Then and NowVisiting With The MysticsAnd much more. Rest assured, there is always something happening in the City by the Bay, and there are always incredible Travelers dropping in for a drink and some soulful conversations about the thing they love!You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

It's a stormy night in the City by the Bay and the bartender catches Travelers up on all the tea of what's happening around town. The Film and TV Society come pouring in last minute to talk about what they are watching and loving and think we should be watching too. The Juke Box has been playing and a couple of songs are in middle of tonight's visit at God On The Rocks are featured back to back. Just want to get back to what's happening in the City by the Bay? FAST forward a tad from 10:20 - 17:30 and get back to the scoop on whose doing what, and where, and why.)You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

Tonight's visitor to God On The Rocks is writer, Jeffrey Allen Mays who traveled to the City by the Bay  for a celebration of the works of one of his favorite authors, the legendary, Cormac McCarthy.Jeffrey Allen Mays was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up mostly in Texas. After graduating from Baylor University, and finding his IT career vacuous and soul-starving, he attended Covenant Seminary in St. Louis and pursued his dream of becoming a man of the cloth. But church life was not hospitable soil for his haggard roots, and after the brief clerical sojourn, he was expectorated from ministerial life like Jonah from the belly of the whale. He became a schoolteacher in Austin Texas and later, after writing his first novel, he became a partner with his brother at Novare Science, a publisher of science curriculum. Jeffrey has since earned an MFA degree and is now a writer and teacher. His short fiction has appeared in Catapult/Topology Magazine, Please See Me, Radix Magazine and God and Nature. His debut novel The Former Hero was a winner of the 2015 Texas Association of Authors Book Award as well as being a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards. He now teaches writing at St. Edwards University and lives with his wife in Austin, Texas. Find him at jeffreyallenmays.comYou can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

Tonight's Traveler to God On The Rocks, is author, Michael Morris for a special showing of Robert Duvall's movie, The Apostle.  A lively discussion ensued over Mr. Duvall's passion project he wrote, directed and personally financed. We talked over a scotch on the rocks. Real talk about sin and retribution, fear and murder, faith and redemption. Mr. Morris is A fifth-generation native  Floridian, and he knows Southern culture and characters. They are the foundation and inspiration for the stories and novels he writes.Michael is the author of the award winning novel, A Place Called Wiregrass, and Slow Way Home, which was named one of the best novels of the year by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Pat Conroy called Morris “one of my favorite Southern writers.”  Publishers Weekly named his latest novel, Man in the Blue Moon, a best book of the year calling the novel “a magical and mesmerizing page-turner…with overtones of Flannery O’Connor and the rural Florida backdrop of Their Eyes Were Watching God.” Man in the Blue Moon was also a top three recommended book club read by the independent booksellers association and won the Best Novel category from the Alabama Library Association. You can find out more about Michael at MichaelMorrisbooks.comYou can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

On a very, special evening the bartender's sister comes to visit, sip Tequila, and talk wild, southern Christmas Memories. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year from the City by the  Bay and all of us from God On The Rocks. Sheila Goode, is a natural healer, an amazing nurse, a horse-riding cowgirl and the best sister ever. You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

Tonight's Traveler to God On The Rocks is author and supreme raconteur, Raymond Atkins. A wild storyteller who comes to the City By The Bay for a late night showing of his favorite all-time movie, JAWS but he lingers at the bar long enough to share stories of first cars, wild road trips, American Muscle cars,  and what it's like living just just this side of trouble.Raymond L. Atkins resides in Rome, Georgia, where he teaches English. He lives on the banks of the Etowah River in an old house with a patient wife. His hobbies include people-watching, reading, and watching movies that have no hope of ever achieving credibility. His first novel, The Front Porch Prophet, was awarded the Georgia Author of the Year Award for First Novel. His second novel, Sorrow Wood is a southern gothic classic. His third novel, Camp Redemption, was awarded the Ferrol Sams Award for Fiction and the 2014 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Fiction. His fourth novel, Sweetwater Blues, was a Townsend Prize nominee and 2015 Georgia Author of the Year runner-up for fiction. South of the Etowah, was his first creative non-fiction. You can discover more of Raymond Atkins with his monthly stories, Off The Page, at WellReadMagazine.comYou can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

Tonight's traveler to God On The Rocks is Holden Richards, a traditional large format film photographer and native North Carolinian currently residing in Hillsborough. Inspired by primarily by walking the creeks and rivers of Orange, and Durham Counties, these locations and subjects predominate his photographic work. He has studied view camera (with Jim Stone) and historic process printing (Jill Enfield) at Penland School of Crafts. He is a current Getty Images Contributor who has had his work featured print, including Jill Enfield's Guide to Photographic Alternative Processes, The Hand Magazine, and The Oxford American as well as appearing in corporate advertising campaigns through Getty. His recent monograph Riverwalk is included in the archives of the University of North Carolina and Duke University, and his darkroom work has been included in the Cassilhaus Collection and the collections of the cities of Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina among others.You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

Claire Fullerton is an artist with experience in broadcasting, the music industry, ballet, the written word, and acting. She is the author of four traditionally published novels, a contributor to various anthologies and magazines, is currently studying Shakespeare for the stage and was just accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London for a place in their international acting program. You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

Michael Shields is an editor, writer, producer, and arborist hailing from Brooklyn, New York. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Arts and Culture webzine Across The Margin and is the host of Across The Margin : The Podcast as well as one of the hosts of the film and television podcast Welcome To The Party Pal (both part of the Osiris Media podcast network). As an arborist he has worked in the field of Arboriculture in a variety of capacities for over 25 years.You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com

You come to the city because your passion called you here. Whatever that passion may be. That thing you love. And you wander out into the streets searching for a place to pull up a stool, order a drink, chat with the bartender about all things divine.  Welcome to God On The Rocks. Serving up great drinks and soulful conversations since time began. You can find out more about the bartender and travelers to the City by the Bay at https://www.godontherocks.com