“It gives one a sudden start in going down a barren, stony street, to see upon a narrow strip of grass, just within the iron fence, the radiant dandelion, shining in the grass, like a spark dropped from the sun”

-Henry Ward Beecher

The community seems to be spreading around like dandelions in my backyard; a young kid must have blown the seeds from one, and next thing you know… In the space of two weeks I seem to have stumbled into a new land – no longer a dull grass green, but bright yellow Lions Teeth blowing themselves outward like an unfurling carpet.

Danny Heggen dispersed the first flower that led to the brilliant Community Bash on Sunday night. I had wandered my way to an open soup night called Soup Kitchen two weeks ago in order to ask him about a book he was writing. I ended up being familiar with but one person, yet the entire crowd of twenty strangers were kind as could be, more than happy to share their soup and voices, and all blowing little golden seeds of their own.

But it was the book that I came for. Danny had already written one – Voices on the Inside: the Women of Baronia. Having the project suggested to him by a teacher while studying in Australia, Danny was allowed access to a minimum-security women’s prison to record the lives and thoughts of the residents inside. This  unique sort of modern book has only recently appeared – spawned by the emergence of social services, it is a method of outreach; write the stories of a certain population, and spread the book to spread the word, much as our own fleur community is blowing itself around.

When Danny moved back to Des Moines, he wanted to reprise the role of social writer, but there was a specific desire to keep it local – not only should the book itself be on a local subject, but the book was to be published locally, and the proceeds are to be donated locally. Soon enough, the subject fell into place – the homeless youth of Iowa. Danny collected the stories of a handful of young itinerants from the shelters in the form of letters, and the book took the life it has now: From a Growing Community, Iowa’s Homeless Youth.

With only a few months till the desired publish-day, Danny took the next step – fundraising. Self publishing is no easy feat, it has a costly start up and, often, little chance of recouping the money. But this is a local effort, and there are fields of fellow flowers out there waiting to chip in. He set up a community show to help raise the money, and now we are to Sunday night.

The music was, of course, a blast. Aeon Gray, The Envy Corps, The Poison Control Center (well, one of them I should say), Seedlings, and The Nutley’s. That is all I will say about it. There were so many memorable scenes from the night, but I don’t have the room to give justice to the night itself. What makes for a better story is the way everyone dived into the heart of our attendance. At least one hundred people showed up, if not more. Times ten dollars a person, that is a nice chunk of change. On top of that, most of the bands were donating the proceeds from their sales that night straight to Danny. Pre-orders for the book were being taken as well, for those interested.

Without boredom, without attitude, the bands and the crowd did everything within their means to help out a writer whom they have probably never read; they held their hands out to a man they rarely speak to. Many of them likely don’t even know what the book is about, and fewer still can call Danny their good friend. Yet a brother is in need, and the family came to his side.

When I had left, Danny had collected nearly half of what he needs to publish – all in one night.

That, my friends, is the sound of the angels blowing their horns. That is the bel canto of the soul. This field of dandelions just stood up as one, and danced away in the wind, to find new homes around the city. We have spent our time and money to push a local issue from a local heart – and we did it with joy in our voices and a dance in our step. We ‘put a girdle round the earth,’ to steal a quote.

Now the goal is to keep the seeds planting – Danny still has another half to go. Pre-order a book, drop him a donation, set up a community fundraiser of your own for his benefit. Sell some lemonade on your street corner, or shine shoes on the sidewalk. This book is a community book – the money it makes is going straight to the homeless shelters in our neighborhoods that support the homeless youth wandering our cold city. Danny’s devotion will not carry us all, help him shoulder the load.

Even bigger, this type of support must be repeated and amplified: musicians, artists, comedians, shop owners, poets – all need your support. As George Bernard Shaw said, “If only for a half hour a day, a child should do something serviceable to the community.” Well, there are fields still naked, and they only need the wind to carry one seed so that they may be clothed. Let this golden tide cover the city.

Danny will be playing at the Mews again on March 3^rd, 9:30PM. Take the opportunity to ask him what you can do to help.

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