Steve Mellow

Steve Mellow's passion for the arts came early in life. Once, in his fourth-grade classroom in Chicago, Mellow, who was 10 and taking acting lessons, volunteered to re-enact the events at Plymouth Rock. He says he took control of the class. "The first row of kids was pilgrims, the second row, the Indians, and third row was the reporters. It was spontaneous; we had a great time," recalls Mellow.

Steve Mellow's passion for the arts came early in life. Once, in his fourth-grade classroom in Chicago, Mellow, who was 10 and taking acting lessons, volunteered to re-enact the events at Plymouth Rock. He says he took control of the class. "The first row of kids was pilgrims, the second row, the Indians, and third row was the reporters. It was spontaneous; we had a great time," recalls Mellow.

So, Jose Aponte [librarian of the San Juan Capistrano Regional Library] is leaving our community for a community he describes as "more conducive" to the arts ("Closing the Book on O.C. Career," May 13). And County Librarian John Adams says: "We certainly hope to have [Aponte's replacement] in place . . . ." Nobody is going to replace Jose. He is one of a kind, and as a member of this artistic community, I will miss him. For several years, I produced reader's theater with Jose. Thousands of readers came in and read with Ray Bradbury, Jack Smith and other authors.

Saturday is Family Day at Newport Harbor Art Museum and Newport Beach Public Library, with a series of free activities from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for children and their parents. There will be performances by the Opera Pacific Overture Company ("America Sings and Works"); Daion Taiko, a Japanese percussion ensemble; and Steve Mellow's Children's Readers' Theatre Workshop.

"Approach when you're told, can't you?" shouted Estragon. "What is it?" demanded Vladimir. Now it was up to Michael Lindsay, as the Boy, in Samuel Beckett's most famous play: "Mr. Go-Dot . . . ," he said uneasily, almost rhyming the title character's name with go-cart .

Steve Mellow knew he was taking a bit of a risk when he decided to include a brief tribute to author Salman Rushdie in a theatrical reading this Friday at a Costa Mesa bookstore. But Mellow said he never imagined that he would be fired by the bookstore chain. An official with Rizzoli Book Store in New York, which also owns Scribner stores, confirmed that it canceled its contract Wednesday with Mellow for his regular reading sessions at Scribner in the Crystal Court shopping mall in Costa Mesa.