MONDAY 11/26 Oregon Writers’ Colony Barry Cadish, author of DAMN, reflections on life’s biggest regrets, will tell the story of how his idea went from a website to a book. Powell’s-Beaverton, 8725 SW Cascade Ave, 643-3131, 7 pm , free TUESDAY 11/27 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Group The Black Gryphon, by Mercedes Lackey. Barnes & Noble, 1720 […]
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A Tribute to Ken Kesey
Meeting Ken Kesey at the Barricades by Albert Drake In 1961, I had grown a beard, a rare thing in those days. I was an older undergrad in a graduate, novel-writing seminar at the University of Oregon. One evening the professor, James B. Hall, announced that class was cancelled and that everyone was invited to […]
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Political Fictions
Book Review
Political Fictions Joan Didion (Knopf) Joan Didion’s new book, Political Fictions, examines American politics by observing the closed rhetorical loop within the group of politicians and reporters she calls the “political class.” They are, “those who manage policy and those who report on it…those who run the polls and those who quote them…those who ask […]
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Readings Listings
THURSDAY 11/15 Robert Schekley Science fiction novelist, local Portlander, author of Immortality, Inc., and many others. Northwest Cultural Center, 1819 NW Everett, 228-6972, 7 pm Dorianne Laux and Joe Millar Laux is the author of three poetry collections: Smoke, What We Carry, and Awake. Winner of an NEA, a Pushcart Prize, and other major awards. […]
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THURSDAY 11/8 Andrew Vachss Pain Management. An interesting counterpoint to the Stephen Elliot reading earlier in the week. (see Elliot, PSU, 11/8). Elliot tells the semi-autobiographical story of what it means to be a state-raised kid, heading for delinquency. Vachss uses the same starting point to built the fictional character, Burke, an “urban survivalist whose […]
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15th Annual Oregon Book Awards
Book Review
15th Annual Oregon Book Awards Thursday Nov. 8th, 7:30 pm Scottish Rite Center The beauty of Oregon’s literary community is in the abundance of writers working in a wide range of forms. One night, I moved through three parties–the gloss of a paid-for publicity event, the determination and spirit of a collective, and the late […]
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Readings Listings
THURSDAY 11/1 Jennifer Egan Look At Me A major accident subtly rearranges the face of a model, and she’s left in complete disguise, unrecognizable. Annie Bloom’s Books, 7834 SW Capitol Hwy, 246-0053, 7:30 pm * Edward Albee From early Vaudville, to some of the most well known of dramatic works, Albee’s a heavy hitter. With […]
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The Drunken Driver Has the Right of Way
Book Review
The Drunken Driver Has the Right of Way Ethan Coen (Crown Publishers) For all Coen brothers devotees, Ethan Coen has expanded his repetoir into poetry. The strength of his verse is in the humor and cleverly aligned words: “We tie his ties now; Mr. Sands/Cannot knot knots, not having any hands.” Unfortunately, too much of […]
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Readings Listings
THURSDAY 10/25 Anita Roddick Take It Personally, by Body Shop founder, Roddick. A book about global activism, consumerism, and what we can all do to change the world. Powell’s Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 238-1668, 7:30 pm * Osha Gray Davidson Fire in the Turtle House: The Green Sea Turtle and the Fate […]
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The Art of Life
Book Review
Dan Eldon: The Art of Life Jennifer New (Chronicle Books) The publication of Eldon’s journals–after he was killed at the tender age of 22, while photographing the war in Somalia–vaulted him into a kind of cult Valhalla. The journals themselves are a wonder: a vibrant blast of photography, writing, art, and collage. A coming-of-age story, […]
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MY FIRST BOOK TOUR
Or, “I’m not a hijacker!”
My First Book Tour ever was supposed to begin with a reading on September 12th in NYC. Of course, that was canceled because of what happened at The World Trade Center. I wondered then if anyone would actually care about something like a book, and told the publisher we should just call the whole thing […]
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THE GREATEST WORK OF ART, EVER
Nothing Can Top the WTC
Leave it to a group of outsiders to present the most amazing performance art piece ever staged in New York City. No invitations, no advertising, yet they had the largest audience ever assembled. The reviews have been astounding! My day started as usual, making pancakes for my daughter while she watched cartoons. She came into […]