THURSDAY 8/31 Orgasmic Alphabet Orgy Every Thursday–spoken word! SEGES ARTBAR, 818 SW First Ave, 279-0250 SATURDAY 9/2 Patty McCulla CAFE LENA, 2239 SE Hawthorne, 238-7087 Reading Rainbow Storytime Reading Rainbow has been an award winning PBS children’s show. Now Barnes & Noble is sponsoring readings from favorite Reading Rainbow tales. BARNES & NOBLE, 1720 N […]
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Never Mind Nirvana
Book Review
Never Mind Nirvana by Mark Lindquist (Villard) An invitation arrived in the mail from Bret Easton Ellis for a party on 75th and Park Avenue, and of course I go, because I’ll go anywhere for a free beer. The party was for some guy from Seattle named Mark Lindquist who just published a novel called […]
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Readings Listings
THURSDAY 8/24 Phillip Margolin Popular detective thriller author Phillip Margolin, a Lake Oswegan, will read and sign his newest book, Wild Justice. A former attorney, Margolin’s series of predictable pulp fiction has been successful enough to allow him to leave the practice of law and write full time. It is a regrettable state of affairs […]
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Venus Drive
Books Review
Venus Drive by Sam Lipsyte (Open City Books) “We are always shushing for in case the Old Lady puts her high holy ear to the keyhole.” Come across a sentence like this–naivete displayed through sculpted, intentionally poor, though satisfying, grammar–and you can bet the writer crossed paths with Gordon Lish, directly or indirectly, early in […]
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THURSDAY 8/17 Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Book Discussion Group Discuss Bird-Eyes by Madelyn Arnold, winner of a Lambda Lit Award. BORDERS BOOKS AND MUSIC, 708 SW Third Ave, 220-5911, 7 pm, Free Bill Johnson A Story is A Promise. Bring plays and scripts in progress, and make use of the Q& A at this reading. […]
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Book Review
The Sleep-Over Artist by Thomas Beller (W.W. Norton & Company) When you think of rock n’ roll tours you think of excess–an entourage, groupies, drugs, late night parties–but when it comes to writer’s tours it’s a different story. An author more likely resembles a traveling salesman shuffling town to town, hoping somebody will show up […]
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Cut My Hair
Editor’s Note: Cut My Hair is the first novel from frequent Mercury music contributor, and current editor of Oni Press, Jamie S. Rich. Set in 1990, Cut My Hair focuses on the early adult life of Mason, a 19-year-old California native who is looking for his niche in life via the Los Angeles punk rock […]
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THURSDAY 8/10 Molly Gloss The author will read from her latest, Wild Life. BORDERS BOOKS AND MUSIC, 708 SW Third Ave, 220-5911, 7 PM, Free * Sherry Asbury and Israel Bayer “The poor will always be among us.” For better or worse, that’s a quote from The Bible and it never quits ringing true. But […]
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The Big Hunger
The Big Hunger by John Fante, edited by Stephen Cooper (Black Sparrow Press) I’m always suspicious of the quality of stories published after a successful author’s death. The Big Hunger, a recently released collection of previously unpublished stories written by John Fante between 1932 and 1959, isn’t new work; my first thought is that most […]
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FRIDAY 8/4 Meet Cat in the Hat The Cat in the Hat himself will be making an appearance at the children’s section. If you can find some kids to bring, you can pretend it’s for them that you’re going. BORDERS-TIGARD, 16970 SW 72nd Ave, 968-7576, 11 am James Lee Burke There’s always an interest in […]
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How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life
Book Review
How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life by John Fahey (Drag City) Over the past 40 years, John Fahey has, in his own words, “skyrocketed to world-wide obscurity;” How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life describes how he achieved this feat. Fahey, as an early indie record producer, wrote his own liner notes, which were typically hilarious, […]
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THURSDAY 7/27 Peter Gadol Gadol is the author of Closer to the Sun, The Mystery Roast, and Coyote. He’ll be reading from his most recent novel, Light at Dusk, the story of a resumed love affair, a powerful friendship, and a child kidnapped by a band of roving terrorists. POWELL’S CITY OF BOOKS, 1005 W […]