Oregon poet Shaindel Beers will be making her way into Portland this weekend (from Pendleton, where she teaches at Blue Mountain Community College) for a one-day workshop at Writers’ Dojo.

During the three-hour workshop, writers will explore the voice that begs to cry out in their work, discuss ways to access and drive a strong, personal style throughout their writing, explore personal history as springboards and much more.

THE FACTS

DATE: Saturday, November 7th

TIME: 2-5 p.m.

PLACE: Writers’ Dojo, 7518 N. Chicago Ave., Portland, OR, 97203

COST: $59

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This workshop is part of the Dojo’s upcoming November workshop series. Register and find out more about this and other upcoming workshops at the Dojo’s events page, or by calling 503-706-0509.

MORE ABOUT SHAINDEL BEERS

Shaindel Beers’ writing, including poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, has appeared in a number of journals and anthologies. In January of 2009, Salt Publishing released her first full-length poetry collection, “A Brief History of Time”, which is steeped in personal narrative, internal musings, and the personal longings of a girl reared in a flat country. Beers is currently an instructor of English at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon, and serves as Poetry Editor of Contrary.

You can learn more about Beers and her work by visiting her newly launched website.

I’m happy to announce the release of “Backwards on the Train”, (c) 2009 Imperfect Press. The limited first edition of 111 hand-bound, hardcover volumes contains 11 poems, a few of which have appeared in previous drafts on the site.

The chapbook is $8.00, plus $2.00 shipping for any mail orders. Please email at info (at) davejarecki (dot)com if you’d like to order a copy, or visit ImperfectPress.net – their shopping cart will be up shortly.

Thanks to everyone who’s ever offered feedback and insight. I appreciate it, and the book wouldn’t have happened without honest readers.

Dave

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Wordstock’s here – one of the biggest literary parties on the whole Left Coast. With plenty of words to chew on, I’d like to mention a few things in which I’ll be involved.

FRIDAY NIGHT, 10/9: WARM UP WITH POETRY AND WINE

Come enjoy the poetry and wine with four of Oregon’s most cherished poets. Peter Sears, Shaindel Beers, John C. Morrison and Pamela Steele will be reading their work at Blackbird Wine, 4323 NE Fremont St. in Portland. Blackbird’s Friday night wine tasting starts at 6 o’clock, and includes a $6.00 cover; poetry starts at 7, and is free for one and all.

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: VISIT SUPER WRITING FRIENDS

While you’re walking around between readings at the Portland Convention Center, stop by booth 423 and say hello to this year’s crop of Super Writing Friends – writers and independent publishers from the Pacific NW.

Joining me this year includes the following cast of characters:

• Shaindel Beers
• Pamela Steele
• John Morrison
• Dana Guthrie-Martin
• Nathan Moore
• Jeremy Halinen
• and more


Be sure to drop by and drop your name in the raffle for a chance to win a great stash of poetry.

MORE WORDS ON MONDAY

I’m happy to announce I’ll be joining local writers Arthur Smid and Dennis Yates at Three Friends Coffee (201 SE 12th) for a shared hour of reading, between 7 and 8 p.m. Monday, 10/12. I’ll be reading a few pieces from Backwards on the Train, my soon-to-be released chapbook from Imperfect Press. The reading is part of the ongoing series put on by Show and Tell Gallery.

Looking forward to seeing you over the long weekend.



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Vancouver-area poet, Christopher Luna, runs a wonderful monthly reading series that people around the Portland area (and beyond, for that matter) should check out. The next reading is TONIGHT – here’s the info:

Open Mic Poetry, hosted by Christopher Luna 7:00pm Thursday, September 10, 2009, and every second Thursday at Cover to Cover Books, 1817 Main Street, Vancouver McLoughlin Blvd. & Main Street.

TONIGHT’S FEATURED READER: Eileen Elliott:

Eileen Davis Elliott came from a 1950′s Midwest isolation still reeling from the Great Depression and World War II, and has been a time traveler ever since. She has explored the emerging Eastern Europe, women moving from school marms to combat pilots, and her own spirituality, stopping at Buddhism, shamanistic ideas, and revisiting the wisdom of the Golden Rule. She is a psychologist, (PhD from University of Missouri), artist (self-taught), and writer of prose and poetry. She also makes a passable apple pie and has recently taken up mah jongg. Prodigal Cowgirl is a collection of 120 poems summarizing a lifetime of seeking and occasional resolution with the world including the rural Midwest, Central Europe emerging from the Cold War, and the guy on the freeway off ramp. This book asks the questions of who we are and what we might want to do about it.

AN EXCERPT: From CROW’S NEST IN CORN FIELD

Long ago, when a family could make it on a quarter-section
I would climb our windmill by the south pasture
Every time Dad sent Ma to town
To buy parts for mower
Or the combine
Or whatever else lost heart and abandoned him before the final round

I would hang on the ladder by one crooked elbow
And lean way, way out
Filling myself up with the emptiness of the place
The view of flat, and clean, and corn stalks everywhere

I’d drink in white butterflies
And road ditches of wild roses
And hums of tiny insects
On adventures of their own

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VISIT Christopher Luna’s blog to learn more about the series, his own work, and tonight’s event.

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What gets in the way of your writing process?

Post your answers here, or email dave”at”thebreakerboy”dot”com – I’ll be posting a full list of answers from across the webisphere next week.

Dave

A few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Portland icon Viva Las Vegas, whose new book, MAGIC GARDENS, is about to be released by Portland-based Dame Rocket Press.

If you don’t know about Viva, her story is truly an amazing one: highly gifted and intelligent Midwestern girl goes off to the Ivy League, studies anthropology, picks up five languages, falls in love with the idea of stripping, moves to Portland, becomes the face and voice advocating stripper rights, locks herself away to write a book, finds a publisher, develops breast cancer, beats the cancer, returns to the stage, and has the book published. She’s a great writer and a fantastic conversation, and I encourage you to check out our interview.

Seattle poet and publisher, David Horowitz, will lead a discussion on rhyme this Monday, 7/27 at Looking Glass Books in Portland. David’s a wonderfully gifted poet and citizen of poetry, and it’s a pleasure to know he’ll be spending some time in the Rose City.

David’s discussion will focus on using unpredictable, compelling rhyme, and how subtle changes of perspective on rhyme can help writers recognize its potential to subvert expectation, deepen meaning, and sound completely contemporary. He will also address issues of meter and rhythm.

Visit Rose Alley Press, David’s imprint, to learn more about his work. He has also been a guest writer on the site, and has contributed his time in way of an interview.

ABOUT THE EVENT

Improve Your Rhyming, or How to Avoid the “Moon/June, True/Blue” Syndrome

• When: Monday, July 27, 7 p.m.
• Where: Looking Glass Bookstore (7983 Southeast 13th Avenue, Portland)

ABOUT DAVID HOROWITZ

DAVID D. HOROWITZ founded and manages Rose Alley Press, which primarily publishes books featuring Pacific Northwest rhymed metrical poetry. His new poetry collection, from Rose Alley Press, is Stars Beyond the Battlesmoke. Other collections, from Rose Alley, include Wildfire, Candleflame; Resin from the Rain; and Streetlamp, Treetop, Star. Many of his poems have been published in fine literary journals, such as The Lyric, Candelabrum, and The New Formalist. Some of his recent essays have appeared in Exterminating Angel and the IBPA Independent, a journal specializing in helping small press publishers. In 2005, David won the PoetsWest Achievement Award. In 2007, he edited, as well as published, the Rose Alley Press anthology: Limbs of the Pine, Peaks of the Range. David gives frequent readings in and around Seattle, where he lives.

Portland-area poet, writer, and general all-around neat person Nora Robertson is about to unveil the New Oregon Interview Series, debuting this Wednesday, June 24th, at everyone’s favorite cafe, Urban Grind East.

It looks to be a really amazing monthly series of coffee-talk, starting with this month’s music-themed evening, when Nora talks with local luminaries Slim Moon, Mic Crenshaw, and Alicia Rose.

Nora conceived the New Oregon Interview Series to find out how Portland’s blossoming creative culture has developed and where it’s headed. As she so rightfully points out, “A lot has changed in the past decade. The best perspective comes from the artists themselves—and the designers, writers, chefs, and venues who make things happen here.”

Join in the conversation starting this Wednesday. Go here to find out more about the series and to say hello to Nora. The 90-minute event gets underway at 7 p.m.

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It’s time for another installment of everyone’s favorite public display of self effacing storytelling: BackFencePDX.

THE FACTS

WHERE AND WHEN: Get to the Mission Theatre (1624 NW Glisan) to enjoy some strutting swimsuits (with bodies in them) by 7:15 this Wednesday, 6/17 (the stories start at 7:30)

THEME: “Caught Red-Handed”

WHO: This month’s storytellers include stripper and author Viva Las Vegas, UX engineer Rael Dornfest, Saint Cupcake owner Jami Curl, playwright and ghostwriter Pema Teeter, geologist Eric Schniewind, comic artist Nicole Georges and preacher’s son Jeff Hardison.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Frayn Masters and Melissa Lion, the BackFence ladies!

BUY TICKETS: Go here.

ONE MORE REASON TO COO: It’s BackFence’s one-year anniversary show!

Today was day one of my self-imposed writing intensive at Writers’ Dojo. I’m essentially locking myself in their friendly confines for a few days a week for the next six-weeks with a stack of books, notebooks, pens, and other essential writing and research supplies (cold pizza; coffee; H20; blanky). The general idea is that sometimes a writer can be his or her own worst enemy in the face of progress and process. My garden is lovely, after all, and I can find about 100 things to do around my house – all of them justifiable – in lieu of getting down to business. Alas, Jeff, Rachel, and the rest of the Dojo family are happy to provide the necessary solace and needed creative space to step away from distraction and stay in the flow. It’s sort of like Ritalin for writers, without the toxicity and dependency.

If you live in or near the Portland area, and aren’t familiar with the Writers’ Dojo, check out their site, get in touch, and pay them a visit. It’s a great way to get away from everything else and get down to the word.

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