Wordstock 2008

I've been meaning to document my Wordstock experience for a while now, but with the holidays and everything going on this time of year it has unfortunately fallen to the side. If you get a chance to check out Wordstock next year, I would highly recommend going. They have many volunteer opportunities, and it's a great chance to mingle with other readers and writers.

The way that they have it set up is very conducive to mingling. The booths range in subject from publishing companies to writers' groups. I picked up some great info at the Willamette Writers' table as well as the Women's Writing booth. It's great to see so many classes and organizations devoted to the progression of the art form.

Also saw some great lit magazines and journals being represented, I can't wait to explore those one of these rainy days.

The job that I had as a volunteer was to usher the speakers to their stages and make sure everything was organized and on time. The first group I walked with was Ellen Heltzel, Mark Sarvas, Stewart O'Nan, and Floyd Skloot. They did a panel on "The Book Review Crisis" which I found really stimulating, as I often review or recommend books on this blog. I've been a follower of Sarvas's blog for some time now and I have read a couple of Heltzel's reviews, and I was really excited to hear what they had to say. The foremost topic of discussion was the part that the internet plays in book reviewing, and what that means for authors and reviews alike. The impact that the internet has as well as the interest the industry has in how readers determine what books they will read were also discussed. Personally, I tend to get book recommendations from friends, and when I really like something, I'll post it on here. I think the interent is a great way to make books of all genres accessible to all people.

I also got to have short conversations with Kevin Cook and Jennie Shortridge, they were both very nice, and as I haven't read any of their work yet, it's next on my list.

The highlight though, was being asked by an elderly woman to walk her to the author's waiting room. I was done volunteering for the day, but still had the shirt on, and I was glad to help her as she was having a small amount of difficulty with her cane. As we walked she asked me if I am a writer. I responded that I am in the process of writing, and it's a dream I'm hoping to pursue more in the coming years. She told me I am still young, and she recommended the 'Attic workshops', she said they helped her cultivate her passion. I did not get her name, but I've been searching to find out who she is as I know she has several volumes of poetry out, and I would like to read them. Hopefully I can find out soon.

Well, that's it for now, I plan on volunteering again next year as it was extremely gratifying!

Things I am Thankful For

Friends who care about me, and who don't want me to be alone today even though I have the plague and am most likely contagious.

Fred Meyer for being open until 4pm so I can get more kleenex and some sinus decongestant.

The long shelf life of Nyquil.

The leaves on the tree outside my window (even though they are gone now) because they hide my apartment windows from the street and provide me with a small amount of privacy.

Netflix for having movies I can watch on my computer now that I am barricaded from the outside world like a shut in.

Happy memories of Thanksgivings past spent with friends and their families.

And finally, I am thankful for having survived some of the worst long and lonely Thanksgivings between parents' houses spent wishing for a repair to come fix my broken family. They make today seem pale in comparison.

Wordstock: Happening This Weekend

Hey there all you book lovers! Wordstock is happening this weekend, so if you have some spare time you should swing by. I'll be volunteering on Sunday as a stage assistant, and I can't wait!

If you've never heard of Wordstock, let me just tell you it's the finest collection of events centered around books, writing, and authors this side of the Mississippi, as far as I know.

Happening at the Oregon Convention Center, for more information check out:

http://www.wordstockfestival.com

I'll write more about my experience later, so check back!

Read It, Love It

I finished reading Tony Vigorito's Just a Couple of Days about a week ago. It's taken me that long to really digest all of the things it made me contemplate. The overall theme is one that I think is especially timely: when you strip away society and the modes of definition, we are all the same.

Using a slightly frightening tale of bio-warfare gone terribly wrong, Vigorito demonstrates what life would become without the use of words. Instead of being a post-apocalyptic nightmare, it twists and delivers a smack to the human race that is desperately needed. Without words to communicate, humans evolve to a level of understanding and unity that we otherwise would not be able to achieve.

Is it plausible? Probably not, but it drives one to think that maybe something of this nature happening would drive us as a species to accept the fact that we are not so different from one another. The main thing separating us is lack of understanding. If you could clearly communicate your message to everyone else on the planet without having to worry about language or tone or misunderstanding, think of the things that could be accomplished.

The prose flows forth in a beautiful symphony of description and narrative, and there is a lot of irony contained in this story. Overall a great read with short scenes making it great for bedtime reading (you can quickly end a chapter as soon as you start to feel sleepy). A must read if you like fantastical what-ifs.

Volunteering, etc.

This fall the volunteering in my life really picked up. I signed up to do Wordstock where I will be helping out as a stage assistant, and I've done two work parties for the Nature Conservancy so far. I also signed up to be a SMART volunteer which means that I go to an elementary school once a week and read to two little kids. It's way more fun than I thought it would be.

I am typically not a person who likes to do hard labor (especially for free), but I have to say that for some reason I find tons of expendable energy when it comes to doing things for the environment. Earlier this month I went with a group from the Nature Conservancy to the Camassia preserve. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend it (in spring there's an amazing blanket of wildflowers throughout). It's a small plot of oak savannah that the conservancy bought way back when there were no houses in that area. Since then, the residential neighborhoods have grown around it, and houses can be seen from almost anywhere inside the preserve. The task I had to help complete was spreading compost over a small area where they are planting some hedges to keep out the trash that floats in from the neighboring apartment complex. I was sore for about three days.

The second work party I went to I took my good friend Josie, and we had a blast. We went to the Kingston preserve near Stayton. The caretakers have been working very hard to bring this area back to its original state by eliminating the invasive species and harvesting the seeds of the native ones. They do this in a number of ways including controlled burns, but on this particular day we were lopping the heads off of Queen Anne's Lace and collecting the fluffy seeds of some kind of aster.

Here are some photos from that day:

I liked the way this lichen contrasted with the drab of the fall prairie.

I don't know what this plant is, but I like the fluffy, curly seeds.

We were collecting the seeds of this plant.

Just another sign of the times...

Cannon Beach

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy with my classes and volunteering (more on that to come), and just enjoying this lovely October we've been having in the Portland area. A couple of weeks ago Colleen and I went to Cannon Beach, it was probably the last "nice" day we'll have in a while (the air temperatures were in the high 60s, low 70s and it was so sunny, not a cloud in the sky).

I will be thinking back on this day for the next several cold months to come, for while it may be sunny from time to time, the cold has begun to settle in.

If you haven't been to Cannon Beach, you should go at least once in your lifetime. While it is a tourist trap with huge crowds on the sunny weekends, it does have a quaint charm all its own. The downtown streets are lined with taffy and ice cream shops as well as a library (they sell some great finds cheap) and clothing stores. There's a great yarn shop if you're into knitting, and kite shops for the kid at heart.

For more info go to: http://www.cannonbeach.org/

Once you make it down to the beach, walk over to Haystack Rock. I would reccomend going at low tide.

Haystack Rock

Mussels and starfish in the tide pools.

Starfish and anemones in the tide pools. I'm not sure what the difference is between purple and orange starfish.

Mussels and large barnacles. They were making a fantastically weird sucking noise as they tried to keep all of their moisture in.

Friends!

Anemones look very strange when they are not in the water.

The sea, for once, was calm.

This little guy was doing his best to hide, but I saw more than one person who wanted to snap him up for supper.

It is a strange landscape.

I loved the reflection on the water from this lonely mini haystack rock.

Socks!

The last couple of weeks I have been madly knitting. I think it has something to do with the cold weather coming on. That, or I'm finally starting to get bored. Na, that couldn't be it. Although I have been feeling a little bit like Bubble-boy for the last few weeks. Time to go outside for my daily walk I think.

At any rate, I knitted these really warm, comfy socks. I used Debbie Bliss "cashmerino aran" yarn, a blend of cashmere, merino, and microfibre. They are so soft, it's like having a cloud encircling your feet. If you're lucky, I just might make you a pair. But you have to ask nice (and give me money for yarn)!

I used the two circular needles method, oo-la-la, now aren't you impressed?

Why yes, I am a foot model.