Book Award Winner Tours Stateby Ismet Prcic, 2013 Oregon Book Award Winner (Ken Kesey Award for Fiction)

Art is a word that makes some people roll their eyes as soon as you say it aloud with, God forbid, even a hint of earnestness. In an era when publishing is an industry—when the most-read

authors are doctors and lawyers; when most literary artists have to teach composition to pay bills; when our college students shamelessly feel entitled to easy As in poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction and are fine with Cs and Bs in algebra, statistics, and biology—we, as readers, sometimes forget that writing is an art, and that good art is hard work and means time away from our loved ones.

What we choose to read should have nothing to do with our likes and dislikes,

our pet peeves, our upbringing and values, morals and limits, our literary baggage. When I was growing up in Bosnia, most of the books in my house looked the same; they were hardcovers sporting nothing but the title and the name of the author on the cover. You had to open them and start reading to see if they were something you wanted to commit to. Nobody put a book down because the back page summary told them it was a harrowing historical tale of rural life in Prussia; you had to find that out on your own. Chances were, that by the time you did, you were too invested to stop reading.

Recently I was at a party and I met someone next to a bowl of anemic-looking, defrosted Thai shrimp who told me in a gushy, hush-hush manner that he couldn’t get through my book, that it was not a page-turner, that it was too disturbing, uncouth, that he didn’t like it, that it was not his cup of tea. It was obvious that it was meant as a criticism. I proceeded to say that I was impressed that he was so willing to admit his failure publicly. This was taken as an affront. I was asked to explain myself. I said that art is not a cup of tea, that art should be more than liked (Michelle Latiolais taught me that). Just because an idea is

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Connect with Literary Arts online! » Visit literary-arts.org » Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/literaryarts » Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/literaryarts » Get news about Oregon writers and readers: paperfort.blogspot.com

continued on page 5

Ismet Prcic accepting the Oregon Book Award for fiction.

Jonathan Franzen Connects with Local College Studentsby Monica Drake, PNCA Associate Professor, Chair BFA in Writing

Jonathan Franzen is a towering literary figure—a National Book Award winner, and one of only a dozen American writers to ever make the cover of TIME magazine, among other accolades. Earlier this year, when Literary Arts invited him to meet with Portland-area students from a range of colleges at Literary Arts’ downtown center, he said of his own younger days, “I was kind of a misfit, but I made friends with other misfits who are still some of my closest friends.” Any awkwardness in the crowded room shifted immediately toward warmth.

2012/2013

Words from the Director › 2

@LiteraryArts Events › 4

Writers in the Schools › 6

Thank you to our donors! › 7

continued on page 3

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Words from the DirectorMost readers and writers experience a transformative moment that ignites a lifelong passion for books. That moment might involve a specific title, or a special teacher, or an extraordinary writer who provided a glimpse into the true power of literature.

If you are reading this newsletter, you are most likely someone who has had this transformative moment and believes that literature gives voice to people, issues, and ideas that need to be heard.

Oregon is a community that values its readers and writers. We have a vibrant history as creators of great art and as a community that supports the creation of such work. Stories are all around us and this edition of Words Matter is all about the vital connections literature can make and how people from all walks of life can be inspired, changed, and otherwise impassioned to make their community a better place.

With my sincere gratitude for your support,

Andrew Proctor, Executive Director andrew@literary-arts.org

By supporting Literary Arts, you help:• Bring the world’s most celebrated writers, artists, and thinkers to Oregon to engage our community.

• Inspire public high school students to write, revise, edit, publish, and perform their own creative writing.• Support, promote, and celebrate Oregon’s writers and publishers.

• Engage readers in exploring challenging books in lively discussion-based seminars led by an experienced scholar.

Give today at literary-arts.org

440Classroom sessions led by

professional WITS writers in Portland Public high schools.

1Professionally published

anthology of student writing(1,200 copies printed and

distributed).

26,287Seats filled by an

intergenerational audience of readers.

3,459Teens inspired through:

creative writing residencies taught by professional writers;

author visits to schools; attending Portland Arts &

Lectures; sharing their work at bookstores and cafes; and being published in print and online.

901Generous donors gave to the

programs of Literary Arts.

$1.4 millionOperating budget put to work to engage readers, support writers, and inspire the next generation

with great literature.

2012/2013 SNAPSHOT

Literary Arts’ Executive Director, Andrew Proctor

163Total events hosted in which readers and writers gathered at: LiteraryArts; the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall; the

Gerding Theater; in classrooms; and at many additional locations

across the state in libraries, schools, and bookstores.

35%Increase in individual giving

over the last three years.

109Writers paid by Literary Arts

through employment, awards, and fellowships.

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That spoke to the students. Isn’t every writer and would-be

writer a misfit of sorts, building his or her own world on the page?

Franzen offered a wonderfully informal talk, leaving the local college students free to ask questions, in that potentially endless quest to discover how one moves from being a student writer to a published author. He sat in a folding chair, his backpack dropped casually against a bookcase—looking as though he too might be on his way to a college, as a student or as the cool professor—and then he spoke largely of being faithful not only to writing, but specifically to the craft of fiction and the novel. He admitted, “For a long time I refused to even think of writing nonfiction because it seemed like a

betrayal of the novel…I’m very much a team player, and my team is the novel.”

Just like that Franzen drew teams out of nowhere, lining up fiction in opposition to nonfiction, showing us the inner positioning of a young writer. These days, of course, he’s come to let those borders drop, to write both fiction and nonfiction. When asked about journalism he’s written for The New Yorker, he confessed, “It was the first piece of my writing that my mother ever liked.”

He grew into the role of writing nonfiction. As a reason, he offered, “I was so seething with opinion and I thought maybe the novel wasn’t the best place to seethe with opinion.” Fiction can be a very oblique way to convey any sort of message. To laden it with opinion puts one in danger of drafting propaganda. Nonfiction became a place

to say what he meant, more directly.He offered that in fiction, “One needs

to attend to giving the reader a good time—though there are different people and different kinds of good times…Good art tends to be suspicious about righteousness.”

It was a conversation full of small moments to reflect upon later, ideas for the students, faculty, and authors to take away from the literary space in which they gathered. In person, right in front of them, Franzen made the claim, “The novel is essentially a liberal form. It’s about having sympathy for people who aren’t you.”

He said, “I need two things for a character. I need to picture somebody who is not me. Somebody I really liked, though don’t know, maybe only

met once. Somebody who seems real and loveable. And I need to figure out why I’m feeling bad.” There was a pause, and he added, “It’s a process not unlike therapeutic analysis—I need to find those things that are most upsetting to me, unresolved, ideally unresolveable, and then, because I’ve

lived a relatively unremarkable life, I exaggerate.”

Some students took notes. Others chewed their pencils, or raised a hand. There were always more questions in the room, more energy, and more of that urge to find the route toward written self-expression. It was the sound, the feeling, the palpable sensation of engagement.

Near the end of his hour-long student visit, Franzen offered, “The more you write, the more your character is revealed, for better or worse. That’s part of the trust equation, too.” And that’s what happened in that crowded room—the trust equation. We left feeling like we’d been invited into a circle of trust, sharing ideas about how to make written art. n

2013/2014Portland Arts & Lectures Season

Salman Rushdie: Oct. 8Ann Patchett: Nov. 20

Lawrence Wright: Jan. 14Chris Ware: Feb. 18Julia Alvarez: Apr. 3

Subscribe online atliterary-arts.org

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from “Jonathan Franzen Connects with Local College Students”

“The novel is essentially a liberal form. It’s about having sympathy for people who aren’t you.”

– National Book Award winner Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen meets with local students at Literary Arts in January, 2013, during his Portland Arts & Lectures visit.

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Last fall, Literary Arts invited me to discuss Late Night Library’s nonprofit mission to support talented writers early in their careers. At the time, I was unaware of their plans for the Literary Arts center, but as a longtime Literary Arts enthusiast, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to learn about their inclusive approach to book culture in Portland. They invited Late Night Library, the nonprofit literary organization for which I serve as Executive Director, to utilize the Literary

Arts center at 925 SW Washington in downtown Portland for podcast recordings and live events and asked for little in return.

Since then, Late Night Library has scheduled @LiteraryArts recordings with Rob Spillman, Lysley Tenorio, Kara Candito, Dan DeWeese, Lidia Yuknavitch, Vanessa Veselka, Alexis Smith, and Carter Sickels—as well as Literary Arts’ very own Susan Denning and Mary Rechner. (You can hear these conversations by listening to our podcasts, Late Night Conversation and Late Night Debut, online at latenightlibrary.org.)

But Late Night Library is not the only beneficiary of Literary Arts’ bookshelf-lined event space; the versatile, hardwood-floored center is quickly becoming Portland’s town hall for

those of us who love books and cherish community. Showcasing a variety of entertaining events every month of the year, Literary Arts opens its office doors to a local procession of organizers, publishers, authors, and emerging writers. Every organization enlivens the space with its own unique and creative format, making the Literary Arts center one of the most distinct event locations in Portland.

Literary Arts has proven to be an ideal location for our “In and Out of Town Reading Series,” in which we pair a local author with a visiting author for a live reading, and I’m certain we’re not the only group to have found a great presenting partner in Literary Arts. Over the course of the past year, events at Literary Arts have been co-hosted by organizations and publishers such as Tin House, Loggernaut Reading Series, Small Doggies Reading Series, Portland Review, Live Wire!, and many others.

Our events feature live music and other performing arts, and so we were thrilled to learn that the Literary Arts space is equipped with a built-in sound system and recording capabilities. Our goal is to attract a wider audience for early career authors through a multi-genre approach, and we’ve attracted age-diverse crowds and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees of our events at the center. And not only are events free to the public, but Literary Arts provides a lovely assortment of snacks and beverages for the audience.

Wendell Berry once wrote that “a proper community…is a commonwealth: a place, a resource, an economy. It answers the needs, practical as well as social and spiritual, of its members—among them the need to need one another.”

Literary Arts has strengthened its community-based approach to serving Oregon’s readers and writers through

their downtown center. As an arts nonprofit Executive Director—and as a fiction writer, arts educator, and Oregonian—I’m delighted to forge a partnership with the remarkable staff at Literary Arts. n

Inclusive Approach to Book Culture @LiteraryArtsby Paul Martone, Executive Director of Late Night Library

Paul Martone of Late Night Library leading a literary event featuring Natalie Serber and Katie Arnold-Ratliff.

@LiteraryArts audience members attend a free public reading.

New York City Poet to Teach at Literary ArtsVisiting writer Adam Fitzgerald will offer two classes at Literary Arts this July. Fitzgerald is the New York City-based author of The Late Parade. He is the founding editor of the poetry journal Maggy, and the small artisan press Monk Books. He teaches creative writing at Rutgers University and The New School.

Fitzgerald will offer two classes on July 20th: a generative workshop in the morning, and a master class in the afternoon. In the evening, he’ll be joined by the poet Mary Szybist for a free @LiteraryArts reading.

For more information and to register, visit literary-arts.org or contact Susan Denning at susan@literary-arts.org.

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uncouth or disturbing does not mean that it is not an idea or that it cannot teach you anything. Page-turning is the job of the one who reads the book, not of the one who writes it. Failing to read a book, watch a play, or listen to a composition all the way to the end is just that—a failure on the part of the reader, the watcher, the listener.

Recently, I was nominated for an Oregon Book Award and was invited by Literary Arts to tour around our state, giving readings and workshops about writing and reading fiction. In fact, I’m writing this as I’m gearing up to drive to La Grande tomorrow. As part of the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour a few months ago in Astoria, I visited first a community college, then a high school, then taught a class that included students from the above-mentioned college and high school, and also from the community at large. In Astoria I met a man who worked as a custodian at the U.S. embassy in Belgrade at the time my ex-homeland (Yugoslavia) was breaking apart. Later that same day I ate spit-roasted lamb at a Bosnian

restaurant right there in Astoria (the owner realized I was an expatriate and brought extra goodies for the table). Even the owner of the hotel where I stayed, a spritely fellow with a lot of heart, joined the afternoon workshop and participated in full.

I’ve lived in Bosnia, Croatia, Scotland, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Thousand Oaks, but I’ve never seen a community so hungry to express itself, to make a mark upon the world, as it is in Oregon. I’m so lucky to have been given a chance to be a part of it. n

A Letter from Coos BayYou can’t imagine how pleased my wife Jill and I were to be sitting in the Gerding Theater when Shards was announced as the winner of the 2013 Ken Kesey Award for Fiction. Ismet Prcic was our first face-to-face, in-the-flesh author exposure at the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour workshop in Astoria, thanks to the wonderful work of Literary Arts.

I’m a veteran of Vietnam and Jill is a survivor of severe family trauma, so it is especially meaningful to us that Izzy’s moving, excellent depiction in Shards of the horrors of war and the long-term impact of PTSD has received this notable award.

Peaceful regards,Thomas BrinsonCoos Bay, Oregon

Raise Your Glass to Writers in the Schools!Save the Date! Join us for lunch on October 22, 2013 and celebratestudent achievement and the inspiring role literature plays in thelives of teens on and off campus!

Over excellent food and wine at Bluehour restaurant, we will heardirectly from the teens involved in the program, and also from theteachers and principals who value having WITS on their campuses.This event highlights the great work being done for public schoolteens. Participate as a Sponsor ($5,000-$10,000), Table Host ($2,000),or a Donor ($350+).

To get involved, contact Lydah DeBin by email atlydah@literary-arts.org, or phone at 503-227-2583 x106.

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from “Book Award Winner Tours State”continued from page 1

Oregon Book Award Author Tour participants in La Grande.

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This past spring, I had the opportunity to work with Benson High School sophomores in their Radio elective class through Literary Arts’ Writers in the Schools (WITS) program. When I began to consider what to teach, I looked back to the life lessons that had the most impact in my own life.

In fifth grade, the performance bug bit me. My father forced me to perform in a youth fashion show. I say “forced” because at that moment, all I wanted to do was to play in the championship basketball game for my team. Nevertheless, after I gave a few ear-to-ear cheesy grins onstage, and thunderous laughter erupted from the crowd, I was definitely hooked on public performance. I had found my passion. However, recognizing this was my passion took much longer to admit. In high school and college this bug bite turned into an itch to perform, write poetry, and ultimately rap.

As a student at Wilson High School, I began scratching this itch. The process of writing always seemed very strenuous; I believed I wasn’t any good at writing. Scribbling thoughts in journals and making desperate attempts to rid myself of teenage emotions, I began writing poetry. Many voices were in my head saying, “This is cheesy,” “No one is going to get that,” and, “You can’t do this.” And yet, after a few days passed and I read what I had written, the voices were saying, “Hey, that’s not bad,” “That was cool,” and, “That was profound.” I found my confidence. Despite the fear and the doubts, I managed to impress my biggest critic: myself.

In college, I took my words to the stage. It was open mic night at Kijiji’s Coffee House where I first began to connect with an audience of living, breathing people. Poets would gather after the show and freestyle rap about love, peace, unity, and having fun. This conscious style of rapping matched

my style of poetry. It was then I knew I could rap about anything I wrote poetry about. In fact, college is where I learned and experienced rap as Rhythm And Poetry (R.A.P.). Ever since that moment, I have been developing and maturing as an emcee, having found my authentic voice.

Desmond Spann leads Benson High School students in a public end-of-residency reading of their creative writing at Broadway Books.

Without regrets, I wonder how my life would be different if I’d found my voice in high school. How much better would I be if I began rapping at sixteen or seventeen? Imagine if I had not believed the voices in my head when they said, “You can’t,” and instead believed in myself. This is why it’s important to me to participate in programs like Writers in the Schools. Many great voices get lost in the silence of the crowd because people are afraid to speak their truth. Emceeing challenges students to be authentic and discover their identity.

In the WITS session this spring, a sophomore, we’ll call him Kyle, experienced a moment of self-discovery.

When I met him, Kyle told me, “I am not a creative person.” He went on, “I tend to think logically, not in the abstract.” Having to overcome this similar limiting belief in high school myself, I told Kyle, “Try to think of writing rap like a Rubik’s Cube. We twist words, rhymes, and rhythms to complete the puzzle, with one exception. The completed puzzle is whatever we want it to be; it only needs to make sense to you.” Kyle nodded, but I wasn’t quite sure he understood my point. However, in his reflection after the course he wrote, “Before, I saw rap as this weird abstract thing that I never bothered to understand. Now I can get a better picture of what rap is.” In addition, he wrote one of the best verses in the class. Kyle may not be passionate about emceeing, yet he explored it, discovered his creativity, and became more confident in himself.

As an emceeing teacher, I look to share the best of my life lessons and experiences to make an impact in the classroom. The goal of the class at Benson was not to turn all the students into emcees. Rather, the main purpose was to challenge students to discover and explore their creativity. I believe teaching emceeing encourages students to discover their passion, confidence, and power to speak in their unique voices.

Though mainstream rap draws its share of negative attention, it has a place in education just like poetry, fiction, and comics. The sophomores in Benson High School’s Radio class, for one, countered the negative stereotypes about rap through their positive emceeing. Thanks to Writers in the Schools, these students and I were granted an opportunity to explore together and demonstrate the nuances and brilliance of Rhythm and Poetry (R.A.P.). n

Discovering the Passion of Rhythm and Poetryby Desmond Spann, Writers in the Schools Writer-in-Residence

We are grateful to our community of supporters.The following people made a contribution to Literary Arts between June 1, 2012 and May 31, 2013.

IndIvIduals

$5,000+Rocky & Julie Strasser DixonSusheela Jayapal & Brad Miller David J. JohnsonBarbara KingsolverPhillip M. MargolinJohn Meadows & Libby BarberJessica Mozeico-Blair & Jordan BlairJan & Steve OlivaDiane Ponti & Ward Greene

$2,000+Betsy Amster & Barry GlassnerGwyneth Gamble Booth in honor of Brian BoothNancy & Roderick BoutinRick Comandich & Maya MuirTracy Daugherty & Marjorie SandorTheodore & Nancy Downes-Le GuinAnn P. EdlenAnn & Ron EmmersonBob GeddesCecelia & Robert HuntingtonKurt Hutton & Melissa BurchStacy LewisCarol Mayer-Reed & Michael ReedAnne Mendel & Mark HenryHalle & Rick SadleDan Wieden

$1,000+Betty BradshawJoan Cirillo & Roger CookeRebecca & Michael DeCesaroPenny & Ken DurantBarnes C. EllisWayne & Sandy EricksenAndy GlassReuben RichPaul Schneider & Lauren EulauNorm & Barbara SepenukDrs. Donald & Roslyn SutherlandJackie & William WillinghamChristopher LordTom & Marcia WoodSteven E. Wynne & Deborah J. HewittDr. Candace Young

$500+AnonymousCarole AlexanderRay & Jean AuelTom & Molly BartlettDianne BocciDiane BolyKathleen BristowRichard L. BrownPeggy BusickKaryle ButcherEllyn ByeJane Carlsen & John EstremAmy Carlsen Kohnstamm & Kevin KohnstammJan A. ChristensenMolly Cliff-Hilts & David HiltsMaribeth CollinsMary Louise & W. Bruce CookDavid & Denise CoreyDavid & Julie DietzlerHeidi W. Durrow & Darryl WashBart Eberwein & Jill CollinsSheila Edwards-LienhartSue & Ed EinowskiKendra & David Farris Bob & Konky ForsterRichard FrantzDiana GerdingSusan Hathaway-Marxer & Larry MarxerHayes Fund of The Oregon Community FoundationBetsy HenningPamela Smith HillTerri & Robert HopkinsPaul & Jane JacobsenGrant & Elaine JonesJohn Kroger & Michele ToppeFrank Langfitt & Mary Janet SteenUrsula & Charles Le GuinGraeme Jr. & Martha LeggattCarol Schnitzer LewisJanet LundeRichard Meeker & Ellen RosenblumBrenda Meltebeke & Scott StuartRob & Kate MeltonDeidra MinerCarolyn MooreMeghan MoranMona MozeicoCarol OlwellNancy & Dick PonziAmy Prosenjak & Steven GuyNaseem Rakha & Charles Sheketoff

Bonnie & Peter ReaganJim & Natasha ReinhartJohn ShipleyR. Philip & Barbara SilverShirley A. Skidmore & Ronald E. QuantKaarin & Van SmithMerri Souther WyattBarbara SpenceVictor TrelawnyAnn & Tom UsherCynthia Wallace & Kay Gardner PyleEric Walsh & Harriet RubinNorma L. Winemiller

$250+Joseph Albert & Cynthia ChaseElizabeth Ash & David MorgansternLinaBeth BarberTom Booth & Megan HoldenTodd BradleyEvie BrimDoris CarlsenChristine CarrEmily ChenowethNeale & Marian CreamerMichael E. DavaltMary FellowsMyron FileneNancy FishmanJoan FondellJanice GeierSara & Andrew GuestCecelia Hagen & Craig SpilmanEdward & Leah HersheyBarb & Chris JonesSusan & Rick KoeJan Kurtz & Duncan CarterSusan LaneJane & Robert LightellJulie Mancini & Dennis BromkaRobert MathesonMonique McClean & Lars TopelmannMichael & Sylvia McGregorBrad & Julie McMurchieDavid & Debbie MenasheViolet & Robert MetzlerLora & Jim MeyerJoanne NehlerTom & Chris NeilsenKatherine O’Neil & Toby GraffCorrine Oishi & Lindley MortonIrja OravBeverly & Milo OrmsethMolly L. OsborneJo Ellen OsterlindJudy Rice

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Joan Hunt RobinsonTrudy SargentRandolph & SueAnn SchneiderSue SellStephen & Micky ShieldsLori SingerAbigail L SolomonMicah D. Stolowitz & Shauna KriegerDavid F. StoutJean & Milan StoyanovGreg & Martha StruxnessGeorge & Nancy ThornStephanie Vardavas & Mike RadwayKristi Wallace Knight & Eric WallaceSusan & Brian WongMorton & Audrey Zalutsky

$100+Lisa C. AlanKatya AmatoSally & John AndersonKimberly BakkenJoan BaldwinKim BatchellorJohn & Susan BatesAndres Berger-KissMaryka BiaggioDick BinnsTom & Kristen BootheGloria Borg OldsLeslie BreauxLouisa J. BrownAmy BrownRichard T. BrownSonia BuistPatricia CainMichael R. CampbellBrian CarrollBrent & Barbara ChalmersPeyton ChapmanBecky ChinnMargaret ChulaKathleen M. ClarksonAva Jan ClementsKirsten CollinsLiana ColomboLarry ColtonDeborah & Jim CoonanTom & Barbara CooneyTherese CooperGinnie CooperAlice Cuprill-ComasJim DameronEloise DamroschJohn DanielCharles H. DeaverEric DelehoyLoree A. DeveryKenneth & Sandra DixonTerrence Dolan

Anne DraperPaul & Francesca DudenJustin DuneErica DunnBetty DuvallTina EdlundRachel EffrosDaniel EisenbeisLinda ElegantNancy EllisKaren EllmersRonnie-Gail EmdenArthur & Margianne EricksonEllen FaderJudith FejtaStephanie FinePamela & Tim FleischmannNancy FlynnEllen FortinRussell & Lynn FrancisHoward & Linda FranklinSteve & Heather FrederickMarilynn FrileyMorris GalenPatricia GallagherTheresa GarciaPatsy GauerMolly GlossRon P. GronowskiMeri GrotzingerLloyd & Nancy GurneyWilliam Jay & Marty HallBarbara HallJon HanifinUlrich HardtTom & Jan HarveyKathy & Tony HarwoodJane HeislerMaureen HerndonRobert HillMary E. HirschNancy HogarthKathleen HoltJohn & Susan HooverPeter & Anne JarvisBrita JohnsonEllin & Fletcher JohnsonElizabeth JosephMarjorie KafouryKaren KeltzBeverle J. KernsMary L. KingTamara & Ron KizziarBeverly & Clair KlockMorley & Jim KnollMolly KohnstammKaren KruseCarolyn KulogJames LainAnn LanfriKelly A. LarsonShannon LeonettiSusan J. LienhartKaren Locke

Linda LovettWilliam LyonsMelissa MaagCarter & Jenny MacNicholDeborah MandellCarolyn MariebLinda MarshallMike MatylewichLynn MayerMelinda McCoyPete McDowellJack & Carolyn McMurchieLeonard & Beverly MeekerLinda MengDr. Elizabeth MetcalfRuth & Arnold MetzHenry MilczukPhilip MillerRich & Lisabeth MillerJames C. MohrDouglas & Candace MorganJohn C. MorrisonBarbara MorrisonCarole MorseEliza & Alex NelsonAmy NistRay & Carol NorthEmma OliverPhoebe OlsonSona PaiJollee PattersonCheryl PerrinJudy & Mark PetermanPaulann PetersenMichael G. PhillipsLisa PlattSandy PolishukDavid PollockAmy & Oscar PoloWally & Bettsy PrebleDawn Babb ProchovnicShelley ReeceBarbie RiceJoan & Marvin RittenbergRobin RobertsRosemarie RosenfeldRuth RothLex & Debbie RuncimanKaren & Norman SadeHenry SayreMary & John SchmittMark SchneiderAnne ScottVirginia SewellManya ShapiroMartha SharmanDavid ShipleyMarjorie M. SmithGail P. RobinsonAnnelisa SmithSid SniderScott A. SparlingBob SpeltzKim Stafford & Perrin Kerns

Emily StandishSunny & Gary StautzLeah & William StensonDennis & Ann StenzelLee StewartLaura F. StockwellSandra StonePatricia & Marvin StraughanWalter & Gloria SweekCatherine TheriaultMargaret ThomasJeanne TobeyHelen Van BelleAlice VauxJulie & Ted VigelandStephanie VolkmanStella VoreasTricia & Jim WalkerPatricia WestSamuel S. Whittemore, Jr. Dara WilkMargaret M. WillerCarolyn WilliamsPatricia S. WilliamsCrystal WilliamsCharlene WilliamsDr. Diane WilliamsJanet WilliamsonChristina & Reed WilsonSusan & Jim WinklerAnita & Marvin WittPavel & Giovanna Zivny

Gifts in Honor ofLeslie BradshawThomas B. CareyMartha CurryCara FilsingerMara Forsythe-CraneBob Geddes on the occasion of his 75th birthdayEli Zheng Behr HallSusan Hathaway-MarxerBrian KettlerAnne LebwohlVailey OehlkeSybil Gordon PayneAndrew ProctorMary Rechner Joan ShipleyCarole SmithDorothy StaffordJeff StautzBruce, Phyllis, and Susan StoutKelly ThomasAnne WillerWriters in the Schools

Gifts in Memory ofBrian BoothRichard FejtaMara Forsythe-CraneSylvia Frantz

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Dorothy D. HirschKaren La MotheTom OsterlindLawrence M. SmithWilliam Stafford Steve N. Voreas

InternsAcacia Blackwell Olivia CroomDaniel GrantAlex HeblerKimberly Maier Veronica MartinEllie Piper

VolunteersKris AndersonSheri AndersonMorgan AzingerAlexandra BehrAlexei BienJane BraungerJohn BraungerJo BrodyDylan BrownSara BrucknerKaitlyn BurchClifford CarlsenKelly ChastainDonna ChildsClark ChipmanRebecca ClarenMolly Cliff-HiltsSusan ClimoPhillip CoatesTrudy ColerMarjorie DialTerry DolanDeborah DownsPolly DuganPam EverettMargaret FoleyJoan FondellVivian FosterJeanne GabrielBob GeddesLeah GibsonWin GoodbodyEve GoodmanAmy GrayCarol GreistNancy GronowskiSara GuestEllen HansenSusan Hathaway-MarxerSusan HauserPamela Smith HillDeborah HobbieHenry HooperSusheela JayapalLiz KamererLauren Lederman

Barbara LilesRuth LizotteKaarin Marx-SmithMaya McOmieLinda MihataTara Rae MinerJohn MorrisonSally MorrisJessica Mozeico-BlairChris NordquistDiane NowickiNatalie Oaks

Jenny OwenKatelyn OldhamTori PadellfordMark PetermanPatricia RaleyShelley ReeceRae RichenAlida RolRichard SamesGrace SandersKristen SeidmanJessica Shulsinger

Georgene SinkJoe SoldatiMichael SuggToni ThomasSarah ThomasJennifer TianaKaren UngerSarah WexlerEleni WilsonLisa Zuniga

Medusas

Smoke rising up curls down the same shapesas ink through waterplaced lightly with a droppermedusas fall like petticoats spread wideand fall within fallingThere are things beyond sensesbut we are not built for themWe do not know their number or the numberwe contain or where our edges areWe infer them from the apparently miraculousAs ink forms a Man O’ Warin the drinking glass Ophelia floats neatlyface up eyes openunder the river bridge dress spread like a farthingalestaring elsewhere one hand openone curled tightly on what we cannot see

Long Distance

Astronauts say their dreams are like earth dreamsbut the people are floating.Last night when Frances answered her dream phoneI was down under the pastry layersof sheets and blue throw. Later she asked did I hear it.No, I had been orbiting myself,misreading a box in Carol’s kitchen “cloudless” for cordless.At night when stars fall on Alabamawater goes granular and steps back, dreams improve uswith their thick pastels, revisits in tints.Maybe the astronauts called from their cloudless telephoneswith news from Long Distance: Romans invaded Arabia Felix, Columbus discovered Ohio.by Allan Peterson, 2013 Oregon Book Award Finalist

from Fragile Acts (McSweeney’s), a finalist for the 2013 Stafford / Hall Award for Poetry (an Oregon Book Award)

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BusInesses

$10,000+Baker Ellis Asset ManagementChubb Group of Insurance CompaniesLewis & Clark CollegeNW NaturalPacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA)Powell’s BooksThe StandardStoel Rives LLPWieden + Kennedy

$5,000+Ater Wynne LLPBoora ArchitectsDavis Wright Tremaine LLPFirst Tech Federal Credit UnionHoffman ConstructionNatural EpicureanPacific UniversityUniversity of Oregon PortlandZGF Architects

up to $5,000Ball Janik LLPBroadway BooksHawthorne BooksThe Heathman HotelKnowledge UniverseLyceum AgencyPacific Northwest Law LLPReed CollegeTargetTin HouseThe University Club

Matching Gifts FromADPAppleBank of AmericaIBMThe Standard U.S. Bancorp Foundation

FoundatIons & Government aGencIes

$20,000+The Paul G. Allen Family FoundationThe Collins FoundationNational Endowment for the ArtsOregon Arts CommissionRegional Arts & Culture Council including support from the City of Portland and Multnomah County

$5,000+Juan Young TrustThe Kinsman FoundationMancini Family FundMaybelle Clark Macdonald FundJames F. & Marion L. Miller FoundationThe Nara FundOregon Cultural TrustPGE FoundationBetsy Priddy Advised Funds of the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation Herbert A. Templeton FoundationWessinger FoundationWork For Art, including contributions from more than 70 companies and nearly 2,000 employees in the region

up to $5,000All Hands RaisedFriends of William StaffordHayes Fund of the Oregon Community FoundationEdna L. Holmes Literary Arts Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation

The Holzman Foundation, IncIrwin FoundationThe Jackson FoundationKinder Morgan FoundationCarol Schnitzer Lewis Fund of The Oregon Community FoundationMandel Family FoundationMultnomah County Cultural CoalitionNeilsen Family Fund of the Oregon Community FoundationPhilip S. Harper FoundationRose E. Tucker Charitable TrustHarold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE FoundationU.S. Bancorp FoundationWyss Foundation

communIty PartnersAnnie Bloom’s BooksBaker County LibraryBiPartisan CaféBroadway BooksCannery Pier Hotel (Astoria)Coffee House BooksEastern Oregon University Feast Food FestivalGirasole PizzaHarperCollinsHollywood TheatreKlamath County LibraryLate Night LibraryThe Library FoundationLiterary MixtapeLive Wire!LoggernautThe MothMultnomah County LibraryNative American Youth & Family CenterNewport Public LibraryNorth Bend Public LibraryOregon Historical SocietyOPBOregon Writers ColonyPortland Art MuseumPortland Center StagePortland Public Schools Librarians Paige Battle Linda Campillo Jan Donald Kira Liljequist Joel Machiela Nicole Newman Tracy Russell Bryan Smith Nancy Sullivan Betsy TighePortland Public Schools Principals Petra Callin Carol Campbell Peyton Chapman

Brian Chatard Margaret Calvert Kelli Clark Paul Cook Shay James A. J. Morrison Vivian Orlen Macarre Traynham Charlene WilliamsPortland Public Schools Teachers Amy Ambrosio Susie Bartley Brady Bennon Gene Brunak Sandra Childs JoAnna Coleman Stephanie D’Cruz Jerry Eaton Jennifer Edelson Bianca Espinosa Eleanor Flores Daniel Fredgant Stefanie Goldbloom John Golden Ben Grosscup Jordan Gutlerner Emily Hensley David Hillis Keri Hughes Cindy Irby Tom Kane Paige Knight Stephen Lambert Dylan Leeman Eric Levine Barb Macon Darryl Miles Irene Montano Dave Mylet Steve Naganuma Amanda-Jane Nelson Michele Potestio Mary Rodeback Alicia Smith Kris Spurlock Norman Stremming Catherine Theriault Sophia VanWyk Dana Vinger Virginia Warfield Elisa Wong Tracey WyattPowell’s BooksPortland State UniversityRandom HouseSmall DoggiesTaborSpaceTin HouseWalters Cultural Arts Center

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Literary Arts BoardSusheela Jayapal, ChairBetsy AmsterRick ComandichAlice Cuprill-ComasTracy DaughertyRebecca DeCesaroTheo Downes-Le GuinMarie EckertRobert GeddesPamela Smith HillAmy Carlsen Kohnstamm

Frank LangfittPhillip MargolinJohn MeadowsJessica Mozeico-BlairAmy ProsenjakJames ReinhartBarry SandersJacqueline WillinghamThomas Wood

Strunk & White SocietyAn honorary society of distinguished advisorsGwyneth BoothBart EberweinBrian GardDiana GerdingMolly GlossCarrie HoopsUrsula K. Le GuinBarry Lopez

Julie ManciniBrenda MeltebekeDiane PontiMichael PowellHalle SadleSteven Paul TaylorSteve Wynne

Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships Advisory CommitteeTracy Daugherty, Co-Chair Pamela Smith Hill, Co-ChairKatie AndersonTom BoothNancy BoutinKaryle ButcherJulie DixonCecelia Huntington

Apricot Irving Linda LeslieMichael McGregorJon RaymondBarry Sanders

Writers in the Schools Advisory CommitteeSara ExpositoDiana GerdingCindy Williams GutierrezSusheela Jayapal

Amy Carlsen KohnstammCatherine TheriaultTracey Wyatt

Portland Arts & Lectures Patron Advisory CouncilSusan Hathaway-Marxer, Co-Chair Jessica Mozeico-Blair, Co-ChairSeth AlleyLiana ColomboRebecca DeCesaroSue EinowskiAnn EmmersonNancy GronowskiKristi Wallace KnightDeidra Miner

Steven NeighornJan OlivaNancy PonziJames ReinhartDru RosenthalGrace SandersBarbara SepenukRoslyn Sutherland

StaffAndrew Proctor, Executive DirectorJenny ChuLydah DeBinSusan DenningJennifer Fejta

Mary RechnerEvan P. SchneiderMel WellsPOWERING

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Baker Ellis

Thank you to our generous corporate sponsors

Generous in-kind support provided by local businesses

Newsletter designed by Olivia Croom

MATTER

The programs of Literary Arts

NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION

US POSTAGE

PAIDPORTLAND, OR

PERMIT NO.1652

MATTER

Portland Arts & Lectures brings the world’s most celebrated writers, artists, and thinkers to Oregon to engage with our community. In addition to original hour-long talks that are broadcast statewide on OPB radio, the program connects readers and writers of all ages with classroom visits and workshops.

Writers in the Schools inspires public high school students to write, revise, edit, publish, and perform their own creative writing. WITS programming reinforces the real-world importance of reading and writing in all professions, and is designed to meet state and national standards for the arts and language arts.

Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships supports, promotes, and celebrates Oregon’s writers and publishers. In addition to financial support, the program produces the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour, which connects writers and readers throughout the state with readings, classroom visits, and workshops.

Delve Readers Seminars engages readers in exploring challenging books in lively discussion-based seminars led by an experienced scholar.

Our mission is to engage

readers, support

writers, and inspire the

next generation with great literature.

Contact Us:Phone: 503.227.2583 • www.literary-arts.orgWrite or visit: 925 SW Washington St, Portland, OR 97205