All events are free and open to the public.
More information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library
Summer Reading for All Ages at Eugene Public Library
Starting June 1. Sign up and join in the fun at Eugene Public Library with this year’s Summer Reading theme, “Dig Into Reading.” Visit any Library location (Downtown, Sheldon, or Bethel) to sign up and get a calendar of free events. Each child and teen gets a free book; each adult gets a free book bag and a coupon for a free coffee or $1 off books at the Friends of the Library book store. Plus, adults can enter a free raffle for Unique Eugene gift certificates by sharing their book reviews at the Library website.
Poetry Writing Workshop
Saturday, June 1, 2-5 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Adults are invited to a fun-filled poetry writing workshop led by local poets C. Steven Blue, Michele Graf, and Cara McKenzie. Beginners welcome! Sponsored by Eugene Public Library, Lane Literary Guild, Willamette Writers, and Groundwaters.
Pamela Wible: Physician & Author
Thursday, June 6, 6 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Local physician Pamela Wible has become a national voice for revolutionizing the “business” of medicine. Join her for a talk based on her book, Pet Goats & Pap Smears: 101 Medical Adventures to Open Your Heart & Mind. A family physician born into a family of physicians, after a decade of practice Wible found the existing system to be a “medical mill.” She decided to hold open town hall meetings to invite community members to design the clinic of their dreams – and then opened one. Her pioneering model has sparked a populist movement inspiring the creation of “ideal” clinics and hospitals nationwide.
Poetry Showcase & Open Mic
Saturday, June 8, 2-6 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Keynote reader Ingrid Wendt, C.S. Blue, and other local poets will host a poetry showcase featuring a diverse variety of readings and performance, followed by an open mic reading. Everyone is welcome to read; sign up starting at 2 p.m. Sponsored by Eugene Public Library, Lane Literary Guild, Willamette Writers, and Groundwaters.
Sonny Montes & Mexican American Activism in Oregon
Sunday, June 9, 2 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Author Glenn Anthony May will share 3 interrelated stories: the life of Sonny Montes, a migrant farm worker from South Texas who came to Oregon to pick crops; the emergence of a Mexican American community in Oregon in the 1960s, a story in which Montes played a major part; and the development of a Chicano movement in Oregon, led by Montes, in the 1970s.
A University of Oregon history professor, Dr. May wrote the Oregon Book Award finalist Sonny Montes and Mexican American Activism in Oregon. He has also written 5 books on Philippine history.
Originality Through Imitation: Writing Workshop with Melissa Hart
Thursday, June 13, 6 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Melissa Hart will teach a fun, high-energy workshop titled “Originality Through Imitation,” exploring ways writers can use reading to enhance their own work. The group will study 2 short pieces of prose and poetry to examine each writer’s style, syntax, and theme. Then, each participant will use the pieces as inspiration for an original poem and short essay suitable for revision and publication.
Hart’s essays and travel writings have been seen widely in a range of publications from The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and The Boston Globe to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Horizon Air Magazine, and Writer’s Digest. The author of a memoir, Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood, she also teaches writing at conferences and through the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.
How Writers Read: Writing Workshop with Elizabeth Lyon
Saturday, June 22, 3 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
They say that one of the best things writers can do is read. According to writing teacher Elizabeth Lyon, “Quantity is no substitute for quality—and what we read is no substitute for how we read.” Learn how to cultivate the fine art of gleaning: extracting useful tips and techniques from authors you admire.
Lyon is a professional writer, editor, instructor, and the author of Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write, The Sell Your Novel Tool Kit, A Writer’s Guide to Nonfiction, and A Writer’s Guide to Fiction. Her book Manuscript Makeover was named one of the “8 Great Writing Books of 2008” by The Writer magazine.
Love to Read Book Club at the Library
Wednesday, June 26, 10 a.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Like to read? Like to visit? This may be the club for you! The Love to Read Book Club meets at Campbell Community Center on the 4th Wednesday of each month, but this month will celebrate Summer Reading with a special meeting at the Downtown Eugene Public Library. Everyone’s invited to join facilitator Willa Reich for a discussion of “Dreams of Joy” by Lisa See. Register for free class #105262 by calling 541-682-5318.
The Owyhee River Journals
Saturday, June 29, 3 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Join Bonnie Olin for a richly-illustrated talk about her book The Owyhee River Journals created with photographer Mike Quigley, who has been exploring the Owyhee Canyonlands since 1975. Olin joined him in 1993 and began keeping a personal record of their travels together. Her journals, combined with his photographs of rarely seen landscapes, offer a vicarious journey into the canyonlands of the Owyhee River in Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon.
Art Exhibit: Valley Calligraphy Guild
June and July
Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive, 2nd floor Magazines and Newspapers room
See beautiful and innovative works by the local artists of The Valley Calligraphy Guild. The group began in Eugene in 1976 with six calligraphers; since then it has grown to nearly 300 members worldwide.