March 2015 – book-lover and writerly events at Eugene Public Library
All events FREE.
More information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library
Sunday, March 1, 3:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Armchair travelers and savvy globetrotters alike will love this illustrated talk by the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, “1000 Places to See Before You Die.” First published in 2003, it pioneered the concept of the travel book as both wish list and practical guide. Because the world and the way we navigate it have changed, Schultz has published a new edition: re-researched, re-traveled, and rewritten with new entries, additional countries, and hundreds of full-color photographs. Enjoy a fresh take on the richness of our world!
Patricia Schultz is the author of the international bestsellers “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” (now with over 3 million copies in print and translated into 25 languages) and “1,000 Places to See in the United States and Canada Before You Die.” A veteran travel journalist with 25 years of experience, she has written for The Wall Street Journal, Everyday with Rachel Ray, and Travel Weekly. She also executive-produced a Travel Channel television show based on her book “1,000 Places to See Before You Die.” Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
How to Write and Sell a Memoir
Tuesday, March 10, 6:00 p.m., Sheldon Branch of Eugene Public Library, 1566 Coburg Rd
Tuesday, March 31, 6:00 p.m., Bethel Branch of Eugene Public Library, 1990 Echo Hollow Rd.
Have a life story just begging to be told? At this workshop, instructor Melissa Hart will guide participants in identifying a particularly compelling life event or era and using it to shape a short or book-length memoir. This lively session will cover plot and narrative arc, characterization, dialogue, setting, historical details, the importance of research, and the ethics involved in writing a memoir that includes family members and friends. Hart is the author of two memoirs, “Wild Within: How Rescuing Owls Inspired a Family” and “Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood.” Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Windfall Reading: Joy McDowell and Robert Hill Long
Tuesday, March 17, 5:30 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
This month’s Windfall Reading features writers Joy McDowell and Robert Hill Long.
Poet Joy McDowell for many years lived along the Coos Bay estuary, “where twice each day the high tide brings new energy for writing and the outgoing tide carries away what isn’t working.” Her poems, essays and short stories have been widely published, including in her chapbook “Waltzing the Dragon,” her collection “Diesel Horse,” and the anthology “New Poets of the American West.”
Robert Hill Long has published six books of poetry and flash fiction, most recently “Walking Wounded,“ a book about national and cultural wars, and their victims, perpetrators, survivors, witnesses, and apathists. He has won two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, two fellowships from the Oregon Arts Commission, and a number of journal and book prizes.
The Windfall Reading Series is sponsored by Eugene Public Library, Lane Literary Guild, Friends of Eugene Public Library, Eugene Public Library Foundation, and Cultural Services Division of Lane Arts Council. Refreshments served at intermission. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Sunday, March 22, 1:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
A talk by Kevin O’Brien, the New York Times bestselling author of 15 internationally-published thrillers. Before his thrillers landed him on The New York Times Bestseller list, Kevin O’Brien was a railroad inspector who worked all the live long day and wrote novels at night. He grew up on Chicago’s North Shore, the youngest of six children, and studied Journalism at Marquette University in Milwaukee. He moved to Seattle in 1980. His railroad job took him all over the Pacific Northwest, and he wrote most of his first novel “Actors” in motels.
After publishing his second book, “Only Son,” he began writing full time. His first thriller, “The Next to Die” was a USA Today Bestseller. Three more USA Today bestselling thrillers followed. Then came “The Last Victim,” which hit the New York Times Bestseller list and won the Spotted Owl Award for Best Pacific Northwest Mystery.
O’Brien has continued to turn out New York Times bestselling thrillers, which have been translated into fourteen languages. His most recent titles are “Unspeakable” and “Tell Me You’re Sorry.” He also serves on the board of Seattle 7 Writers, a collective dedicated to supporting literacy, writing, and education.
This event is hosted by Eugene Public Library in connection with the Wordcrafters in Eugene Conference. Books for purchase and signing will be available courtesy of the University of Oregon Duck Store. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Thursday, March 26, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Acclaimed writer G. Willow Wilson has most recently made international headlines as the author of Marvel Comics’ new series “Ms. Marvel,” featuring teen, female, Muslim superhero Kamala Khan. Working in multiple genres, including journalism, fiction, graphic novels, and comics, Wilson explores the most pressing issues of the times, reflecting her cross-cultural experiences with remarkable originality and courage.
Wilson is the author of the Eisner Award-nominated comic book series “Air and Mystic: The Tenth Apprentice” and the graphic novel “Cairo.” Her first novel, “Alif the Unseen,” was a New York Times Notable Book and a contender for the Orange Prize. Her memoir about life in Egypt during the waning years of the Mubarak regime, “The Butterfly Mosque,” has served as a “community read” for communities and campuses nationwide.
An American convert to Islam, Willow first lived in Egypt in her early twenties while working as a journalist, and currently lives in both Egypt and the U.S. She was the first westerner to be granted a private interview with Sheikh Ali Gomaa after his promotion to the position of Grand Mufti of Egypt. Her articles about the Middle East and modern Islam have appeared widely, including in the New York Times Magazine and the Atlantic Monthly. According to Neil Gaiman, “G. Willow Wilson has a deft hand with myth and with magic, and the kind of smart, honest writing mind that knits together and bridges cultures and people. You should read what she writes.” Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library
Saturday, March 28, 3:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Enjoy a poetry reading and conversation with Peter Sears, the current Poet Laureate of Oregon. Sears’ work has been widely honored, including a Willamette Writers Award for Contribution of Oregon Writing, the Western States Book Award for Poetry, the Stewart A. Holbrook Award for Contribution to Oregon Literary Life, and his book “The Brink,” named one of Oregon’s 150 best books by the Oregon State Library.
Sears is the author of three full-length poetry collections, “Tour: New and Selected Poems,” “The Brink, ” and “Green Diver,” as well as chapbooks and books on teaching writing, including “Secret Writing.” His work has appeared nationally in publications including The Saturday Review, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, The Christian Science Monitor, and Rolling Stone, as well as in literary magazines such as Field, New Letters, Iowa Review, Poetry Northwest, Antioch Review, Ploughshares, and Seneca Review.
A graduate of Yale and the Iowa Writers Workshop, Peter Sears has taught at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and has served as Dean of Students at Bard College, community services coordinator for the Oregon Arts Commission, and director of the Oregon Literary Coalition. He currently teaches in the Pacific University low-residency MFA department, and splits his time between Corvallis and Portland.
This events is a collaborative project of Eugene Public Library with the state’s five cultural partners: Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Historical Society, and State Historic Preservation Office, with funding from the Oregon Cultural Trust. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.