All events FREE.
Kim Stafford: The Life and Legacy of William Stafford, Oregon Poet Saturday, November 1, 3:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
In connection with “Oregon Reads 2014,” writer Kim Stafford will give a talk about the life and legacy of his father, celebrated Oregon poet and pacifist William Stafford.
William Stafford maintained a daily writing practice that began during World War II and continued each morning for 50 years, resulting in some 60 published books of poetry and prose, as well as a lifetime of teaching and ambassadorial travel for poetry. According to Kim Stafford, “The core of this practice was an unusual welcome of what comes in the process of writing, an attitude that flowed directly from his witness for peace and reconciliation: honoring diverse people, seeking ‘the unknown good’ in an enemy, and relishing the surprises that attend the act of writing.”
Oregon Reads is a project of the Oregon Library Association. The 2014 statewide “community read” commemorates the centennial of Oregon’s most celebrated poet, William Stafford, and encourages everyone to read his work. A prolific and popular writer, Stafford won the 1963 National Book Award for Poetry and was named Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now known as U.S. Poet Laureate. He served as Poet Laureate of Oregon from 1975 through 1990, and in 1992, was honored with the Western States Book Award for lifetime achievement in poetry. William Stafford’s many writings are widely available and are currently highlighted in a poem-of-the-day feature at the Oregon Reads website: OregonReads2014.com
Kim Stafford is the author of a dozen books of poetry and prose, the director of the Northwest Writing Institute, and co-director of the Documentary Studies Certificate Program at Lewis & Clark College. Stafford has received creative writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Governor’s Arts Award for his contributions to Oregon’s literary culture. Kim Stafford’s most recent book is “100 Tricks Every Boy Can Do,” an account of his brother’s death by suicide and the family’s struggle to understand and live beyond that event. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Create a Handmade Book: Workshop for Adults
Sheldon Branch of Eugene Public Library: Tuesday, November 4, 6:00 p.m., 1566 Coburg Road
Bethel Branch of Eugene Public Library: Tuesday, November 18, 6:00 p.m., 1990 Echo Hollow Road
Adults are invited to join artist Amanda Puetz to create a handmade, soft-cover book embellished with paper beads. Learn to make the beads, then use basic folding and stitching skills to create a unique book for use as a journal, photo album, or gift. Beginners welcome! Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Navajo Weavers: The Art of Ellen and Lucy BegayWednesday, November 5, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Art collector Gary Beaudoin will give an illustrated talk about based on his book “Unbroken Web: The Art of Ellen & Lucy Begay,” celebrating the works of these modern Navajo (Diné) weavers.
Beaudoin discusses three generations of Begay weavers: grandmother Mary, mother Lucy, and daughter Ellen. Learn about the inspirations and traditions behind the creation of each of their exquisitely designed and crafted wool textiles. Photographs include the textiles, the weavers at work, and the timeless Southwest landscapes that have inspired their ancestors for centuries.
According to Beaudoin, “Traditional Navajo weaving is a centering activity and an expression of a balanced life. The Begay’s textiles extraordinary beauty and complexity are both a personal accomplishment and a testament to an important heritage.” Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Print Your Book
Monday, November 10, 5:30 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
This two-hour class offers an introduction to the many self-publishing resources available online. Whether you have written a book you want to print and sell widely, or you want to print just a few copies of a family history or recipe collection, self-publishing is now easier and more affordable than ever. Intermediate computer and Internet skills required. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Life After War: Photographs and Oral Histories of Coming HomeWednesday, November 12, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
When does a war end? Does it ever? These questions will be addressed in a community discussion led by photographer Jim Lommasson, who has collected oral histories from returning soldiers and documented their struggles at home. This event is part of the Oregon Humanities Conversation Project.
Says Lommasson, “Many returning soldiers bring wars back with them, and these wars can reach beyond the battlefield or firefight, infiltrating the very thing that defines comfort and safety: home. The trials of homecoming are vast and complex, often resonating with tales of Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca from the Trojan War.” Participants will consider the wars at home faced not only by returning veterans, but also by communities at large.
Jim Lommasson is a freelance photographer who received the Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize for his first book, “Shadow Boxers: Sweat, Sacrifice and the Will to Survive in American Boxing Gyms.” His second bookis “Oaks Park Pentimento: Portland’s Lost and Found Carousel.” Lommasson is currently working on a book and traveling exhibition about American veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars called “Exit Wounds: Soldiers’ Stories—Life after Iraq and Afghanistan.” This program is sponsored by Eugene Public Library, Oregon Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Oregon Cultural Trust. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Holiday Gifts Book Sale
Saturday, November 15, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Find amazing deals on books in gift-giving condition, including bestsellers, classics, holiday-themed titles, coffee table books, and children’s books. Plus great reading for yourself, including hundreds of mysteries, popular fiction, and more. This sale of very-gently-used books is a fundraiser by the volunteer Friends of Eugene Public Library. All proceeds will go to support Eugene Public Library programs. Admission and parking are free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Find amazing deals on books in gift-giving condition, including bestsellers, classics, holiday-themed titles, coffee table books, and children’s books. Plus great reading for yourself, including hundreds of mysteries, popular fiction, and more. This sale of very-gently-used books is a fundraiser by the volunteer Friends of Eugene Public Library. All proceeds will go to support Eugene Public Library programs. Admission and parking are free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Writer Bob Welch Monday, November 17, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Former Register-Guard columnist Bob Welch has emerged as one of the most eclectic writers in America. In this talk, Welch will demonstrate that fact, discussing his two recent new books: the philosophical “52 Little Lessons from Les Misérables” and the adorable “The Keyboard Kitten Gets Oregonized.”
In “52 Little Lessons from Les Misérables,” Welch illuminates the spiritual themes woven throughout Victor Hugo’s magnificent story of anguish, mercy, suffering, and forgiveness in the face of adversity. According to Welch, “From the agony of Fantine’s sorrow to the beauty of Jean Valjean’s broken spirit, it is a story that reminds us only love can overcome the devastation of life’s suffering, even the coldest heart can thaw, and that mercy can transform us all from the worst to the best versions of ourselves.”
The second in a children’s book series by Welch and illustrator Tom Penix, “Keyboard Kitten” tickles the funny bone while putting a lump in the throat. Comma the kitten leaves Eugene to fly around the state on the back of the magical Rain Boy, doing Shakespeare in Ashland, surfing in Newport, and riding a bronc at the Pendleton Round-Up. But she’s dogged by a four-legged pest who threatens to turn her adventure into a nightmare. Just when she’s about to lose her cool, Comma learns a valuable lesson in forgiveness and friendship.
In his 37-year newspaper career, Bob Welch twice won first place in the National Society of Newspaper Columnist awards and won three first-places in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association contest. He is the author of 18 books, founder/director of the Beachside Writers Workshop, and a popular inspirational speaker nationwide. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
Windfall Reading: Carl Adamshick and Dawn Diez WillisTuesday, November 18, 5:30 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
This month’s Windfall Reading features poets Carl Adamshick and Dawn Diez Willis.
Carl Adamshick is the author of “Curses and Wishes,” winner of the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets and an Oregon Book Award. His second book is titled “Saint Friend.” Adamshick is managing editor of Tavern Books, a non-profit poetry press dedicated to the preservation of lost classics.
Dawn Diez Willis is a poet, editor, and teacher. The author of “Still Life with Judas and Lightning,” she has been the recipient of an Oregon Literary Fellowship, serves as a member editor with Airlie Press, and offers poetry residencies through Salem Art Association.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.