Sept. 2015 – Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library

Sept. 2015  – Writing and Book Events at Eugene Public Library
 
All events FREE.
 
Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate
Wednesday, September 2, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
A fun and informative illustrated talk by author John Kallas on how to identify, harvest, and prepare nearby nutritious and delicious plants. This presentation is based on his book, “Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt to Plate.” Kallas has investigated edible wild plants since 1970 and taught about them since 1978. A trained botanist, nature photographer, writer, researcher, and teacher, Dr.  Kallas has a doctorate in Nutrition, a Masters in Education. He is the founder and director of Wild Food Adventures, The Institute for the Study of Edible Wild Plants & Other Foragables. Free. Information:541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
 
Concert: Eugene Opera
First Friday, September 4, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Singers from Eugene Opera perform arias and ensembles from the coming season, which is inspired by literary works. The season will include Benjamin Britten’s “The Turn of The Screw,” Gaetano Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor,” Pyiotr Ilych Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin,” and Mark Adamo’s “Little Women.” High school students from the Eugene Opera Academy will perform dramatic readings from the literary works on which these operas are based, bringing to life the words of Henry James, Sir Walter Scott, Alexander Pushkin, and Louisa May Alcott. The Downtown Library stays open until 8:00 p.m. on the First Friday of each month. Free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
 
Crazy 8s Oregon Author Tour
Saturday, September 12, 3:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
It’s speed-dating with authors! The Crazy 8s Oregon Author Tour is a fun, fast celebration of writing in which each of eight authors gets the stage for eight minutes to talk about the writing life and highlight one book.
 
The Crazy 8s Oregon Author Tour kicks off at the Downtown Eugene Public Library with a rousing roster: Molly Gloss, Melissa Hart, Lindsay Hill, Justin Hocking, Karen Karbo, Lauren Kessler, Phillip Margolin, and Gina Ochsner. Many are winners of multiple awards, including quite a few Oregon Book Awards.
 
The Crazy 8s Author Tour will appear at eight libraries this fall: Albany, Beaverton, Corvallis, Cottage Grove, Eugene, Salem, Seaside, and Stayton. Each event features a different line-up of eight writers from  a total of 27 participants.
 
The Eugene event is co-sponsored by Eugene Public Library and the University of Oregon Duck Store, which will provide books for purchase and signing.
 
Molly Gloss is an Oregon Book Award and Pacific Northwest Book Award winner whose latest work is “Falling From Horses.” Melissa Hart is nationally recognized for her memoirs “Gringa” and “Wild Within.” Lindsay Hill is an Oregon Book Award finalist, and winner of the PEN Fiction Award for “Sea of Hooks.” Justin Hocking won an Oregon Book Award for “The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld.” Karen Karbo is an Oregon Book Award winner and a New York Times noted author for “The Stuff of Life.” Lauren Kessler has won Oregon Book Awards and appeared twice on David Letterman; her newest work is “Raising the Barre.” Phillip Margolin is known for New York Times best-selling legal thrillers including “Woman With a Gun.” Gina Ochsner was honored with two Oregon Book Awards; her latest novel is “The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight.” The event will be emceed by George Byron Wright, tour organizer and author of Oregon-based novels including “In the Wake of Our Misdeed.”
 
The Crazy 8s Oregon Author Tour was created by George Byron Wright “to stimulate interest in the state’s writing and publishing communities by connecting them with readers, booksellers, and libraries in an exciting new way.” For more information about the tour, visit www.crazy8sauthortour.com. For more information about the Eugene Public Library event, call 541-682-5450 or visit www.eugene-or.gov/library. Free.
 
Windfall Readings
Tuesday, September 15, 5:30 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
This month’s readers are Barbara Drake and Anita Sullivan, both of whom write essays and poetry.
 
Barbara Drake’s newest collection of essays is “Morning Light: Wildflowers, Night Skies, and Other Ordinary Joys of Oregon Country Life.” Her previous nonfiction collection “Peace at Heart” was an Oregon Book Award finalist.  She has also published several collections of poetry, most recently “Driving One Hundred.” A Linfield College Professor Emeritus, Drake wrote a college textbook, “Writing Poetry,” which has been widely used for decades.  
 
Kept after school in third grade for writing stories, Anita Sullivan has been writing ever since. Her first collection of essays, “The Seventh Dragon: The Riddle of Equal Temperament,” won the Western States Book Award for creative nonfiction.  She has also written a travel book about Greece, “Ikaria,”  a poetry collection, “Garden of Beasts,” and a literary fantasy novel, “Ever After.”
 
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.
 
Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Wednesday, September 16, 6:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm have always been vibrant sources for exploration of controversial issues, questions of class, gender and identity struggles, child abuse, civil rights, and utopian ideas. Dorothee Ostmeier will discuss the cross-cultural connections between various versions of the tales and their revisions in contemporary texts and media. Ostmeier teaches courses on fairy tales, fantasy, and the uncanny as a Professor of German and Folklore at the University of Oregon. She has published two books and is now working on a third, “Portals of Fantasy.” Free. Information: 541-682-5450or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
 
Tween Scene Book Group
Thursday, September 24, 4:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
This month’s book is “Doll Bones” by Holly Black. In this novel, three middle school friends find their imaginary adventures becoming all too real — and scary! For grades 4 through 6. Pre-register and pick up the book at the Children’s Center startingSeptember 1. Free. Information: 541-682-8316 or www.eugene-or.gov/library.
 
Teen Book Group
Thursday, September 24, 4:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
This month’s book is ” Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future” by A.S. King.  This novel tells the tale of a high school senior unsure of her future and struggling with a past that includes her mother’s suicide. Then she finds she can see other people’s futures and pasts — and the disturbing future of society, as well.  For ages 13 – 17. Starting September 1, visit the Downtown Teen desk to pre-register and pick up your copy. Plus: the award-winning author A.S. King will visit Eugene to give a free talk on Wednesday, October 7, 6:00 p.m. at the Downtown Library. Information: 541-682-8316 or www.eugene-or.gov/library
 
Dan Piraro: “Bizarro” Cartoonist
Sunday, September 27, 2:00 p.m., Downtown Eugene Public Library, 10th & Olive
Celebrate freedom of expression with “Bizarro” creator Dan Piraro at an entertaining and informative illustrated talk in honor of Banned Books Week. Among people concerned about censorship, newspaper cartoonists rank high. Amidst the constant flood of feedback about their work from readers and publishers, cartoonists directly experience others’ impulses to censor messages that are disagreed with, feared, or not understood.
 
“Bizarro” is published daily in over 360 papers including Eugene’s Register-Guard. Piraro’s single panel gems are a unique concoction of surrealistic imagery, social commentary, philosophical musings, and witty plays on words. His humor is inspired by a mix of real-life situations and his eccentric imagination. He has a rare talent for ruffling feathers with scathing commentary on the mindlessness of modern life, then smoothing them down with disarming humor, charm, and self-deprecating humility. 
 
In person, Piraro’s intriguing perspective on life flows beyond the cartoon frame into a wide-ranging comedic conversation. He stirs up controversy, inspires revelations, and pokes fun at everyone along the way, including himself.
 
Beloved by readers worldwide, Piraro has a vast reach, including blogs and social media sites that receive tens of thousands of visitors daily. He has won many awards including “Cartoonist of the Year” from the National Cartoonists Society in 2009 and “Best Panel Feature” from the National Cartoonists Society for an unprecedented three consecutive years from 2002 through 2004. He writes and draws a new cartoon every day, 365 days a year. Admission to this event is free. Information: 541-682-5450 or www.eugene-or.gov/library..