“Looks like northeasterly winds fifteen knots with scattered clouds and light rain,” the Alaska Airlines pilot announces (or something like this) when you land at the Kodiak Airport. You drive into town with waterfalls and scree slopes on your left, the seaport on your right, and a magpie dashing along beside you. Maybe you’ve come …
From the website of beloved Oregon author, Cai Emmons: Dear Readers, It is with sadness that we share the news of Cai ending her remarkable life on January 2, 2023. She had planned her death for her 72nd birthday, January 15, but ALS had other ideas. Like so much of her life up to this …
I keep a spreadsheet that lists every book I’ve read since 2010. It’s the most consistent and representative record of my life that I have—a life spent reading. I can look back and see that I spent the summer of 2015 reading or rereading Jane Austen novels, and the summer of 2016, all of Sarah …
From Portland’s Annie Bloom’s Books: Books from Local Authors Want another way to shop local this holiday season? Pick up one (or more!) of these wonderful 2022 books from Portland authors. Lost Restaurants of Portland, Oregon (Paperback) by Theresa Griffin Kennedy A full menu of unforgettable events and historical milestones. Delve into the Rose City’s …
From lithub.com September 7, 2022 by Cai Emmons At eight years old I began writing poetry. I loved the sounds of words, and I loved stringing them together, often nonsensically. I liked the solitude of writing, the secrecy, the fact that I was in control. I did it knowing that poetry carried little weight in …
From Neiman Storyboard by author Lauren Kessler Hacking and whacking the way to writing clarity — and pie An author and freelancer contemplates story craft as she tames and harvests the blackberry brambles on her land They are sweet, tart, succulent and tangy. Summer on the tongue. The mighty blackberry: as big as your thumb; …
From Broadway Books in Portland, OR: Since declaring 2022 The Year of Reading Ursula K. Le Guin, we’ve amassed a grand selection of the author’s books. Le Guin wrote across many genres—science fiction, fantasy, short stories, essays, poetry, books on writing, and books for children. Curious where to start? We’ll reserve space in each newsletter to highlight …
Every Wednesday, the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association publishes the regional bestseller list. On Thursdays, we celebrate Thursday Themes to shine a spotlight on some of the books from the list and give our brains a different way of thinking about books. Sometimes the themes come from the covers, sometimes the titles, but today, we’re drawing on …
Tupac Shakur’s poetry collection, The Rose that Grew from Concrete, and the safety of a diary were my entries into becoming a writer. For the entirety of middle school and the first half of high school, I was the kid who came into class late while cracking jokes or quips and sat in the back …
808s and Otherworlds by Sean Avery Medlin is a vibrant collection that bridges poetry and essay. With a hip hop vibe, Medlin explores their coming of age as a queer black person in suburban Arizona. Medlin’s writing has changed the way I look at poetry. –Caitlin, Island Books, Mercer Island, WA This was one of …
