Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?
Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now? Are you waiting
for time to show you some better thoughts?
When you turn around, starting here, lift this
new glimpse that you found; carry into evening
all that you want from this day. This interval you spent
reading or hearing this, keep it for life –
What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?
— “You Reading This, Be Ready” by William Stafford
The new year is off to a bright start with a literary calendar full of panels, author readings, and workshops with local and award-winning writers. If that’s not enough to spark your creativity, consider starting with a challenge.
The Stafford Challenge is a commitment to writing a poem every day of the year. It was inspired by William Stafford, a prolific Oregon poet who made it a practice to write a poem daily before his death in 1993. The challenge, in its second year, is an invitation to anyone willing to join the community of individuals embarking on a poetic journey. Besides the accomplishment of writing 365 poems in one year, participants receive access to monthly guest poet Zoom events with Kim Stafford, Naomi Shihab Nye, Lauren Camp, and others. They also receive bi-weekly emails, access to a moderated Facebook group, and the potential to join smaller writing groups. Developed, created, and led by poet and storyteller Brian Rohr, The Stafford Challenge begins Jan. 17 — Stafford’s birthday. There is no fee to join; participants are encouraged to pay what they want.
Sponsor
Another way to show appreciation for William Stafford and his work is the 30th Annual William Stafford Birthday Celebration, part of the Friends of Hannon Library’s 50th Anniversary Speaker Series in Ashland. The event begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, in Room 305 of the Southern Oregon University Library and features a reading and open mic honoring Stafford and his legacy. Zoom links will be available for those interested in attending remotely. The event is free of charge.
For those closer to the Portland area or wanting a second chance to celebrate, another William Stafford Birthday Celebration will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, in Milwaukie’s Ledding Library. The event, organized by the Milwaukie Poetry Series, will celebrate Stafford’s teachings, writings, and legacy, and feature readings by community members and discussions about his work. Admission is free.
WEEK 1: JAN. 1-7
Workshop: Mothering as Transformation: A Poetic Journey
Presented by Fishtrap
9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, Jan. 4 and 11
Online
$60 general, $55 Fishtrap members
Jessica Gigot, poet, farmer, and writing coach, will host a two-part online workshop exploring how to write poetry about motherhood. The seminar, presented by Fishtrap, will help participants explore mothering as a transformative experience and consider how to talk about the challenges of motherhood in their work. They will also hear readings from various poets who are mothers.
WEEK 2: JAN. 8-14
Author Reading: M.L. Herring
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W. Burnside St., Portland
Free
Science writer M.L. Herring will read from her new book, Born of Fire and Rain, about challenging ecological times as the Pacific temperate rainforest fights for survival. Herring describes the importance of ancient forests and the effects of “exploding mountains, disappearing owls, tsunamis, and megafires” on our world.
Sponsor
Book Launch: Allisa Cherry’s An Exodus of Sparks!
Presented by Up Up Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9
Up Up Books
1211 S.E. Stark St., Portland
Free
Join Allissa Cherry, 2024 Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize recipient, for the release of her debut poetry collection, An Exodus of Sparks! Her book draws on her upbringing in a religious rural community and her experiences teaching classes designed for immigrants and refugees transitioning to life in the United States. Cherry will be joined by Laura Moulton, founder and director of Street Books, and Dominic Laing, memoirist and poet.
WEEK 3: JAN. 15-21
Author Reading: Judith Barrington
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free
Portland author and poet Judith Barrington will read from Virginia’s Apple, her new memoir in the form of 14 stories. Barrington’s topics include feminism, traveling, grief, love, relationships, and self-invention, gathered in a humorous and joyful work chronicling a life of adventure and lessons well learned.
Roundabout Books Community Read
Presented by Roundabout Books & Cafe
6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21
Roundabout Books & Cafe
900 N.W. Mt. Washington Drive, Suite 110, Bend
Free, registration required
Join Roundabout Books in the first of a four-part Community Read Bookclub on civic engagement. Participants will use as their text Democracy in Retrograde: How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and in Our Lives, by Sami Sage and Emily Amick, to identify their passions, come up with individual plans for engagement, and make personalized action plans to become politically active in their communities. Subsequent meetings are Jan. 28, and Feb. 4 and 11. Advance registration is required.
WEEK 4: JAN. 22-31
Sponsor
The Soviet Jewish Bookshelf: Book Talk With Marat Grinberg and Olga Zilberbourg
Presented by Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22
Online via Zoom
$5 general admission, free to members
Marat Grinberg, professor of Russian and humanities at Reed College, and author Olga Zilberbourg will discuss Grinberg’s newest work, The Soviet Jewish Bookshelf: Jewish Culture and Identity Between the Lines. They will also explore reading strategies and uses of books by Jews in the Soviet era, and what it means to cultivate a “Jewish bookshelf.” Zoom links will be sent out 24 hours before the event.
Sen. Ron Wyden in Conversation With Rukaiyah Adams
Presented by Powell’s Books
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22
Newmark Theatre, Portland’5 Centers for the Arts
1111 S.W. Broadway, Portland
$40, includes book
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden will discuss his new book, It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change, a call to action for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to “defy convention and chart new pathways for their communities, schools, at work, and in life” by finding courage during difficult times. Wyden’s book explores the history of the the Yiddish/Jewish word “chutzpah,” with the intention of reclaiming it “for a new American generation, showing how it can be used for good to reclaim idealism and enact positive change.” Wyden will be joined by Rukaiyah Adams, a Port of Portland commissioner.
Author Reading: Marat Grinberg
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free
Marat Grinberg, author and professor of Russian and humanities at Reed College, will read from Memoirs of a Jewish District Attorney from Soviet Ukraine, written by his grandfather, Mikhail Goldis, who worked for 30 years as a detective and district attorney in Ukraine. Grinberg edited and translated the book, which considers questions such as “What was it like to work as a Jewish district attorney in provincial Soviet Ukraine in the post-Stalinist era?” and “What role did antisemitism and Holocaust memories play in solving and investigating the criminal cases?”
NW Authors Series Presents Erica Berry
Presented by Cannon Beach and NW Authors Series
2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25
Cannon Beach Library
131 N. Hemlock, Cannon Beach
Free
Sponsor
Erica Berry, Portland writer, teacher, and 2024 Oregon Book Award winner for creative nonfiction, will discuss her book Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear. Berry will talk about how the book combines science, history, and cultural criticism to explore myths and truths about wolves, and elaborate on her exploration of “the intersection between feelings and the natural environment.”
Workshop: ENO/ONO New Year/Fresh Writing
Presented by Up Up Books
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 25 and Feb. 1
Up Up Books
1211 S.E. Stark St., Portland
$100
Alex Behr, author of Planet Grim: Stories and Grief Stick, will host this workshop, previously offered online, live for the first time. Participants will meet from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Up Up Books to consider new stories and poems, using Brian Eno’s Obscure Strategy instructional cards, experiential poems by Yoko Ono, journaling exercises by Lynda Barry, and other prompts.
Michael N. McGregor in Conversation With Brian Lindstrom
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W. Burnside St., Portland
Free
Michael N. McGregor, former tour guide, will read from his novel, The Last Grand Tour, set in a romantic European atmosphere. The reader will take a journey through Hitler’s Berchtesgaden, Mozart’s Salzburg, and Mad King Ludwig’s Bavarian fantasyland, eventually ending in an old version of Venice, all while following the story of an American tour guide who moves to Munich after the fall of the Berlin Wall. McGregor will be joined in conversation by filmmaker Brian Lindstrom.
Poetry Reading: Scot Siegel and David Biespiel
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free
Scot Siegel, poet and city planner, will read from his new collection, Tender Currencies. Winner of the 2024 Sally Albiso Award, Tender Currencies combines the personal and the geologic, exploring the importance of climate, location, and human transformation. Siegel will be joined by David Biespiel, poet, memoirist, novelist, and poet-in-residence at Oregon State University.
Conversation