LitWatch July: Connecting with the Coast in Cannon Beach — and Bend

Everlasting summer brings readings by surfing legend Gerry Lopez and the authors of a new book celebrating Steely Dan.

June 30, 2023

Amy Leona Havin

Books, Coast, LitWatch, Oregon / NW

*Surfing legend Gerry Lopez will read from the re-release of his book, “Surf Is Where You Find It,” July 6 at Bend’s Roundabout Books. Photo by: Jeff Divine*

We’re well into summer, a season that conjures long days, warm nights, and weekends spent on the water. For Gerry Lopez, legendary Hawaii-born big-wave surf icon turned Bend resident, surfing is not only where he found connection to coast and water, but also where he learned some of his most important life lessons. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 6, Lopez will be at Roundabout Books in Bend to read from his recently re-released book, Surf Is Where You Find It. Tickets are $5.

One of the most respected surfers to ever “charge” Pipe, a Hawaii surf break known as the Banzai Pipeline, Lopez won the Pipeline Masters competition in 1972 and 1973, inspiring generations of future surfers.

Originally released in 2008, Surf Is Where You Find It has been re-released by Patagonia with forewords by pro surfer Rob Machado and Steve Pezman, founder of The Surfer’s Journal. The new edition, which includes 38 true surf stories and hundreds of new photographs, coincides with the re-release of 2021’s surf documentary, The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez, produced by legendary Dogtown skater and surfer Stacy Peralta.

If you’re closer to the west side of the state, head over to our coast to catch the Annual Cannon Beach 4th of July Used Book Sale. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through Monday, July 1 through 3, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4, which is $5-fill-a-bag day. Look through classics, paperbacks, best-sellers, nonfiction, travel guides, audiobooks, and more until you find something that matches your literary tastes. Buy three books and get the fourth one free. Then don’t forget to walk a few blocks to take in the beauty of the Oregon Coast.

Week 1: July 1-7

Poetry Reading: Simmons Buntin and Jupiter Moon
Presented by Salem Poetry Project & Dwell Press Collaboration
7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6
Bush Barn Annex
600 Mission St. S.E.
Salem
Free

Simmons Buntin of Tucson, Ariz., has written two poetry collections, and is working on a nonfiction collection, Satellite: Essays Near and Far. He is founder and editor-in-chief of Terrain.org, a literary journal of place. Juniper Moon is a writer, teaching artist, and letterpress printer, who travels to colleges and camps with her 200-pount table-top letterpress. Their reading will be followed by an open mic, in which participants read three poems or for 5 minutes, whichever comes first.

Sponsor

Week 2: July 8-14

*Marcy Houle (left) and Elizabeth Eckstrom will read from their new book “The Gift of Aging”* *July 11 in Portland.*

Reading: Marcy Houle and Elizabeth Eckstrom: The Gift of Aging
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Tuesday, July 11
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free

Marcy Houle and Elizabeth Eckstrom, winners of the 2016 National Christopher Award and authors of The Gift of Caring, will read from their newest release, The Gift of Aging. Through stories from elders and scientific information, the authors discuss the challenges and hurdles of aging, and how we can continue to make our lives matter as we age.

Christina Gerhardt in Conversation with Madeline Ostrander
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Tuesday, July 11
Powell’s Books at Cedar Hill Crossing
3415 S.W. Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton
Free

Christina Gerhardt will discuss her book, Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean, a series of essays, maps, art, and poetry that examines the redrawing of atlases as islands across the globe begin to disappear due to rising oceans and climate chaos. She will be joined by conversation by Madeline Ostrander, author of At Home on an Unruly Planet: Finding Refuge on a Changed Earth.

Michael Finkel
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Wednesday, July 12
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W. Burnside St., Portland
Free

Michael Finkel, author of The Stranger in the Woods, will discuss The Art Thief, a true story about Stéphane Breitwieser. Considered one of the world’s most prolific art thieves, Breitwieser over eight years successfully committed almost 200 heists across Europe, until one day his girlfriend aided in exposing his crimes. Signed pre-order books are available online.

Sponsor

*Author Patrick deWitt will read from “The Librarianist” on July 13 at Powell’s City of Books.*

Patrick deWitt
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, July 13
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W. Burnside St., Portland
Free

Patrick deWitt, author of French Exit and Undermajordomo Minor, will read from his new novel, The Librarianist. Librarian Bob Comet, who lives in Portland, helps an elderly woman lost in a market find her way home, and his introverted life is changed forever. Signed copies of the book are available for purchase.

Week 3: July 15-21

Author Event: Cracked by Steve Hawley
Presented by Roundabout Books
6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20
Roundabout Books
900 N.W. Mt. Washington Drive, No. 110, Bend
Free

Steve Hawley, writer and documentary filmmaker based in Hood River, will read from his new nonfiction release, Cracked: The Future of Dams in a Hot, Chaotic World. After decades of dam building and government dam projects, the country — and the world — are reeling from climate chaos and a desperate need for water. In his book, Hawley aims to educate about the importance of understanding the “dam boom,” the transfer of water to the West from the Colorado River, and the politics behind both. He also offers free-running river solutions borrowed from success stories in Patagonia and Europe.

Week 4: July 22-31

Alex Pappademas and Joan LeMay in Conversation with Matt Fraction
Presented by Powell’s Books
7 p.m. Tuesday, July 25
Powell’s City of Books
1005 W. Burnside St., Portland
Free

Sponsor

Alex Pappademas and Joan LeMay will be joined in conversation by Eisner Award–winning comic book writer Matt Fraction to discuss Quantum Criminals, an examination and celebration of the music of Steely Dan. Through LeMay’s “Daniverse” drawings and Pappademas’ speculation, essay, and song explanation, the pair promise a funny, obscure, and unique book about the American rock band.

*Jaspal Kaur Singh and will read from her poetry collection, “Exiles and Pleasures” on July 27.*

Poetry Reading: Jaspal Kaur Singh and Gwendolyn Morgan
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
7 p.m. Thursday, July 27
Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 S.W. Capitol Hwy., Portland
Free

Jaspal Kaur Singh, writer and educator, will read from her newest poetry collection, Exiles and Pleasures, exploring change, survival, and migration through the eyes of a member of the Sikh diaspora. She will be joined by Gwendolyn Morgan, Pacific Northwest poet, reading from Flight Feathers, a collection also focusing on migration, from the point of view of surviving trauma and upheaval and encompassing hope and avian flight.

Amy Leona Havin

Amy Leona Havin is a poet, essayist, and arts journalist based in Portland, Oregon. She writes about language arts, dance, and film for Oregon ArtsWatch and is a staff writer with The Oregonian/OregonLive. Her work has been published in San Diego Poetry Annual, HereIn Arts Journal, Humana Obscura, The Chronicle, and others. She has been an artist-in-residence at Disjecta Contemporary Art Center, Archipelago Gallery, and Art/Lab, and was shortlisted for the Bridport International Creative Writing Prize in poetry. Havin holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornish College of the Arts and is the Artistic Director of Portland-based dance performance company, The Holding Project.