Dear March – Come in – How glad I am – I hoped for you before – Put down your Hat – You must have walked – How out of Breath you are – Dear March, how are you, and the Rest – Did you leave Nature well – Oh March, Come right upstairs with me – I have so much to tell – — from Dear March – Come in (1320) by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
More terrible is love in Kyiv than Magnificent Venetian passions. Butterflies Fly light and maculate into bright tapers – Dead caterpillars’ brilliant wings aflame! And spring has lit the chestnuts’ candles! Cheap lipstick’s tender taste, The daring innocence of miniskirts, And these coiffures, that are not cut quite right – Yet image, memory, and signs still move us… — from Love in Kyiv by Natalka Bilotserkivets (1954), translated by Andrew Sorokowsky
Oh March, how glad I am that you did come, though with both beauty and sadness. As we in Oregon begin to see cherry tree blooms and magnolia buds waiting to burst open, we are also met with knowledge of what happens abroad in Ukraine. The two poems above, one by Emily Dickinson and one by Ukrainian poet Natalka Bilotserkivets, depict two very different visions of the same sweet season. I highly suggest everyone take a look at the full version of each.
This month, we also see a myriad of book releases, including Portland-based author Jeff Wallach’s Everyone Here Is From Somewhere Else. A story about two middle-aged brothers, Phillip and Spencer Elliot, who go on a quest inspired by their late mother, this work depicts their search for “wonderful things” against the backdrops of 1950s Brooklyn, a made-up Irish golfing town, New York’s Catskill Mountains, and present-day Portland. Throughout their journey, the brothers come face to face with contemplations about family, legacy, change, and concepts of permanence as they discover what home means to them. In addition to a striking narrative, Everyone Here Is From Somewhere Else promises tales and insight from Wallach’s long journalism career covering golf, fishing, travel, New York, and more.
In honor of the author’s heritage, Everyone Here Is From Somewhere Else will be released on St. Patrick’s Day.
Week 1: March 1-7
4th Annual Writers Read Celebration
Presented by Cannon Beach Library
Saturday, March 5
7 pm, at the library, 131 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach
Free
If you’re craving a trip to the coast, this may be the perfect excuse. Join the Cannon Beach Library as it presents 11 Northwest authors as part of the NW Authors Series 4th Annual Writers Read Celebration. Participants include Phyllis Mannan from Manzanita, Jennifer Nightingale from Astoria, John Ciminello from Naselle, Wash., and Scott T. Starbuck from Battle Ground, Wash. This year’s theme is recovery. The event also also be shared on Facebook.
Dolly Parton & James Patterson
Presented by Powell’s Books
Sunday, March 6
4:30 pm, via ZOOM
$30 book purchase includes event access
Sponsor
Musical icon Dolly Parton and American author James Patterson will read from their new thriller, Run, Rose, Run, about a young girl who has come to Nashville as a singer-songwriter running from a difficult past. The thriller examines what it takes not only to survive, but also to successfully reach your destiny.
Bob Odenkirk in Conversation with Cheryl Strayed
Presented by Powell’s Books
Monday, March 7
7:30 pm at Revolution Hall
1300 S.E. Stark St., No. 203, Portland
$38 includes admission and a copy of the book
From the dark comedy clubs of Chicago to fame in roles such as shady lawyer Saul in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk has had a wild and tumultuous career. In the new memoir chronicling his life, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama (Random House), he talks about what it was like to go from being a comedy show writer to a public figure on screen. Odenkirk will be joined by Cheryl Strayed, best-selling author of Wild and Brave Enough.
Week 2: March 8-14
Everybody Reads 2022: Mira Jacob
Presented by Literary Arts
Thursday, March 10
7:30 pm at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
1037 S.W. Broadway, Portland
$18-$65, $5 Arts for All tickets available
This month’s Everybody Reads presentation, in partnership with Multnomah County Library and The Library Foundation, features Mira Jacob and her latest graphic-novel memoir, Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations. Based on questions asked by her 6-year-old son, the book revisits conversations about race, sexuality, and love that Jacob has had throughout her life.
Sponsor
Russell King in Conversation with Walden Kirsch
Presented by Powell’s Books
Friday, March 11
5 pm, via ZOOM
Free
When many of us hear the word Rajneeshpuram, we think of the Wild Wild Country documentary that took the nation by storm in 2018. Written by Russell King, Rajneeshpuram explores the dangerous powers that guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his right-hand manager Ma Anand Sheela had over their followers and the effects on the surrounding public. Through interviews with former disciples, government records, and commune files, King explores the highs and lows of Oregon’s largest commune. Reporter and photographer Walden Kirsch will join King for this event.
Week 3: March 15-21
Livestream Reading: Jeff Wallach – Everyone Here Is From Somewhere Else
Presented by Annie Bloom’s Books
Thursday, March 17
7 pm, via ZOOM
Free
From Jeff Wallach, author of Mr. Wizard, comes Everyone Here Is From Somewhere Else (Open Books), a tale of two middle-aged brothers who go on a quest inspired by their late mother. Seeking “wonderful things,” Phillip and Spencer Elliot consider family, legacy, change, and concepts of permanence as they discover the meaning of “home.”
Adrian Shirk in Conversation with Ariel Gore
Presented by Powell’s Books
Friday, March 18
5 pm, via ZOOM
Free
Adrian Shirk, author of And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy, will be joined by Ariel Gore, author of Hexing the Patriarchy, to talk about Shirk’s newest book, Heaven Is a Place on Earth (Counterpoint). Part memoir and part fieldwork, Shirk’s book considers utopian experiments “from the Shakers to the radical faerie communes of Short Mountain to the Bronx rebuilding movement.” Gore’s work stems from experiences in her early 20s as a caretaker for her father — imagining otherworldly possibilities amid the stress of a failing healthcare system.
Sponsor
Week 4: March 22-31
Sarah Fay in Conversation with Anthony Swofford
Presented by Powell’s Books
Thursday, March 24
5 pm, via ZOOM
Free
Sarah Fay, former editor of The Paris Review, provides a deep critique of modern psychiatric practices in her debut novel, Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses (HarperOne). Fay explores how modern society pathologizes human experiences by joining together the works of Mary Karr, Leslie Jamison, and Kay Redfield Jamison through investigative journalism. Through the lens of her 25-year history of diagnoses with anorexia, depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, bipolar disorder, among others, Fay discusses living with mental illness. She will be joined by the author of Jarhead and Exit A, Anthony Swofford.
Feminist Book Club
Presented by Conscious Growth & EARTH Space PDX
Tuesday, March 29
7 pm at EARTH Space PDX
4135 S.E. Gladstone St., Portland
$7
Join Conscious Growth and EARTH Space PDX for a monthly book club that meets every last Tuesday. This month, the group reads Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier to Women’s Happiness & Fulfillment by Valerie Rein, which looks into why even the most successful women often feel unfulfilled in life. The $7 entry fee also gets you a Conscious Growth notebook for taking notes during the two-hour meeting. For questions or preregistration, email info@conscious-growth.org.
Oregon Book Award Finalist Reading: General Nonfiction
Presented by Literary Arts
Tuesday, March 29
7 pm, via ZOOM
Free
Sponsor
Literary Arts presents a reading featuring the 2022 Oregon Book Award Finalists for the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction. The event is a chance to become familiar with candidates for the award before the winner is announced April 25 and to ask questions during the post-reading Q&A. While advance registration for this virtual event is not required, it is recommended.
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Submit your literary events, workshops, readings, and book releases to the Oregon ArtsWatch LitWatch Monthly calendar. Send your event information, press materials, interview requests, and book review inquiries to Amy Leona Havin at amyleonahavin@gmail.com.
