Words Worth Paying For: Publishing in the Age of Electronic Readers

Panel discussion

Panelists:
Katherine Dunn ("Geek Love")
Vailey Oehlke (Director of Libraries, Multnomah County Library)
Dennis Stovall (Director of publishing, Portland State University; Publisher, Ooligan Press)

More information: http://jcomm.uoregon.edu/articles/turnbull-center-panel-to-explore-publishing-in-the-age-of-electronic-readers

Walking with Ramona

First of all, I wasn't expecting such a large turn out for this event. There must have been at least 150 people taking part in the "Walking with Ramona" tour led by Laura Foster. But, then again, Beverly Cleary is such a big name in children's literature and to walk the same streets some of her more famous characters traveled could have naturally grabbed anyone's interest as it did mine. And it was a Saturday and, although a little chilly at times, the sun was still winning out over the forecasted showers and thunderstorms. And, Laura Foster is a popular local author with her walking guide books. So perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise to see such a crowd after all.

The starting point of the 90-minute 2-mile tour was at Hollywood Library. We got some history on Beverly Cleary. She came from a family where reading was encouraged at an early age. However, she really wasn't able to find books she could relate to. Then, a teacher inspired her to not only get back into the habit of reading but to write her own stories- the kind she would have liked to read. Working as a librarian and being surrounded by children would further lead her to become the famous author she is now using the Portland neighborhood she grew up in as background for many of her books.

We then proceeded to see some of these places. Naturally, there were differences in the 1950's landscape described then to what is there now. I loved overhearing people talk about their own memories with Beverly Cleary's books- and children's books in general, in fact. I was more familiar with her Ralph S. Mouse character through the books and movies. It was great how parents were talking to their kids, incorporating what we were hearing to their discussions of what they had been reading.

Imagine how shocked regular passers-by and drivers must have been to see this glob of people walking the streets! The final stop in the tour of Beverly Cleary's former stomping grounds was a house the author lived in. There was a brief Q&A before the crowd dispersed. To me, the whole thing felt like a field trip. We even had a little story time at Grant Park where there were bronze statues of Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy. Laura Foster read a passage from "Ramona the Pest"- the incident with her new boots- which just made an already pleasant afternoon so much more enjoyable.

Second Glance Books

Second Glance Books is located in the corner of 45th and Sandy Boulevard in the Hollywood district. It was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon a used bookstore here where new and old buildings and businesses try to find a way to co-exist with one another. Yet, at the same time, it seemed right there should be one in that spot.

Aside from its location there's really nothing that separates Second Glance Books from others of its kind. They don't specialize in anything but there is a good mix of titles in stock. On the left upon entering is fiction, mystery and thriller with a children's section behind the register which is in the center of the store. The other side holds mostly romance, western and sci-fi, as well as non-fiction selections. SGB also does the standard buying, selling and trading of books.

NPR seems to be a favorite radio station being played in used bookstores. Classical music comes a close second. I asked the owner (or, at least, the lady who was working there at the time) a few questions to see if she really knew and enjoyed what she was doing. She did. Of what I can remember, she liked mostly fiction and mentioned William Faulkner and Anne Tyler as a couple of her favorites. She also knew her inventory well and she was able to help other people find what they wanted.

So, while not exactly unique, there's nothing wrong with being a nice, dependable place which Second Glance Books definitely is.

A.J. Jacobs

There's something gimmicky about immersion journalism- trying out something for a certain period of time and writing about the experience. And there have been so many books like it that get published, why didn't I think of it?

Anyway, A.J. Jacobs was at Powell's to promote his latest work "The Guinea Pig Diaries". I was surprised to see that the audience weren't just college frat boys (because for some reason I thought that was the demographic for his books) but a good mix of people young and old, male and female. This also wasn't a reading as I expected. He just talked a little about each of his books and then took questions from the audience before signing copies.

In his first book- "The Know-It-All"- he set out to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. "The Year of Living Biblically" was the follow up and had him living the Bible as literally as he could. With "The Guinea Pig Diaries", he changed his format a bit by tackling on a series of different experiments. As I was already under the wrong impression that his books were just funny without being substantial, I thought listening to him share the lessons he learned during each experiment would sound pretentious. But he came off as genuinely interested in trying different things in order to perhaps improve his life- or at least see things in a new perspective. While not exactly the best public speaker, I found his self-deprecating (and topical) humor quite enjoyable.

During the course of the Q&A, he mentioned his next project would be him trying to be the healthiest person alive. It's weird how when a speaker is considered funny, the people who asks them questions seem to think they have to be funny as well. The whole event (aside from the book signing) lasted about half an hour but it was enough time to get me to want to actually read a book of his. And if there was one thing I learned from him, (and not just because he mentioned it as a life lesson himself), it's this: "Never say 'no' to adventures. Always say 'yes' otherwise you'll lead a very dull life"- Ian Fleming. Well, actually, there's another thing I got: Leave expectations behind.

Review: "Three Cups of Tea"

Published in 2006, "Three Cups of Tea" is the kind of book most likely everyone's heard about because they knew someone who read and recommended it to them. It's the story of Greg Mortenson who had to literally lose his way in order to find his purpose in life. At first, fueled only by the desire to repay the people who saved his life, the building of that one school in the small village of Korphe would be the beginning of something big. It would lead to more schools in remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan- where children, especially girls, can get the education they deserve. And by doing so, Mortenson (and the Central Asia Institute, which he co-founded) is helping "promote peace one school at a time"- as the subtitle goes. David Oliver Relin helps tell Mortenson's struggles and adventures. This has definitely inspired me to do my part in creating a much safer, more united world.

Because "Three Cups of Tea" has struck such a chord with everyone who's read the book, it's no surprise there is a Young Reader's Edition and picture book version. The latter (which I also read) is entitled "Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and 'Three Cups of Tea'"- told through the perspective of Korphe's school children. Susan L. Roth shares writing credits and did the collages using "found" materials in her studio- inspired herself by the resourcefulness of the people of that village. The Young Reader's Edition was adapted by Sarah Thomson with a foreword by Jane Goodall, a new introduction by Mortenson, and even an interview with his twelve-year-old daughter, Amira, who is apparently following in her father's footsteps. It also includes new maps and pictures, a timeline, glossary, who's who, and a reading group discussion guide. The audio book has the original song "Three Cups of Tea" sung by Jeni Fleming and Amira Mortenson. What I like about these versions of the original story is that it teaches kids they can contribute to and participate in bringing peace to the world.

I highly recommend "Three Cups of Tea" and encourage others to share it if they feel the same way. Greg Mortenson continues his story in "Stones Into Schools"- available December 1, 2009.

Books I've read in this post:
Three Cups of Tea- Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Listen to the Wind- Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth

David Sedaris

It's probably a little strange to attend an author reading of someone I hadn't read before. But I've heard so much about David Sedaris' writings, I wanted to check it out- and maybe I'd actually read a book of his afterwards. For such a big name, I was surprised that they held it at such a small venue. Half of Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing was packed and more overflowed out to the mall proper. And this was only an hour before the event was actually set to start.



Even though I was towards the back of the crowd in the sideline, I caught glimpses of the author. He was quite an entertaining fellow. I laughed out loud more than once as he read a new essay not included in the book he was promoting- "When You are Engulfed in Flames"- about the last presidential election, a short story subtitled "Just a Quick E-mail", entries from his diary, and throughout the Q&A afterwards. When one of the topics discussed was of breast milk, I would say the best way to describe his humor is irreverent. Surely there were a lot of head shaking and jaw dropping in the crowd's reaction to what was being said.



The whole thing was highly enjoyable and I'm definitely going to be reading his books.

Wicked

As I hadn't watched a musical before, I didn't know what to expect. I was definitely excited when I learned "Wicked" would be playing again in Portland. The book definitely made me a fan.



The Keller Auditorium was a nice smallish venue. My only complaint was that the seats were too cramped. Any seat though would have provided a good view of the stage. The price was lower than I expected as I was used to paying hundreds of dollars for concert experiences.



There was definitely a shared excitement amongst the audience. The stage was framed with the mechanics of the Time Dragon Clock and a curtain map of Oz (with a green light emanating from the Emerald City) draped over it.



One of the first things that blew me away was the stage production. Everything moved fluidly from one scene to the other so it was like watching a movie but seeing everything change right in front of me.



The acting was superb. It was mind boggling how the voices carried without the telltale signs of microphones. Then the musical numbers! They weren't as cheesy as I thought they would be. I heard snippets of some songs before but they were so much better in real life knowing the context of the story.



What amused me was how yet again this musical was such a different version of everything else it was based on (Baum's original series, the WB movie adaptation, Gregory Maguire's novel even). There was more fun and obvious humor here but it worked. It was interesting what characters and plot points they chose to include here.



"Wicked" was definitely a satisfying experience and I wouldn't mind watching it again- and again!

My Reading Life- Year in Review 2008

I'm a nerd for lists.

I read 44 books in 2008. I read primarily fiction books- and of that most were mystery and thrillers. I picked up books by 21 authors I've never read before and read 8 additional titles by them. The high number of new authors was because I was trying to find a good series to get into.

Breakdown of Books Read in 2008

Non-fiction
Memoirs- 1
General- 4

Fiction
Mystery/Thrillers- 17
Kids/YA- 12
General- 10

Total- 44

1. Cirque Du Soleil: The Spark by John U. Bacon and created by Lyn Heward
2. The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
3. The Prophecy by Kahlil Gibran
4. Black Coffee by Agatha Christie and adapted by Charles Osborne
5. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
6. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
7. The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
8. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie*
9. Born On a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Artistic Savant by Daniel Tammet*
10. The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde
11. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova*
12. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
13. The Sudoku Puzzle Murders by Parnell Hall
14. Posted to Death by Dean James
15. Faked to Death by Dean James
16. Decorated to Death by Dean James
17. Baked to Death by Dean James
18. A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage by Mark Twain
19. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
20. I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
21. The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith
22. The Grave by Christopher Pike
23. Spooksville #23: Phone Fear by Christopher Pike
24. Magic Fire by Christopher Pike
25. Jumper by Steven Gould*
26. The Death Artist by Jonathan Santlofer
27. The Society of S by Susan Hubbard
28. The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie*
29. Dracula by Bram Stoker*
30. Reflex by Steven Gould
31. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin*
32. The Appeal by John Grisham
33. The Once & Future King: The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White*
34. The Testament by John Grisham
35. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle*
36. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger*
37. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
38. 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth (1989) by the Earthworks Group
39. 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth (2008) by John Javna, Sophia Javna, and Jesse Javna
40. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne*
41. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne*
42. The Red House by A.A. Milne*
43. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
44. Wicked by Gregory Maguire*

*Recommended

My First First Thursday

I officially officially don’t like wine.

After missing out on all the previous ones since moving to Portland, I finally went to First Thursday- a monthly art event in which the galleries stay open later than usual and hold receptions. I didn’t really know the best way to approach it but I did settle on staying in the Pearl District because I didn’t want to be in Old Town at night.

There was an article in a local weekly publication about a photography exhibit at Charles A. Hartman Fine Art. One piece entitled “Loneliness” caught my eye. It was of a sleeping man lying next to a bloody fish almost the same size as him. After doing a walk around of the small space, I came to the conclusion that I don’t consider photography as art. That probably sounds horrible but art to me is more of creating alternative ways to present or represent reality. So if someone just takes a picture of a previously existing subject no matter how awesome, my reaction is “so what?”

I decided to try and avoid other photography galleries and since Portland has about as many galleries than it does coffee shops, I still had a lot to choose from. My next stop was the Museum of Contemporary Craft, a place I had gone to a couple times before. I was really impressed by the things I saw in their current exhibit- Manufractured: The Conspicuous Transformation of Everyday Objects. My two favorite ones were spools of thread that if you looked through a glass ball it would form the shape of a Campbell’s soup can and then there was a dress made of face peel. There were also carved out plastic containers, dresses made out of zippers, and melted toy soldiers. These and the knick knacks found in their shop were for sale but they just made me want to create my own. To prove my obvious lack of art knowledge, I kept asking people if there were other “museums” they’d recommend when I should have been saying “galleries”.

My next move was to find where other people were heading or leaving which led me to the Lawrence Gallery. This was probably one of the much nicer, reputable ones as they had big name pieces like their Dali’s Argillet collection. There were kids running around which was kind of annoying and I was afraid (and secretly hoping) they’d break something. They were selling wine but I knew I could get it for free in other places and the night was young.

In the Beppu Wiarda Gallery, the artist whose works were featured was there to talk about them. He did cartoonish drawings which had some misspelled text on some so I wasn’t that impressed. Right next door was the Bella Perla Gallery. Their current exhibit was paintings that all had piano influences but the pieces that got my attention were from an older show depicting Portland drawn in a way that just seemed simple and different. In the Blackfish Gallery, there was a puppet of Sarah Palin and a slew of woodland creatures which just showed how art was current and topical.

My first freebie was a lollipop at PDX Contemporary Art. If that was going to be all I was getting, I would have been greatly disappointed. I thought it was cool to see Ken Shores’ Feather Fetish display again at the Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery. I had first seen it at the Museum of Contemporary Craft during the Craft Party and it was interesting to me that the galleries do indeed share.

I finally had my first glass of wine at Chambers@916. I still did not like the taste but it was all for the experience. With glass in hand as I looked at art- or “art”- I just seemed to fit in more and know what I was doing.

The best place I went to was this wood craft gallery whose name I can’t even remember. Not only were the store made crafts touchable but they had a meat and cheese platter- and sangria which I assume was the fruity drink I had. And it was while I was recommending the jalapeno salsa tot his middle-aged married lady that we got to talking about art- her with her graphic designing and me of my aspirations to be a writer. It’s amazing how much people will reveal of themselves to complete strangers. She thought I was interesting enough to ask for my email which just proves there is a first time for everything. I always like it when I give off the impression I know more than I actually do.

After that drink and conversation, I was hoping to find something I was more accustomed to. Luckily there was the CHAP’s Holiday Bizarre- an art and crafts workshop/store whose profits go to a children’s organization. I’m not sure which. All I know was they had apple cider and cookies. As I contemplated whether I should check out more galleries or go home- and leaning towards the latter, I saw a sign for cake tasting at Nuvrei Pastries. I had samples of their festive cakes. They were sweet and decadent, delicious and free. With everything I had drank and eaten, I was getting quite full.

I made a quick stop at the Adidas store because they had a DJ and breakdancing going on. Then, right outside, there was a guy in a unicycle playing Christmas music with his bagpipes. I thought that was a perfect end to an evening full of activities I normally didn’t do.

Day By Day

I cashed my first paycheck in over seven months today. I feel officially employed now even though I started my new job at the beginning of this month. I’m technically a “bookseller” at a calendar store which is a subsidiary of a company I used to work for. It’s a temporary part-time position for the holidays but I’m just glad to be working again.

The first few days was spent setting up shop in a space previously owned by an Ann Taylor. I like to joke that since we’re the only calendar store with its own dressing rooms, customers can check out if their calendar matches their shoes before buying it. That sounded way funnier in my head. On my second day there, I cut myself on one of the fixtures I was building and I don’t think it’s good business to be bleeding all over the merchandise. At first, I was worried I’d be stuck doing something I didn’t like. But as the days have passed and we’ve gotten more non-calendar items in- some books even- and we’re actually making money, I’m really happy.

One of the lessons I’ve learned living in Portland is gratitude- being thankful for all the positive things happening in my life. Getting this job just makes me appreciate them even more.

I was able to get my FICO score for free and I was surprised to see such an increase from last time I checked. At these times of financial uncertainty, having a high score of 788 makes me feel I’m doing something right. In fact, I think it was because of it, my request for a credit limit increase on my credit card got approved. Now I can spend more money I don’t have if I so want.

I also reached my reading goal of 36 books this year. Of course, I’m not going to stop reading for the rest of this year but I think it’s I’m meeting the tiny goals I set up for myself. This also included writing everyday for at least 30 minutes and, as much as I grumble while doing so, exercising for at least half an hour four times a week. I’ve lost at least 10 pounds since moving to Portland.

But one of the most positive and rewarding experience for me has been volunteering at the Friends’ Library Store. While in between jobs, it was something to pass the time- and not just idly so. I got to interact with people and freshen up on my customer service skills. A highlight was when another reader would come in and we’d get to talking about books and recommend titles to one another. I’ve also felt encouraged to share my ideas on how the store can be better and they’ve been well-received. It’s been a great feeling to be part of something that supports an institution I’m very fond of. And having volunteered over 75 hours, I automatically became an official Friend of the Friends of the Library. Luckily I can still volunteer and not have it interfere with my work.

I’d say things are looking up and for that I’m grateful.