Buy books at Tanasbourne Barnes and Noble June 19 &20 and support Rise Above Arts Program

Every year, an estimated 1.6 million of America’s youth experience homelessness. Though a problem nationwide, this is also an issue locally. In order to better serve this important population, Hillsboro Community Arts founded the Rise Above Arts Program, providing arts education to homeless youth. These teens, ages 13 to 17, currently reside at A Safe Place for Youth, a teen homeless shelter run by the Boys and Girls Aid Society in Hillsboro. Each year, Rise Above offers 150+ teens the opportunity to express themselves through art and writing, while helping them to build confidence, learn about themselves, and realize a sense of accomplishment.

Beyond the weekly art and writing classes, Rise Above provides the teens with the chance to participate in other local events and programs. During our first year, such events included: an art exhibit of the teen’s work at the Walters Cultural Art Center in Hillsboro; participation in the Global Art Project, where the teens exchanged artwork with youth from Fredericksburg, Virginia; and an exhibition of the teen’s art at the First Tuesday Artwalk in downtown Hillsboro. Beyond this, Rise Above was able to help two of the teens obtain scholarships for further classes at the Pacific Northwest College of Art and helped a group of the teens go on a field trip to the Portland Art Museum.

Present this voucher when you purchase items at the Tanasbourne Barnes & Noble and a percentage of the sales will go to Rise Above Arts Program. Even if you don’t have a voucher, you can let the cashier know that it’s for Rise Above.

Airlie Press announces a call for book-length poetry manuscript

Airlie Press announces a call for book-length poetry manuscripts www.airliepress.org

Deadline: September 15, 2009

For more information about Airlie Press, go to www.airliepress.org

We are a nonprofit poetry collective founded in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. A shared-work, consensus based group, our profits go toward the production of new books of poetry. We are seeking manuscript submissions from poets who live within a reasonable driving distance from the Monmouth area, where the press’ business is conducted.

Authors whose manuscripts are selected by Airlie Press must commit to responsibilities of the collective for a period of three years, including attending monthly meetings, and contributing at least ten hours a month to the collective-related work of editing, book production, and promotion. Authors’ books will be published during the second year of their commitment to Airlie Press, and will involve more time commitment from the authors. Authors have final say regarding the content and presentation of their books. All book profits will be returned to the collective.

Ibex Studios Writing Workshops

Ibex Studios is offering a couple of workshops that sound fabulous:

Writing the Wild: Hiking Eagle Creek

Date: July 19th

Time: Noon-5pm

Fee: $60

Instructor: Becca Deysach

Description: What do writing and wildness have in common? What can the natural world teach us about accessing our most wild selves so we can create energized, potent, and engaging stories? In what ways does moving through wildness inspire you? Come explore these questions and more while walking up the Columbia River Gorge's stunning Eagle Creek. We will learn the creek's stories, write and share our own, and discuss our nitty-gritty questions about wildness and writing.

Yoga, Writing, and Wilderness Retreat for Women: A Dynamic Celebration of Balance

Date: August 14-16

Description: Join us at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center for three days of writing and yoga amongst giant trees and blue-green glacial water. Food and lodging included in the cost of the workshop! Complete workshop description coming soon!

I Heart Captain Kirk

I'm a late adopter to the awesomeness that is Star Trek and Captain Kirk—the William Shatner version. Most of my leisure conversations start out with, "You know when Captain Kirk..." fill in the blank: saved the ship, spared the life of the alien, whatever.
Why now? Why does the compassionate hero strike such a chord with me? What is it about our world that makes this 43-year-old television icon so appealing? I've been challenged to write a sestina about it. In order to do so, I'd better continue my research. Tonight's episode is "Shore Leave."

Paula Sinclair

Paula Sinclair is a “goosebump” musician—you know, a musician whose songs grip you and move you from the moment they draw their breath for the first word? I met Paula at the William Stafford celebration reading in Portland in 2008. She didn’t merely read a Stafford poem, she performed one. She played guitar and put music to Stafford’s “A Story That Could be True.” This rendition particularly moved me because I have a broadside of this poem hanging in my living room, so I see it every day. It’s part of my daily life. Paula’s album The Good Horse puts five Oregon poets’ words to music. William Stafford, Dorianne Laux, Joseph Millar, Debbie West, and Jarold Ramsey are enriched with her music and voice. She’s currently performing songs from her new album, Steadygirl. I recommend catching her at one of her upcoming shows. She’s performing at Imbrie Hall on Tuesday.