Monthly Archives: March 2012

Manzanita Writers’ Series Presents Deborah Reed

Deborah Reed will read from her novel Carry Yourself Back to Me at the Manzanita Writers’ Series at 7pm on Saturday, April 21, 2012 at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita.

Both critics and fellow authors have praised the novel.

“Part whodunit, part romance, part family drama, and part childhood remembrance, Reed’s debut is a dense, psychologically complex meditation upon the flawed yet resilient nature of family and love that is simultaneously meditative and fast-paced.” —BOOKLIST

“Deborah Reed’s novel, Carry Yourself Back to Me, marries gorgeous and wise prose with a can’t-help-but-read-one-more-chapter plot. In it, Reed weaves a complex story of love and longing that’s mysterious, intelligent and full of heart. She had me from page one.” –Cheryl Strayed, author of the novel Torch, and Wild, a memoir.

In her first literary novel, Reed triumphs with this thoughtful, graceful story of singer/songwriter Annie Walsh. Readers will enjoy the novel’s engaging characters, intricate plot, and beautifully rendered sense of place. – Publisher’s Weekly

Carry Yourself Back to Me was selected as a Best Book of 2011 Amazon Editors’ Pick. It’s also inspired an original song by Zia McCabe of the Dandy Warhols.

Reed’s first book, A Small Fortune, a thriller written under the name of Audrey Braun, published to critical acclaim in July 2011. Her next Braun book releases in September. Local writers (and readers) will be fascinated by the unusual path her book publishing has taken. You’ll learn how she leveraged a self-published e-book into a 3-book contract, with some interesting twists along the way.

Her work has appeared in The Center For Fiction’s The Literarian, The Nervous Breakdown, Opium Magazine, More Magazine, and elsewhere. Reed is currently getting her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Pacific University and is at work on a new literary novel.

Following Reed’s reading and Q&A, we’ll have our popular Open Mic where up to nine local writers will read 5 minutes of their original work.

Admission for the evening is $7.

Further information and the 2012 schedule are available here or contact Vera Wildauer at vwildauer@gmail.com.

New Intro to Clay Studio Class Added for April 11th

Our first Introduction to Clay Studio Class on March 28th filled up fast, so we’re adding another one on April 11th from 1pm to 3 pm.

This introductory class, led by Dee Koscheski and Kathleen Ryan, will familiarize you with the Hoffman Center clay studio and what is possible to create within it. A studio tour will be given, including an overview of the equipment, tools and guidelines. Dee and Kathleen will be giving demonstration of hand-building and wheel throwing.

Students will also have a chance to experiment with clay and learn how it behaves with the guidance of the two instructors.

Cost: $10, which includes 2 pounds of clay.

To register for the class, limited to 6 people, contact Dee at hoffmanclaystudio@gmail.com or leave message at 503-368-3846.

 

Poetry Writing Workshop and Poetry Reading with Carlos Reyes on Saturday, March 31

After the workshop, Reyes will read from his latest collection of poetry--Pomegranate, Sister of the Heart.

Carlos Reyes will conduct a poetry-writing workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hoffman Center in Manzanita on Saturday, March 31, 2012. He will do a reading from his new book, Pomegranate, Sister of the Heart, following the workshop at 2:30. This is a special event of the Manzanita Writers’ Series. The free reading is open to the public and books will be available to purchase at the event.

Writers who participated in Reyes’ March 2011 one-hour workshop can tell you that his workshops are immediately engaging, fun and creative. This workshop will involve different writing prompts from the 2011 workshop. You’ll walk away with useful handouts, a “homework” assignment, along with many new poetry drafts. Download a registration form here. There is a $25 fee for the workshop. Bring a brown bag for the half-hour lunch break.

Poet and translator Carlos Reyes lives and writes in Portland, Oregon when he is not traveling. He travels a lot, and whether he journeys to Panama, Spain, Alaska or Ireland, those experiences inspire and inform his poetry. In 2007 he was honored with a Heinrich Boll Fellowship, which gave him two weeks to write on Achill Island, Ireland. He has had fellowships to Yaddo and the Fundación Valparaíso (Mojåcar, Spain). He was poet-in-residence in 2009 at the Lost Horse Ranger Station in the Joshua Tree National Park, and recently writer-in-residence at the Island Institute in Sitka, Alaska. Pomegranate is his fifth collection of poetry to be published.

Click here to find out more on the 2012 schedule or contact Vera Wildauer at vwildauer@gmail.com.