I learned that I’m going to receive the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award from Literary Arts in April. Portland has been a beautiful city in which to hatch madcap literary projects, including Gumball Poetry, a literary journal published into gumball machines around Portland and in other states, (with creator Ben Parzybok, from 1999-2010.. Ben recently revived it — check it out!). I was lucky to teach for Literary Arts’ Writers in the Schools program for 20 years before taking a break in 2023.* And I did several weird art projects on the way to Street Books, which is going to turn 15 years old this June. Everything in this list has one thing in common: There has always been a co-conspirator or collective working with me on these projects, and I’m thinking a lot about how this award is also for them.
How grateful I am for all the good people who came forward to ask how they could help at the Street Books library and how many of them just never left. I’m thinking too about the thousands of library patrons who visited the library over the years, who visit the library now, and how this too has been a collaboration. I’m thankful to them. What I want for each of our library patrons is a safe and affordable place to live, and a community where they are beloved.
Loaners: The Making of a Street Library is the story of how the Street Books library came to be. It’s in its second printing now, and I’m very happy to announce that my co-author Ben Hodgson and I recorded an audiobook this summer, with generous help from Ken Jones at KBOO radio, and you can listen to it at Libro.fm now! (or on other audiobook platforms). Since the book is composed of alternating vignettes, it reads like a conversation. Hodge and his droll humor on the page has earned him many fans, but he’s also a great reader. Hope you enjoy it!
That’s it for now – thanks for reading this far.
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*One time a young person, probably 20, came up to me in the Park Blocks downtown, pointed at me and said “Hey! I still keep a journal because of you!” That felt like the equivalent of about 10 awards.