POETRY IN THE HOUSE!
Last week, I attended Cai Emmons’ reading of her forthcoming book The Stylist. During his hilariously pretentious introduction of the unpretentious Emmons, writer Ehud Havazelet listed off a lovely panoply of upcoming readings, but the one that garnered the most applause was this: UO poet Dorianne Laux, Stafford/Hall Oregon Book Award winner for 2006, and Laton Carter, S/H OBA ’05, read from their award-winning books Tuesday, March 6 at 7 pm in the UO’s Gerlinger Alumni Lounge.
Now, the Emmons reading was packed, and Emmons mentioned how much she appreciates the writing and reading community that she’s found here. Thanks to that community, I have a feeling the Laux/Carter reading might be just as packed. They’re damn fine poets, Eugeneans, award-winners, and all-around popular folks in this town. Laux, as you might know from Lois Wadsworth’s review of Laux’s Facts About the Moon (available online at our archives: www.eugeneweekly.com/2006/12/14),or maybe from reading it yourself, writes about love, sex and life in image-drenched but accessible ways. Carter, whom judge Mark Doty singled out for his subject matter in Leaving, often writes about the world of work and the ways people work. His poem “Geese” is now part of Poetry in Motion, and you might catch it if you’re in the first big city to the north on a bus or MAX train. In any case, get to the reading early for an optimal listening experience. It’s hard to find parking near Gerlinger, and anyway, who needs to? The Breeze bus runs to campus, there are plenty of bike racks and hey, walking is more poetic than driving anyway: Where do you get images of geese and the moon if not on foot? For those and more, head to Gerlinger on Tuesday.
FREE DAY 4 CULTURE
Want to see those cool 10,000 year-old shoes or the OMSI traveling exhibit of holograms and periscopes? Yesterday was the time! Er, we mean, every Wednesday seems good: The UO’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History celebrates its 20th year at its current location (1680 E. 15th Ave., the corner of Agate and 15th) by letting people in for free on Wednesdays. Hours are 11 am to 5 pm Wed.-Sat. Now, we know you’re going on Wednesday, but in case you return for more, admission’s not so bad anyway: $3, $2 youth and seniors, free to UO students with ID.