POETRY IN THE HOUSE!
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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.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519