Nature and Remembrance

Nature can trigger memories and foster enlightenment, if only we can step out of the grinding day-to-day routine and settle for a spell in nature’s stillness. We see the scar on a tree that is maybe a century old, or the resilient wildflowers blooming after wildfire has blackened the land and wonder about our own lives in relation. “We are the creation of our lives,” says Eric Braman, a Springfield poet who has had their work published by Cirque Press. Braman will join eight other local authors and poets on Sept. 4 for Poets of Cirque Press at Lovely All Day Café in Springfield for live readings. Braman says the authors “all come from different perspectives as poets,” but are all grounded in nature and remembrance, and that is not an accident. Braman notes that Cirque Press, based in Anchorage, Alaska, publishes the work of writers, poets, photographers and other artists who live in the North Pacific Rim with a keen interest in the environment. “They are drawn into the landscape of the region,” Braman says. The other Eugene-Springfield poets and authors who will read are Ingrid Wendt, Jenny Root, Eve Müller and Nard Claar. They will be joined by regional authors and poets Janice Rubin, Marc Janssen and Sandra Kleven, author and Cirque Press co-publisher, and Cynthia Lee Steele, writer and associate editor of Cirque Press. “There is something beautiful about being in an author community,” Braman says.

Poets of Cirque Press, a community celebration of local literary talent, is 6:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 4, at Lovely All Day Café, 111 Main Street, Springfield. Free.

20250828cal-intro-Poetry-4-Braman — Eric Braman. Photo by Athena Delene.

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.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

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Thank you for standing with us!