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BY SUSAN WICKSTROM
CHARLES FRAZIER AND KAYE GIBBONS
The Civil War is making a comeback in mainstream fiction, thanks
mainly to Frazier's 1997 National Book Award-winning novel, Cold
Mountain, a meticulously researched story about a Civil War deserter
that took eight years to write. Frazier's fellow North Carolinian Gibbons
made her first dive into southern-fried fiction with her heartbreaking
debut 1987 novel, Ellen Foster, which recently experienced another
surge of popularity thanks to Oprah's book club. Her latest novel, On
the Occasion of My Last Afternoon, tells the tale of a remarkable
woman who lived through the hell of the Civil War helping however she
could while fighting her own personal battle with her abusive father.
These kindred spirits kick off Portland Arts & Lectures 15th season.
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL, 1037 SW BROADWAY, 227-2583. 7:30 PM
TUESDAY, SEPT. 15. $100-$175 FOR SERIES; $18 FOR EVENT IF AVAILABLE.
KAREN JOY FOWLER
Reed College begins its fall Visiting Writers Series with Fowler,
who began her career by winning the 1987 John W. Campbell Award for
best science-fiction writer and who most recently explored babes and
baseball in her 1996 novel The Sweetheart Season. Her books include
two collections of short fiction, Artificial Things and Black
Glass, and two very well-received novels, Sarah Canary and
The Sweetheart Season, both named New York Times notable
books. Fowler, who teaches in Cleveland, Ohio, and at Stanford, is currently
working on a novel set in San Francisco a century ago. Her appearance
marks the first installment of the fall Visiting Writers season that
includes readings by such authors as Tom McNeal, Fred Leebron, Karl
Kirchwey and Erin McGraw. Call the Reed events hotline, 777-7590, for
specific dates.
REED COLLEGE, PSYCHOLOGY AUDITORIUM, 3203 SE WOODSTOCK BLVD., 777-7755.
8 PM THURSDAY, SEPT. 17.
PAM HOUSTON
Houston won the 1992 Western States Book Award for Cowboys Are
My Weakness, her collection of short fiction. Now, she flaunts her
inner tough girl (perhaps too much for some tastes) with her new book,
Waltzing the Cat, a series of connected short stories starring
a ballsy landscape photographer named Lucy O'Rourke. Houston thrusts
her intrepid heroine into a mindboggling series of dramatic situations,
including an attack by a man-eating caiman, a rafting wreck and
a prophetic encounter with hallucinogen-inspired visionary Carlos Castaneda.
Lucy may be smart about adventure, but she is predictably stupid about
men. Houston remains one of the West's most inventive writers, but she
may have overdosed on testosterone with this one. Judge for yourself
as she introduces Waltzing the Cat at this reading.
TWENTY-THIRD AVENUE BOOKS, 1015 NW 23RD AVE., 224-5097. 7:30 PM FRIDAY,
SEPT. 18.
THOMAS LYNCH
The mortuary arts have never seemed as poetic as in The Undertaking:
Life Studies from the Dismal Trade, Lynch's recent collection of
essays about his family's business in a small Michigan town. But Lynch
proved his penchant for unsentimental observations of death and life
in his 1987 debut collection of poetry, Skating with Heather Grace.
He returns to that form in Still Life in Milford, his new book
of poems in which he examines his family and his father's death; describes
his occupation (sometimes too graphically); and muses over his Irish-Catholic
childhood. Lynch will present Still Life in Milford and probably
read a little from his National Book Award finalist, The Undertaking,
which is now available in paperback.
POWELL'S ON HAWTHORNE, 3723 SE HAWTHORNE BLVD., 238-1668. 7:30 PM WEDNESDAY,
SEPT. 23.
MARK O. HATFIELD DISTINGUISHED HISTORIANS FORUM
Portland's favorite megalomaniac, Chet Orloff of the Oregon Historical
Society, has finally achieved his dream of presenting a lecture series.
The inaugural season of the Mark O. Hatfield Distinguished Historians
Forum will present three of the heaviest hitters in the history game.
Civil War expert James M. McPherson (Sept. 24) won the Pulitzer Prize
for Battle Cry of Freedom. David McCullough (Oct. 22), who also
won a Pulitzer Prize (Truman), as well as a couple of National
Book Awards, is probably best known as the host of PBS' The American
Experience and The Civil War. Garry Wills (Nov. 18), author
of Lincoln at Gettysburg, won a Peabody Award for his 1998 Frontline
episode, The Choice. Individual tickets are not yet available
for this series, but the promoters may be scrambling for bodies if the
subscriptions don't sell out.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 1126 SW PARK AVE., 243-3440. 7:30 PM THURSDAY,
SEPT. 24. THURSDAY, OCT. 22. AND WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18. $36-$175 FOR SERIES.
INGRID DE KOK
The Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center's Origins Discussion Series
invites artists and writers to talk about the role of cultural identity
in their work as well as their own creative process. This season's first
Origins Discussion features De Kok, a South-African poet who is heavily
involved in the political reconstruction of her country. Her two collections
of poetry, Transfer and Familiar Ground, find a balance
between a personal and political world. De Kok will bring her broad
range of creative endeavors and life experience to a discussion in Portland.
This is sure to be a fascinating examination of art and life.
INTERSTATE FIREHOUSE CULTURAL CENTER, 5340 N INTERSTATE AVE., 823-2000.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30. $10.
ANDREA BARRETT
The raves are already launched for Barrett's fifth novel, The
Voyage of the Narwhal, the Cold Mountain of this season.
Barrett's gift for relating historical fact to the human condition is
obvious in this story of an ill-fated Arctic expedition in search of
Sir John Franklin's lost crew; protagonist Erasmus Darwin Wells accompanies
his charismatic future brother-in-law on the daring voyage in a sad
effort to find meaning in his life. Barrett's story begins as a meticulously
documented travelogue but soon gives way to a dramatic and breathtaking
tale of the high seas. Barrett won the 1996 National Book Award for
Ship Fever, her collection of short fiction. She will read from
The Voyage of the Narwhal, which is also sure to pull in some
mighty impressive awards.
POWELL'S, 1005 W BURNSIDE ST., 228-4651. 7:30 PM THURSDAY, OCT. 8.
EDWIDGE DANTICAT
Historical novels are obviously making a comeback, and Haitian-born
author Danticat is riding the wave with The Farming of Bones,
her new book set during the bloody 1937 massacre of Haitians by Dominican
islanders. The story is told by a Haitian maidservant working within
the Dominican border who wants nothing more than to marry a sugar-cane
cutter and begin a life with him. Sadly, their future is not so sweet.
Danticat has achieved great success in her young career. Her stunning
debut novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, was recently Oprahized into
bestsellerdom, and her 1995 short-story collection, Krik? Krak!
won the National Book Award. She will introduce The Farming of Bones,
a worthy addition to her body of work.
POWELL'S, 1005 W BURNSIDE ST., 228-4651. 7:30 PM WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14.
FOODIES READ ABOUT FOOD
This unique event debuted last year and is destined to become a
beloved annual event, probably because it involves free food. Amelia
Hard, former owner of Genoa, will organize an evening of local culinary
bigwigs reading their favorite literary passages about food. Portland's
food critics, chefs and usual suspects will share the written insights
of such gastronomical luminaries as M.F.K. Fisher and Julia Child. Last
year, Ron Paul supplied a sumptuous array of munchies to please any
word lover's palate. Donations at the event will benefit Share Our Strength,
a nationwide effort by the literary world to alleviate hunger in America.
BROADWAY BOOKS, 1714 NE BROADWAY, 284-1726. 7 PM TUESDAY, OCT. 27.
RICHARD FORD
Ford's fiction portrays men being men in manly ways. His bestknown
character is New Jersey resident Frank Bascom, star of Ford's two most
popular novels, The Sportswriter and Independence Day,
winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize. Ford delves into the internal lives
of his characters yet maintains a remarkable balance with the exterior
scenery of their lives; his grasp of working stiffs awash in a world
of indifference is nearly brilliant. Some critics have even called him
the Great American Novelist, and he's a big hit with guys everywhere.
Ford's appearance marks the second installment of Portland Arts &
Lectures' new season.
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL, 1037 SW BROADWAY, 306-5227. 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28. $100-$175 FOR SERIES; $18 FOR EVENT IF AVAILABLE.
1998 OREGON BOOK AWARDS
Literary Arts, Inc. is making a valiant and long-overdue attempt
to pull the Oregon Book Awards ceremony out of a rut. The program honors
Oregon's best writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama and young-readers
literature by awarding a prize to the best work in each category. The
event, held in recent years at the Scottish Rite Temple and at the Performing
Arts Center's Intermediate Theater, will move to the ever-so-fun Kennedy
School Auditorium. Macho hosts such as William Kittredge and Barry Lopez
will be kicked aside this year for some welcome female energy in the
form of Portland's preeminent nonfiction author, Sallie Tisdale, author
of several books, including Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate Philosophy
of Sex. This event is a wonderful opportunity for regular folk to
rub shoulders with Portland's glittering literati. Nominees for the
12th annual awards will be announced in October.
MCMENAMINS KENNEDY SCHOOL AUDITORIUM, 5736 NE 33RD AVE., 227-2583.
7 PM TUESDAY, NOV. 10.
GIOIA TIMPANELLI
As one of the world's greatest professional storytellers, Timpanelli
can rely on her dramatic arts to tell a tale orally. Now her brilliance
shines from the written page in her new book, Sometimes the Soul:
Two Novellas of Sicily. Both novellas are told as fables in which
women achieve transformation. "A Knot of Tears" features an agoraphobic
baroness in Palermo whose life is changed by a talking parrot that flies
in through her window. "Rusina, Not Quite in Love" offers a fresh twist
on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale. Timpanelli will read
from her charming, rich fiction which is reinforced by her gift for
dramatic storytelling.
LOOKING GLASS BOOKSTORE, 318 SW TAYLOR ST., 227-4760. 7 PM THURSDAY,
NOV. 12.
JIM HARRISON
There is a cult of Harrison devotees consumed with curiosity about
whatever happened to his captivating heroine Dalva. The wait
is finally over: Harrison's new novel, The Road Home, continues
the story of Dalva and her fascinating Nebraska family. All the loose
ends, including the fate of her missing child, are tied up to satisfaction.
Harrison (Legends of the Fall, Julip) is one of this country's
most beloved and versatile writers. This long-awaited book, his first
full-length novel in a decade, is sure to be warmly received by his
many fans.
TWENTY-THIRD AVENUE BOOKS, 1015 NW 23RD AVE., 224-5097. 7:30 PM WEDNESDAY,
NOV. 18.
DAVID REMNICK
Remnick began writing as a utilitarian Washington Post reporter,
but his career took off when the Post sent him to cover Moscow.
His years as a Soviet Union correspondent enabled him to write his 1994
Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet
Empire, as well as Resurrection: The Struggle for a New Russia.
In 1993, Remnick joined the staff of The New Yorker to write
about a variety of subjects once again, including the profiles of legendary
celebrities that are collected in The Devil Problem. His current
book, King of the World, is about Muhammad Ali. Rumors are flying
that Remnick's new job may keep him from this obligation to Portland
Arts & Lectures, but how busy can the editor-in-chief of The
New Yorker possibly be?
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL, 1037 SW BROADWAY, 227-2583. 7:30 PM
TUESDAY, DEC. 8. $100-175 FOR SERIES; $18 FOR EVENT IF AVAILABLE.
CARYL PHILLIPS
This British author and playwright was born on the island of St.
Kitts in the West Indies, but his family moved to England when he was
just three months old. Phillips grew up in Leeds' primarily white neighborhoods,
which he claims had a profound and confusing influence on his cultural
and racial identity. His disorientation obviously inspired his creativity,
though. The British stage embraced his plays in the early 1980s, and
he made a natural transition into fiction writing with such novels as
Cambridge, Crossing the River and The Nature of Blood.
Phillips' lecture marks one of the more interesting choices for this
season's Portland Arts & Lectures series.
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL, 1037 SW BROADWAY, 227-2583. 7:30 PM
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3. $100-$175 FOR SERIES; $18 FOR EVENT IF AVAILABLE.
JANE ALEXANDER
Since the Voices Contemporary Lecture Series began six years ago,
it has developed a loyal following of fans who celebrate the strength
of high-powered women. This year's lineup includes National Public Radio
correspondent Nina Totenberg, opera diva Beverly Sills and humorist
Liz Curtis Higgs, along with Alexander, former chairperson of the National
Endowment for the Arts. This lovely award-winning actress showed true
grit as she battled conservatives to preserve artists' freedom of self-expression
and to save the NEA. She is rumored to be working on a book about her
experiences in Washington, D.C., but in the meantime, she will share
her thoughts in the final installment of Voices' sixth season.
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 1126 SW PARK AVE., 243-3440. 7 PM WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 21. $109-$169 FOR SERIES.
originally published
September 9, 1998
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