What!?! Steve is blogging about his writing?

That's right, I'm actually doing some self promotion.   I wrote an essay that was published in Brave on the Page: Oregon Writers on Craft and the Creative Life.  It's a collection of interviews by Laura Stanfill, and short essays by a number of Oregon authors.

The book was released through Forest Avenue Press and uses the Espresso Book Machine to print the books.  It's like a photocopier, only it makes books!  Actually, it's pretty impressive to watch the books being made.

Laura did an amazing job with this book.  She is a smart interviewer, gentle editor, and quite brave herself publishing this book.

If you are interested in picking up a book you can check this map, any place there is an Espresso Book Machine it can print a copy of Brave on the Page.  You can also have a copy shipped through this website.

-Steve

Pick of the Week

Dixon Ticonderoga, the Zine that I (Steve) was published in last year, was chosen as a Staff Pick this week by Multnomah County Library. 

I'm incredibly happy the library highlighted this Zine.  Many excellent writers and artists worked on it and much of it's beauty is the hand lettering done by Stevan Allred.  He re-wrote everything in pencil for the publication.

You can check it out (Multnomah residents only, sorry) but there is already a wait list on the library's eight copies.  If you want your own copy, let me know-Stevan is still selling copies.

Steve's Reading!

Steve read part of his novel last night at the Blackbird Wineshop in NE Portland.  He read with three members of his critique group, the Pinewood Table. 

Steve did a great reading - he had the audience laughing and enjoying his writing as much as I do (not that I'm biased or anything).  Several unexpected people (beyond our folks and nephew) showed up to support Steve which meant a lot.  What a great evening!

-Holly

Reading at the Blackbird Wineshop on June 1st

 I (Steve not Holly) will be reading a short selection from my novel at the Blackbird Wine and Atomic Cheese Shop, June 1st at 7pm.  This was organized by Stevan Allred and Joanna Rose, who run a weekly critique group, the Pinewood Table.

I worked with them through the first draft of my novel and they asked me to read along with four other writers they've mentored.  The BWAC Shop is at 4323 NE Fremont (map) and the reading is for 21 and over.


If you can make it, I'd love to have you join me.

-Steve

Dufur in April

A couple weeks ago Holly and I took a day trip up the gorge and into Dufur.  This is the town my novel is set in and I want to know what it looks like in the months the novel takes place, how it changes as the town moves into summer.

In Dufur we got something to drink at We 3 Coffee and a local farmer came in and was talking with the owner.  I asked him if he'd tell me about farming and he wanted to know if I was a reporter.  He remained pretty suspicious after I assured him I wasn't.  Since I kept asking the stupidest questions about farming he finally believed me.  I got a couple good quotes and ideas from him, including, "You plant a seed in the ground and wait for it to grow."  There, that's all it takes to be a farmer.

The picture on the left isn't Dufur.  We stopped at Rowena Crest to appreciate the cloudy view

First Draft

I finished the first draft of my novel last week (Steve blogging here).  Actually I finished it the week before and disliked the ending so much I rewrote it last week.  Yesterday I added the last eight pages to the binder and figured that meant it was an official first draft.

Before I start on the second draft I'm filling in some gaps.  Ideas I had along the way but didn't want to stop and jump back fifty or a hundred pages to write the scenes.  I'm guessing that will keep me busy for a month or two and then it's back to page 1.

Steve's Reading

Steve did a fabulous job reading his story "Stumpies" on Saturday.  He had folks laughing  and remembering their experiences with pencils, high school and the SATs.  It was great to be a part of the celebration of the 'zine launch and hear the writers read their work. 

In the picture below you can see Steve and the publisher/creator of the 'zine, Stevan Allred, who is also one of the leaders of the writing workshop Steve attends weekly.  They obviously have a good time!



There were about 50 people there including the "representatives" of Steve's fan club (in the picture below - Tom, Jennifer, Florence, and Randall), our parents, and a bunch of Steve's writing colleagues.



And, we had a pencil cake!!

-Holly

Steve is reading at Zine launch party 3/27 at 2pm

Just like the title hints at, Steve is reading his story Stumpies that is included in the Zine, Dixon Ticonderoga.  Almost all of the zine contributors will be at the launch party to read their work so it's going to be a lot of fun.  Great people, great writing, and a great zine.  Hope you can make it!

The picture is the cover of the zine, and below is the official press release.

'Zine Launch

Where: St. Johns Book Sellers, 8622 N. Lombard (map)

When: 2 pm on March 27th

What:  reading and a gathering to celebrate the launch of

Dixon Ticonderoga. 

Contact: Stevan Allred redcat@teleport.com  or info@stjohnsbooks.com

Contributors:  Stevan Allred, Katinka Bryk, Kolieha Bush, Cris Colburn, Lisa Colburn, Joe Cotter, Steve Denniston, Melanie Green, Stephanie Holland, Jackie Shannon Hollis, Harold Johnson, Kristin Kaye, Christi Krug, Robert Myers, Joanna Rose, Elinor Shanklin, Peggy Skycraft, Bruce Whiting, Dale Woods, Yuvi Zalkow 

   While wandering from room to room one sleepless night, writer Stevan Allred picked up a pencil and began to study it.  The pencil was yellow, with a green ferrule, and a pink eraser.  The green ferrule had two yellow stripes painted on it, and the metal was stamped with a pattern of vertical lines.  Someone, it occurred to Allred, had put a lot of thought into designing this pencil, a Dixon Ticonderoga HB #2. 
   Inspired by this object, Allred began writing about pencils, exploring his memories and feelings about this humble device.  As he talked to his friends about his new found obsession, he discovered that the pencil possesses iconic properties.  Everyone has a memory or a story about a pencil, so Allred invited his friends to write theirs down.  
   The result is Dixon Ticonderoga:  a zine, and a literary anthology of flash writing, haiku, and art.  Pencils are the occasion, but the stories take us from divorce to death, into the mind of a carpenter framing a wall, and to the bins at Goodwill.  Along the way we pause in several schools, where pencils are used for much more than merely writing--they are weapons of war and love, and they are the tool that lets imagination run free.
    As he says at the end of his opening essay, Dixon Ticonderoga is Stevan Allred's love letter to the pencil.  In the true DIY spirit of zinesters, its very existence says 'Make art--this is how to survive and move on.'

Wasco County Fair

We went to the Wasco County Fair in Tygh Valley on Sunday. Steve went to watch the demolition derby and gather material for the book he's working on. The boys went because they had to. Lucky for them there were some fun rides to do. As for Holly, she tagged along to keep an eye on everyone. The boys would go on some rides, watch a heat of the demolition derby and then go on some more rides. Tim lasted longer than Joe, so Joe took a break and Tim kept going on rides until we pulled him off. Holly took the pictures, Steve was shooting video. No real idea if he'll actually use a demolition derby in his story, but since it's a once a year event he wanted to get all the information he could.

Tin House Writers Conference

Last week Steve (me) went to a week long writers conference put on by Tin House, a literary magazine and small press. Now I can drop names like T.C. Boyle, Jim Shepard, Aimee Bender and a host of others no one has heard of.

In the mornings I spent the week "in workshop" with ten other short fiction students and author Yiyun Li who published a short story collection A Thousand Years of Good Prayers. Afternoons and evenings were full of seminars, lectures and readings by the other workshop leaders.