Provided by Newport Public Library

On March 28th at 4 p.m. in Newport, Oregon you are invited to take part in the world’s first globally coordinated book reading flash mob. Held at Newport Public Library, this is a chance to share a favorite book and pay your love of books and reading forward.

All you need to do is bring a book that inspired you in some way, take some time to reflect on how that book inspired you and also reflect on how a random act of kindness has the potential to change someone else’s life. Now more than ever in these tough financial times we need to help and be kind to each other and you can become part of a global movement helping to make the world a kinder place.

The event has been put together by the Pay It Forward Foundation to raise awareness of the impact that small, random acts of kindness can have on people and to encourage people to Pay It Forward. Charley Johnson, President of the Pay it forward Foundation says “We realise that change starts with us, and for this reason, we believe that it is a simple thing that everyone can do to remind people that the world is still an amazing place and that others still do care.”

Rebecca Cohen, organizer of Newport Public Library’s flash mob says “We know that serving others has the power to create change. Real change! You can make a difference today, no need to be a celebrity or millionaire. Be the change you want to see in the world. Understanding that a small act of kindness can shift someone’s perspective on life is the reality we live in. Help us share the message, the outcome will give purpose and meaning to everyone involved.”

Come along and be a part of the Pay It Forward Book Reading Flash mob at Newport Public Library on March 28th at 4 p.m. For further information on all flash mob locations just click here.

You can help make a difference in the world!

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Don Colburn, author, (L) and Ingrid Wendt, (R)

An evening with Don Colburn and Ingrid Wendt, Saturday, February 18, 7 pm
Nye Beach Visual Arts Center

Show begins at 7 pm in the second floor meeting room of the Newport Visual Arts Center, located at777 NW Beach Drive (across from the Nye Beach Turnaround). General admission is $6 at the door, students always admitted free. Light refreshments will be available.

Ingrid Wendt’s books of poems have won the Oregon Book Award ,( Singing the Mozart Requiem), the Yellowglen Award, ( The Angle of Sharpest Ascending), and the Editions Prize, ( Surgeonfish). Her first book, Moving the House, was chosen for BOA Editions by William Stafford, who also wrote the introduction. Her recent book, Evensong, appeared in 2011 from Truman State University Press. Wendt is the co-editor of, From Here We Speak: An Anthology of Oregon Poetry, and In Her Own Image: Women Working in the Arts. Her teaching guide, Starting with Little Things: A Guide to Writing Poetry in the Classroom, is in its sixth printing. She lives with her husband, poet and writer Ralph Salisbury in Eugene, Oregon.

Don Colburn is a writer and semi-retired journalist in Portland, Oregon. His newest book of poetry is Because You Might Not Remember (Finishing Line Press, 2010). His poems have appeared widely in magazines and anthologies, and won the Discovery/The Nation Award, the Finishing Line Press Prize, the Cider Press Book Award and the Duckabush Prize for Poetry. During his newspaper career, he was a reporter for The Washington Post and The Oregonian, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing. He became interested in poetry while on a midcareer Knight Fellowship at Stanford University. He has published three collections of poetry, most recently a chapbook titled Because You Might Not Remember.

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William Stafford, Poet
Wikipedia photo

information provided by Drew Myron

WALDPORT, OREGON – Join the worldwide birthday celebration honoring the life and work of the late William Stafford, Oregon’s most famous poet. Starting Here: A Stafford Celebration takes place on Saturday, January 21 at the Waldport Community Center in Waldport, Oregon. Admission is free and open to all ages.

Oregon writers will read a Stafford poem, as well as one of their own pieces written in the spirit of Stafford’s works. In addition, members of the audience are invited to read a favorite Stafford poem or to share a personal anecdote about the late Oregon poet laureate.

Featured writers include: Herman Welch, Fred Strauss, Shirley Plummer, Drew Myron, and students from Seashore Family Literacy.

This free event is sponsored by Friends of the Waldport Public Library, a nonprofit group that seeks to stimulate and support the use of the Waldport Public Library, its resources and services, in conjunction with Friends of William Stafford, a nonprofit organization providing education in literature, particularly in poetry, in a way that will encourage readers, writers and those who aspire to find their own voice. This year FWS is sponsoring over 60 poetry readings and presentations throughout Oregon and Washington, and also in California, Nevada, Ohio, New Jersey, Vermont, New York and in Glasgow, Scotland, and Sapporo, Japan.

The Waldport celebration features the following writers:

Herman Welch served as mayor of Waldport from 2007 to 2011. He is a retired insurance executive and in the 1950s attended Lewis & Clark College, where he was a student of Mr. William Stafford.

Fred Strauss, of Tidewater, is a longtime volunteer for Seashore Family Literacy, where he served as founding member of the high school writing group, and tutor to adult readers. Strauss is a past member of Tuesday, a weekly writing group. His poems and stories appear in several Tuesday anthologies, and in four volumes of Find Your Place, Seashore’s annual anthology.

Shirley Plummer, of Yachats, is a native Oregonian, poet, and traveler. After graduating from Willamette University in 1952, she served with the Red Cross in Korea. She’s lived throughout the U.S. and moved to Yachats in 2007 to reside near family.

Drew Myron, of Yachats, is a writer, editor and poet. She frequently leads writing workshops for youth and adults. For 15 years she has operated DCM, a marketing communications company. See www.drewmyron.com.

About William Stafford
William Stafford was one of America’s most prolific poets, authoring more than 50 books in his 79 years. A professor at Lewis and Clark College, where he taught for 30 years, he was appointed Oregon Poet Laureate in 1975 and also earned a National Book Award. He was known for his encouragement of other writers and for his advocacy of free expression in writing and speech.

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Provided by Dancing Moon Press

In his newest book, “Secret Memoirs of a Born-Again Preacher” (Dancing Moon Press), Andres Berger-Kiss takes the dysfunctions plaguing our political and religious leaders and crafted an incredibly timely novel where the main character is proud of his ability to fleece gullible souls. “Exploitation of those under you has to be done sensibly so they don’t rebel,” the Reverend Richard Dink advises his reader in this tell-all memoir.

The book is satire, a work of fiction where the characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. But as Berger-Kiss says, “Aren’t all satires based on facts?

Berger-Kiss will appear at the Newport Public Library Tuesday, November 1st, 7pm. The library is located at Nye and West Olive Streets. Admission is Free.

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