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Community
wallowa.com
Local writer a contender
for Ken Kesey Award
By Steve Tool
Wallowa County Chieftain
Joseph resident Mary Emerick’s 2015
novel, “The Geography of Water,” a con-
tender for the 2017 Ken Kesey Award,
the fiction category of the Oregon Book
Awards just took another step up the lad-
der for the award.
The book is one of only five books of
42 entries selected as a top-five finalist for
the award.
The novel delves into the family life of
a girl on a remote, southeastern Alaskan
island.
“The award is open to people who
publish their books within a certain time
frame, and I just happened to fit into the
2017 time frame,” Emerick said of the dis-
parity between the year of publication and
the award.
The author said that she stumbled
across the competition while looking to
apply for awards to help raise interest in
her book.
She submitted her book for consider-
ation last summer and received confir-
mation of her finalist status less than two
weeks ago.
Emerick has some time to wait before
the actual awards, which are given out
in April in Portland. There, she’ll have a
chance to rub elbows with other authors
and her book will be sold there as well.
“You go there without knowing if you
won or not. It’s like the Miss America
Steve Tool/Chieftain
Local author Mary Emerick with friend,
Puffin. The Oregon Book Awards
recently chose Emerick’s book, “The
Geography of Water,” as a top-five
finalist for the 2017 Ken Kesey Award
for Fiction.
pageant in a way,” she said with a laugh.
Emerick added that she is the only person
from the east side of the state who is a fi-
nalist for the Kesey award.
To that end, the book is eligible for a
“reader’s choice” award, where anyone
can cast a vote for the work of their fa-
vorite author by visiting the Oregon Book
Awards website.
“You don’t win anything, but it’s kind
of nice,” she said.
As to the Kesey award, Emerick said it
can give her book some needed exposure.
“Especially in Portland — a lot of peo-
ple read there and there’s a lot of other au-
thors, and the more people that read it, the
better,” she said.
She added that finalists are also offered
the opportunity to participate in the Ore-
gon Book Awards Author Tour that travels
the state.
“You get to go to different schools and
things, so if I can, I’m going to try to get
in on that,” Emerick said,
Emerick plans on attending the awards
ceremony, “If the roads are cleared by
April.”
In the meantime, the author has plenty
of other activities to keep her busy. Her
new book “Fire in the Heart,” a memoir of
her days as a U.S. Forest Service firefight-
er, is set for publication from Skyhorse
Publishing either this coming fall or next
February.
The finalist nod still has Emerick on a
high.
“There’s really a lot of great books, and
it’s an honor to be selected – it’s pretty ex-
citing,” she said.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Park St., Enterprise.
(541-398-1327).
RUSTY SPURS INDOOR,
11 a.m.-1 p.m. Wallowa County
Fairgrounds, 668 NW 1st St,
Enterprise.
Wednesday, Jan. 25
ENEI QIGONG MEDITA-
TION, 4:30 p.m. Offered in the
downstairs Yoga Studio at 2:15
p.m. Wednesday and 4:30 p.m.
Thursday. Josephy Center for
Arts and Culture, 403 North Main
Street, Joseph.
TIBETAN MEDITATION, 2:30
p.m. Nadabrahama meditation in
the Josephy Center Yoga Studio
(downstairs). Donations welcome.
Josephy Center for Arts and
Culture, 403 North Main Street,
Joseph.
ENTERPRISE EXPLORA-
TION AFTER SCHOOL PRO-
GRAM, 3:30 p.m. Free program
offered Mondays and Tuesdays
for kindergarten-4th grade. Snack,
story, outside time and activity/
lesson. Enterprise Elementa-
ry School, 201 SE Fourth St.,
Enterprise.
ENTERPRISE AA, 12 p.m.
113-1/2 E. Main St., Enterprise
(541-398-1327).
Saturday, Jan. 28
ADULT CERAMICS CLASS-
ES, 3 p.m. Learn the funda-
mentals of hand building with
pinch pots, slab construction and
coil construction then move to
introduction of wheel throwing. No
previous experience is required.
Josephy Center for Arts and
Culture, 403 North Main Street,
Joseph.
BINGO NIGHT, 6 p.m. Shake
off the winter blahs and help raise
funds for the Wallowa County
Fairground. Cloverleaf Hall, 600
NW First St., Enterprise.
ENEI QIGONG MEDITA-
TION, 2 p.m. Offered in the
downstairs Yoga Studio at 2:15
p.m. Wednesday and 4:30 p.m.
Thursday. Josephy Center for
Arts and Culture, 403 North Main
Street, Joseph.
ENTERPRISE AA WOMEN’S
MEETING, 11:30 a.m. 113-1/2
E. Main St., Enterprise (541-398-
1327).
EXPLORATION AFTER
SCHOOL, 3:30-5 p.m. Wallowa.
JOSEPH EXPLORATION
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM,
Free program offered
Tuesdays and Wednesdays for
kindergarten-4th grade. Snack,
story, outside time and activity/
lesson. Joseph Charter School,
400 E. Williams Ave., Joseph.
LIFE DRAWING WITH SAM
COLLETT, 7 p.m. All skill levels
welcome! There will be a live
model on site for every class.
Every 2nd and 4th Wednesdays
of the month. Josephy Center for
Arts and Culture, 403 North Main
Street, Joseph.
ROTARY CLUB OF WAL-
LOWA COUNTY, 12 p.m. Rotary
brings together a global network
of volunteer leaders interested
in providing peace, humanitar-
ian services, and community
enhancements to the areas in
which they live. Rotary connects
more than 1.2 million members
between 200 countries and
geographical areas, all dedicat-
ed to service. 301 E. Garfield,
Enterprise.
WALLOWA CITY LIBRARY
STORYTIME, 11 a.m. September
through June, entertaining adults
read stories to the younger chil-
dren. Wallowa City Library, 201 E.
First St., Wallowa.
WALLOWOLOGY KIDS’ DAY,
1 p.m. Art and/or science projects,
educational stories or videos,
science illustration lessons, edu-
cational walks around town, etc.
Wallowology Center, 508 N. Main
St., Joseph.
Thursday, Jan. 26
THE BIG READ 2017
“AMERICA IN VIETNAM”, 7 p.m.
The Big Read features Author
and professor David F. Schmitz
as he examines why the United
States was in Vietnam and the
state of the war when Tim O’Brien
fought. In the process Schmitz will
place O’Brien’s The Things They
Carried in its historical context to
illuminate some of the key themes
in the work. David Schmitz is a
Whitman College professor of
history and a widely published
author on the Vietnam era. He
teaches The Things They Carried
at Whitman and is an articulate
and entertaining presenter. The
Place, 303 S. Lake St., Joseph
(Mike Midlo 541-426-3623).
GETTING STARTED WITH
QUICKBOOKS, 5:30 p.m. What
do you need to know about Quick-
Books, and is it right for your
business? Pre-register by phone
or e-mail. Pay at door with cash
or check. Wallowa Resources
Stewardship Center, 401 NE First
St., Enterprise (Andrea Fowler
541-278-5833).
THE BIG READ 2017 WRIT-
ING WORKSHOP “THE OTHER
WARRIORS: VOICES OF THE
WOMEN OF VIETNAM VETER-
ANS”, 10 a.m. This four-week
writing workshop is an opportunity
for women, wives, girlfriends,
mothers, sisters, and daughters
of Vietnam veterans to express
stories of their experiences be-
yond the Vietnam conflict. Taught
by Katherine Stickroth, freelance
writer and widow of a Vietnam
veteran, this class will provide a
private, confidential and support-
ive space for members to find the
voice of their stories through the
written word. No previous writing
experience is required. Contact
Fishtrap to reserve your spot.
Fishtrap House, 400 E. Grant St.,
Enterprise (541-426-3623).
JOSEPH CITY LIBRARY
TODDLER TIME, 12:30 p.m. For
age 0-5 and their parents. Mandy
James leads songs and reads
stories. Joseph Public Library,
201 N. Main St., Joseph.
LOWER VALLEY FARMERS
MARKET, 11 a.m. Indoor farmers
market open year-round. Friday
times will be added during the
growing season. Telephone Build-
ing, 301 E. First St., Wallowa.
PRESCHOOL SCIENCE
THURSDAY, 9:30 a.m. Preschool-
ers and their parents can arrive
an hour before storytime to par-
ticipate in special science stories
and activities. Snacks re provided.
Enterprise Public Library, 101 NE
First St., Enterprise.
VFW BINGO NIGHT, 1-4 p.m.
Join the Enterprise VFW for Bingo
at 1p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at
the VFW Hall, 800 N. River St.,
Enterprise. Enterprise VFW Hall,
800 N. River St., Enterprise.
WALLOWA COUNTY CHESS
CLUB, 4 p.m. Josephy Center for
Arts and Culture, 403 North Main
Street, Joseph.
WALLOWA AA, 7 p.m. Assem-
bly of God Church, 702 W. Hwy
82, Wallowa (541-263-0208).
ENTERPRISE AA, 7 p.m.
113-1/2 E. Main St., Enterprise
(541-398-1327).
ENTERPRISE CITY LIBRARY
STORYTIME, 10:30 a.m. Enter-
prise Public Library, 101 NE First
St., Enterprise (541-426-3906).
EXPLORATION AFTER
SCHOOL, 3:30-5 p.m. Wallowa.
WALLOWOLOGY, 7 p.m. Dr.
Karen McFarlane Holman, pro-
fessor of chemistry at Willamette
University and 2010 Oregon
Professor of the Year, presents
“Teaching Science to Girls in Sau-
di Arabia.” Sponsored by Soropti-
mists of Wallowa County. Evening
slide show and presentation.
Natural History Discovery Center,
508 N. Main St., Joseph.
WALLOWOLOGY EVE-
NING LECTURE - ‘TEACHING
SCIENCE TO GIRLS IN SAUDI
ARABIA’, 7 p.m. Slide show
and presentation by Dr. Karen
McFarlane Holman, professor of
chemistry at Willamette University
and 2010 Oregon Professor of the
Year, presents “Teaching Science
to Girls in Saudi Arabia.” Spon-
sored by Soroptimists of Wallowa
County. Wallowology Center, 508
N. Main St., Joseph.
Friday, Jan. 27
KINDERMUSIK - ABC MUSIC
& ME, 10 a.m. For toddlers and
preschoolers. Each session
includes a healthy snack and
take-home instrument. Building
Healthy Families, 207 E. Park St.,
Enterprise (541-426-9411).
LAST FRIDAY OPEN MIC AT
STOCKMAN’S LOUNGE, Held
the last Friday of the month at the
former Lear’s Main Street Pub.
Stockman’s Lounge, 111 W. Main
St., Enterprise.
PARENT-CHILD PLAY-
GROUP, 9 a.m. Songs, stories,
snacks and activities for kids and
parents focusing on developing
kindergarten readiness skills.
Building Healthy Families, 207 E.
Sunday, Jan. 29
WALLOWA COUNTY CITI-
ZENS AWARD BANQUET, 4 p.m.
The theme for this year’s banquet
is Leave A Little Sparkle Where
Ever You Go! The Annual Citizen
Awards Banquet recognizes
individuals that have given of
themselves to make Wallowa
County the greatest place to
live. There will be dinner, music,
table gifts, raffle baskets, games,
centerpiece drawings, trade show
tables and a social hour. Make
reservations and purchase tickets
by contacting the Chamber office.
Cloverleaf Hall, 600 NW First St.,
Enterprise (541-426-4622).
Monday, Jan. 30
ADULT CERAMICS CLASS-
ES, 5 p.m. Learn the funda-
mentals of hand building with
pinch pots, slab construction and
coil construction then move to
introduction of wheel throwing. No
previous experience is required.
Josephy Center for Arts and
Culture, 403 North Main Street,
Joseph.
ENTERPRISE EXPLORA-
TION AFTER SCHOOL PRO-
GRAM, 3:30 p.m. Free program
offered Mondays and Tuesdays
for kindergarten-4th grade. Snack,
story, outside time and activity/
lesson. Enterprise Elementa-
ry School, 201 SE Fourth St.,
Enterprise.
WHITETAIL LEGENDS
4-H MEETING, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Wallowa County Fairgrounds, 668
NW 1st St, Enterprise.
Tuesday, Jan. 31
ENTERPRISE AA, 12 p.m.
113-1/2 E. Main St., Enterprise
JOSEPH EXPLORATION AF-
TER SCHOOL PROGRAM, Free
program offered Tuesdays and
Wednesdays for kindergarten-4th
grade. Snack, story, outside
time and activity/lesson. Joseph
Charter School, 400 E. Williams
Ave., Joseph.
WALLOWA COUNTY LI-
BRARY STORYTIME, 10:30 a.m.
Wallowa County Library, 207 W.
Logan, Enterprise.
WALLOWA COUNTY PLAN-
NING COMMISSION, 7 p.m.
Wallowa County Planning Com-
mission meets at 7 p.m. on the
last Tuesday of the month in the
Circuit Courtroom at the Wallowa
County Courthouse. Wallowa
County Courthouse, 101 S. River
St., Enterprise.
Wednesday, Feb. 1
ADULT CERAMICS CLASS-
ES, 3 p.m. Learn the funda-
mentals of hand building with
pinch pots, slab construction and
coil construction then move to
introduction of wheel throwing. No
previous experience is required.
Josephy Center for Arts and
Culture, 403 North Main Street,
Joseph.
BRAD PARSONS, 8 p.m.
Terminal Gravity, 803 SE School
St, Enterprise.
ENEI QIGONG MEDITA-
TION, 2 p.m. Offered in the
downstairs Yoga Studio at 2:15
p.m. Wednesday and 4:30 p.m.
Thursday. Josephy Center for
Arts and Culture, 403 North Main
Street, Joseph.
ENTERPRISE AA WOMEN’S
MEETING, 11:30 a.m. 113-1/2
E. Main St., Enterprise (541-398-
1327).
EXPLORATION AFTER
SCHOOL, 3:30-5 p.m. Wallowa.
JOSEPH EXPLORATION
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM,
Free program offered
Tuesdays and Wednesdays for
kindergarten-4th grade. Snack,
story, outside time and activity/
lesson. Joseph Charter School,
400 E. Williams Ave., Joseph.
LOSTINE CITY COUNCIL,
7:30 p.m. Lostine City Council
meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first
Wednesday of the month at City
Hall. Lostine City Hall, Lostine.
ROTARY CLUB OF WAL-
LOWA COUNTY, 12 p.m. Rotary
brings together a global network
of volunteer leaders interested
in providing peace, humanitar-
ian services, and community
enhancements to the areas in
which they live. Rotary connects
more than 1.2 million members
between 200 countries and
geographical areas, all dedicat-
ed to service. 301 E. Garfield,
Enterprise.
WALLOWA CITY LIBRARY
STORYTIME, 11 a.m. September
through June, entertaining adults
read stories to the younger chil-
dren. Wallowa City Library, 201 E.
First St., Wallowa.
WALLOWOLOGY KIDS’ DAY,
1 p.m. Art and/or science projects,
educational stories or videos,
science illustration lessons, edu-
cational walks around town, etc.
Wallowology Center, 508 N. Main
St., Joseph.
January 25, 2017
Wallowa County Chieftain