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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2019)
Wednesday, October 16, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 13 Commentary... Entertainment & Events The reading life By Jim Cornelius Editor in Chief Sisters is getting set to celebrate the reading life. The Sisters Festival of Books runs Friday-Sunday, October 18-20. There are few things more worthy of celebration than books and the strange and wonderful people who create them. Writing a book is a damnably difficult busi- ness, and far more books are started than are fin- ished. Inspiration can give you a good start, but only discipline can carry you through to completion. And that9s to say nothing about all the work involved in getting a book out into the hands of readers, whether you are traditionally pub- lished or are doing the work yourself. It9s a giant pain and best to be avoided, if you can. Thing is, most writers just& can9t. They HAVE to write. David Joy, who is featured at this weekend9s festival, described the overwhelming compulsion to get a story down on paper and out into the world: <It feels almost terminal, like if I don9t get the words out then it9ll be the end of me.= Well, I, for one, am grate- ful that these intrepid souls are so driven, for they have given me gifts beyond price. Books made me. Reading the propulsive pulp stories of Robert E. Howard and the gritty yet romantic fron- tier novels of Will Henry made me say, <I want to do THAT!= and set me on the path to making my living with the pen. My brother9s gift of Allan W. Eckert9s historical novel <The Frontiersmen= introduced me to the Kentucky woods- ranger Simon Kenton, and the Shawnee resistance leader Tecumseh. From that seed grew a lifetime of fron- tier studies 4 and my own book. Non-readers often think that we readers aren9t actu- ally doing anything when we9re reading 4 but they are oh so wrong. We9re liv- ing a thousand lives, right there on the couch. My wife, Marilyn, once had to shout at me to get my attention while I was read- ing Tim Willocks9 brilliant novel <The Religion,= which depicts the 1565 Great Siege of Malta by the Turkish army of Suleiman the Magnificent. She laughed at me as I tore myself from the page and stared at her blankly, like I9d just woken up from a deep slumber. All I could tell her was that it takes some time to get back from 1565 to the 21st century. A good book does that to you. It carries you away, and returns you home changed, like Bilbo Baggins returning to The Shire from the Lonely Mountain. As you9ve no doubt deduced, my tastes run heavily to blood-and-thun- der 4 and that9s true of both my fiction and non-fiction reading. My poor, dear mother early on gave up try- ing to elevate my barbaric tastes 4 and defended them when I got in trouble in sixth grade for bringing Hunter S. Thompson9s <Hell9s Angels= to free reading day. Not that anybody9s tastes need defending, but that blood-and-thunder section boasts some extraordinary writers. When you combine 100-proof storytelling with writing chops honed to a razor9s edge, you9ve got something that makes the blood sing, something as timeless and soul-stirring as <Beowulf.= Willocks has it; so do James Carlos Blake and Cormac McCarthy. And so does David Joy, who will tear himself away from his beloved forests, streams, and mountains to carry the coals of story to us right here in Sisters. Of course there are myr- iad literary paths to take, and the Sisters Festival of Books offers a bunch of them. That9s another wondrous thing about the reading life: Whatever your pleasure, whatever worlds you seek to explore, someone has marked trail for you, and there are mysterious legions of fellow travelers who share your love for the jour- ney and the destination. So, this weekend we gather in the Great Hall to hail the spinners of tales, the creators of worlds. We9ll try not to break the mead benches. Tues., Oct. 22 • 6-9 p.m. Sisters Science Club Dr. Jerry Freilich HAPPY HOUR MON-FRI 4-7pm KJ ANNIE Fri., Oct. 25 • 8-11:30 p.m. Halloween Extravaganza KARAOKE NIGHTS! Costume party dance throwdown! FRI. & SAT. at 9pm Thurs., Dec. 5 • 7 p.m. Prime Rib Fridays 5pm! 175 N. Larch St. t. 541-549-6114 hardtailsoregon.com OCT 16 WED Cork Cellars Tasty Thursday Hosted Wine Tasting 5 to 7 p.m. For additional information call 541-549-2675 or go online to corkcellarswinebistro.com. 17 THUR Sisters Saloon Karaoke Night 9 p.m. to midnight. Every Thursday, no cover! For additional information call 541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net. OCT OCT 18 FRI OCT 19 SAT OCT 20 SUN Pub opens 1 hour prior to shows. 302 E. Main | 541-815-9122 Facebook darcymacey FivePine Lodge Sisters Festival of Books Local Author Reception 5 to 7 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres with 13 local authors. Tickets and information at SistersFoB.com or call 541-549-0866. Fika Sisters Coffeehouse Game Night until 8 p.m. Bring your own games & friends or fi nd them there! Call 541-588- 0311 for more information. Hardtails Bar & Grill KJ Annie Rawkstar Karaoke Night! 9 p.m. Every Friday, no cover! For additional information call 541-549-6114 or go to hardtailsoregon.com. Sisters Middle School Sisters Festival of Books Author Readings & Presentations 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Author readings, presentations, signings, and a pop-up bookstore. Tickets and info at SistersFoB.com or call 541-549-0866. Cork Cellars Live Music with Derek Michael Marc 6:30- 8:30 p.m. No cover! For information call 541-549-2675 or go online to corkcellarswinebistro.com. Hardtails Bar & Grill KJ Annie Rawkstar Karaoke Night! 9 p.m. Every Saturday, no cover! For additional information call 541-549-6114 or go to hardtailsoregon.com. Paulina Springs Books Sisters Festival of Books Family & Community Events 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. Info at SistersFoB.com or call 541-549-0866. The Belfry Biodiversity Begins with a Bee Sisters Science Club presentation by Dr. Jerry Freilich. 7 p.m. Social OCT Hour at 6 p.m. $5 admission. Call 541-912-0750 or go to 22 sistersscienceclub.org. TUES Sisters Saloon Trivia Night 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sign-up is at 6:15 p.m. Free, every Tuesday! For additional information call 541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net. Walter Trout Band Blues guitarist, singer, songwriter. Fika Sisters Coffeehouse Coffee & Connections at Jobb 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Connect with remote workers & other professionals. For more info call 541-588-0311. Sisters Saloon Poker Night 7 p.m. Every Wednesday! $20. For information call 541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net. OCT 23 WED BelfryEvents.com Fika Sisters Coffeehouse Coffee & Connections at Jobb 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Connect with remote workers & other professionals. For more info call 541-588-0311. Sisters Saloon Poker Night 7 p.m. Every Wednesday! $20. For information call 541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net. Cork Cellars Tasty Thursday Hosted Wine Tasting OCT 5 to 7 p.m. For additional information call 541-549-2675 or go online to corkcellarswinebistro.com. 24 THUR Sisters Saloon Karaoke Night 9 p.m. to midnight. Every Thursday, no cover! For additional information call 541-549-7427 or go to sisterssaloon.net. OCT 25 FRI FIRESIDE SHOW LORENA LEIGH MONDAY, OCTOBER 21 5PM DOORS/6 PM SHOW $8 ADVANCE/$12 AT DOOR ALL AGES. SKIP OPEN FOR DINNER AND DRINKS 13300 HWY 20, SISTERS, OR // WWW.THESUTTLELODGE.COM/HAPPENINGS OCT 26 SAT The Belfry Halloween Costume Party with Live Music 8 p.m. For information call 541-815-9122 or go to BelfryEvents.com. Fika Sisters Coffeehouse Game Night until 8 p.m. Bring your own games & friends or fi nd them there! Call 541-588- 0311 for more information. Hardtails Bar & Grill KJ Annie Rawkstar Karaoke Night! 9 p.m. Every Friday, no cover! For additional information call 541-549-6114 or go to hardtailsoregon.com. Chops Bistro Live Music with Bob Baker & Mark Barringer 6 to 8 p.m. Fiddle and guitar music. For additional information call 541-549-6015. Hardtails Bar & Grill KJ Annie Rawkstar Karaoke Night! 9 p.m. Every Saturday, no cover! For additional information call 541-549-6114 or go to hardtailsoregon.com. Events Calendar listings are free to advertisers. Submit items by 5 p.m. Fridays to lisa@nuggetnews.com ?