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
?