Orlean no
‘ordinary’ writer
■ Susan Orlean spoke to an
audience of 100 Thursday
about making ordinary
stories extraordinary
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
Finding what is ordinary in life
is not hard, but presenting it in a
way that makes readers interested
is what is most important, New
Yorker magazine staff writer Susan
Orlean told more than 100 stu
dents, faculty and community
members who attended her speech
Thursday night.
Orlean's speech, “Finding the
Extraordinary in the Ordinary:
Writing About Everyday Life,” fo
cused on her writing life and the
misconception that celebrities are
the only interesting people in the
world.
Orlean is the 2001 Johnson Lec
turer, a program sponsored by the
School of Journalism and Commu
nication that funds an annual
speech.
“I’m particularly interested in
the tiny master; the tiny domain
where the person is the master,”
she said. “Quite often I’m interest
ed in writing about people who are
well-known, but not in the same
parameter as celebrities.”
Orlean said she began her writ
ing career focusing more on writ
ing about celebrities than the “or
dinary” people of the world. After
interviewing Tom Hanks for a sto
ry, she realized that she was not in
terested in writing about those
who are well-known.
“This was my first moment of
saying there is something seduc
tive and fun in writing about
celebrities,” she said. Neverthe
less, she said, people who are in
the shadows are those who interest
Jon House Emerald
Magazine writer Susan Orlean takes questions after her guest lecture on Thursday.
her the most, and she believes it’s
important for her to use her gift to
write about the unknown people
of the world.
“Doing work you care about is
an incredible privilege,” she said.
“That’s a rare opportunity.”
Journalism professor Lauren
Kessler said Orlean possesses a cu
riosity about the world that lends
well to her writing and makes the
reader to want to read more.
“Susan Orlean is a mistress of
the impossible lead,” she said.
“You read the first sentence and
you have to read on.”
Tim Gleason, dean of the school
of journalism, said Orlean is an
important speaker to the students
interested in her field.
“She is very much a natural fit
for our students in literary nonfic
tion and magazine writing,” he
said. “It’s a rare opportunity for
students and faculty to interact
with a writer of her caliber.”
Orlean said writing in her field
is not easy.
“It’s not always easy to convince
an editor to run a story about noth
ing,” she said. “[And] it’s not al
ways easy to people who are not
used to being written about.”
Orlean spoke of an instance in
which She was asked to write
about Macaulay Culkin, but in
stead chose to write about a 10
year-old boy who was considered
ordinary by society’s standards.
She had a problem in the end, be
cause the child had become so en
amored with her that he was upset
when she was done with the story.
But, she said, writers cannot be
come attached to those they write
about and should never show their
stories to their subjects before they
are published, because then peo
ple may doubt that the writer is
objective.
Orlean said she has a passion for
her stories and tries to show that to
those who read her work.
“All I can bring to it is a passion
of my own and say this is really an
incredible story,” she said.
Arson
continued from page 1
crimes stemming from the June
2000 Romania fire.
The task force’s first duty will be
to continue the investigation into
the March 30 Romania fire, EPD
Capt. Thad Buchanan said.
Early Thursday morning, the FBI
executed a search warrant for Earth
Liberation Front spokesman mig
Rosebraugh’s Portland home, busi
ness and two automobiles. Buchanan
said information from the Romania
fire aided in the officers’ being able to
obtain the search warrant.
While the FBI led the Rose
braugh search, Eugene police, Ore
gon State Police and ATF officers
participated in the execution of the
search warrant. FBI spokeswoman
Beth Ann Steele said Rosebraugh
was detained for a short while dur
ing the search, but contrary to earli
er media reports, was not arrested.
This is the second time in a year
agents have searched Rosebraugh’s
possessions.
The FBI would not identify spe
cific items seized in the search, and
Steele said the information within
the search warrant is still sealed.
As of Thursday afternoon, police
continued to follow up on more
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Eurail Passes issued On-Site!!
siires in the city of Eugene
than 100 leads in the Romania fire.
No suspects have been identified,
and no arrests have been made.
A March 19 communique the
ELF issued called for an Interna
tional Day of Action on Earth Day,
April 22. The communique “invites
participation from all interested
parties — cells of the Animal Liber
ation Front, Earth First!, anti
genetix campaigners, and any other
group or individual willing to stand
with us and declare, ‘No compro
mise in defense of Mother Earth!’”
Buchanan said the task force will
also continue the investigation of
the March 20 arson attempt at Uni
versity men’s basketball coach Ernie
Kent’s house. No new information
or leads have developed in the case,
Buchanan said. The house, at 3335
Park Hill, was unoccupied at the
time of the fire and was in the
process of being renovated.
0019471
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The ASUO Women's Center Presents:
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Friday, April 6th
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346-5511