Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1998)
TI he Q ac I< amas P rìnt 5 A& Dangerous writing, drag queens, and passionate love JEREMY STALLWOOD Staff Writer I am taking this turkey. Woman From ‘Invisible Monsters’ by Chuck Palahniuk “Dangerous writing” was the theme for this term’s Author’s Night, and three local authors—Joanna Rose, Tom Spanbauer and Chuck Palahniuk, car ried that theme well. Rose, an organizer of Powell’s Book Store’s famous readings and event se ries, is also the author of a novel, Little Miss Strange, her first. Rose has writ ten since she was a little girl; her first book was written “at age ten during arithmetic class,” she said. Rose said, regarding the term “dan gerous writers” and what it meant to her, “For me it is to put the reader on the page with the language.” Rose, who has been published in the upstanding literary magazine Story, quoted a Barry Lopez line about the “sound of writing” and “the sound of listening” and that “the chance to read it [her story “Edge of the Kingdom”] to you all is exciting.” She called the piece a “work in progress” and began reading. The writing was powerful, the audience silent, as the story of a girl and her dog, an Irish Setter named Bullfrog, unfolded. Rose read with intensity and at times it was like she took backstage and the story was telling itself to the audience. There was a philosophy regarding “op tical delusions” over “illusions.” Rose read, “A delusion is your own,” and that illusions were something that someone else wanted you to see. The girl in the story “likes what holds hope” and dreamily went on about how clouds hide things. Then came a clever transition: Looking at a sunrise, the pastel colors blending, reminds her of envelopes and suddenly the story car ries the girl back into her home as she is sifting through letters in a drawer. The audience applauded her enthusi astically as Spanbauer took the podium. Spanbauer immediately began read ing, only briefly introducing the narra tor of the story as a “western guy” and that he was a lonely man. The other character, an Afri can-American drag queen named Rose, was in the hospital with “a touch of the AIDS,” but it is never confirmed during Spanbauer’s reading that the character has AIDS. Spanbauer’s im agery of the hospital was very haunting. Walking down the corridor, he ex plained the people in the rooms as “skel etons” in a bed that From left: authors Chuck Palahniuk, Tom Spanbauer and Joanna Rose were is swallowing showcased in this term's Authors' Night. them up. Rose had a room alone and most of the reading took that the man’s phone number was ac page. Spanbauer explained that in first per place in this hospital room. During the cidentally printed in a “crisis help line” reading, Spanbauer’s character shared ad in the newspaper and that this man son “you can say anything.” In first person, he went on, the world looks as the experiences he had while watching is literally “playing God.” Palahniuk also shared a scene from it does because of the character’s per over his friend Rose. From peaceful, quiet moments during episodes of the a “book no one will publish.” Invis sonality. In third person, the reader and Oprah Winfrey show, to a naked man ible Monsters was the name of the the writer is an outside entity, going in jumping out of the window, many book and the reason no one would side and outside the story. When asked about what “dangerous publish it was beyond the audience’s events kept the listeners entertained. writing” meant to them, Palahniuk an At the end of the reading, Rose was comprehension. The story was told in first person, swered, saying that writing was to “do well again and was discharged from the hospital. The audience, to Spanbauer’s Palahniuk reading from a woman’s something for you” and to “have a great delight, really felt something for his point of view. This woman was in an time at it.” Palahniuk shared a scene from Fight Club accident and her face was scarred. character. Palahniuk, 1997 Oregon Book Very powerfully portrayed, the woman where the two characters make passionate Award recipient for his book Fight goes into a grocery store, where ev love for ten hours. He explained that he had Club, read to the audience from his new eryone ignores her, and steals a tur to think of the most beautiful line for her to book, Survivor, to be released next key. The only one who protests, even say to him, and that of course should be, “I after she shouts that “I am taking this wanttohaveyourbaby.” Butthis isn’t good January. The story started with a man trying turkey,” is a little boy who says that enough for Palahniuk. He replaces it with the line, “I want to have your abortion.” Ac to bread veil cutlets when he receivs a there is “a monster stealing food.” It was a privilege to hear a reading from cording to him, they have decided to keep phone call from a distressed young lady the line for the movie, which will star Brad in a night club. She wants to end it all. a book no one will see on the shelves. One audience member asked why Pitt and Courtney Love. The man tells her to kill herself. The When the discussion was over, the audi man also thought his goldfish too ac each of the three stories was written ence gave a final round of applause. The tive and dropped a Valium into its tank. in the first person. “First person gets the reader closer three writers had eloquently formed a rela The character portrayed by Palahniuk to the story,” said Rose. “Third per tionship between the reader and the written was strong and harsh. It isn’t revealed until later in the story son keeps the reader separate from the language. Native American's poetry rages at injustice MIKE GARCIA Copy Editor A self-described "Urban Indian,"poet Chrystos. The newly-resurrected Gregory Forum will host a free reading by one of the 90s’ most distinctive poets—the artist presently known as Chrystos. She is this year’s writer in residence at Clackamas and will read Thursday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. As the winner of the Audre Lorde International Poetry Competition in 1994 and the Sappho Award in 1995, Chrystos has established herself as a prominent Native American poet. Chrystos, a resident of Washington, has had five volumes of poetry published and has been included in three antholo gies. She was bom in the baby boomer age to a Native Ameri can-descended father and a European mother. But a quick browsing of her poetry will reinforce her claim that she is not a spokesperson for Native American issues. “Chrystos’ work has been described as ‘unflinchingly vio lent’ in its theme and style,” according to a press release from English Instructor Kate Gray. “Much like Audre Lorde, she tries to break the language that has been used like tools to keep the master’s house standing. “She challenges conventions of grammar and typogra phy just as she challenges the forces which have oppressed Native Americans, women, homosexuals, and others,” Gray continues. “Her poetry both rages at injustice and brutality and sings the sweetness of love. Often her poems reveal the deep con nection she feels between her body and those of the people who have suffered brutal colonization.” The Clackamas Community College Foundation has sup ported the Writer-in-Residence program for six years. Ad ditional supporters include Coyote Circle and the English department. The program has always included nationally-recognized poets, fiction writers and playwrights, and has featured workshops in which aspiring writers get pointers from some one who has sampled the sweet taste of success. This year is no exception: a poetry workshop will take place Friday, May 8, in M204. Ten students will work with her on their poems. The time has not yet been set. Chrystos will lead a discussion on the ethics of writing at noon the same day. For more information about any of these events, call Gray at ext. 2371. I Walk in the History of My People In the scars of my knees you can see children tom from their families , bludgeoned into government schools You can see through the pins in my bones that we are prisoners of a long war My knee is so badly no one will look at it The pus of the past oozes from every pore This infection has gone on for at least 300 years Our sacred beliefs have been made into pencils names of cities gas stations My knee is wounded so badly that I limp constantly Anger is my crutch I hold myself upright with it My knee is wounded See How I Am Still Walking • '.'hk- -* j . ....... Wednesday, May 6, 1998
