Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2000)
4________ Feature WedNEsdAy, M ay 24, 2000 Jeff Knorr Craig Lesley TldE CI ac I<AMAS PRiNT Tim Schell Knorr, Lesley and Schell share literary insights Craig Lesley, Tim Schell and Jeff Knorr, Clackamas English instructors, talk to Willamette students about the experience of assembling aliteraryjournal works, to give Willamette students a “sense of our literary taste,” as Contributing Writer Schell said. Mike Garcia, Copy Editor for Schell read from his novel-in the Clackamas Print 1997-1998, progress, “The Memoirs of Jake is an education major at Western Weedsong”. The novel is about a Oregon University. 53-year-old college instructor who Getting a story published in a lit gets fired for attempting to shut up erary journal is “like a first kiss,” an “annoying vegan” student by author Craig Lesley said last month tossing a glass of beer at her face. to his Willamette University stu Later Schell said, “If there are dents and friends. “You never for any vegans here, great. That was get the sheer joy of hearing some Jake Weedsong talking—he’s an one say, ‘We’re going to publish irascible son of a gun.” your work.’” In the excerpt Schell read, With these encouraging words, Weedsong talks about Japan, the Lesley introduced homeland of his Clackamas English wife-to-be and instructors Tim “the only na You never forget Schell and Jeff tion in the world the sheer joy of Knorr and their bereft of whin “labor of love,” hearing someone ers.” He also the nationally dis pokes fun at say, 'We 're going tributed Clacka iambic pentam to publish your mas Literary Re eter and poet view. Schell and laureates, call work. Craig Lesley Knorr were at ing them “Poet English Instructor Willamette to talk Lariats” be about the experi cause they are ence of assembling often “roped a literary journal twice a year. into reciting.” Weedsong even dis "Small literary journals are a great penses with millennial anxiety: “If way to 'break in' to the creative writ there are gods, they must surely ing scene," Lesley said. For ex be laughing at those who buy ample, one Houghton Mifflin edi Rolexes.” tor once read a story called Weedsong spends most of his “Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to time, however, talking about his Iowa” in a small Canadian journal hunting trips and the goose din and contacted author W.P. Kinsella ners that follow. to expand it Knorr’s into a novel. poetry, The novel most of was so suc which was cessful that read from it was made his recently into a published movie, “Standing Field of up to the Dreams. Day,” also Prom i- focused on nent editors hunting read the and other CLRaswell, outdoor ac Lesley tivity, with pointed out. titles like A Stephen “Goose William /. Cobb Heckian Fritz Goldberg D o b y n s Hunt, Just Wendell Mayo Alberto Kias story pub Before lished in the Christmas,” journal was “Berry Pick selected by ing” and Amy Tan to Coyote or appear in Wolf?.” Many of the poems deal this year’s edition of the Best with the passage of time, as they American Short Stories anthology. discuss recent and past hunting Schell and Knorr took some time trips and memorable family get- to read excerpts from their own togethers. MIKE GARCIA The reading revealed many of Knorr’s sources of inspiration, from his father (who “still' peels mandarins into one long piece of skin, but slightly slower now”) to the sun (which “stands up in the day, slumps at night, hiding behind the shadow of a mountain”) to his dog (“I wonder what you think? A paw on my leg tells me it’s okay to not know. It would be unsafe to know.”). Images of his grandfather, his parents' old house and birds singing in the hedges helped lis teners to further understand Knorr’s spiritual side. One would think that, with their teaching, writing and hunting, Schell and Knorr are busy enough. But five years ago, Knorr ap proached Schell with the idea of starting either a press or a literary journal. The two decided to go with a journal because they could show case more artists that way, Knorr remembered. After a couple sub stantial grants from the Clackamas Community College Foundation, and an appearance at a national conference, the submissions be gan to pour in—and they haven’t slowed down since. “It said something to us about the desire for people to just find one more place to publish,” Knorr said. According to Schell, the journal operates on a budget of about $20,000 annually, most of which goes toward printing costs. The artwork and composition are usu ally done on campus at a minimal cost. For now, Schell and Knorr have to request money from sev eral sources in order to meet their expenses, but they are in the pro cess of creating a committee to make fundraising easier. The CLR publishes several writ ers each year, including a handful of Oregonians. About 85 poems and 12 short stories go into the two issues the CLR staff puts together in the fall and spring. Butthereisa catch—the editors have to select these works from the nearly 1,000 short stories and 4,000 poems sub mitted each year. In other words, just reading submissions can be a full-time job in itself. Also, stories and poems can be submitted, along with a $ 10 fee, to be considered for the Willamette Award, a $500 prize for each genre. A “relatively prominent judge” picks the best story and poem from a group of finalists, Knorr said. The editors believe the award is a wor doesn’t mean they don’t think thy cause, he added, because it is your submission is good, or even “one extra step” toward building a really good, Schell said. The best strategy is to keep great writer’s self-confidence and working on the story, making it as publishing record. Choosing finalists, however, good as possible, and submitting creates even more work for the edi it to every literary journal in sight, Schell said, tors. “I had adding that a lot more he himself hair before has a few we had the boxes of re contest,” jection letters Schell said. that he has The CLR kept at home is espe over the cially look years. “Just ing for keep submit more non ting,” he fiction sub- said. “It’s missions, just a matter Knorr said. of time before The journal you get pub usually lished some publishes where.” an essay or Above all, two in ev authors ery issue, should never but only 30 be worried or so are that their submitted each year. The editors would like works are too mainstream (or not to see more people show their in mainstream enough) to please edi terest in good creative nonfiction. tors. “There’s never a common However, both Schell and Knorr theme,” Schell said. “If you flip dislike works that attempt to bor through one of the issues you’ll row too much from other genres— see we’re all over the map. We just such as essayistic short stories need well-crafted fiction, poetry and nonfiction.” without scenes. Knorr agreed: “I just look for “If it’s a personal essay, that’s okay, but say so,” Schell said. “If good work. If it knocks me out, it’s it’s a short story, say so. But don’t in.” And in case anyone was con try to fool me.” Sometimes Schell or Knorr will cerned about having to cater to a couple of hunt read a submis ers, Schell as sion that they sured the audi think is really I just look for ence that in all good but would six issues so far be even better good work. If it “there’s not one with a little revi knocks me out, guy gutting a sion in certain deer.” spots. In such a it's in. So what advice case, Knorr said, Jeff Knorr do the editors they will often English Instructor have for some send the story one looking to back to the au thor with suggestions. Sometimes, start their own literary journal? “Don’t,” both of them said, the author takes the advice, works on the story and submits it again. laughing. “But seriously,” Knorr added, The CLR has published a couple of these revised stories, Knorr said. “it’s crazy... but there are a lot of But the editors don’t have time to rewards. Just be ready to dive in and swim like hell.” counsel everyone who submits. For information on submitting to “You should never take umbrage at a standard rejection form,” Schell the Clackamas Literary Review, said, “because it’s not a personal visit them at http://www.clackamas thing.” Just because editors don’t .cc.or.us/clr. Submissions are ac respond to you personally, that cepted until June 1.
