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.