Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2004)
tâure ^^LACKAMA^Pfifif December 1, 2004 sine the 'chrysalis': i Johnson kamas Print •campus women writers’ ysalis, is just as its name salis is the hard cocoon ie grows inside of, as it an adult putterfly. Like ke, any group members iu that Chrysallis is just »tected stage of develop- •lace of exploration and >r women writers of all enres, who desire differ- 'or their writing. depends On a woman’s ler writing interest,” said uber Roxie Matthews, een with the group for zen” years. i want to further your dlls it’s a wonderful he added. “It’s very lave people at all lev ’s very supportive.” >up has grown over the ars from being ;roup of women, to a much larger group that now often reaches 20 women at a time. The group meets once a week, and women share and discuss their pieces, ranging from poetry to memoirs, short stories to novels. “The very first day I knew I was home,” said group member Susan Landis-Steward, who has now been with the group for just over a year. Due to a brain injury, she was unable to work, and sought out Chrysalis. ‘T was very afraid going because I thought, ‘I’m either going to be hopelessly outclassed, or these are going to be wannabe writers, and no matter what I’m going to be a fish out of water,”’ said Landis- Steward. “Right away, I felt like my writing was right there in the mix and that they had lots to offer me and I had lots to offer them and that it was going to be a good thing.” During a meeting of Chrysalis, ties members typically bring in a piece of writing, hand out copies to other members and then read it aloud, but not everyone is expected to bring something. “You don’t have to read. It’s totally up to you; if you want to read you can, if you don’t you don’t have to, so there’s no pressure,” said Landis-Steward. For most members, however, even without sharing, the meetings have something rich to offer. “Some weeks I don’t bring writ ing but I still wouldn’t want to miss the group, really for the simple joy of a good story,” said Pat Lichen, the group’s facilitator, who’s been a part of Chrysalis for five years. “There are women who come from one week to the next and there are these ongoing novels that they are writing,” she said, “and I’m looking forward to the next installment.” For those who do choose to read, one can’easily request a cer tain kind of feedback, or ask for none at all. “You read [your piece] out Karlin Johnson Clackamas Print , the Clackamas women writers’ group, meets Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m. in ry Arts Center in Rook Hall, arid women can join at any time during the term. .S Group helps women writers flourish though peer response Karlin Johnson Clackamas Print Members of Chrysalis, Sally Stone, Ginny Weber and Ellen Mendoza participate in a group critique. critique it,” said Matthews. “Different people have different needs, so they tell us, ‘I just want ed to share this,’ or, ‘I just wanted to have somebody check my punc tuation on this,’ or, ‘How is this poem coming together?’ Each per son comes with their own individ ual interests and needs.” Women in Chrysalis, especially those who have been a part of the group for quite a while, are very aware of what different writers may need to hear. “[Chrysalis is] the kind of place where we go easy on people until we get to know them and even then, there’s people that have said, ‘I want you to critique the hell out of me,”’ said Landis-Steward, “and there’s others that need a little more nurturing style, and I think every one’s needs sort of get met” Aside from the business aspect of Chrysalis, members form friendships. “The meetings are the only time I see most of these people, and you really forge a connec tion,” said Lichen. Many members have grown immensely in their time with the group, and their writing has gone beyond “just for firn.” “[Chrysalis] has just been a wonderful, wonderful opportunity for me,” said Matthews. “Between my husband’s support and the direction that I’ve been able to get from Chrysalis, I’ve got a novel and an agent and have had some short stories published.” Landis-Steward has just been published in a magazine called Spinoff, about hand-spinning yam. “It’s an article that I took to the group and I said ‘You know, I’ve been asked to write this article and I’m going to read it to you and I want you to critique the hell out of it,’ and they did, and they helped me make it better,” she said. “It will be kind of exciting when it hits news stands and bookstores to see a mag azine with my article in it.” Joining Chrysalis is as easy as flipping through your course sched ule. It is offered every term, free of charge, and for no credit. The group meets every Wednesday in the Literary Arts Center (upper level Roger Rook Hall) from noon to 2 p.m., and women can join at any point in the term. ino recognized by ‘Who’s Who’ oreasen ckamas Print It’s what we do. And we do it well. drd time’s always a charm, then Science Ritch Espino, getting published in the ho Among American Teachers” publi- the fourth time must be something truly WAAT, an annual publication as of )04 (previously bi-annual), is based on “National Dean’s List” students about ite teacher, and when a winning letter is >r publication, an award is sent to the spino, however, feels like he’s still as ie first time. ad some pretty good luck with stu- id Espino, “which is tough because physiology is] one of the toughest iund here.” has spent a long time working to get s, but with three kids, a wife, and a clin- he practices chiropractic medicine, sis like he hasn’t done anything he’d ibove and beyond.’ g these awards is really, really nice, ik, for me, I just do it ... I don’t even it it,” he said. “I’m no different or any i any of the other teachers ... in some Embarrassing to be recognized.” g hard to achieve what he has and eam- n place in the universe has some pretty meets as well. Espino feels that teach- wn reward, and he loves nothing more a positive influence in a student’s life. e, there’s a lot of successes out there,” rhe biggest success is somebody who :el good about themselves or hasn’t jssfiil in school and you’re a little tiny lping them be successful ... that’s it For confidential, low-cost or no-cost • annual exams • pregnancy testing • birth control • emergency contraception • STD testing and treatment for women and men i fc Get Birth Control Online! www.ppcw.org ESPINO Jeff Sorensen Clackamas Print right there.” After all the awards, and all the work, Espino feels like there’s a bigger message to be learned from the success he’s had. A good friend once brought someone to meet Espino and told him that Espino was both a teacher and a doctor. The man looked at Espino and said, “You don’t look like one.” “I think the message there,” Espino said in ret rospect, “is you just kind of are what you are. Looks, pretense; that stuff doesn’t really matter.” IIPlanned Parenthood® of the Columbui/Willamette Clackamas Express Gresham Health Center (503)496-0811 16068 SE 82°° Drive (503)666-6680 501 NE Hood Ave., Suite 100
