Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2005)
6 Artgg The ntertainment Wednesday. Nov. 2, 2005 Clackamas Prin Sampsell and Bolton read at LAC Linda Bolton Kevin Sampsell E.E. West Megan Koler The Clackamas Print The Clackamas Print If author Kevin Sampsell looks just like the guy in front of you at Starbucks, there might be a good reason: it might just be him. Sampsell, aPortland-area writ er, publisher, and Powell’s Books employee, visited the Literary Arts Center last Wednesday to share a few of his stories and some tips with writing students. “Kevin is really at the front and center of this great liter ary movement that’s happening in Portland,” English instructor Trevor Dodge said when intro ducing Sampsell to the audience. “Kevin likes to show some of the darker things that go on in this beautiful place. He writes about what really goes on here.” Sampsell’s Northwest creden tials are solid, and shine through in his work. His characters act and talk just like the people one is likely to meet walking down Bumside. Whether it’s a guy who takes in a stray old man as a pet, an LSD-befuddled store clerk, or a perennial convict who’s for ever spiraling further and further into jail (and into a port-a-potty), Sampsell’s characters positively drip with Northwest authenticity, even if their surreal world does seem a million miles away. A native of Kennewick Washington, Sampsell lived for a time in Spokane before moving to the Rose City in the mid-'90s. He began his writing career as a poet in Spokane, where he start ed his own publishing company, Future Tense Publishing. Originally the works Future Tense published were mostly poetry, but Sampsell has since shifted his focus to short fiction. “The poems I was writing were mostly long descriptive lines that told a story,” he recalled. “I real ized that what I really wanted to do was tell stories.” The stories he ended up tell ing were far from orthodox. Sampsell prefers the genre “flash fiction,” or short one to two page stories that eschew traditional story elements (such as tidy con clusions or deep character devel opment) in favor of brevity. Sampsell believes that open- ended stories stir readers to use their own imaginations to fill in the blanks, allowing them to finish the stories their way. The effect is both unsettling Imd stir ring at the same time. “I was more conscious of endings when I started [writ ing],” Sampsell said. “Leaving my stories open kind' of came from the authors I was reading ... authors like Raymond Carver. When I first read his stuff I wasn’t that impressed. About a month later I was still thinking about his stories and wonder ing.” Another characteristic of his work is the frankness with which they deal with sex. Sampsell fig ures that of all the stories Future Tense publishes, whether written by him or by others, about 80% of them are what he would call “erotic” in nature. “Sex strips away the layers that people put up around them selves,” Sampsell responded when asked about this aspect of his work. “Sexual relationships show the desire th’at people have Contributed Photo Future Tense Publishing founder Kevin Sampsell. to cut through all those layers and get down to their core. It gets right to the base of what people are really interested in.” Sampsell concluded his visit by giving some pointers for aspiring authors trying to get a start in the Portland writing scene. “First of all you have to get a bunch of stories you’ve worked on a lot, and feel are good enough to show people; next, you have to take your work somewhere it’ll be seen, like the web, Powell’s, or in journals; and third, you have to be patient,” Sampsell said, “publishing is very slow. Some places take as little as three weeks to respond; others might take six months. The best thing to do is just keep sending your work out.” The Literary Arts Center hosted the inspirational profes sor and writer from Iowa State University, Linda Bolton, on Oct. 21. The normally calm and serene study area in Rook Hall was transformed by 20 to 30 excited students and faculty. Bolton began by explain ing how the works of M. Scott Momaday, a Native American writer, helped her decide the direction in which she would direct her studies. “I felt like an old drum was drumming in my head ... and in my spirit,” Bolton said, commenting on how she felt after reading just one para graph of Momaday’s novel “The American Land Ethic.” The theme of Momaday’s works and the reading was looking at oneself in a dif ferent perspective; looking at who one is and where they are in terms of the universe and time. “We are who we imag ine ourselves to be,” Bolton explained, quoting Momaday. A refreshing quality of Bolton’s reading was her inter action with the audience. Her "Z felt like Megan Koler Clackamas Print Iowa State University Professor of literature Linda Bolton. questions weren’t rhetorical. She encouraged everyone to explain what the question meant to them and what their answer might be. Bolton also took volunteei to read from selected works b famous Native American pol and professor, Joy Harjo. Bolton was a student i Harjo in the early ‘90s at tl University of Arizona. Harjo’s poetry was simplf and elegant. Like Momaday work it incorporated the ide of a person being internation ally and universally united wit everyone and everything. “Remember your birth, hot your mother struggled to git you form and breath. You ai evidence of her life, and h mother’s, and hers,” read Bolton of Harjo’s poem “Remember.' The atmosphere created the words and discussion wi warm and intimate. Bolton excelled at inspirii the audience to think and to b taught. Even though the schedule two hour reading was cut sho due to intersecting classes fi a majority of the audience, oi could hardly have felt cheated The significance of the real ing was to present some i Momaday’s and Harjo’s que tions concerning the world. As fundamentally pertine and interesting as they were, tl audience will surely remembi them for time to come. DISCOVER YOUR POTENTIAL an old drum was drumming in my head ... and in my spirit.” Linda Bolton, Portland au thor/publisher EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR RESUME MONEY FOR COLLEGE. MW1» ..... TRANSFORM THE WORLD 1» ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I Strengthening your personal skills is not the inly I benefit of joining the Army. You can also receive [ cash bonuses and money for college. If yon qualify, I you can receive a $20,000 Enlistment Bonus, $65,000 . College Loan Repayment or $70,000 from the Army | College Fund. Find out more at G0ARMY.COM or Find out if you qualify for an up to $20,000 enlistment bonus I 1-800-USA-ARMY. BA COMMUNICATION STUDIES BA CULTURAL & HISTORICAL STUDIES BACHELOR OF MUSIC THERAPY BA PSYCHOLOGY BA RELIGIOUS STUDIES BA SOCIOLOGY YEAR-ROUND ADMISSION ■ Scholarships for transfer students ■ Small classes ■ Custom degree plan option ■ Free parking ■ Student-focused, friendly staff To work with an advisor, e-mail studentinfo@marylhurst.edu or call 503.699.6268. ★ IIS News & World Report BEST COLLEGES 2006 Where: Milwaukie Recruiting Station, 17185 SE McLoughlin Blvd. "Number one in the Northwest for small classes" When: Monday - Friday 9=00 - 6=00 or by appointment Who= Your local Army Recruiter at (503) 659-1525 MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY gn JUST 10 MINUTES SOUTH OF PORTLAND Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accredited 17600 PACIFIC HIGHWAY (HWY. 43) MARYLHURST, OREGON Serving students since 1893. www.marylhurst.edu 800.634.9982
