books notes
Poetry Slams and Book Awards
If the recent weird spate of uncharacteristically sunny
January weather has you out-and-about instead of curled
up all cozy with a book, never fear, there are places to go
to talk books and engage in that thing that’s a little foreign
to those of us who are bookworm types: social interaction.
On Saturday, Feb. 5 Oregon’s Poet Laureate Paulann
Petersen will give a reading of her poetry at 2:30 pm at
the Springfi eld Public Library. Part of the poet laureate’s
mission is to promote reading, writing and appreciation of
poetry throughout the state. This weekend teens will be
the focus of that mission. If your teen is anything like half
the EW staff was in our younger years, then she’s wearing
black clothing, piercing her nose and writing poetry in little
notebooks. It’s time to drag of her out of the corner and
Paulann Petersen
down to the library for Petersen’s poetry writing workshop
for teens at noon, also at the Springfi eld library, 225 5th St. in Springfi eld. The events are
free; to register for the workshop call 726-2237.
If you haven’t outgrown your teen penchant for writing poetry, or you’re a particularly
brave teen, then Tsunami Books’ Poetry Tslam, Round Five, is where you want to be
on Saturday Feb. 12 at 6:30 pm, $5-$10. The featured poet is Seattle’s slam champion
Maya Hersh. If you’re rather hear literature than read it, then drop by Tsunami earlier in
the weekend for UO Creative Writing Program masters students reading their works in
progress (free).
If poetry and fi ction aren’t your thing, then the Thursday, Feb. 3 talk on “Creative
Nonfi ction: Telling the Truth like a Bald-faced Liar” might be more your style. Also at
Tsunami, the event is free for members of Willamette Writers and students, and $10 for the
rest of us. Forager, blogger and author Langdon Cook is the speaker at 6:30 pm.
Finally, in book news, Oregon Literary Arts has announced the 2010 Oregon book
awards fi nalists and fellowship recipients. Several local and localish writers made the cut.
Jennifer Richter of Corvallis was nominated for the Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry for
Threshold. Paul VanDevelder, also of Corvallis, is up for a general nonfi ction award for his
Savages and Scoundrels. UO prof Carol Ann Bassett (Galapagos at the Crossroads) and OSU
prof Kathleen Dean Moore (Wild Comfort) are each up for the creative nonfi ction award.
Michelle Penaloza of Eugene received the Women Writers Fellowship award. Winners of the
book awards will be announced at the end of April.
And in case you missed the news back in December when the Oregon Arts Commission
was giving out its grants, UO instructor and writer Mike Copperman and Eugene poet
Robert Hill Long were among the 13 recipients of the $3,000 grants. See teens? You can
make money writing. Sort of. — Camilla Mortensen
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BY LANCE SPARKS
The Wow Factor
Oregon wines hit the cool ’90s
ow.” We open with a direct
quote from Sarah Palin,
her deepest capture of the
beauty and wonder of wild Alaska. When
it comes to monosyllables, we just can’t
beat Ol’ SP.
Here we quote our profound political
philosopher to express our amazement
at the news that Oregon wine has made
the cover of that widely read mag, Wine
Spectator, the inside article a rave about
local achievements with the 2008 vintage,
not just for our signature red wine, pinot
noir, but also the white pinot gris, even
— drumroll, and another “Wow” —
chardonnay. Happy Valentine’s Day,
homies.
Those headlines couldn’t come at a
happier time, in the drear gray of winter
and in the lingering agonies of the
Republican Recession, when every sale
might mean another day in business. But
despite all that good news, there are going
to be some hurt feelings, mainly from
folks who didn’t make writer Harvey
Steiman’s list of wines at 90+ points,
but also because, as usual, the body of
his piece gives short shrift to outside the
grape-draped hills just south and west of
Portland.
Still, “Wow.” Confi rmation: Oregon’s
winemakers can make really good wine, at
least for 2008. And some of the ’07 wines.
“W
And most ’06 were darn good; ’05
wasn’t bad and ’04 was super.
See how it goes? Number
of wineries mentioned
from the south end of
the Willamette Valley?
Nil. Zip. The New York
Times can list Broadley
Sundance Pinot Noir as
one of the nation’s best,
but not Steiman. But go
to the back pages of the
issue and get down under
the 90 points, to the high-80s,
and there we are: King Estate,
Sweet Cheeks, a few others from
south of us. Oh, boy.
Well, the tears shed will be mostly of
the crocodile variety. Steiman left a gob
of fi ne wines on the shelves, many at
prices we can afford (the tops on his list
usually run $50 to $75). We’ll be looking
for those.
Meanwhile, another national mag,
Wine Enthusiast, wondered recently
(December 2010) why pinot blanc
“has not become more of a cult wine in
Oregon.” Good question. Pinot blanc can
thrive in Oregon, along with the whole
pinot family of grapes, but this dry white
is particularly versatile with food and
responds to a variety of wine-making
styles (more lush or more lean).
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
We like the wines made by our
neighbors the Shown family,
and locavores that we are
we especially appreciate
the family’s respect for
the land and sustainable
farming practices. We
also enjoy the way their
wines match with food.
The Showns’ Brigadoon
2009 Pinot Blanc
($16) delivers a glassful of
ripe pear fl avors on a creamy
texture with well-balanced
acidity that invites fresh seafood,
cheeses, even vegetarian dishes. They
produce tiny amounts of their wine, so you
might have to special order or try their
website.
J. Scott Cellars 2008 Pinot
Blanc ($14) wraps its pear/citrus fl avors
in a stony minerality that lends depth and
charm. We put this wine with sautéed
halibut, and we got music.
We’re glad Steiman noted that the fi rst
releases from the 2009 vintage promise
another strong year, and Boedecker
2009 Barrel Select Pinot Noir ($15)
advances the case. Flavors are typical
— black cherry, earth, touch of spice —
well-balanced, good value for this variety
(expensive to grow and to make). Well
worth a closing “Wow.”
ew
EUGENE WEEKLY FEBRUART 3, 2011 29