ACTIVIST
WRITERS READ AT
TSUNAMI BOOKS
Tsunami Books will be home to readings by local writers
and poets “committed to narrative and lyrical art” at 7 pm
Sunday, Dec. 2, according to Michael Copperman, one of
the event’s nine writers who graduated from the UO’s MFA
program in creative writing. The readings, in honor of the
departure of poet and fellow MFA grad Michelle Penaloza,
mark the inaugural gathering of the Oregon Writers Collec-
tive.
Copperman says, “The people who are there are, essen-
tially, young and really talented writers who otherwise don’t
have any place in this town to work.”
The writers include winners of multiple state and nation-
al fellowships from the Oregon Arts Commission, Literary
Arts, Bread Loaf, Soapstone and Sewanee, and have been
featured in Salon, NPR and The Sun.
“There is no single aesthetic that defi nes everybody,”
Copperman adds. “It is also pretty decidedly [professional].
A lot of these people are national level voices but have no
real way of being heard here.”
The main objective is to support writers who are in the
blossoming stage of their careers, he says.
Joining Copperman and Penaloza to share their work will
be authors Heather Ryan, Chris Roethle, Jenn Kepka, Julia
Moore, Ebony Haight, Jessa Heath and Carl Swart. Cop per-
man hopes that more writers will be part of the collective
in the future and would like this event to take place every
three months.
Copperman is excited to hear his colleagues read and to
see them share their stories. He is also simply looking for-
ward to be part of an event in Eugene: “It’s cool to have a
bunch of peers, to hear a bunch of work and to read in a town
that I live in.”
Copperman says that in the end, “It’s not meant to be a
particular showcase on one person as much as it is a chance
for people to get out there and just share that spotlight, and
also bring those people together.” — Nick Poust
LERT
• EmX funding still has more public process to go
through and the deadline for written testimony is
Dec. 2 for pending action by the Central Lane
Metropolitan Planning Organization. The MPO will be
looking at whether to earmark Oregon Lottery funds
to help finance EmX expansion. Send comments to
mpo@lcog.org
• EWEB commissioners will hold the second of
two public hearings on proposed rate increases at
7:30 pm Tuesday, Dec. 4, at EWEB’s North Building.
The rate hikes for both water and electricity would
take effect in 2013. The electric rate hike would be 4
percent and would go into effect next May. The water
hike would be 20 percent and would go into effect in
February. For more information on rates, see www.
eweb.org/rates2013
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Family Tennis Try-It
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A fun way for the family to spend time together!
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Family Tennis Try - It
Saturday December 1st
4:30-5:30 PM Eugene Family YMCA Tennis Center
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eugeneweekly.com • November 29, 2012
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