BEST NEW NOVELIST
SCREAMING FEMALES AT THE
BOREAL OCTOBER 2016
Returning to Eugene from a writer’s retreat in 2012,
Jeff Geiger’s car died in the backwater of Washing-
ton’s Key Peninsula, the kind of middle-of-nowhere
bummer that leaves most of us kicking the bumper
in frustration. Little did Geiger realize, however, that
breaking down would provide the breakthrough for his
debut novel, Wildman, the story of a 17-year-old high
school valedictorian whose ’93 Buick goes kaput,
stranding him for a transformative week at a motel
and roadhouse in rural Washington. Recently released
by Disney Hyperion, Wildman is a classic coming-of-
age story, but it reads with all the breakneck speed of
a thriller, even if the suspense is of a distinctly exis-
tential and romantic flavor. As an earlier EW review
put it, “the novel is propulsive in a way that is un-
put-downable, and its naturalism and immediacy hide
depths of feeling that surge just below the surface.” If
Ken Kesey put Eugene on the
literary map, Geiger’s
debut might just bur-
nish that reputation
for a new century.
— Rick Levin
PHOTO: TRASK BEDORTHA
B ES T HO L I D AY H E L P: W H IT E A K E R
T H A NK S GIV IN G D IN N E R
B ES T A L L - A G ES D I Y SPA C E
T H AT C L OSED D O W N T H I S YEA R
As a recent arrival to Eugene, I continue to be in awe
by what Eugene, Springfield and the Willamette Valley
have to offer. Eugene has all the culture, entertainment
and culinary diversity of a big city while maintaining the
ease, warmth and charm of a small town. No matter where
I want to shop, dine, or relax, I am a mere three to four
miles from my destination.
I came to Eugene to lead one of the many diamonds in
the area, Lane Community College. Lane has the academ-
ic resolve to prepare students for transfer or a dynamic
career and to offer wrap-around supports for the area’s
neediest students. To my delight, I found that LCC was
embedded in a community of caring, philanthropic neigh-
bors who truly care about Lane students and their city.
This New Jersey transplant fell in love with my new
state when I visited the Oregon Coast the first time and
saw the whales playing and the sea lions sunning them-
selves, and again when I heard a world class symphony at
the Hult Center. It was love at first sight when I watched
the sun set over the vineyards at King Estate Winery.
But I knew I was home when I saw for myself the hun-
dreds of volunteers, including faculty, students and staff at
LCC, giving their precious time off to humbly cook and
serve those in need at the Whiteaker Thanksgiving Din-
ner. I could not be more proud to call Eugene home and to
be the president of Lane Community College. Wishing ev-
eryone reading this a blessed holiday season. — Margaret
A. Hamilton, president, Lane Community College
Both the popularity and the quality of Eugene’s local
music scene comes and goes over time, but regardless of
the number of local artists we have, or how good they are,
nothing matters without a place to play. Back in June of
this year we lost a staple in Eugene’s all-ages DIY com-
munity — The Boreal.
As someone who grew up as a part of the music scene
here in town, as both a participant and an attendee, and
who only recently became old enough to go to bars for live
music, I’ve witnessed how much spaces like The Boreal
mean to people. Inevitably, this loss of all-ages venues is
cyclical — a burning candle just waiting to be snuffed out,
or to slowly funnel all the way down the wick. Take the
closing of Springfield’s all-ages DIY space, The Gather-
ing Place, around 2012, for example, or the teetering off
of show-booking at Petersen Barn around the same time,
or house venues that meander in and out of the scene to
serve as shelters for shows until they’re shut down by one
too many noise complaints.
Among the all-ages, community-formed music spaces
I’ve been a part of in Eugene, The Boreal was the first that
seemed solid and seemed hopeful. It served as a space for
local bands and national and international touring acts to
come together. It was a mainstay for various hardcore and
alt acts, but it also welcomed all kinds of genres, as well
as serving as an art space, a place for movie nights and a
small record and zine shop. If history repeats itself, one
can only hope that another all-ages venue will rise out of
the ashes soon — something even better than The Boreal.
But, for now, let’s pour one out for another fallen friend.
— Meerah Powell
B E S T L O C AL F IL M CO M PE T IT IO N
Taking part in Eugene Film Society’s annual 72-
Hour Horror Film competition is one of the most exhil-
arating experiences you can have — heady and frenzied
and completely thrilling, like being shot out of a cannon
for three days straight. The rules are simple: Handed noth-
ing but a single prop and a line of dialogue, participants
— first-time filmmakers and veterans alike, doesn’t matter
— are given exactly 72 hours to script, cast, rehearse, shoot
and edit a three-minute horror film, which is screened and
judged, both by a jury of media professionals and the public
at large. In an era of mindless mainstream crap and endless
Hollywood reboots, it’s a blast to see what regional movie
buffs come up with when pushed to the limits of endurance
as guerilla filmmakers. The winner of the Audience Award,
of course, receives a cash prize of $666. More info at eu-
genefilmsociety.com. — Rick Levin
B ES T C O M M EN T S AT C I T Y C OU N C I L
M EET I N G S: R A G I N G G R A N N I ES
My “best” of this year is the Raging Grannies. This
group of indomitable, tuneful, passionate, cheerful and
funny women appears almost monthly before the Eugene
City Council. They use their three minutes in the public fo-
rum to inspire us to action dressed in homemade costumes
to sing familiar tunes with customized lyrics to meet the
issue of the day. They have urged us to ban coal trains,
reduce our impact on climate change and divest from US
Bank. They represent the best to me of working hard for a
better world while enjoying friendship, song and silliness.
— Lucy Vinis, Eugene mayor
PHOTO: TODD COOPER
BEST CHILDCARE:
S E V E N S TA R S C H I L D C A R E
The search for quality childcare can reduce a par-
ent to tears. Availability. Pricing. And the introduc-
tory visit is murder on the nerves: How old are these
wall hangings? Is this person wholly sane? Too sane?
What’s that strange smell? Seven Stars, by contrast,
causes visitors to feel as if they’ve stepped through a
wormhole into a benevolent parallel reality where all
children receive the care they deserve. The providers,
Deb and Christopher Michaels, work with monastic
devotion, rotating books and toys, sparking imagina-
tive play, making it new. They keep their Halloween
lights on until December, and their Christmas lights
glowing through spring because it makes people hap-
py. In pick-up and drop-off conversations, they have
inspired parents to start food drives, write letters, par-
ticipate in diversity trainings, attend protests and join
civic committees. Children romp, dance, and say Dad-
dy, how was your day? over playroom tunes ranging
from Norah Jones to Elle King. In their capable hands,
my kids have somehow overcome their paternal genet-
ics to become reasonable, loving people. Seven Stars
and the Michaels are among Eugene’s most remarkable
treasures — the best of the best. — Jeff Geiger, author
eugeneweekly.com • December 28, 2017
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