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JULY 22, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5 KeizerCommunity KEIZERTIMES.COM Keizer author’s second novel out July 26 By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes The Hidden Letters of Velta B., written by Keizer author Gina Ochsner, will be re- leased Tuesday but the jour- ney to writing her second novel began 11 years ago with a story in the Boston Review. Ochsner was reading Re- generation by Latvian author Pauls Toutonghi. “His use of language, his lyric register, how he was describing what happened to Latvians during World War II and the occupations, was so unique, so unlike other nar- ratives we hear about World War II, that I thought I have to fi nd out more,” Ochsner said. “I literally ran to my car and got there [Jackson’s Books] as fast as I could.” Working the counter that day was a Latvian woman, Dace Berzins, and the two started a friendship. “She brought all of her family books and albums and shared with me some really central and important things about Latvian culture, the songs, music, poetry, just Latvian take on life and how they look at things,” Ochsner said. “That continued to fuel that initial curiosity.” Then Berzins told Och- sner she must visit Latvia, and in particular the capital city, Riga, and the River Dauga- va. Berzins asked Ochsner to bring her back some river mud. “It was like this test, how truly interested in Latvia are you?” Ochsner said. “That was the fi rst test and then there were many other little tests that Latvi- ans had for me. Are you really serious about Latvian culture? If you are, this is what you need to do or this is what you need to pursue, re- search or fi nd out more about.” Between 2006-2010, Ochsner went on fi ve differ- ent trips to Latvia. “I just wanted to learn about the culture,” said Och- sner, who didn’t know the end result would be a novel. Submitted Gina Ochsner visited Lativa fi ve times for her latest book, The Hidden Letters of Velta B. Hart Parr - Oliver - Cletrac Nichols & Shepard ANTIQUE POWERLAND July 30–31 7am to 6pm August 6–7 SPONSORED BY COVANTA AND AMTRAK “There’s always something because I love to write.” She started with a short story, which was published in the New Yorker and became chapter one of The Hidden Letters of Velta B. But chapter one turned into two, three and four. The fi nal result was 12 chapters over 299 pages. “You’re never done,” Och- sner said. “The publisher said you have to stop. It was their call. I would have kept going and going. That was part of the revision process, how to get 257,000 words down to 100,000. There were a few fun people that had to be edited out but I always save and they’ll be reincarnated in something else. There’s a Heaven for edited scraps.” • reconcile themselves with diffi cult histories.” The characters come from the people Ochsner met on her trips—Latvians, Russians, Jews and Gypsies. “I thought she [Gypsy] was important because sev- eral times in Latvia I was told they have no Gypsies and that’s while one was standing right next to me with their hand out selling something,” Ochsner said. “It was an in- teresting phenomena of ob- vious denial and I wondered what was behind it and it’s a deep-seeded dislike for the Roma in Latvia.” Ochsner’s main character is Maris, a boy with extraor- dinary ears who, with the help of his great grandmoth- er’s letters, brings healing to KEIZER MAYOR CATHY CLARK JOINS GATOR AND DENISE 3995 Brooklake Road NE - Salem www.antiquepowerland.com Ochsner’s novel looks at the complicated history of Latvia. When she was touring the west end of the country, a college student pointed to a place where all the Jews in town had been drowned. Ochsner had researched the town and read nothing about it. “There are several differ- ent sets of history for Latvia, the ones that Latvia writes and the ones that Soviets wrote and a history that can never be written because the people who are involved in some of these things are still alive,” Ochsner said. “That’s what I wanted to explore in this book, a town that has several sets of history that collide and confl ict with one another and how will people EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 5:30 PM 503.393.2424 Educational and FUN event ACTION! Trains, trolleys, tractors, machines, threshing, steam powered sawmill SHOPPING! Swap meet, fl ea market, souvenirs and more! a town burned by the sins of its past. “It really is a story about a community making the de- cision to come together for reconciliation and forgive- ness and renewal,” she said. “That really is the main mes- sage. Love is always a hard decision. It’s easy to hate and that’s what those folks fi gure out, in the end.” While the book is fi nished, Ochsner isn’t done with Lat- via. She plans to revisit all the towns and relocate all of the people she interviewed. “There is a very distinct, unique and robust literary tradition in Latvia and they’re proud of that tradition and they should be,” Ochsner said. “It’s part of what kept them culturally and linguisti- cally alive during the soviet occupation. It’s really quite an amazing thing.” Next, Ochsner plans to travel to Bulgaria and Mol- dova to visit with a group of bear tamers. “I love to travel,” she said. “You always discover some- thing that’s undiscoverable and you just can’t get it from reading something online or from a book. You kind of just have to see some things for yourself.” FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT! Demonstrations, food (including ice cream made with steam power) KIDS! Youth Passport program (win great prizes), kid tractor pulls, tractor parade NEW THIS YEAR! AUG 6-7: Steampunk Township Incubator, AUG 7: Dr Solar’s Good Time, Sunshine, Traveling Medicine Show HISTORY COMES ALIVE! Quilts, steam engines, 12 heritage museums, cars, trucks, equipment AUG 6 -7: Oregon National Guard Appreciation Days FOLLOW THE KEIZERTIMES ON: TUNE IN AS WE TALK ALL THINGS KEIZER! WorshipDirectory These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit. Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051 John Knox Presbyterian Church JOIN US FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP 452 Cummings Lane North 393-0404 8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm PEOPLESCHURCH 4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM 503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com Celebration Services Saturday Evening 1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer 503-390-3900 www.dayspringfellowship.com Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor Worship - 10:30 a.m. Education Hour - 9:15 a.m. Nursery Care Available www.keizerjkpres.org Jason Lee UMC 820 Jeff erson St. NE Salem OR 97301 9:00 am Dr. Jon F. Langenwalter, Pastor The church with the purple doors 10:45 am Worship at 9:30 am • Child Care Available 6:00 pm Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m. Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m. Sunday Morning and 503-364-2844 Faith Lutheran Church 4505 River Rd N • 393-4507 Sunday Schedule: 9:00 a.m. Children’s Church 9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Children’s Activities Pastor Virginia Eggert 10:30 a.m. Worship with Communion