FEBRUARY 1, 2018 // 7
Local poet launches second book at KALA
Author reads from her
memoir at Astoria Library
ASTORIA — The Astoria
Library presents author
Dede Montgomery as she
reads from and discusses her
memoir, “My Music Man.”
The event takes place 3
p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, at the
library (450 10th St.).
In “My Music Man,”
Montgomery — a sixth-gen-
eration Oregonian whose
ties have instilled in her
a deep connection to the
land and curiosity about
the state’s early history —
shares family narratives
spanning seven generations.
The tales feature charac-
ters of historical interest —
such as bookseller J.K. Gill
and his brother, steamboat
engineer Sam Gill — and
settings, including Nis-
qually, Willamette Falls,
Champoeg, Portland, La-
Grande and the Long Beach
Peninsula.
The Astoria Library
ASTORIA — Mary Lou
McAuley, of Astoria, will
launch her second book
of poetry, “Nine Hundred
Moon Journey,” at KALA
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2.
The reading is followed
by a complimentary dessert
social and book signing.
The cover is $8. KALA is
located at 1017 Marine Dr.
in Astoria.
In reference to the title,
McAuley said, “That’s how
many moons I’ve been
alive.” She explained that
measuring time in lunar
cycles feels like a softer
way to refer to age, and it
also includes that sense of
distance.
McAuley describes her
poetry as a narration of what
she sees.
“Very often it’s about an
encounter or something I
see in the street. I’m more
of a watcher and a terrible
eavesdropper,” she said.
“But for one or two of them
I woke up with the opening
line.”
Her voice is joyful when
she talks about going where
those single lines want to
take her, and the epigram
for the first part of the book,
COURTESY KALA
FILE PHOTO
Poet Mary Lou McAuley
from Irish Poet Michael
Longley, echoes this sense
of wonder: “If I knew
where poems came from, I’d
go there.”
McAuley was born in
Chehalis, Washington, and
grew up in Goldendale and
went to college in Seattle.
She was the first owner of
what is now Jupiter’s Rare
& Used Books in Cannon
Beach. She met her husband,
painter Robert Paulmenn,
in Colorado before moving
back to Oregon. They have
resided in Astoria for six
years.
In that time, McAuley
released her first book of
poetry, “The Other Door.”
She’s a supporter of the mul-
tiplicity of voices in Astoria
and emcees Ric’s Poetry
Mic at WineKraft the first
Tuesday of every month.
Film series screened in Seaside
PHOTOS COURTESY ASTORIA
LIBRARY
Author Dede Montgomery
is guided by the mission
statement: “Explore ideas,
engage minds, excite imag-
ination.”
For more information
about library programs
and services, contact staff
at 503-325-7323 or com-
ments@astorialibrary, or
visit astorialibrary.org.
SEASIDE — The Friends of
the Seaside Library will host
documentary filmmaker Ron
Walker as he presents his
film series “Astoria the Last
Rivertown” and “Uppertown
Girl” 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb.
10. The event will take place
in the Community Room.
To make “Astoria the Last
Rivertown,” Walker roamed
the sidewalks and waterfront
with his camera. He searched
for longtime residents who
would grant interviews for
this documentary. He spoke
with historians, artists, fisher-
men and sea captains as they
shared their love for Astoria
and recounted memories.
In “Uppertown Girl,” the
late Irene Gunderson shares
vivid memories of her child-
hood in Astoria. These were
the days before the fire of
1922, when the streets were
lit with oil lamps, downtown
was built on pilings and
people traveled by horse and
wagon or streetcar in the
town. The film illustrates her
stories with historic photos,
original music and pen-and-
ink drawings.
Together, the films are
a tribute to the beauty and
history of Astoria and her
residents.
Walker learned the craft
of filmmaking when he
worked as the resident music
composer for the Film Loft in
Portland in the 1980s. During
this period he composed
the music for the Mount St.
Helens film “This Place in
Time,” which is shown at the
Mount St. Helens Interpre-
tive center.
Walker shoots, edits and
composes the music for the
films he produces. His films
are about people, their hob-
bies and passions, and often
feature historical themes
centered on the North Coast.
The Seaside Public
COURTESY SEASIDE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Filmmaker Ron Walker
Library is located at 1131
Broadway St. For more infor-
mation, call 503-738-6742 or
visit seasidelibrary.org.