Another intern -- Emily Shannon -- preparing reader gift packs for a book club that's reading The Luminist.

Here at Hawthorne Books, we love our readers and want to provide them with a reading experience that is engaging and interactive. One of the best ways to do this is to reach out to book clubs, which is what we’ve been doing lately.

There are tons of book clubs out there, and if you look hard enough, you will most likely find one that fits your needs, as specific as they are. Actually, as I was researching book clubs for one of my projects at Hawthorne Books, I came across a broad range of clubs, from those dealing with existentialism to those encouraging women to share the thrilling experience of reading naked. Since the weather’s getting colder, I’ll understand if you want to keep your clothes on for now; however, this won’t change anything to the fact that it’s always a pleasure to discuss how you relate to a book and to hear other people’s opinions about it.

Here at Hawthorne Books, we are excited to introduce the works of new authors to the public. We believe that the books we publish have great potential to generate intriguing conversations. Indeed, if you’re fascinated by the human condition and the intricacies of relationships, then Scott Nadelson’s short stories are for you. If your book club is attracted to raw and honest literature, you might want to consider reading Lidia Yuknavitch (wait, I hear the people at Hawthorne Books are going to publish another novel by Yuknavitch next spring).

The novel I’ve been assigned for my book club project, The Luminist, will satisfy different kinds of literature lovers, from historical fiction addicts to those who like a book with a strong female lead. It will also appeal to those interested in the beginnings of photography, not to mention those who, like the members of the International Book Group in Utah, “read to learn about other countries, customs, and cultures.” Depending on how you look at it, The Luminist will reveal its various facets, and as interesting as they are on their own, they make an even better whole. If that is not the definition of a great book club contender, then I’m not sure what is.

But there is more: David Rocklin, author of The Luminist, is excited to take an active part in book clubs that discuss his novel. He was happy to write a reader’s guide with pertinent questions that readers will definitely find useful to start a conversation or a debate. He also agreed to participate in book club discussions via Skype, which will definitely spice things up because it’s always a great opportunity to be able to talk to the author directly—those of you who have seen Rocklin at one of his readings certainly remember that he enjoys sharing stories that make for good discussion material.

So, if your book club is interested in reading either The Luminist or any of Hawthorne’s books, do not hesitate to contact us (you’ll even get 30% off list price on books!). Happy reading!

All Hawthorne Books titles

Hawthorne Books publisher Rhonda Hughes with a literary gift that keeps on giving at this year's Small Press Love Fest downtown at Portland's Central Library.

Although we may have been hearing jingly pop renditions of “The Little Drummer Boy” for at least a month already, the final countdown to the holidays is officially here now that we’ve hit December.

So if you’re still struggling to find those unique gifts that don’t involve a dreaded trip to the mall, might we suggest some literary themed presents that nurture the mind and soul and—even better—support small retailers, independent publishers and local authors. Rejoice in presents of the mind!

Books, Books and More Books!

Whether grabbing Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot at your neighborhood independent bookstore or looking for a local author’s debut foray into publishing, options abound in Portland. Here at Hawthorne, our fall titles continue to fascinate and garner praise. David Rocklin’s The Luminist explores the early stages of photography in a haunting historical novel set in 19th century India. Scott Nadelson’s new collection of short stories, Aftermath, explores the space in between loss and acceptance with both humor and heartbreaking reality.

Over at Tin House, our fellow Portland publisher, grab something truly different with their new release Moby Dick in Pictures: One Drawing for Every Page by Matt Kish. The gorgeous and mind-bendingly creative work offers a completely new approach, with images crafted from torn pages, pen and ink, marker, crayon and watercolor—one for each page of the 552-page classic. Or, offer inspiration to the aspiring writer on your list with Tin House’s writer series gift pack, including four books covering topics like plot, crafting essays and insights from other authors.

If you’re unsure about what the discriminating reader in your life might enjoy, there’s always the fail-safe option of a gift certificate to one of Portland’s many independent bookstores. Here’s just a few to check out:

Annie Bloom’s Books
7834 SW Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97219
503-246-0053

Broadway Books
1714 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
503-284-1726

In Other Words
14 NE Killingsworth
Portland, OR 97211
503-232-6003

A Children’s Place Bookstore
4807 NE Fremont St.
Portland, OR 97213
503-284-8294

Murder by the Book
3210 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97214
503-232-9995

Powell’s
1005 W Burnside St.
Portland, OR 97209
503-228-4651

St. John’s Booksellers
8622 N Lombard St.
Portland, OR 97203
503-283-0032

The Gift of Inspiration

For the spouse who’s longing to write a novel but doesn’t know how to get started, or the blogging best friend who’s stuck in a rut, the gift of a writing workshop could provide the perfect support and inspiration. A wealth of local groups and organizations offer writing assistance, from one-day workshops to multi-week classes. Check out groups like PDX Writers, the Attic Institute, Write Around Portland, and the Writers’ Dojo.

For a regular dose of literary stimulation that arrives conveniently in the mail, give a subscription to a literary publication. From the most well known magazines like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Ploughshares and Harper’s to local editions like The Portland Review and The Grove Review, nothing delights the reader and inspires the inner author like truly phenomenal writing.

Dinner and a Show

Alright, so the dinner part is optional, but for the best in local literary events, check out the Portland Arts and Lectures series. Sold by subscription only, the lecture series features some of the world’s most influential and celebrated modern authors, historians and journalists. Presented so far this season have been Pulitzer Prize-winners Annie Proulx and Stacy Schiff, with upcoming lectures by journalist and filmmaker Sebastian Junger, best-selling author Abraham Vergese and MacArthur genius grant-winner Chimamanda Adichie. Subscription levels vary, so check out the Web site for dates and prices. Have a very merry (and literary) holiday season!

Real life doesn’t end when the credits roll or the last page turns. There is always the slow, quiet drive home from the movie theater as we try to realign our own expectations with the temporary thrill of a good story. We did not just save the world from aliens or overcome all odds to find our soul mate. Instead we are left lingering in the stillness of our own choices, the anticlimactic wake of reality.

It is in this space that author Scott Nadelson introduces us to the characters in his new collection of short stories, Aftermath. A man trying to rediscover who he is after calling off his engagement with a fiancé who cheated on him, a teenage boy coming to terms with the abandonment of his father, a married couple struggling through a trial separation—each trying to understand exactly where they are suppose to go from here.

But Nadelson finds the beauty in that struggle, that stillness. He infuses a seemingly mundane reality with such heartbreaking authenticity that the truths uncovered by his characters are both touching and discomfiting in their applicability to our own lives.

In the collection’s title story, Richard Weintraub and his wife Alana have separated after almost seven years, and the reader follows Richard between alternating desires for freedom and the comfortable life he has become accustomed to.

When he finally called to arrange a meeting, the day after he visited Dawn in Philadelphia, Alana sighed and said, “Okay. I guess so,” as if he were asking her to help with some tedious chore, taking plastic bottles to the recycling center or scrubbing mold from his shower wall. Our Versailles, he called the meeting as they were making arrangements, and instantly regretted it. It was a stupid comparison, making him the defeated German, ready to accept all blame, all responsibility. Why did he feel like the wrongdoer, the one who deserved punishment?

The lives of the characters in Nadelson’s book are not wrapped up in neat little packages. The answers do not come easy, if at all, because things just don’t happen that way. We are left to wonder, along with the characters, whether or not they have made the right decisions, not knowing what will happen next but hoping for the best.

Aftermath: Stories
by Scott Nadelson
www.scottnadelson.com
www.hawthornebooks.com

Intern appreciation lunch for our spring 2011 interns (Left to right: Adam O'Connor Rodriguez (senior editor), Irene Costello (intern), Rhonda Hughes (publisher), Stefanie Fisher (intern)

We get a lot of requests from local folks hoping to do an internship at Hawthorne Books — unfortunately way more than we can accommodate. Every spring, fall and winter (and sometimes summer) we have two, 10-week, unpaid interns and they help us out immensely. Lately we’ve been getting double and sometimes triple the amount of applicants so we thought we’d publish a roundup of Portland literary internships so we have somewhere to point folks beyond Hawthorne.

Internships are a great way to gain experience and build your resume while helping a business or non-profit out. This list is most likely missing folks so please let us know who we’ve left out…

Gobshite Quarterly
andreview
The Attic
Beyond Words Publishing
Reading Frenzy
Independent Publishing Resource Center
Willamette Week
Portland Mercury
Oregonian
Portland Tribune
The Bear Deluxe
Bitch Magazine
Calyx Literary Journal
Dark Horse Comics
The Grove Review
Ink & Paper Group
Ink-Filled Page
Raintown Press
Timber Press
Tin House Books
Tin House Magazine
Wordstock
Write Around Portland
Writer’s Dojo

Our assembly line of Rhonda, Irene, Stefanie and Liz produced this -- review copies and award submissions for 2011 titles.

Every spring Hawthorne Books decides whether to have a summer internship or not. Summer is the slowest month in the world of publishing and so we often scale back to just HB staff. We’re doing that this summer (we always have our fall, winter and spring internships) so the last couple weeks of our spring internship were a big push to get all of the review copies out for our fall titles — The Luminist & Aftermath — as well as to get all of our award submissions out for our 2011 titles — The Luminist, Aftermath & The Chronology of Water.

We’re proud of our authors and titles and always submit for awards we think they deserve.

Our authors and titles have won too many awards to count including:

GLCA Award
Oregon Book Award
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award
OSU Short Fiction Award
Arizona Commission on the Arts Award
Samuel Golberg & Sons Fiction Prize for Emerging Jewish Writers
Doug Fir Fiction Prize
PEN/Faulkner Award
Another PEN/Faulkner Award

Awards that we submitted or 2011 authors/titles for this year:

PNBA Book Awards
GLCA New Writers Award
National Book Awards
Oregon Book Awards
NBCC Awards
PEN/Faulkner Award
Pulitzer Prizes
David J. Langum, Sr. Prize in American Historical Fiction
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award

So many books, so little time...

As a Hawthorne Books intern, a hopeful future book editor, a person with an English degree, and a self-proclaimed bibliophile, it is embarrassing for me to admit, but I don’t always have time for books. Don’t get me wrong, I always have time for books as an idea, as a conversation topic, as a table decoration, but between my busy work schedule, my social life, and my attempts to go to the gym, I don’t always have time to read them.

I am not proud of this. In fact, more times than I can count, I have been poised with the question ‘what book are you reading?’ and have had to stammer my way through some excuse or lie, while the person opposite of me (who will undoubtedly tell me that they were able to get through five Bible-sized books within the last month) looks at me with contempt. I am one of those people, they think. I can’t quote Joyce, I don’t know Russian literature, and I am currently- gasp!- reading nothing.

I am, on paper, a horrible book-lover.

So a few of months ago when a friend of mine invited me to join a book club she had recently started, I said yes, thinking this would be a great way to force myself into being a better reader. If the pressure of a looming weekly discussion weighed over me, I figured, my sheer desire to seem somewhat intellectual would force the pages to turn. And I was right– for book one. But then book two was slow, and book three was boring, and the author of book four seemed like a jerk…and there I was again, not making time for books. And truth be told, I thought about quitting. I thought, maybe I should just stop going; tell them I am too busy for books.

Give it once last chance, my friend pleaded with me (club attendance was dropping dangerously low, turns out a lot of people don’t have time for books), read at your own pace; don’t worry so much about keeping up. Stop, she told me, making reading a chore.

A chore? A chore?! Had I made reading a chore? Yes. I realized I had. I had made reading (before, and during the book club) into this large looming task. READ SOMETHING, I would demand of myself, in the same way I told myself to clean the kitchen and start doing daily sit-ups. I had started to put pressure on myself to be well-read, and in the meantime, forgotten how much I truly enjoyed reading.

And so I took her advice. I stuck with the club. And guess what? I hated book five. I got half way through it and gave up. But that’s OK, my friend told me. Reading, she reminded me, is not about the end goal it is about the process.

And she was right. We started the sixth book, Lit by Marry Karr, last week and though I am still horribly behind everyone else in the club and I still can’t quote Joyce, I am starting to remember why I used to make time for reading, why I chose a life and career that involves literature. And this week’s book club was the best yet, I admitted to everyone I am a S-L-O-W reader, I stopped trying to pretend I was full of insight about every passage, and I just let myself enjoy the story, the company, and the wine, without pretense. So what if only can squeeze in a few pages per night while others can down 300? Who cares if I get bored, or distracted, or put it down and never pick it up again? There is no reading police, and there is no such thing as too busy for something you love. Because when I stopped making reading a to-do, it became enjoyable again.

For more on book clubs in Portland, check out this February Oregonian article.

Let’s face it: we’re lucky to live here. It seems that Portland’s enormously rich literary landscape just keeps expanding, and the latest addition to a long list of amazing industry resources is a brand new community center for the arts. Crow Arts Manor, located in NoPo’s Milepost 5 art community, opened its doors this April 10th.

A non-profit in the tradition of LA’s Beyond Baroque and Seattle’s Richard Hugo House, Crow Arts Manor seeks to promote literary arts, fine and graphic art, and music.

Classes begin this June—college level workshops in writing, fine and graphic arts, comics, and bookmaking. In addition to classes, Crow Arts will host reading and music performances, and is in the process of building “one of the country’s largest collections of literary journals and books from independent presses,” with the goal to have the space open thirty hours a week for the public to come and read. The manor will also feature a gallery space and invite local artists to hang their work.

Sid Miller, the founder and editor of The Burnside Review, serves as the director of Crow Arts Manor. The board of advisors includes many notable Portland literary and artistic figures, including Kevin Sampsell, Paulann Peterson, Paul Collins, and Michele Glazer. Hawthorne connect: instructors include Hawthorne Books authors Monica Drake and Lidia Yuknavitch (hooray!) among many other terrific writers and artists.

Crow Arts Manor believes that on-going arts education should be accessible and that’s why each six-week course is offered at the reasonable cost of $95. As of now, classes are scheduled through the summer, offering unique and often specific curriculum such as Zachary Schomburg’s course, “The Narrative Prose Poem.” You can check out the classes online.

GO CROW ARTS!

Crow Arts Manor
850 NE 81st Ave., #114
Portland, Oregon
www.crowartsmanor.org
info@crowmanor.com

Visit a Multnomah Country Library branch today!

Given Portland’s fame as a literary center and reading city, it should come as no surprise that our library system ranks as one of the best in the country. In 2010, the Multnomah County Library announced that the previous year it had achieved the highest circulation in the United States for libraries serving cities of less than 1 million. According The Oregonian:

“The circulation of 22.7 million items in 2009 was an average of 31 items checked out or renewed for every person in the county, which has a population of about 700,000.”

In addition, in 2009 it received the highest award given to libraries and museums in the United States, the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, which “recognizes institutions for outstanding social, educational, environmental or economic contributions to their communities”. The library received the award due to its extraordinary push to enhance its service to the minority populations in Portland, increasing its number of bilingual staff dramatically over the six years before.

Going beyond book lending, the Portland library system also has a superb outlet for selling its castoffs at dirt cheap prices. As we noted before in the blog, Title Wave is a great place for bibliophiles to explore. They also have a great tradition of donating hundreds, possibly thousands, of used books to the Wordstock book festival, where they can be picked up for free by anyone whose eye they catch. Just last year I made off with a copy of Ron Hansen’s Exiles.

Libraries across the country also provide a free and simple means of supporting your friendly neighborhood publishing house. Publishers are assisted a great deal by sales to libraries, so a simple call or email to your local library will not only help keep Hawthorne Books going strong, but will also help get our titles to where they can be borrowed by you and your friends for free. Sounds like a win for everyone. Librarians depend strongly on patron feedback to determine their purchases, so no matter what library you use, make your voice heard!

Multnomah County Library
www.multcolib.org
Hours & Locations

One of Portland's many writing resources...

While larger institutions such as Borders bear the brunt of a recession and the rise of e-books, Portland’s independent literary community remains strong.

Classic hands-on resources for local writers, such as Southwest Portland’s Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC), are thriving through member support, volunteers and a strong creative community. IPRC offers a full schedule of workshops and how-to sessions, alongside readings and other events hosted by local zinesters, writers and other creative types.

The IPRC isn’t the only resource for local writers; here’s a list of a few more Portland writing staples:

Writer’s Dojo
www.writersdojo.org
503.706.0509
7518 (and 7506) N. Chicago Ave.
Portland, OR 97203

A thriving literary community for writers, readers and whatever’s left in-between. On the website you’ll find everything from basement writing workshops, blog listings and event postings to detailed advice on the query and submission game.

Attic Institute
www.atticinstitute.com
503.236.0615
4232 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97215

The Attic Institute is home to all sorts of writer’s resources and programs and the website is a go-to spot for newsletters and other member info.

Northwest Writer
www.nwwriter.com

Northwest Writer’s mission statement is, “Making Portland the Best Place on Earth to be a Writer.” Check out the website for advice on submitting work, and blog posts aimed to keep your literary knowledge and lingo as current as your workload permits.

Ooligan Press (at PSU)
www.ooliganpress.pdx.edu
Portland State University
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207

More than just a typical University Press, Ooligan offers writing contests and other publishing opportunities. Whether you’re a PSU student or a no-school-strings-attached writer Ooligan has something for you.

Literary Arts—Portland Arts & Lecture Series
www.literary-arts.org/pal
503.227.2583
224 NW 13th Ave. Suite 306 

Portland, OR
 97209

Literary Arts is priceless for authors, readers and budding writers as is its Portland Arts and Lecture Series. The Literary Arts website has all the details you need for local literary event listings and various writer resources.

Don’t limit yourself to this list. The best advice for both seasoned and emerging writers is to support your local literary community. Whether you do that by buying a book from a small press, attending a reading, or giving a local author you’ve never heard of a chance, Portland is, and always has been, a fantastic literary city.

Happy that Portlandia brings on the books.

IFC’s newest sketch comedy Portlandia, featuring Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag), lightheartedly jabs at cultural quirks and characters that are distinctly Portland.

Among the bike nerds, dumpster divers, and other brands of hipsters and hippies portrayed in the show, Portlandia also features a humorous look into the local literary scene. Often mentioned in reviews from all over, the feminist bookstore sketch is garnering a lot of attention.

Armisen and Brownstein portray the hilariously unhelpful owners of Women & Women First based on In Other Words Feminist Community Center and Bookstore in Northeast Portland. Opening the sketch in episode 2, the scene points out some distinct local color in the shop owners’ over-the-top aversion towards anything mainstream that might jeopardize their image.

Brownstein: “This is a top-selling author. Do we want that in here?”
Armisen: “No, we want bottom-selling authors.”

Armisen and Brownstein’s characters go on to behave unbearably preachy and diva-like toward two customers that do not fit their desired clientele (Steve Buscemi entering the store only to use the bathroom in episode one, and in a later episode a college-age woman who pole dances on the side).

I have to say–well done. Portland’s local-philia and taste for the obscure has earned it a TV show. But, one thing the writers of the show capture in a more subtle way through the parody is a Portlandian craving for fresh voices that support specific causes–like feminism. Despite their major annoyances, the feminist bookstore owners are lovable for their stubborn advocacy.

Sharing in in the namesake of the fictional bookstore’s location, it’s nice to know we have something in common with Women & Women First/In Other Words–books with a social conscience and new voices. We are, after all, a Portland publisher part of Portland’s strong literary scene. While we also love authors from other regions, we have titles that fit Portland’s distinct (and now worthy of satire) literary image.

So, feed your inner Portlander and check out these titles: the environmentally-conscious The Greening of Ben Brown by Michael Strelow, a look into domestic violence in Loretta Stinson’s Little Green, and an emotionally charged account of unlearning racism in Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead by Frank Meeink and Jody M. Roy.

In Other Words Feminist Community Center and Bookstore
www.inotherwords.org
14 NE Killingsworth St.
Portland, OR 97211-2624