Hawthorne Books publisher Rhonda Hughes and author David Rocklin tabling at this year's Wordstock festival.

After the smashing success of Wordstock 2011, it’s hard not to feel inspired by the power of the written word. We start reaching for the laptop, journal, or even cocktail napkin to scribble down the ideas that abounded at the annual literary festival. Readers, writers, publishers and bibliophiles of all genres convened to celebrate the world of books through readings, panel discussions, workshops and book signings. Several of our own authors here at Hawthorne—including David Rocklin, Scott Nadelson, Lidia Yuknavitch, Peter H. Fogtdal, Monica Drake—made appearances to share excerpts from their books and participate in some thought-provoking discussions.

So if you’ve got the itch of inspiration but are still facing the white menace of the blank page, we thought we’d offer some local resources to help get the creative ball rolling…

The Attic Institute:
For more than 10 years,The Attic Institute has been offering a creative haven for writers with workshops, classes and consultation groups with a diverse staff of published writers, journalists and educators. Check out some of their upcoming classes covering everything from poetry and fairy tales to crafting dialogue and the details of getting published. Duration and fees vary. See www.atticwritersworkshop.com or call 503-236-0615.

Write Around Portland:
Write Around Portland strives to make writing a community activity through public readings, published anthologies and offering workshops free of charge to veterans, survivors of abuse, people living below the poverty line and other communities in need. Check out their upcoming spring workshops, or volunteer to help other aspiring writers. Call 503-796-9224 or see www.writearound.org.

PDX Writers and Portland Women Writers:
Unleash your inner author in a nurturing environment with a workshop at PDX Writers or the Portland Women Writers, which both offer workshops based on the Amherst Writers and Artists Method aiming to draw out each writer’s unique voice. Check out their workshops, one-day events and weekend retreats at www.pdxwriters.com or www.pdxwomenwriters.com.

Writers’ Dojo:
Looking for a relaxing space that’s more conducive to literary creation than your living room with squabbling children or equally obnoxious roommates? The Writers’ Dojo is a membership organization that offers writers of all sorts just such a sanctuary, along with group readings, special events and an online publication. Core membership is $120 per month. Get all the details at www.writersdojo.org.

Whether you’re a writing novice or a published author, everyone could use a little support and inspiration. So check out one of the local workshops to get started, have a little fun and maybe even uncover some deeper truths about yourself. As our author Scott Nadelson recently posted on our blog about his new short story collection Aftermath:

“Our resilience in the face of suffering, our stubbornness in the face of failure, our stupidity and blindness in the face of repeated mistakes: all of these things continue to amaze and baffle me, but in writing these stories I have come to see them not as an exception or aberration but as the essence of our being, our very lifeblood.”

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.

Good books to good people. It's a simple equation.

Earlier this year Hawthorne Books had some fantastic fortune and as a result we decided to pay a little bit forward. That’s how the Hawthorne Books Donation Program came to be. The recipient selection process wasn’t too difficult — although there are several worthy organizations that we didn’t donate to that we plan to donate to in the future.

In the end we donated more than 500 books — all Hawthorne titles — to some fantastic organizations including Portland-based Write Around Portland (WRAP), Literary Arts’ Writers in the Schools, Outside In and Portland Public Schools. We also donated several cartons of books to the prison literacy program Changing Lives Through Literature.

It feels great to give back in this way.

If you have books that you’d like to donate here are some recipients you might want to consider:

Books Behind Bars
Books To Prisoners
Books For Soldiers
Goodwill
Salvation Army
And don’t forget public school systems, local teachers, and public libraries.