Loretta Stinson has been cruising up and down the West Coast doing all sorts of book events for Little Green this summer. So the map and wheels in this book trailer above by Loretta’s partner Ben Rosenberg have a double meaning these days in regard to Little Green and Loretta.

Last week, Loretta was in the Bay Area doing readings and events at Book Passage, Green Apple Books and meeting with folks from San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium and The Riley Center. We’ll give you a report on that and other events Loretta did along the way shortly with images and videos but for now here are a couple posts that she did for the Wordstock blog recently. Click on the image and it will take you to the post…

Loretta Stinson spells it out...

Quick Q&A with Loretta over at the Wordstock blog...

Loretta Stinson's friend Anja Spence of Miss Zumstein's Cakes and Desserts made a beautiful Ganesh ganache cake for the celebration. Tasted as good as it looks!

So many great people showed up last night for Loretta Stinson’s Little Green book launch party. Even though it was a Sunday night and on the later side with a 9pm start — it was a packed house. Some people in attendance include Debra Gwartney, Eduardo Fernandez, Tony Wolk, Hawthorne Books authors Kassten Alonso and soon to be Hawthorne authors Lidia Yuknavitch and David Rocklin. Here are a few snapshots from the night…

Some songs were sung by Loretta Stinson...

Rhonda Hughes introduced Loretta...

Loretta chatting it up with the lovely Debra Gwartney.

Hawthorne Books author Kassten Alonso with senior editor Adam O'Connor Rodriguez and his wife Sarah Flynn.

Books, books and more books.

Thanks to everyone for coming out!

Check out this lit. conference this weekend in Portland!

Publisher and poet, Geoffrey Faber, once stated “The publisher is a middleman, he calls the tune to which the whole rest of the trade dances; and he does so because he pays the piper.”

For years writers have struggled with the task of not only dancing with, but first discovering what the publisher’s tune is. If only there was a way, a place, or a conference that could demystify the publishing process for writers. Thanks to the folks at Ooligan Press indeed there is now such a conference.

This Saturday, May 22, 2010, marks the first of what will hopefully become many Write to Publish conferences at Portland State University. Write to Publish is hosted by Ooligan Press—Portland State University’s publishing press affiliated with the Writing and Book Publishing program. This two-day event offers classes from industry professionals and speeches from local greats such as Chuck Palahniuk, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Shannon Wheeler—creator of Too Much Coffee Man.

Saturday, day one, is Workshop Day. Available workshops include The State of Publishing, Agent/Writer Relationships, The Dos and Don’ts of Publishing, and How to Find a Publisher. Classes are $32 each or five for $130. For a complete-list of workshops visit go here. An Author and Editor Luncheon will be held from noon to 1 pm, in the Smith Memorial Student Union, room 328. Participants include Hawthorne Books publisher Kate Sage and author Loretta Stinson. Stinson authored Hawthorne’s newest title Little Green and holds an MFA and an MS in Book Publishing from PSU. The pair will discuss the author/publisher relationship in small presses during this free event.

Sunday, day two, is Open House Day. Tickets are $10 or $8 for students and are only available at the door. Palahniuk, Le Guin, Wheeler, and others will speak.

If you’re a writer, a wannabe writer or publisher or know any of the above send them or yourself on down to PSU this weekend to see the dance in action, and of course say “hi” to Kate and Loretta.

A manifesto on YouTube by Ooligan for Write to Publish:

Portland State University’s Ooligan Press
Write to Publish Conference
www.ooligan.pdx.edu
May 22-23, 2010 @ PSU

Title Wave Used Bookstore has 20,000 used books, audio books, CDs, DVDs and more at bargain prices.

“Searching is half the fun; life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.”

Jimmy Buffet may have been talking about the meaning of life here, but this quote could be applied just as easily to the plight of the common book shopper. While sometimes, a bestseller at a good price is the mission of the buyer, quite often half the fun of purchasing a book is the quest—the search through stack and shelf to find the perfect paper companion. The effort makes the discovery that much more rewarding.

Every quest needs a starting point, a place to pair the hunter with the hunted. While Portland may be home to the largest bookstore in the country, it also houses some lesser-known gems of the used and or specialized variety.

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One such place and a recent personal discovery of mine is Title Wave Used Bookstore on 216 NE Knott St. It’s housed in the original Albina Branch Library which was designed in 1912 in Spanish Revival style. Fifty volunteers run the store and the books are cast offs from Multnomah County Library’s collection.

Title Wave opened in March 1988 and carries 20,000 used books, audio books, CDs, DVDs, videos, magazines and cassettes. I purchased a Beirut CD for a mere .75 cents which is the going rate for most of the CDs. The average price for a magazine is $1, the majority of the books ring in at $2, and the inventory changes daily. It’s the perfect landscape for the hunter to score a random and or rare book.

Title Wave Used Bookstore
216 NE Knott St.
Hours: Mon-Sat, 10am-4pm
www.multcolib.org/titlewave
503.988.5021

Cameron's Books is a Portland institution. Photo courtesy of Thomas Hawk.

Cameron’s Books and Magazines located at 336 S.W. 3rd Ave. and established in 1938 carries a wide array of books, and the largest selection of used magazines I’ve ever seen. Whether you’re looking to get a good deal on a past issue of Art on Paper or a vintage Life Magazine, Cameron’s is your best bet. The store may be small, but it is brimming with books. With such a vast selection, shoppers are guaranteed to walk away with things they never knew they needed. Cameron’s is also a good bet for those looking to sell, especially for those whose books didn’t make the cut at Powell’s.

Cameron’s Books and Magazines
336 SW 3rd Ave.
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-4pm.
www.cameronsbooks.com
503.228.2391

Ampersand is a great spot for art book lovers.

Both gallery and bookshop, Ampersand Vintage at 2916 NE Alberta St., Suite B offers a selection of new and used books and art with a focus on photography and art books. Their website describes the shop as “a project of sorts, an investigation into the colliding point between vintage visual material & contemporary works of art.” True to this description, the store stocks cameras–Diana Mini, Holga, Diana F+–to capture memories, books on artists and photographers from the past and present, broadsides, and old snapshots of unknown folks. Ampersand’s gallery exhibits change monthly. The last show that closed on April 25th was 52 Selects–an exhibition of photographs by world-renowned photojournalists. Below is a photo from the exhibit…

Ampersand
2916 NE Alberta St.
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday Noon-6pm, Sundays Noon-5pm
www.ampersandvintage.com
503.805.5458

From Ampersand's show 52 Selects.

Last minute reminder for this fantastic event.

Nearly two months after the catastrophic 7.0M earthquake in Haiti, Mercy Corps is striving to rebuild the country. From securing clean water and sanitation for survivors, to creating jobs clearing debris for locals, Mercy Corps volunteers are doing their part in rebuilding Haiti. Now you can do your part by attending:

Read to Rebuild- A Haiti Benefit Reading

Reading Local: Portland, an online blog for all thing book-related in Portland (we are big fans), has initiated Read to Rebuild, their very first event. Writers’ Dojo has partnered up, opening up their space in St. Johns to host Portland’s literary community. The event will consist of author readings, updates of Haiti from Mercy Corps representatives, music from local musicians Sweeter Than Later, free wine from Cameron Hughes Wine, and a raffle.

Hawthorne Books has donated autographed copies of some of our titles to the raffle. Other raffle donors include Cameron Hughes Wine, Wordstock, Back Fence PDX, Dark Horse Comics, Title Wave Books, Green Bean Books, Second Glance Books, Floating World Comics, Broadway Books, Microcosm Publishing, Annie Bloom’s Books, Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery, In Other Word’s Women’s Books and Resources, and many more!

Join us on March 16th @ 6:30pm at the Writers’ Dojo in St. Johns. The suggested donation of $10 also includes one free raffle ticket. All proceeds will be given to Mercy Corps, to assist in the relief efforts in Haiti. We look forward to seeing you there!

Congratulations Portland for rallying behind this local bookstore!

Buy local is a mantra in Portland and supporting independent local businesses preserves the individuality of this great city.  

St. Johns Booksellers is especially grateful to the community for listening to their pre-holiday plea: help us raise $6000 or we are out of business for good. Despite the minimal foot-traffic and dwindling national economy, local patrons listened to owner Nena Rawdah and rallied to keep this family-owned neighborhood bookstore located in the historic heart of North Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood, open for business.

During this financial struggle, St. Johns Booksellers created the Community Supported Bookstore (CSB) program to ensure a more stable future. This program benefits participants (free stuff, discounts, and exclusive events!), the bookseller/s (steady cash flow, means to expand), and the community at large. 

Another family-owned bookstore we all know, Powell’s Books, encourages readers to look beyond the bestsellers. Check out the small press corner bookshelves, located in the blue room of Powell’s City of Books on Burnside. This section highlights small press publishers — many local.

Kevin Sampsell, who runs the small press section at Powell’s, is an author himself, with a new release A Common Pornography, which has gained local notoriety through Powell’s, Portland State University and beyond. I’m currently reading his memoir for a writing class in the PSU Master of Arts in Writing program. 

Most Portlanders haven’t allowed themselves to become indoctrinated into the corporate model of buy cheap, disposable, inauthentic products. Instead, let’s keep following our instincts to support independent business owners, authors, and publishers.