Gregory Spatz kicked off the
reading with excerpts from his short story “A Bear for Trying” (Half as Happy, 2013). The story opens memorably:
“He just needed to get rid of all the little animals super-glued to his
dashboard.” Spatz is the author of Inushuk,
Fiddler’s Dream, No One But Us
and Wonderful Tricks. His stories
have appeared in The New Yorker, Glimmer Train Stories, Shenandoah, Epoch, Kenyon Review and New England Review. He
teaches at Eastern Washington University in Spokane and plays the fiddle in the
twice Juno-nominated bluegrass band John Reischman and the Jaybirds.
Alicia Jo Rabins read a collection from yet unpublished poems. She draws her inspiration from ancient spiritual works as
well as modern styles. Lately she has been composing poems in the form of self-help manuals: “How
to Cross Country Ski,” “How to Confess an Affair,” and, in honor of the
evening’s theme, “How to Drive.” Alicia is a poet, composer, and performer who tours
internationally with her band, Girls in Trouble. Her poems appear in
Ploughshares, 6x6, and Boston Review. She holds a MFA in poetry from Warren
Wilson and a Masters in Jewish Studies from JTS. Her one-woman show about the
intersection of mysticism and finance—A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff—will receive
its West Coast premiere at Portland Playhouse in February 2014.
Alexis M. Smith read from
her novel Glaciers (Tin House), a
finalist for the 2013 Oregon Book Awards. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing
from Goddard College. Her writing has appeared in Tarpaulin Sky and
Powells.com. She read from her newest manuscript, a story about a girl
returning to the San Juan Islands after a long absence, in the aftermath of a massive (fictional) earthquake in the San
Juan Islands.
Labels: @Literary Arts