New Oregon Arts & Letters (formerly 2GQ)

IS WRITING EXPLOITATION?

Writers write about the world around them. Does that make them abusive?

And do they owe royalties to everything and everyone who sparks their creative work?

These were among the questions explored during author Peter Rock's appearance at Powell's City of Books in downtown Portland this week. His new book, My Abandonment, was loosely inspired by a local news story. And some of the resulting conversation pissed off 2GQ's roving reporter, Kristy Athens.

MAKE THE MOST OF THE TANKING ECONOMY...

...by remembering that the arts are here to lift your spirits, make sense of your world, and weird you out. Stockbrokers may fail you, your job might lay you off, but we'll still be here, working no matter what.

So send us a five, a hundred, or whatever moves you via Network for Good. New Oregon Arts & Letters, the non-profit organization formerly known as 2GQ, will give you a charity receipt for tax purposes. In the "DESIGNATION" box, type the name of the project you'd like to support: New Oregon Arts & Letters organization, Tiffany Lee Brown's Easter Island Project, or the upcoming New Oregon Interview Series with Nora Robertson.

TIF'S EASTER ISLAND PROJECT IN NYC, MARCH 27

Thursday, March 26th, 7pm - Portland writer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist Tiffany Lee Brown brings the Easter Island Project: Participation Tour to the Synthetic Zero Art Space in the South Bronx (a mere twenty minute train ride from Union Square, for those who might be averse to leaving the confines of Manhattan).

We are compelled to create-to make, write, act, and give birth. How do we manifest this deep desire? How do our creations---novels, babies, and atom bombs---affect our lives, our culture, and our planet?

2GQ'S NORA ROBERTSON & TIFFANY LEE BROWN AT PANIC IN NYC

Charlie Vázquez hosts SHE-PANIC! *multicultural meditations on female desire*, a sensual evening of readings centered on the desire of creation, female desire, at Nowhere, NYC. Come grab a seat and listen to the lusty, multicultural exploits of erotica divas Martha Garvey, Mure Vyn, Rosalind Christine Lloyd, Llivia Llewellyn, Tiffany Lee Brown and Nora Robertson. I'll be happy to be hosting these ladies, who hail from the Pacific Northwest to Trinidad and beyond, and hope you will too...bring a friend and a smile. --Charlie

March 25 2009, 8PM sharp, 21+, FREE
Nowhere
322 E 14th St, NYC (btwn 1st/2nd Aves)

FREE BEER, FREE COFFEE, AND FREE LOVE.

Don't get too excited. This is a test post.

But there *is* free coffee. And ice cream. See the next post. The one below.

SPRINGTIME COFFEE BREAKS

While Meredith Andrews and Gary Wiseman are in residence at Milepost 5, they'll be collaborating with local, sustainable businesses to bring us—free of charge—

• • community?
  • exploration of public space?
  • interaction?
  • lucid dreaming?
  • an excuse to use the word "liminal?"
  • post-cinematic experience? (?)

and/or:

• FREE COFFEE, COOKIES, AND ICE CREAM?

MILEPOST 5 PINK ELEPHANT: MYSTERY SOLVED.

Noah Nakell emailed to let us know that he was the artist behind the mystery diorama, pictured left. Our intrepid reporter somehow managed to get really excited by this piece, entitled "Propagation," without actually tracking down the artist's name or getting ahold of a Pink Elephant mystery artist list. (I think said reporter spent much of the evening snooping around the Milepost 5 building because it was all so very crowded.) Anyway, thank you Noah! Original post is here.

BACON & WHISKEY...

...are much, much better than no bacon and no whiskey. If you need further proof, witness the awesome (as in awe-inspiring) and rad (as in radically unvegan) video essay by Kristy Athens, a contributor to 2GQ/New Oregon Arts & Letters.

Folded Word calls its "Shape of a Box" project "YouTube's First Literary Magazine," and who am I to argue (unless I'm willing to do a bunch of research on this claim, which I, alas, am not)?

Yay, Kristy! (And yay Mike Midlo of also-very-awesome-'n'-rad musical extravaganza Pancake Breakfast, who produced this fine snippet of film.) I hope you've enjoyed this experience. (And all the parentheses.) —TLB

RAUAN KLASSNIK + ARIANA REINES AT WORKSOUND

THE UNWIN-DUNRAVEN LITERARY ECCLESIA presents…
RAUAN KLASSNIK
&
ARIANA REINES
with music provided by Eric Adrian Lee

Thursday, March 19th, 7:00PM

WORKSOUND GALLERY
820 SE Alder St.  Portland, OR
Venue website: www.worksoundpdx.com
Cost: $5 suggested donation

"Why the fuck can't we do architecture in Portland if they can do it in Switzerland?"

Last Friday, Portlanders met for dinner and conversation at the University of Oregon's working architecture studios in the White Stag building for the latest installation of the back room.

Matthew Stadler, who has returned from Mexico and resumed his role as organizer and host of the series, introduced the modulated guitar noise of Dragging An Ox Through Water and the evening's interviewees, Tom Kundig and Brad Cloepfil. Guests supped on delicious dishes from chickpeas to paté created by chef Jason Barwikowski of Clyde Common, and tore hunks of bread off paper-wrapped loaves from Pearl Bakery.