Authors In Pubs

Had a fun time at Authors in Pubs on Monday night. I read a few pages from Secret of the Songshell, and I got to hear other great writers read from their works as well, including fellow NIWA member Jen Willis and Jonathan Ems, whose "Poop Story" was abso-freakin-lutely hilarious. Some cool art by local artist Tara Williams was also on display (hey Tara, your magnet looks good on my fridge).


The more you drink, the better I sound

Big mahalos to Adam and Andy from NIWA and my Willamette Writers buddy Gail (w/husband in tow) for coming out.

I highly recommend checking this event out (even when I'm not there). There's no cover charge, and the quality of local talent on display is, for the most part, pretty amazing. There's even live music! Plus, the Jack London Bar was recently listed in Playboy Magazine as one of the best bars in America. How's that for an endorsement? I have one quibble, which is that there are only two beers on tap (how is that possible in Portland?), but the service is good, the food is delicious (I had the shredded chicken tacos) and the atmosphere is very cool for the following reasons, in no particular order:

(1) the dim lighting;
(2) the make-out couches near the back of the room;
(3) the flyers plastered on the walls;
(4) an overall vibe that inexplicably feels divey and classy at the same time;
(5) the fact that you have to make your way through the Rialto poolroom and walk down a flight of stairs to get to the place;
(6) the Amazon Unicorn Warrior Bouncer Statue by the entrance.

Just another reason why being an author/artist/musician/random-creative-type in the Portland area is so damn awesome.