Oregon Book Awards

I had SUCH a good time last night! I've wanted to attend the Oregon Book Awards announcements for years, and this year I finally went. It was a great evening.

I took my good teaching friend, Sheila Zachry, with me. Usually Mark goes with me to these kinds of things, but Sheila is teaching the Creative Nonfiction Writing class with me for the first time this term, and she feels nervous about being a teacher-writer, so I thought she and I would really enjoy the evening together. It was a good call - we both want to go again next year, and bring other friends with us, including Mark, of course.

The event was held in the Gerding Theater in Portland. It's in North Portland, just one block from the big Powell's Bookstore on Burnside Street, so we parked at Powell's and walked the block. The theater used to be an armory, but it's all remodeled and really lovely inside.

The MC was funny and literary and inspiring, and the authors were dear. They were so sweet about receiving their awards, and they, too, were funny and literary and inspiring. I got to see a number of authors and writing students, who I've met over the years, in the audience. Of course I bought three books that had been nominated, and I've already started reading the first chapters of two of them.

Afterwards Sheila and I went to Powell's to use the bathrooms (the ones at the Gerding were packed) and we each bought a book at Powell's, too, so we could get our parking receipt validated. We were home by 9:15 after a truly lovely evening out. So much of life has been so stressful lately - this was a wonderful, peaceful, relaxing, inspiring, funny evening out with a very dear friend. I felt nurtured when I got home.