Join the worldwide birthday celebration honoring
the life and work of the late William Stafford,
Oregon’s most famous poet.

Oregon writers will read a Stafford poem,
as well as their own. Audience members are
invited to read a favorite Stafford poem.

On Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 2pm

At the Waldport Community Center
265 Hemlock St in Waldport, Oregon

Featured writers:
Shirley Plummer
Herman Welch
Fred Strauss
Drew Myron
& students from Seashore Family Literacy

Sponsored by
Friends of the Waldport Public Library
& Friends of William Stafford
& hosted by Drew Myron

About the Event
This free event is in conjunction with The Friends of William Stafford, a nonprofit organization providing education in literature, particularly in poetry, in a way that will encourage readers, writers and those who aspire to find their own voice. Each year FWS sponsors over 50 poetry readings and presentations across the globe.

About William Stafford
William Stafford was one of America's most prolific poets, authoring more than 50 books in his 79 years. A favorite professor at Lewis and Clark College, where he taught for 30 years, he was appointed Oregon Poet Laureate in 1975 and also earned a National Book Award. He was known for his encouragement of other writers and for his advocacy of free expression in writing and speech.

A pacifist, Stafford was a conscientious objector during World War II. He was confined in Civilian Public Service work camps in Arkansas and California, where he did work for the U.S. Forest Service. For the following fifty years, Stafford included poems of pacifism and reconciliation in his readings.

Stafford believed that treasures were to be found beneath your feet, and that searching for things that fit together was to follow the "golden thread." About his own works, he once said, "I have woven a parachute out of everything broken."

He died of a heart attack in Lake Oswego, Oregon on August 28, 1993. He was 79.

You Reading This, Be Ready

William Stafford

Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?

Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now? Are you waiting
for time to show you some better thoughts?

When you turn around, starting here, lift this
new glimpse that you found; carry into evening
all that you want from this day. This interval you spent
reading or hearing this, keep it for life  —

What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?

Please join me at the South Coast Writers Conference in Gold Beach, Oregon. I'm leading a workshop, Stretch: Expand Your Poem Possibilities and I'd love to exercise the writing muscle with you.

Set on the edge of the beautiful and rugged Pacific Ocean, the annual gathering brings together a variety of Northwest writers to offer workshops, readings and talks that explore and celebrate the many facets of writing.

This year's conference features songwriters, poets, novelists, editors, publishers, political writers and more. In just one weekend, you can learn how to:

write stronger dialogue,
submit to literary magazines,
love young adult literature,
catch songs,
write flash fiction,
write from a bug's view,
get published,
write a graphic novel,
and more.

For a full schedule, go here.

The South Coast Writers Conference is one of Oregon's most affordable writing workshops, and if you snag a scholarship you've really got it made. Learn more here.

Express Yourself
Reading & Writing with Drew

Sunday, Aug 7 from 3 to 4pm

6251 Highway 101 North

Yachats, Oregon

Celebrate the new home of Gentle Dragon Massage & Healing Hideaway with a weekend of music, dance, poetry and more. The free event takes place Saturday and Sunday, Aug 6th and 7th, from 12 to 7pm.

To mark the fresh start, on Sunday afternoon poet Drew Myron will share poems and lead a free, informal writing workshop.

For more information, visit the Gentle Dragon on Facebook.

Off the Page, On the Coast 

A one-day writing workshop in Yachats, Oregon
Saturday, August 6, 2011 from 10am to 4pm

A workshop for writers of all levels, experience & interests. From poetry to prose, fact to fiction, the focus is on fresh writing with prompts and practices designed to inspire and energize. Participants will generate new work in an encouraging atmosphere and serene coastal setting.

The workshop takes place at the Overleaf Lodge Event Center, a warm and inviting space nestled steps from crashing ocean waves, minutes from a shoreline trail, and in the beauty of Yachats, a tranquil beach town of just 650 people on the central Oregon Coast.

Cost is $65, and includes lunch.

To maintain a supportive, intimate experience, workshop is limited to 12, and is open to ages 18 and older.

About the Instructor
Drew Myron is a former newspaper reporter and editor, who has covered news, arts, entertainment and travel for AOL’s CityGuide, Northwest Best Places and other publications. She heads DCM, a marketing communications company — working with large and small corporations and numerous nonprofit clients — that creates media releases, websites, brochures, and radio, video and social media content. Her poems appear in a variety of print and online journals. She placed first in the 2010 Spirit First Meditation Poetry Contest, and in the 2009 Tallahassee Writers Association's Penumbra contest. She lives on the central Oregon Coast, where she leads writing workshops for youth and adults, and hosts Off the Page, an annual reading event promoting Oregon writers.

Register Now
- Register online

or Register by mail
Send check, and contact info (name, address, phone, email) to: 

Drew Myron
Off the Page, On the Coast
Box 914, Yachats, Oregon 97498

Questions? Call 541-547-3757, or email dcm@drewmyron.com

Denver County Fair announces Bounty, the first annual poetry contest, featuring poems inspired by agriculture, food, gardens and farms.    

Two Categories:  Adult (ages 18 and over); Youth (ages 10 - 17)    

Poetry submissions may be of any length and any style but must relate to the theme of Bounty: agriculture, food, gardens and farms.

 • First Place: Blue Ribbon + Poetry Performance + $50

• Second Place: Red Ribbon + Poetry Performance

• Third Place: White Ribbon + Poetry Performance

• Finalists: Poetry Performance  

Prizewinners and finalists will all have an opportunity to read their works at the fair's Sunday morning Poetry Performance in the Farm and Garden Pavilion.

Entry Fee is just $5 and provides a free pass to the fair. 

It's easy to enter:

• Use the online entry form to pay your entry fee.

• Then submit your poem by Monday, July 18, 2011, via email to poetry@denvercountyfair.org. Include your name, address, telephone number and category (Adult or Youth). Submit the poem in a Word Document or paste in the body of your email.  

Poems must be previously unpublished and have not received awards in other competitions. Contest is open to Denver-metro residents only. One poem per entry fee. Multiple submission accepted. Submissions are judged by a published, award-winning poet. All judging is blind.

Maxine Sheets-Johnstone

Caitlin NicholsonAnn StaleyFools and writers gathered on Friday, April 1, 2011 to celebrate Off the Page, No. 5, in Yachats, Oregon.

The fifth annual event was held at a new location — the Overleaf Lodge Event Center — and a record crowd of 80 people turned out on a rainy April Fools evening to enjoy a lively performance of poetry and prose. 

Many thanks to the featured writers: Khlo Brateng, Brian Hanna, Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, Caitlin Nicholson, Ann Staley, and Drew Myron. Singer and songwriter Richard Sharpless kicked off the evening with a musical vibe.

And many thanks to the attentive and supportive crowd, described by several as "reverent" and "encouraging."

"What an amazing night," said an audience member. "I laughed so hard I cried. I cried as my heart and soul were touched. It was a delightful spectrum." 

After the show, poet Ann Staley weaved together the evening's words:

 Beyond Forgetting
    with thanks to Khlo, Brian,
                  Maxine, Caitlin & Drew
 
Welcome that show-stopper moon,
poised between grief and joy
(still) feeling your aliveness.
What are doors, but portals into the next open space,
                  where emptiness greets emptiness.
Where will you begin?
Not playing Hamlet or Ophelia?
with Joyce’s “A Painful Case”?
Who are you living for, (anyway)?
We fish the sky for answers,
let go in the tide.
Watch stunned,
hear the groan of galloping greed.
Let my soul shine like new daffodils.
If I erase this moment,
a whole lifetime will float like confetti.
I can prove it with my eyes.

found poem
Off The Page V, readers
heard & arranged by Ann Staley
April 1, 2011 

Join us for Off the Page, an evening celebration of poetry and prose on Friday, April 1st at 7pm in Yachats, on the central Oregon Coast.

The event takes place at the Overleaf Lodge Event Center, located on the north end of town on Highway 101. Doors open and music starts at 6:30pm. The reading begins at 7pm. Admission is free and open to all ages.

Now in its fifth year, Off the Page is an encouraging celebration of creative expression. Writers from throughout the Pacific Northwest will share their work. Featured writers include: Ann Staley, Khlo Brateng, Brian Hanna, Caitlin Nicholson, Drew Myron, Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, and singer/songwriter Richard Sharpless.

About the Writers

Khlo Brateng, of South Beach, is an actress, singer, musician and writer. A lover of music and the rhythms of language, she explores poetry, flash fiction and short stories in her chapbook Words Out Loud.

Brian Hanna, of Seal Rock, is an architect who emerged from retirement to design commercial and industrial structures throughout the U.S and Canada.  He is a member of Tuesdays, a weekly writing group, and a volunteer with Seashore Family Literacy’s Young Writers Group.

Drew Myron, of Yachats, is the creator of Off the Page. With a belief that writing needs to crawl out of the journal and soar into the community, she created the annual event — now in its fiifth year — to showcase local writers and celebrate the power of creative expression.

Caitlin Nicholson, of Newport, has lived on the Oregon Coast nearly all of her 19 years. A graduate of Seashore Family Literacy’s Young Writers Group, she was once a writer of horror stories but poetry now has her heart: “It wasn't until I joined the writers group that I became interested in poetry. And since I started, I can't stop.”

In her first life, Maxine Sheets-Johnstone, of Yachats, was a dancer/choreographer. In her second life, at 80, she is an interdisciplinary scholar and philosophy professor at the University of Oregon. She is the author of seven books, and editor of two. Her latest book, Putting Movement Into Your Life: A Beyond Fitness Primer is a lively, engaging tool to help transform everyday habits into vibrant fun.

Ann Staley, of Corvallis, is a poet who has taught for over 40 years, in five Oregon school districts, two community colleges, two public universities and two private ones. She likes nothing better than settling into a circle of strangers, opening her notebook and saying, "Let's do some freewriting for a few minutes before our Introductions. Write about whatever comes to mind. There is only Now followed by Now."

Lodging and event space generously provided by the Overleaf Lodge & Fireside Motel.

Celebrate with Seashore!

Join us for a Book Launch Party for Find Your Place, the fourth annual volume of poetry and prose from Seashore Family Literacy.

The free event is on Thursday, June 3 at 6pm and includes refreshments, a reading, and book signing. The party takes place at Waldport Community Learning Center’s Writing Studio, located at 265 SW Bay St, in Waldport, Oregon. 

Find Your Place is a 100-page book featuring poetry and prose from 40 writers, ages 9 to 75 — all participants in Seashore Family Literacy’s writing programs. The book includes work from grade school, middle school and high school students, along with writing by adult mentor/volunteers.

Find Your Place is $12, with all proceeds supporting Seashore Family Literacy writing programs.

The youth writing groups have shaped and encouraged dozens of youngsters. What began as a writing group for a handful of teens has evolved over the years to lively writing program that offers writing groups, camps and workshops for both children and adults. Writers meet each week for writing games and prompts with support and encouragement from adult mentor-volunteers.

The program’s success is largely because students feel safe to explore feelings and ideas, says Senitila McKinley, Seashore’s founder/director.

"There are no grades, no attendance, no writing requirements," adds Drew Myron, director of Seashore's Writing Programs. "Just a lot of love, support and encouragement."

All of which explains my joy to share poetry in a most unexpected place: a massage studio.

The Gentle Dragon Massage & Healing Hideaway will mark their opening with a two-day celebration of music, speakers, demonstrations, prizes — and poetry.  I'm happy to be included in the festivities, and eager to get poetry out of the books and into the world. What fun! Please join me.

Gentle Dragon Grand Opening
in Yachats, Oregon
Peacefully nestled in the Greenhouse Marketplace, among the Touchstone, Earthworks and Wave art galleries.

• Saturday, May 22, 1 to 6pm
- poetry (at 3:15pm)
- acupuncture
- music
- imagery
- herbalism
- storytelling

• Sunday, May 23, 11am - 4pm
- music
- acupuncture
- art
- prizes

For more information, contact Zeora at the Gentle Dragon Massage & Healing Hideway, 541.547.4721.

A collection of Oregon writers will present Off the Page, an evening celebration of poetry and prose on Saturday, April 24 at 7pm in Yachats, on the central Oregon Coast. The event takes place at the Green Salmon Coffeehouse, located at Highway 101 and Second Street. Doors open and music starts at 6:30pm. The reading performance begins at 7pm. Admission is free and open to all ages.

Now in its fourth year, Off the Page is an encouraging celebration of creative expression.

Oregon writers — hailing from Yachats to Portland — will share their work.  Featured writers include: Fred Strauss, Rick Schultze, Drew Myron, Khloella Brateng and Dave Baldwin. In addition, Yachats singer/songwriter Richard Sharpless will perform.

About the Writers

Fred Strauss, of Tidewater, is a longtime volunteer for Seashore Family Literacy, where he serves as a founding member and mentor to teens in the Writers Group, and as co-leader of The Writing Club for middle school students. He also tutors adult readers. In addition, he is a member of Tuesday, a central Oregon coast writing group that meets weekly. His short stories and poems appear in many editions of their annual anthology. 

Drew Myron, of Yachats, is a poet, publicist, and the creator of Off the Page. Five years ago, she initiated a monthly writing group that drew together an assortment of individuals with various writing skills and experience. Buoyed by the belief that writing needs to crawl out of the journal and soar into the community, Off the Page became an annual event to showcase local writers and celebrate the power of creative expression. Drew operates a marketing communications company, and is an instructor and volunteer with Seashore Family Literacy. See www.drewmyron.com.

Khlo Brateng, of South Beach, is an actress, singer, musician and writer. She plays harp, sings with the Central Coast Chorale and works as a graphic designer. Her poetry, short stories and flash fiction appear in her chapbook Words Out Loud. See www.khloella.com.

Dave Baldwin, of Yachats, is a retired baseball player, geneticist, engineer, and artist.  His articles on the science of baseball have appeared in American Scientist and American Journal of Physics.  His baseball memoir, Snake Jazz was published in 2007.  Under the pen name DGB Featherkile, he has published poetry in numerous literary journals and in an e-book, Limbic Hurly-Burly: Poems of Humor and Paradox. See www.snakejazz.com.

In addition, young writers from Seashore Family Literacy's writing programs will take the stage to give voice to their words.