oregon writing

November 2, 2019

Oregon Tavern Age Book Release

Matt Love NSP Meditations, Oregon Tavern Age, Writing Indie Oregon presses, matt love, Oregon bars, oregon books, Oregon drinking, Oregon tavern age, Oregon taverns, Oregon travel books, oregon writing, OTA

Jim Harrison once wrote: “How can you experience the rich fabric of life in a locale without visiting the bars? The answer is, you can’t.” That statement is the editorial motivation for my latest book, Oregon Tavern Age.

Oregon Tavern Age (OTA) is a 64-page tabloid size book-with-in-a-magazine featuring original illustrations that culminates 22 years of writing about the crazy and poignant life that unfolds in Oregon Coast’s dive taverns and bars. I’ve walked into some of my most incredible Oregon stories of all time in these joints and felt compelled to document them because these joints are slowly going extinct in the face of gentrification.

I printed 1000 copies of OTA and will distribute them for free along the Oregon Coast in dive taverns and bars, bookstores, coffee shops, buses, libraries, laundromats, mortuaries, hospital waiting rooms, or wherever else my wanderings transport me. I am also asking those who purchase the publication directly from me to help distribute it in their communities. For $20 (plus $5 postage) I will mail three copies of OTA for you to enjoy and distribute in your favorite places. This is a unique method of distribution but I am excited for its possibilities to reach new readers. You can also purchase one copy for $10 (plus $3 postage).

You can purchase via Paypal through the NSP website or make arrangements to pay by cash or check or some form of barter by emailing me directly. If you decide to help me distribute OTA in this collaborative method, I sense it might become my new distribution model. Thank you.

April 7, 2018

Bonnie and Clyde Files 47 (Book Launch Week!)

Matt Love Bonnie and Clyde Files, NSP Meditations dog sanctuary, dog stories, dog writing, dogs, matt love, nestucca spit press, oregon, oregon books, Oregon rivers, oregon writing, rain, turbidity

(Friends: this week marks the launch for the sale of my forthcoming book, The Bonnie and Clyde Files: How Two Senior Saved a Middle Aged Man. Only 300 copies will be sold and it won’t be available in book stores. For more information and how to order, got to nestuccaspitpress.com or order here from the blog. Half of the profits are earmarked for the Angels for Sara Sanctuary to continue their excellent work. Please support me in this new editorial endeavor as I get back in the game of life, literature and service. Below is an excerpt from the book.)

I stood at the edge of the river on a Tuesday morning. Bonnie and Clyde stood beside me. Showers showered. Heavy rain had fallen all night and the current was swift and the water cloudy.

Cloudy. That wasn’t the right scientific word for it. Murky? No, that was too mysterious, too noir. What was the word?

Does one need a jargon to understand a river or a person’s life? Scientists and therapists do. I don’t.

Turbidity! The word returned to me from my former life as a watershed council coordinator and water quality monitoring volunteer.

The river was turbid. It dawned upon me that right now, everything about my life is turbid. My future is turbid. Many people view me as turbidity in their lives.

When will my life become clear? Perhaps never after this. Perpetual turbidity?

If someone jumps into the river of this life with me, would that create more turbidity.? According to science, it would. I think not, however. I think it would stir up crystal clear waters.

I looked at Bonnie and Clyde’s old eyes. They were turbid. They reminded me of Sonny’s dying eyes. I looked at the river for a reflection. Nothing was there.

There’s actually a rating system for turbidity in the water. It measures particles or something. I had a little hand held machine that gave me a reading when I was testing the waters.

Testing the waters is an interesting phrase. It moves in many metaphorical directions.

I don’t have the ability to test any waters. I don’t have a machine to read my level of turbidity.

It stopped showering. I stroked the wet heads of Bonnie and Clyde and watched the river.

February 19, 2018

Maps and Journeys Writing Workshop in Astoria March 24

Matt Love NSP Meditations, Writing Astoria, journeys, maps, matt love, nestucca spit press, Oregon Coast, oregon poetry, oregon writing, oregon writing workshop, writing, writing workshop

Writers:

Almost everyone past a certain age has a paper map story of discovery or frustration. Are you a map person? What is the metaphorical map to a person’s past or future? What were the unforgettable journeys in our lives? What are the ones we hope to take in the future?

Maps and cartography hold a special place in human imagination and history. Writers write about journeys all the time. In fact, stories and poems about journeys are some of the oldest writing known to humankind. Just think The Odyssey and Moses wandering in the wilderness.

Join author, editor and writing instructor Matt Love, Saturday, March 24, for a “Maps and Journeys” writing and creative thinking workshop in Astoria. In the workshop, Love will guide participants through a series of writing prompts, cartography exercises and discussions that employ the realities and metaphors of taking journeys and consulting/making maps. Writers of prose, poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, songs and scripts will each find unique inspiration for their work as they delve into the investigations of maps and journeys.

The workshop runs from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Astoria in a private home. The class costs $65 and will cap at 15 participants. Participants will pay at the beginning of the workshop. Scholarships are also available. To register, email Love or contact him through this blog.