Tayari's Blog: Report From The Road: Portland, Oregon
Posted by TayariJones on November 18, 2006 09:26 AM
Filed under
Book Tour
Last night, I returned from Portland where I gave a reading at Reed College. This wasn't my first time in Portland. About ten years 
ago, at the AWP conference in Portland, I met Jewell Parker Rhodes who offered me a chance to get my grad degree in creative writing. So, I like Portland. It's a lucky place for me.
Although I had never been to Reed, the campus looked familiar. The reason is that it has the sort of stately old buildings that you see in movies about English majors who find thier souls through reading. My hostess, Jean Thompson, told me that Sean Penn was in town last month filming a commencement scene for his new project.
The environment at Reed is at once privileged and laid back. The cafeteria serves restaurant-quality food-- I went for the feta pastry, olive salad, and soup. Not bad at all. The students are relaxed, many wearing brightly colored knit caps. Skateboarders do thier things on the front lawn. And no, I didn't investigate the rumours that Oregon is the pot capital of the world. I'll leave that to a certain Mr. Colbert. (Scroll down to the video "Oregon's 3rd.")
If you like dogs, Reed College is the place for you. Everyone has one. Dogs wrestle on the campus grounds; they sit politely on leashes while thier owners go to class. Legend has it that when "Reedies" die, they come back as dogs. It is well documented that I am a cat person, but I have to admit, I started getting into the dog community vibe.
I was delighted to meet FeLicia Elam, a member of this blog community. I looked up and saw a black woman walking into the auditorium. I must admit that this got my attention. She's new to Portland and if there are any sisters (brothers, or ANYBODY) out there who can tell her where to get her locks groomed, she would really like to know. (FeLicia's hair looks nice now, but she's thinking ahead.)
For the reading, I read my holiday story, "Have You Known Me Lately," and I think the event went well. The audience was lively, kindly laughing at my jokes and asking good questions during my Q&A. The best question was from a young brother who was not reared in this country. "What do you mean by hickey?" he wanted to know. I let someone else fill him in.
Here's the photo album.
And, Reedies, don't forget to add me on myspace!
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