Second Sunday, Deschutes Public Library’s monthly celebration of the written word, welcomes two Oregon poets on Sunday, September 11, 2pm at the Downtown Bend Library: Deborah Akers and Darlene Pagán. Both authors have recently released poetry collections from Portland-based Airlie Press.
The poems in Akers’ partly fallen reside quietly, yet not quite in peace. They summon a natural world that is unsentimental yet bound to the dearly flawed human arc. Her spare lyrics reach for the essence of what we know as sensory beings, and perhaps what we can dream beyond the senses. Withpartly fallen, Akers walks the reader down a narrow yet deeply rendered path into the world’s broken heart.
In Setting the Fires, by Pagán, fire is a literal combustion and a hunger that claims both the natural world and the human heart. Whether in the passion between lovers, the wonder of childhood, the threat of violence or in the seeds of inspiration, fire is an element of loss and destruction necessary for renewal and cleansing.
Books from both authors will be available for sale. An open mic follows their readings.
In addition to Setting the Fires (Airlie Press 2015), Darlene Pagán is the author of Blue Ghosts, a poetry chapbook. Her poems and essays have appeared in journals such as Field Magazine, Calyx, Hiram Poetry Review and Literal Latté, and have earned national awards and nominations for Pushcart Prizes and Best of the Net. She teaches writing and literature at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.
Deborah Akers’spartly fallenwas released by Airlie Press in 2015. Her collection backward pilgrim was released in 2013 (I-Beam Books). Deborah’s poems have appeared in journals including The Beloit Poetry Review, Chicago Review, Yellow Silk, Hubbub, VoiceCatcher and Writers Almanac. She has received several Pushcart Prize nominations. Deborah makes her living as an educational editor and writer.
For more information about this or other library programs, please visit the library website at www.deschuteslibrary.org. People with disabilities needing accommodations (alternative formats, seating or auxiliary aides) should contact Liz at 541-312-1032.
The Deschutes Public Library, located in the high desert of Central Oregon, serves more than 160,000 Deschutes County residents through libraries in Bend, La Pine, Redmond, Sisters and Sunriver. Outreach services to senior centers, day care providers, and homebound residents are an integral part of the Library. The Library’s website provides access to hundreds of resources, magazine articles, downloadable eBooks, and more from the comfort of home and work. And, the Library offers free and dynamic cultural programming for all ages to enrich our daily experience and encourage all residents to Know More.