Literary Series
2010 Community Events Title Sponsor - NW Natural
Literary Series
Mondays, May 31 - July 19
11:00 a.m.
Lan Su presents an eight week Literary Series featuring author lectures and workshops. All events are free with admission.
Seating is extremely limited.
Dr. Charles Wu - Introduction to the Chinese Garden as Respite From the World
May 31
Dr. Wu will tell and read stories from classical and modern Chinese fiction and drama that take place in the Chinese garden. These stories serve as vivid examples of the garden as “respite from the world." The stories will be taken from The Peony Pavilion, A Dream of Red Mansions, Six Chapters from a Floating Life, Family among others.
Sage Cohen - Writing the Life Poetic
June 7
Poetry is one of the great pleasures in life, and no one needs an advanced degree in creative writing to reap its rewards. Sage Cohen, author of Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry, will share some of her favorite approaches to living and writing a poetic life. Through prompts and exercises, she will invite writers of all backgrounds to experience their life through a poetic lens. Participants will discover new ways to think and write about the subjects that interest them—and get inspired to start capturing those observations on paper immediately.
Daniel Skach-Mills - Steeped in Words: The Poetics of Tea
June 14
Whether it’s an ode to oolong, or a paean to puerh, tea has been the source of poetic inspiration in China and around the world for millennia. In this class, we will cover the basics of Chinese ceremonial (or Gongfu) tea preparation and tasting; steep ourselves in poems and quotations written by tea lovers down through the ages; and pour out some tea-musings of our own. Come and discover what’s brewing in your pot!
Daniel Skach-Mills - Flowing Qi - Flowing Ink: Writing Your Life Energy
June 21
Developing a connection to one’s life force, or qi energy, is essential in all Taoist arts. Together, we will reawaken this felt sense of vital energy through a series of simple qigong movements, and by walking the Garden’s reflexology courtyard. Using the Garden as our inspiration, we will then write our “qi” experience - or, better yet, let it write itself. Wear loose-fitting clothing.
R. Gregory Nokes - Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon
June 28
R. Gregory Nokes will present historic photos of the Chinese experience in the American West including mining, railroad building, and more, plus photos related to the massacre in Hells Canyon with pauses to read from his book, Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon.
Melissa Ann Reed - Kindness
July 5
Lao Tzu wrote, “Kindness in words creates confidence”. Kindness evokes joy, ecstasy, compassion, the beauty of a garden, the truth of words that mend. Immerse in the Chinese Garden of kindness and a healing story from Strange Kindness. See what happens. Write.
Melissa Ann Reed - Walking Gratitude Meditation
July 12
Lao Tzu wrote “Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” Walking Gratitude Meditation - Contemplate seven questions while walking through the Chinese Garden and receive surprising emergent answers. Participnts will compose a question-answer dialogue poem of gratitude.
Anne Jennings Paris - Killing George Washington
July 19
Anne’s presentation will feature a mix of photographs, history, and poetry about Ing Hay, the “China Doctor of John Day, Oregon.” Ing Hay, a Chinese immigrant who came looking for gold but ended up staying in Oregon to become a pulse doctor and Chinese medical practitioner, is a fascinating character who not only crossed racial boundaries at a time when most Chinese people were kept on the fringes of society, but also saved the lives of 6,000 Oregonians through his traditional medical practice.
About the Authors
Dr. Charles Wu
While the Suzhou Institute of Landscape Architecture Design was planning Lan Su Yuan, Professor Wu served on the selection committee that determined the name of the garden and chose the Garden’s inscriptions. Before and since the opening of Lan Su, Professor Wu has given frequent presentations to docents and members on Chinese garden culture in his capacity as board member and cultural adviser. His translations of the Lan Su’s literary inscriptions, Listen to the Fragrance, have been an integral component of the docent training materials and all of the Garden’s publications.
Sage Cohen
Sage Cohen is the author of Writing the Life Poetic: An Invitation to Read and Write Poetry (Writers Digest Books, 2009) and the poetry collection Like the Heart, the World. She writes four monthly columns about the craft and business of writing and serves as Poetry Editor for VoiceCatcher 4. Sage has won first prize in the Ghost Road Press poetry contest, been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and been awarded a Soapstone residency. She teaches and lectures at libraries, universities, and writing conferences as well as online. Sage is publisher of the Writing the Life Poetic blog and zine; drop by and join in the conversation at http://www.writingthelifepoetic.typepad.com! To learn more about Sage, visit www.sagesaidso.com.
Daniel Skach-Mills
Daniel Skach-Mills is a poet, instructor, psychotherapist, spiritual teacher, and author of The Tao of Now (Ken Arnold Books, 2008). He has taught a wide range of classes, including: “Gods and Goddesses: Exploring Earth-Based Religion”; “Tibetan Buddhism: An Experiential Approach”; “Writing as Healing Art: The Poetry Prescription”; and “Downtown Tao: A Two Day Exploration of Classical Chinese Gardens,” which he was invited to present to the Associated Garden Clubs of Mexico City, Mexico. A former Trappist monk, he is currently a volunteer docent for Lan Su Chinese Garden.
R. Gregory Nokes
R. Gregory Nokes, author of Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon
Nokes first wrote about the murders of Chinese miners in 1995. His article, “A most Daring Outrage, Murders at Chinese Massacre Cove, 1887,” appeared in the Fall 2006 issue of the Oregon Historical Quarterly. His reporting on the subject has resulted in a formal designation of the massacre site as Chinese Massacre Cove. Nokes retired in 2003 after 43 years in journalism, including 25 years with The Associated Press and 15 years with The Oregonian in Portland. While with The AP, he was stationed in New York, San Juan, Buenos Aires and Washington, D.C., where he served as both an economics and diplomatic correspondent. He traveled to more than 50 countries during his career. Nokes graduated from Willamette University and attended Harvard University as a 1972 Nieman Fellow. Since retiring, he has embarked on a second career as a writer and lecturer on the experience of immigrant Chinese in the Pacific Northwest. He lives with his wife, Candise, in West Linn, Oregon.
Melissa Ann (Mei An) Reid
Melissa Ann (Mei An) Reed, Ph.D., studies the power of words to mend the soul and the world. A teacher of English Literature and Composition in the International Baccalaureate Program, she is also a poet, dramatist, Chinese calligrapher, brush painter, and author of Strange Kindness (University Press America, 2007).
Anne Jennings Paris
Anne Jennings Paris is a writer, artist, and teacher living in Oregon City, OR. She has a BA from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Creative Writing from San Jose State University. Anne’s collection of poetry, Killing George Washington, was released in the fall of 2009 by Ooligan Press. The book features a collection of narrative poems told from the perspective of five real people who helped to settle the American West.