The Russian author Leo Tolstoy said, “spring is the time of plans and projects.” Now that spring is here, the volunteers and membership of the library hope everyone’s plans include enjoying the library at 131 N. Hemlock in downtown Cannon Beach.
Visitors to the library will see a different fundraising raffle this year. In years past, the library has raised funds by raffling off beautiful quilts, either stitched by library volunteers or donated by generous supporters.
This year’s fundraising raffle is for a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted stained glass window designed and created by Cannon Beach artist Mary Schoessler especially for the library. The 13 x 19 inch window features a book-loving octopus who is nestled among seashells and starfish while reading a book titled “Tide Pool Tales.”
Tickets for the raffle are now available. Prices are $1.00 for one ticket; $5.00 for six tickets; and $20.00 for 25 tickets. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the library or online through the library’s website (www.cannonbeachlibrary.org). The drawing for the stained-glass window will take place during the library’s Holiday Tea on December 7.
The stained-glass octopus isn’t the only one enjoying a good book. The Cannon Beach Reads book club will meet at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, to discuss “One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder,” by Brian Doyle. This will be a hybrid meeting with participants able to take part in the discussion in-person at the library or virtually from home. The link for those wishing to “Zoom” in from home is available by emailing book club coordinator Joe Bernt, at berntj@ohio.edu.
Brian Doyle was a versatile and prolific writer who, during his lifetime, published 28 books, including essay anthologies, poetry collections, novels, short story collections and even a work of juvenile fiction. His essays appeared in Harper’s, The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times and The Times of London. He was the long-time editor of Portland Magazine, which during his tenure won the Sibley Award for best magazine of the year. Doyle received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, as well as three Pushcart Prizes. His books were finalists for the Oregon Book Award seven times.
So it isn’t surprising that Doyle is a perennial favorite with members of the Cannon Beach Reads book club; this is the fifth Doyle book to be selected by the group since 2018. Past books were “Mink River,” “Martin Marten,” “Chicago” and “The Plover.”
“One Long River of Song” is a posthumous collection of Doyle’s essays, selected by Doyle’s editors and published two years after Doyle died of a brain tumor at the age of sixty. The proceeds from the sale of this book of 81 essays were earmarked for Doyle’s wife and children.
Doyle was noted for writing about friendship, love, family life, childhood memories, nature and the need for compassion, kindness, and reverence. All of these themes are evident in this collection, whose first essay begins as a discussion of hummingbird hearts, then morphs into a consideration of the pain and glory of the hearts in all creatures. In the last essay, Doyle admits about himself, “no one ever laughed more at the ocean of hilarious things in this world, or gaped more in astonishment at the wealth of miracles everywhere every moment.”
Doyle was also known for an exuberant writing style that was long on lists, colorful adjectives and evocative adverbs, but short on punctuation, especially commas. The reason for his style, as he explained, was he wanted, “ to write like I’m speaking to you.”
Bob Lundy will lead the discussion, which will begin at 7 p.m., on Wednesday, April 17, at the library and online. Coffee and cookies will be provided at the library. New members, whether in person or online, are always welcome.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, April 20, Sindya Bhanoo, the 2023 recipient of the Ken Kesey Oregon Book Award for fiction, will be discussing her short story collection, “Seeking Fortune Elsewhere.” This will be a hybrid event; participants can enjoy her talk in-person at the library, or online through the library website (www.cannonbeachlibrary.org).
Bhanoo’s talk is co-hosted by the library’s NW Author Speakers Series and by Portland’s Literary Arts organization, the sponsor of the annual Oregon Book Awards which recognize the work of outstanding Oregon writers. Literary Arts celebrates award recipients during an Oregon Book Awards Authors Tour, which this year includes Bhanoo’s presentation at the library.
“Seeking Fortune Elsewhere” is a collection of eight short stories that explore the experiences of South Indian individuals and families who have either remained in Tamil Nadu or have immigrated to the United States. In its own way, each story explores how characters deal with heartache, loss or disappointment, often in the context of immigration.
In the opening story of the collection, “Malliga Homes,” a South Indian widow longs for the old days when children stayed close to home, instead of seeking their fortunes in the U.S., as her own daughter has done; thus leaving her mother to live in a nice, but lonely, retirement home in Coimbatore, India, a place she describes as being “for those who have nowhere else to go,” because they have, like her, “lost sons and daughters to Foreign.” The story was awarded the prestigious O’Henry Prize.
The final story in the collection, “Three Trips,” explores the often-jarring experiences of Taruni, the child of successful South Indian immigrants, as she visits her not-so-successful relatives in Tamil Nadu.
In between are stories about a professor whose career is ruined because of cultural differences; a divorced mother of the bride who regrets her estrangement from her daughters; a mother who is grieving the son she has lost to a school shooting; South Indian women who breathlessly follow the fortunes and misfortunes of a former classmate who became famous, powerful and eccentric; a young girl who resents her father for quitting his teaching job and becoming a traveling guru; and a traditional South Indian woman who finally finds the strength to defy her husband.
Critics have described “Seeking Fortune Elsewhere” as a “stunning debut” by “a great new talent,” with characters who “live and breathe like real people.” Sidya Bhadoo, herself the child of South Indian immigrants, is a writer, journalist and teacher. A former reporter for the New York Times and The Washington Post, she currently teaches journalism and creative writing at Oregon State University.
April is National Poetry Month, and the library’s youngest patrons will celebrate at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 27, during a Bilingual Story Time titled “It’s Rhyme Time.” Volunteers will read poems in English and Spanish, then children will make poetry-themed collages, enjoy treats and take home a free book. Target age is pre-k to eight, but all are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
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