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Another grant for Cascadia Magazine!
We received word last week that Cascadia Magazine was awarded a small grant from the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture to publish the work of four Seattle-based writers of fiction, essays, or poetry–and to pair them with the work of four visual artists from Seattle. We’re grateful to be selected, and excited about the project! As part of the grant we’ll also be organizing a public reading and discussion in December bringing together the writers and artists.
If you’re a Seattle-based writer or artist interested in submitting new work to us for this project, contact Cascadia Magazine here.
While the grant is a great vote of confidence for Cascadia Magazine, we still need your support to make this publication succeed. If you enjoy this daily newsletter and the original, high-quality writing we publish at Cascadia Magazine, please take a moment to visit our donate page and make a contribution. Recurring monthly sponsorships are a great way to help us achieve financial stability.
Thanks for reading! –Andrew Engelson
“OG Bird Rescue Man,” poetry Robert Lashley
Bellingham poet Robert Lashley has a brilliant poem online now at Cascadia Magazine: “OG Bird Rescue Man,” in which an elder gangster serves as a would-be savior in a broken neighborhood:
“The arcs of the busted jungle gym
lift and re-sheath their pipe swords,
lift every rock that interacts with his ash
as the swing set chains stop their hanging.”
Read the full poem, paired with gorgeous multi-media art by Seattle’s Barry Johnson here.
Changes to US endangered species act will hit Cascadia wildlife
OPB looks at the Trump administration’s proposed weakening of enforcement of the Endangered Species Act, which could have an impact on proposed protections for species in Oregon, including fishers. KNKX looks at how the rule changes could impact species in Washington, making it harder to protect sage grouse, and the island marble butterfly in the San Juan Islands. In related news, Joel Connelly at the Seattle PI looks at how Trump’s new pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management is a disaster for the Pacific Northwest.
Portland prepares for another alt-right/antifa conflict
Portland Mercury covers the lead up to an anticipated clash in Portland between right-wing groups such as the Proud Boys and left-leaning antifa supporters this Saturday–and many progressives worry that mayor Ted Wheeler’s police-heavy approach is fanning the flames. The Oregonian reports that 100 Portland groups have called for non-violence. And in related news, Spokane-area state legislator Matt Shea has been connected to a right-wing Christian group that trains young men for “bibilical warfare.”
Tsilhqot’in Nation fights a mine in BC
Judith Lavoie, writing for The Narwhal, takes an in-depth look at the Tsilhqot’in Nation’s 30-year fight against a mine proposed by Taseko corporation in north central British Columbia. During the final days of Christy Clark’s Liberal government, a permit was issued for a copper and gold mine in the pristine Nemiah Valley. ““We never gave up the land or ceded it. They are the greedy ones. They just want to make money. They have no respect for burial sites,” says one member of the Xeni Gwet’in band.
The story of a rancher who became vegan
At High Country News, read an essay by Laura Jean Schneider, who once founded a sustainable ranch in New Mexico. But during a time of personal crisis she left ranching, thought hard about its realities and impacts after moving to Port Townsend, Washington (where she now lives), and eventually became vegan. “I don’t believe anymore that there is an unspoken agreement between creature and owner in which good care is offered in exchange for life.”
Powell’s picks 25 classic Cascadia books
Portland’s most famous bookstore asked its booksellers to create a Pacific Northwest-based list of 25 Books to Read Before You Die. It’s a solid list with books by Beverly Cleary, Molly Gloss, Raymond Carver, Ruth Ozeki, Brian Doyle and Ursula K. LeGuin. Time to make some autumn reading plans!
That’s all the news, arts, and culture from across Cascadia that fits in a tiny newsletter. We’ll see you again tomorrow. –Andrew Engelson Photo credits: fisher by USFWS (public domain), artwork by Barry Johnson, Chilko Lake by Neal Mauldin via Flickr CC BY-ND 2.0. Cover of A Tale for the Time Being courtesy of Penguin Books.