Culture Features
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wRite: Grape Popsicle

Source Weekly

This is Eskimo Nell's story. I barely know her. We met at a gem and mineral show in the Little America hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona at least fifteen years ago. I have not seen her since then.
I bought a raw opal from her. She gave me two more for free – a brown opal and a sun fire. She had dug them from her little claim in Australia.
The brown opal was the size of the nail on my fourth finger. It was a tiny puddle of glint, green and pale blue against the rough brown of its matrix.
The sun fire opal was a rough blue cylinder no bigger than the first joint of my little finger. The surface was matte. She had chipped off a sliver so the gleaming interior was visible. “Put it in water,” she said, “and set it in a window in natural light. That way you'll see the fire.”

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The Imprint of Adam Haynes: From beer labels to landscapes, the local artist has an eye on the fringe

From beer labels to landscapes, the local artist has an eye on the fringe.
Source Weekly

Have you sipped a Deschutes Brewery Hop Trip recently?
If you have, you probably took a gaze at the bottle or tap label, and maybe without knowing it, experienced the work of Adam Haynes. Working as both a commercial and fine artist, the Bend-based illustrator's art can be seen on several lines of Deschutes brews and up on the mountain as the artwork for Gnu Snowboards. His intricate drawings of extreme riders that place the viewer in the snowboarder's boots, or on a bike at the top of a gnarly landscape, were the basis for the Nike 6.0 campaign, used on billboards and bus stops nationwide.

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Our Picks for 11/4 – 11/12: The Nature of Words, Swollen Members, First Friday, Jim Witty Book Release Party and more

Our Picks for the week of 11/4 – 11/12, 2009.
Source Weekly

The Nature of Words
wednesday-sunday 4-8
It's time again for Central Oregon's biggest literary celebration and this year the festival has brought in some high-powered wordsmiths for readings, book signings, workshops and more. The lineup includes Sherman Alexie, Matthew Dickman, Charles Goodrich, Seth Katner, Karen Karbo, Jane Kirkpatrick, Valzhyna Mort and Kim Stafford. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.thenatureofwords.org.
Sherman Alexie Unplugged
friday 6
This year's Nature of Words features an appearance by this National Book Award Winner (for Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) in an open forum where he'll read, answer questions and probably just run that hilarious mouth of his. Alexie's presentations are entertaining and sometimes delightfully profane – but in a good way. Ask him about the Seattle Supersonics if you really want to get him going. $45. 9am-11am Friday, Nov 6. Pinckney Center at COCC, 2600 NW College Way.

Posted inCulture

The Hemingway of Hoops: Sherman Alexie has a National Book Award, a new hit book, but I just want him to write more about basketball

Sherman Alexie has a National Book Award, a new hit book, but I just want him to write more about basketball.
Mike Bookey

Sherman Alexie has recently published War Dances, a much-praised collection of short fiction and poetry that he's referred to as a “mixtape” and when he appears at The Nature of Words next week, he will almost certainly read from this work.
Chances are his 2007 novel, Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which earned him a National Book Award for “Young People's Literature,” will also come up in his discussion. And it would be near shocking if Alexie didn't address the fact that this is the same book that was yanked from the in-class curriculum of Crook County schools because it – brace yourself – featured foul language and mentioned masturbation.

Posted inCulture

Why Modern Poetry Matters: A conversation with The Nature of Words featured poet Matthew Dickman

A conversation with The Nature of Words featured poet Matthew Dickman.
Suzanne Burns

Matthew Dickman is the exact kind of poet we need at The Nature of Words this year. Big of heart, generous of spirit. Playful. Accessible. At times uncomfortably honest. The Portland-born Dickman's bio reads like that of an author much older than 33: multiple poems and a feature profile (along with his twin brother, Michael, a poet in his own right) in the New Yorker; winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award; at the time of this writing, a finalist for the Oregon Book Award. All-American Poem is blazing a path through the world of modern poetry and I, for one, am smitten. Here's what Dickman had to say about his work, Jay Z and his appearance here in Bend next month.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for 10/21 – 10/29: Art For India, Warren Miller’s Dynasty, Larry and His Flask

Our picks for what events to check out in Central Oregon this week.
The Source Staff

Jubelale Art Tour thursday 22 to thursday 29 Are you the type of person who argues with friends about the all-time best label for Deschutes Brewery's Jubelale? Yeah, so are we. We recommend fans of the winter brew check out all the artwork from the 22 different labels at this traveling art show. Taste the beer, too! 10/22, 6-8pm at Jackson's Corner. 10/23, 5-7pm at PoetHouse Art. 10/28, 6-8pm at 900 Wall. 10/29, 5-7pm at Greg's Grill.
Larry and His Flask friday-saturday 23 and 24 There may be a day when the acoustic punks of Larry and His Flask sit down, kick up their road-battered feet and say, “Hey, let's take a break.” But we have no evidence that such a day is coming, an assertion backed up by the fact that after playing two shows on back-to-back nights in Bend, LAHF is hitting the road for yet another tour. Friday at the Domino Room (8:30pm, $6 with Tater Famine and Ether Circus) and Saturday at Silver Moon Brewing Co. (9pm, $3).

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for 10/14 – 10/22: Ignite Bend 3, The Federation, Tracorum, Eric Tollefson, Battle of the Bags

Our Picks for 10/14 – 10/22/2009 in Bend, Oregon.
The Source Staff

Ignite Bend 3
wednesday 14
The third installment of the Powerpoint presentation show hits the Tower this week with another wide variety of talks, as well as some music from Kousefly. Slideshows have never been this exciting and this time through, topics include fire, running, diabetes beer and walking, among others. $3 suggested donation. 6:30pm Tower Theatre, 835 NW Wall St.
Namaspa Movie Night: 2012: The Mayan Calendar
thursday 15
You've heard all the gloom and doom about 2012 by now and rather than sit aimlessly waiting for three years to pass so you can just get this all over with already, head to this documentary screening and get the facts (or, um, assumptions) on what the Mayans say about 2012. $5, kids free. Bring a chair or cushion. 7:30pm Thursday, Oct 15. Namaspa Yoga Studio, 1135 NW Galveston Ave.

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Still Reeling: We give you the run down on a few films to check out at this year's BendFilm Festival

We give you the run down on a few films to check out at this year's BendFilm Festival.
The Source Staff

With BendFilm on the horizon, providing four days of films split between six different screens, there's plenty to choose from. Here at The Source we've done the work for you to provide a suggested list of flicks to catch this weekend.
Documentaries:
The Road to Fallujah
This powerful documentary follows Mark Manning, who was the only Western civilian to live among the people of Iraq after the 2004 battle that destroyed the city of Fallujah. Manning and Iraqi journalist and humanitarian aid worker Rana Al-Aiouby helped deliver aid to the people of this beaten-down city and were able to document their experience. Thursday, Oct 8, 9pm, Regal 5.

Posted inCulture

Our Picks for 10/7 – 10/15: BendFilm Festival, Pumpkin Fest, The Janks, Pac Man Party

The Source Staff

BendFilm Festival
thursday 8 – sunday 11
The region's very own film festival is back and kicking this year with four full days of screenings split throughout town as well as out at the Sisters Movie House (for the first time ever). Check out BendFilm.org where you can download a complete list of films and their screening times, as well as the schedule for the parties. If you need help picking what you want to see, turn to the Culture page for Anne Picks' picks… that was a pun!
Ruins of Ooah, Basin and Range
thursday 8
If you missed Ruins of Ooah's booty rumbling set at Bend Roots a couple weeks back, don't make another stupid mistake (yes, missing that Roots set was indeed stupid) and get your didjeridu-loving self to the Summit where the band is playing with Eugene jazzy funkateers Basin and Range. Check out the Sound section for a profile of Ruins of Ooah., 9pm. $5. The Summit Saloon & Stage, 125 NW Oregon Ave.

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