Glen Went With James Patterson
His VA benefits had just been cancelled, and he was trying to figure out what to do.
Ajax Was Psyched to Find Obama
He said he'd been meaning to read Dreams of My Father, and there it was for him in the library's collection. He said he really likes Michelle Obama, and he shook his head and said "Just wish she could have been friends with Lady Diana, you know? What a pair they'd make..." I asked him why he was a fan of Diana's and he said that she was just a normal person thrust into a formal, royal situation. When really, all she wanted was a hamburger. "She sent her people out to get her a regular hamburger," Ajax said. "She did that sometimes."
Jaime Prefers Video Games
So he said he'd leave the books for other people. He was selling newspapers at the market in the Park Blocks. He told me his favorite musician is Michael Franti, and that at a Portland show one time, Jaime was selling newspapers to a line of people waiting to see Franti perform. Nobody was buying papers, he said. Then all of a sudden, Franti appeared from the back of a limo and greeted Jaime and gave him tickets to the show, a CD of all his songs, and invited him backstage afterward. Franti is a musician who has made a film about people in Iraq, Palestine & Israel, hoping to bring attention to the effects of war on ordinary people. Jaime says Franti walks barefoot everywhere he goes, so occasionally gets turned away from hotels and restaurants. "Until he shows them his Visa card," Jaime says. "Then they open the doors wide."
Charlie Finished Abbey
Said he then gave The Monkey Wrench Gang to an autistic kid, ("But he's good for it," he said). Charlie took Blindness by José Saramago for this week's reading. Took time off from selling his newspapers to pose with the book.
Mercy Corps Hosts Street Books
Portland's own Mercy Corps will be hosting the Street Books library through the summer at their Action Center, located next to Skidmore Fountain downtown. Stop by and get a look at the project up close. Big thanks to Mercy Corps for their support of Street Books, and for all the work they do globally to help people in need.
Michael Chose Psychology
His book by the Reverend Wing F. Fing is a guide to the happy acceptance of everything. Michael was fresh from the hospital, with the wristband still on his arm.
Adam Liked Portland Noir
Local author & bookseller Kevin Sampsell edited the collection of noir stories by Portland writers, and Adam decided to give it a read.
Roxie Went With Mary, Mary
Tried to get her dog to pose for the photo, but he tucked his head back under the blanket at the last minute. She said her pack had been stolen the night before, and she'd lost brand new Sharpies and a journal. The good news: she was only 2 weeks into the new journal.
Nolan Chose Trask
The first time I ever met Nolan was in Chinatown, where he was sitting on his bedroll reading a paperback. He said he thought the Street Books project sounded good, and that I should definitely stock some Louis L'Amour titles. When we ran into each other at Skidmore Fountain the next week, Nolan said he'd had a rough night, and showed me a scuff on his head and a wound on his hand. He looked through the library and chose Don Berry's Trask. It takes place in Oregon, and the main character is a mountain man, traveling the wilderness alone. Nolan said he'd been in Portland too long, and that he was thinking of heading north. We shook hands and he headed through the crowd of Saturday Market shoppers, his paperback tucked under one arm.
Street Books Crashed the Rose Parade
And lent books at Right 2 Survive's peaceful direct action. They'd set up camp along the parade route the night before, to bring attention to the city's policy of legalizing camping on the evening before the parade, so that parade-goers can save a sweet spot along the route. Three hundred & sixty-four days a year, camping is still illegal, and people who live outside in Portland are criminalized for doing so, wakened by police in doorways and under bridges, and told to move on. But once a year, anybody can pitch a tent.
Patrick Likes Stuart Woods
Says he spent most of 2006 in the hospital for his heart, and read about 20 Stuart Woods titles. But he hasn't read Cold Paradise yet, so he's pleased to discover that in my Street Books library.
Ryan Carries Bellow & Kerouac
I was technically off-duty from my Street Librarian position, walking in Hollywood without my bicycle library, and Ryan was standing with a sign that said “Indigent,” outside the Rite-Aid. The text on his sign asked for money for a place to stay, and had a little paper-clipped piece of paper that he could switch the number on. It said “8” to go, meaning 8 more dollars. I stopped to tell him about Street Books and then looked down at his feet to see a couple of books. “Wait,” I said. “You’ve already got books.” He smiled. “Yeah.” It was a Saul Bellow reader, and a Kerouac book, (I forget the title, but Ryan said “This one isn’t as good. The writing is super drunk and rambling. He doesn’t even try to hid his identity anymore, just goes by Jack Kerouac.”) Ryan’s twenty-five and comes from Cleveland. Said he’s got a wife there. He is a hell of a reader. Said he’d just “finished the Russians” and now he’s in the market for something French, like Celine.
Celia Took the Baby Goose
Elizabeth was afraid she couldn't take care of it, so Celia, Assistant Librarian and Keeper of Small Helpless Animals, tucked it in her sweatshirt and headed to look for a bus that might take her to the Audubon Society. Not in her job description, but then, she works for a street library.
Megan Wanted Kesey
She said she'd seen the movie version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and now she wanted to try the book. She was also interested in children's books, since she's got a two-year-old. She's due in July with her second, and she posed her book in front of her growing belly for a portrait. She said she thinks a street library is a great idea, because a book really helps to pass the time.
Martin Carries the Torah
He says he'd better not add anything to his carefully packed bicycle -- even a paperback book could take him over. He tells me about riding the train coast to coast, about growing orchids and working for the Rockefellers. When we part, we shake hands and he says "You made my day."
Thomas Requested Cold Mountain
He checked out a comic from Dark Horse, but said he'd like to read Charles Frazier's book, Cold Mountain. A few days later, I found a copy for him at the very stellar bookshop Second Glance Books, at 4500 NE Sandy Blvd. (Stop in and visit Rachelle, who gave me a deal on books and offered more for donation to Street Books -- great selection in her shop). On Saturday I'll be at the Park Blocks again, looking for Thomas so I can give him his book.
Marvin Likes Books About Building Things
He likes to read about how to use tools in carpentry and construction. It's hard to find books like that anymore, he says. It's a Wednesday, and he's headed to see the giant Navy ships come into port, since he still hasn't found a job, and so the day is wide open. It's a gray day at Skidmore Fountain, and chilly. I watch two police officers on horses rouse a group of three people, sleeping amid a tangle of bicycles and shopping carts, sleeping bags and plastic bags. The cops pause to have their pictures taken with a group of school children on a field trip. Then they go back to rousing the people. One of those just wakened is a kid who looks to be fifteen or sixteen. He paces around, agitated, and when he passes close to me, I ask if he'd like a book. He shakes his head and looks away, and I can feel the misery radiating off him.
Charlie Chose Edward Abbey
He saw me at Skidmore Fountain, biking the library along, and said "Hello, Sweetheart. Let's do this. Whatcha got?" He perused the collection and chose The Monkey Wrench Gang. Charlie said that back in the day he was an intern for Edward Abbey, in charge of food and drink and driving him around, but that Abbey got drunk and took off and left him in the desert. [vimeo video_id="24755675" width="320" height="480" title="Yes" byline="No" portrait="Yes" autoplay="No" loop="No" color="00adef"]
Fred the Firefighter Loves Jane Austen
At the fire station at Skidmore Fountain, Fred looked over the library collection and asked me how I decided what titles to feature. I told him I wanted to offer a mix of everything, like a regular library, and not force Jane Austen on a somebody who wasn't up for it. Fred grinned and said he likes Austen a lot. Then looked over his shoulder at the station and said, "Don't let the guys inside know." Sorry Fred. Your secret's out. [vimeo video_id="24706558" width="300" height="500" title="Yes" byline="No" portrait="Yes" autoplay="No" loop="No" color="00adef"]