Brian Doyle: Mesmerizing Northwest Author to Present at Saint Martin’s University

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By Lisa Herrick

“We are starving for story, our greatest hunger,” writes Brian Doyle in his most recently published novel, “The Plover” 

saint martins speaker
A new lecture series is named after Saint Martin’s University English Professor, Les Bailey, PhD.

Every night, I go to bed ravenous. Not because I have not eaten enough or that I am empty of food but, rather, because I am craving stories. On my night stand is the book “Mink River.” If a book gets promoted to my nightstand, it is a must read. “Mink River” and the one or two other books that, at any given time, get upgraded to nightstand status, often do so because it is one of the nearly 100 novels my voraciously reading mom savors per year.

My mother selectively recommends books to me, knowing that my pace of reading pales in comparison to hers. I likely read one to her 10. How beautiful that we are now of the age where we can share in the reading and discussion of great works of literature such as from author Brian Doyle, who penned “Mink River.” The novel tells of a small, fictional town on the Oregon coast.

Even more poignant for me, I just “inherited” my dear Aunt Bettye’s signed copy of “Mink River.” She recommended the book to her multi-generational book club. It seems if an author can resonate as Doyle did within my family — spanning three generations of readers and being selected for discussion within each of our book clubs — then he is likely well worth the time to read and meet. I will be inviting my book club to join me on October 8 at Saint Martin’s University to meet the highly acclaimed author.

Doyle is the editor of Portland Magazine at the University of Portland. He is the author of 14 books.  He recently published “The Plover,” the story collection “Bin Laden’s Bald Spot,” the nonfiction books “The Grail” and “The Wet Engine,” and many books of essays and poems. Doyle writes about marriage, struggle, his son’s heart defect and the surgeons who helped him, Oregon pinot, writing and grumpy saints.

Doyle will be Saint Martin’s University’s inaugural speaker for the Les Bailey Writers Series. The title of his presentation reflects his witty language play and the topics he will address: “Grace under duress, stories as food, laughter as a weapon against the dark, courage when it doesn’t make any sense and minor further discussion of basketball, writers, hawks, headlong children, the prevalence of miracles and thorny holiness.” Doyle is known to provoke deep thought as well as create laughter.

saint martin speaker
Author Brian Doyle will be the speaker in the inaugural Les Bailey Writer Series at Saint Martin’s University on October 8.

The series is presented by the Saint Martin’s University’s English department with funding from the Leslie G. Bailey Endowment. The endowment honors the gifted and inspiring Saint Martin’s University English Professor Les Bailey, Ph.D. A 1964 Saint Martin’s alumnus, Bailey returned to his alma mater in 1975 as a faculty member, continuing to teach until his death in 2010.

Associate Professor of English Jeff Birkenstein, Ph.D., who chairs Saint Martin’s English Department, says the University could not have found a more suitable author for the inaugural session of the series. “The writers series is a fitting part of Les Bailey’s legacy and Brian Doyle is a natural author to bring to Saint Martin’s,” Birkenstein says.  “I have used his work in my own classes, most notably his excruciatingly beautiful poem about the morning of 9/11, “Leap.”  In just a few prose paragraphs, he captures so much that is, no doubt paradoxically, good about that horrible morning. Mr. Doyle has much to teach us.”

The event will be held Wednesday, October 8, at 7:00 p.m. in the University’s Norman Worthington Conference Center, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE. It is free and the public is invited to enjoy the lyrical, unique and alluring style of the award-winning author as he talks about his craft and reads from his works.

After seeing Doyle, I plan to enjoy a conversation with my mom about Doyle’s books and presentation. Doyle once commented via email to the Mother Daughter Book Club.com about the value of parents reading the same book as their children: “Oh man the shared time, the shared voices, the shared adventure – isn’t that all a language of love? And they will be so soon gone, so soon launched – what could be cooler than swimming in story together?”

Come swim in Doyle’s stories – his poems, novels and essays, whether as an independent dip, a book club float or a parent-and-child splash.

 

Author Brian Doyle

Saint Martin’s University’s Les Bailey Writers Series

Wednesday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Norman Worthington Center

 

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