Round Up

David Oates shared bits of his new book, What We Love Will Save Us, yesterday in the Cannell Room at Clark College's library. It was a pleasant hour of reading and discussion and I was glad to see him sell a few copies of the book. He took the odd turn of publishing it himself under his own imprint--Kelson Books--after several publishing houses rejected it. He felt the timeliness of the material warranted an immediate release: it deals largely with the effects of the Bush administration's brutality, narrow-mindedness, and criminality on the imaginative mind. But the experience of publishing has enthused David so much that Kelson Books is now working on releasing more titles. I'm eager to see what comes next.

Other news: Last week's whirlwind trip up to North Idaho to close down the lake cabin for the winter, though largely a chore, took us briefly through Spokane where we visited two new establishments that I can highly recommend:

First is Atticus, a coffeeshop and store located on Howard St. downtown (Bennett Block) in the space that has housed coffeeshops since time immemorial. It's owned and run by Kris and Andy Dinnison who also own and run Boo Radley's, a shop full of toys, books, games, and curios two doors down. I know Kris and Andy from way back when and I'm very happy to see them embark on a new project that so benefits downtown Spokaloo. Their dedication and devotion to Spokane is admirable. They poured me a great cuppa Joe too. Come for the coffee, stay to read the wallpaper: The entirety of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is pasted up on one wall!

Second is Madeleine's Cafe and Patisserie at 707 West Main, about two blocks away from Atticus. Our good friends Tod Marshall and Amy Sinnisterra recommended it for breakfast and it did not disappoint. I had french toast topped with whipped cream and berries (shared..no, GAVE them to Ian) and K had, if memory serves, something with cinnamon and apples piled on it. I need to return and explore their menu further. Here's their very attractive website: http://www.madeleines-spokane.com/ Koehler said he wants to make a Spokane North Idaho excursion down memory lane sometime this summer and I want to tag along. Maybe then, eh?

Speaking of Koehler, here's a link to his site and some pics from his book tour. The hand holding the mug of coffee is, predictably, yours truly: http://jeff-koehler.com/?p=286. The pear painting is mine too.

CD