Boomerpdx Discovers New Oregon History

And Roosevelt High School Rough Writers. 

What pops into your mind when you hear the word “History?”

Big books? Musty libraries? A gray bearded professor in tattered tweed?

It’s all part of history, just not the appealing part.

Why not make your own appealing history? Lay down the five pound doorstop of a book.

Take off your library-flu mask and step outside the classroom.

Then what?

The history of YOU doesn’t mean a first person diary of your day, your week, or even your year.

The history of you is the filter of perception you apply to the world, whether old world or new. It’s you in your neighborhood, your city, and your state, and what it means now.

Once a year the Oregon Historical Society opens their doors for Holiday Cheer. Step inside to find authors spread over two floors of tables with their books. Is it an historical event? Of course.

A group of authors showing up in a history museum to sell books before Christmas is a good idea. Maybe not a book sized idea, but it is a chance to see the faces of idea-obsessed people. If you’ve ever written more than a Christmas card, you know obsession is the right word.

You’ll find what you’re looking for. You’ll find new ideas stacked to the ceiling, and it’s a high ceiling. Most important, you’ll find writers, those magical people behind the books.

While you walk the aisles you’ll notice something different from bookstores and Costco: authors speaking to customers.

Ever wonder where ideas come from? Wonder how they grew so big only a book could contain them? Ask a writer.

The people at the book tables took the time to condense their ideas until they fit between two covers. From the first time authors, to the old hands, they share a labor of words. They make an unknown world come to life in their readers without a remote control or game box.

It’s no surprise to find baby boomers all over the place. As writers and readers, they might be the last generation to appreciate the effort it takes to do both. You get that from people who either grew up on black and white television with two channels, or know those who did. They could choose between bad TV or good books.

Boomers might be the leaders of the pack today, but the page is turning. Who will pick up the slack when each year passes?

The image at the top of this post asks the same question. There’s inside and outside. Where do you want to be?

Look at the wall mural of the Oregon Historical Society. You might think any table set below it would find distracted visitors.

That’s where Kate McPherson set up shop with Roosevelt High School’s Rough Writers. And there were no distractions. She had a message and book, and both were on target.

Will they pick up the slack? They’re doing it now. Will they work their ideas into tomorrow’s writing? They’re not waiting.

The pace of change speeds up all the time. You hear about it from technology. New editions, new versions, and updates flood the news and your mailbox.

Why not slow down and let things sink in. That’s what readers do, take their foot off the gas a moment before going pedal to the metal again.

If that’s you, dig in. Take a book home. Give one for a present. If the Rough Writers don’t wait, why would Portland boomers?