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In Praise of Not Knowing the Names of Birds:
poetry at Cascadia Magazine by Judith Barrington
Portland author Judith Barrington is a distinguished writer, having published numerous volumes of poetry, received a Lambda Book Award, and received accolades for her bestseller Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art. Her latest collection of verse is Long Love, and Cascadia Magazine is thrilled to publish a poem from that book entitled “In Praise of Not Knowing the Names of Birds.”
“. . . I cannot name the thumblet with wings that whirr
like the new kind of dentist’s drill —Rupert or Rufus
come to mind when I watch her at the scarlet feeder
but I cannot be sure: the flash of her arrival
too swift for color, is what matters in the long run. . . ”
Read the full poem online at Cascadia Magazine.
Now online at Cascadia Magazine
Swanson Occupation: The Fight for Wild Salmon
If you haven’t already, make time to read Mychaylo Prystupa’s excellent feature on the ‘Namgis First Nation’s fight to ban fish farms, which they say endanger wild salmon runs (a contention backed up by numerous studies by marine biologists). The full feature (plus Cascadia Magazine’s first video production) can be found by clicking this link.
BC fish processors in violation of environmental rules
Lynda Mapes, writing for the Seattle Times, reports on new findings that 70 percent of fish processing plants associated with British Columbia fish farms are out of compliance with environmental regulations. Meanwhile, Yes! magazine explores five reasons to recover wild salmon, from forest health to Indigenous rights. And if you haven’t read Cascadia Magazine’s report on the ‘Namgis First Nation’s fight for wild salmon, check it out!
Boise in shock over fatal attack on refugee families
Northwest Public Radio reports on the tragic story of a knife attack on refugee families living in Boise, Idaho–which resulted in the death of a three-year-old girl. Boise Weekly has more on the attack on the refugees, who’d fled violence in Ethiopia, Iraq, and Syria.
Eastern Oregon ranchers worry about beef tariffs, still support Trump
At OPB, Anna King reports on ranchers in eastern Oregon that are concerned about a trade war that’s seeing China slapping tariffs on beef exports. But despite the economic hit they may take, they generally still support Trump. Meanwhile, farm owners in Yakima, Washington expressed concern to the US secretary of agriculture that new immigration controls might hurt their industry.
Without housing, health efforts for the poor fall flat
At the Georgia Straight, Travis Lupick writes about a new study that finds money spent on medical care and mental health for the poor in Vancouver shows very poor results if patients are homeless. In related news, the Guardian reports on Seattle’s failure to pass a tax for affordable housing and services for the homeless under pressure from retail giant Amazon.
Ijeoma Oluo and Emmett Montgomery in conversation
City Arts has a great conversation between Seattle writer Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race) and comedian Emmett Montgomery. It’s a frank discussion about race, activism, and Seattle’s lack of support for the arts: “There’s a huge amount of wealth in this city that likes to say they live in Seattle for the art and culture, and they don’t want to put a penny toward it. Even just going to Portland, even going to Olympia, people expect to put a little money forth. And here, people will be like “$10, what!?””
Two poems by Portland’s Floyd Skloot
The latest edition of the American Journal of Poetry has two poems by Portland’s Floyd Skloot, including “Waiting.”
“In his final years my grandfather kept
in touch with worlds beyond the world I knew.
He seldom spoke to me. He seldom slept.
In bright light his milky eyes turned so blue
I thought his mind was holding only sky…”
Read the full poem online here. That’s today’s roundup of news and arts from across the Cascadia bioregion. Enjoy the sunny weekend! –Andrew Engelson Photo credits: cedar waxwings by Minette Layne, cover of Long Love courtesy of Salmon Poetry, fish farm by Mychaylo Prystupa, magazine cover courtesy of City Arts.