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Northwest Passages: Brian Doyle
The public works department in the tiny coastal town of Neawanaka fixes everything. It is run by two men who have been dear friends since one pulled the other out of a river. In the opening scene of Brian Doyle's first novel, Mink River, they share a beer and salmonberries, and debate whether their public works mission goes too far.
Listen, my friend, says the taller man, holding his line of talk like a rope, did you ever consider that maybe the scope of public works as we have conceived it is too big altogether? I mean other towns and cities use their departments just to fix roads and sewer lines and streambeds and such.
We do those things.
But we are also prey to what I might call a vast and overweening ambition. I mean, really, to preserve history, collect stories, repair marriages, prevent crime, augment economic status, promote chess, manage insect populations, run sports leagues, isn't that a bit much? We even give haircuts.
The taller man is Worried Man. His shorter friend is Cedar. Neawanaka sits in "a little green cupped hand of a place," where a river drains into the sea and "the rain starts in November and doesn't really end, as a continous moist narrative, until July." Some peoples' people have lived here for five thousand years. Others arrived more recently, escaping Irish blight by boat.
A policeman addicted to Puccini lives here. So does a man who beats his son, and his son; a nun and a crow in love; a mother who kneels by the river, listening; a doctor who names each of his daily dozen cigarettes for the apostles, and a little boy with red, brown and black hair who whizzes through life on his bicycle until he speeds right off a cliff. They are intertwined by joy and trouble, and by mere proximity in time and place.
Although Mink River is Doyle's first work of fiction (and the first novel ever to be published by Oregon State University Press), he has written nine other books and dozens of essays. He writes about marriage, struggle, his child's heart surgery, Oregon pinot, writing, and grumpy, salty saints. He also edits Portland Magazine, published by the University of Portland. Doyle calls Mink River a song of Oregon, another chance at connection.
Deep in the bones of writers there is some shimmering urge to reach into someone's heart and squeeze it.
What writing squeezes your heart? What stories sing to you of Oregon? What Brian Doyle have you read?
Tagged as: books · brian doyle · coast · immigration · native americans · northwest passages · writing
Photo credit: Jerry Hart
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I cannot thank you enough for having Brian Doyle read that poem today. It was poignant and I appreciate it much.
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I have read a lot of Brian Doyle as we work together at UP. What I love best are his personal stories and what he writes about people who are special to the university. I bet we have the most well written and funniest honorary doctorate notations in the nation.
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I'm looking forward to hearing Brian talk about the nun and crow who are in love (presumably with each other); intriguing concept!
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Brian--tell us a story about kids! Or inspiration found in an unusual place: like while walking the streets of Downtown Portland.
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I'm thinking that Brian Doyle has experienced the birth of Compassion-Empathy in his heart.
That is all too rare.
And it is the core of teachings in all religions, but unteachable.
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I should clarify that Compassion can be described, can be taught about, but it can't be actually taught.
You can teach a person to experience stepping up onto a box but you can't teach them the experience of Compassion.
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I want to thank Brian, Emily and the TOL crew for an inspiring spot in the morning. I enjoyed Brians writing, will ookforward to reading his work andneeded his inspiring thoughts on the importance of stories to get back to my own storytelling practice.
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Brian Doyle - Your open, sweet conversation with Emily was so redeeming...in that you show how those little quizzical ideas of yours can weave into a story that 'let's the light out'....
I look forward to your next venture - the script which allows you, as you said, 'tell a story with bodies moving around on a wooden stage'. You are just so refreshing - wanting to write in every form!
(btw: My son just started at UoP and the culture there certainly fits your sense of compassion and joy. Glad he's there too!)
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"Leap" all the way!
Thanks,
Tag My Buddy
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I love reading Brian Doyle´s books. My favourite is Two Voices.
Irena from cheap web hosting - vps hosting
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"Leap" by Brian Doyle still makes me tear up.