Ooligan toasts Alive at the Center

It was a night of excitement and jubilation as authors, creators and bibliophiles gathered at the Literary Arts center in Southwest Portland. The audience overflowed the cozy book-filled room on Friday, sharing drinks, discussions, laughter and poetry.

They gathered to celebrate Ooligan Press’ most recent release—Alive at the Center: Contemporary Poems From the Pacific Northwest, the first in the press’ Pacific Poetry Project series.

Ooligan Press is an educational publishing company staffed by Portland State graduate students in the publishing program under the supervision of instructors and publishing professionals.

According to the book’s description, “Alive at the Center aims to capture the thriving poetic atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest. It concentrates on the three major cities that define it—Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, [British Columbia]. This anthology, compiled and edited by an outstanding poet from each city, is a cultural conversation among the unique urban communities whose perspectives share more than just a common landscape. Alive at the Center features distinctive, contemporary poets who speak to the individual spirits of these Pacific Northwest cities.”

The book is an anthology in three parts divided by location, said Jyoti Roy, a member of Ooligan Press.

“The anthology is three years in the making and spans three cities. It’s what makes up these cities,” Roy said. “Poetry is…about a collective view of the world, and that is what we wanted to capture.”

The book was edited by poets from each city, who collected works that they felt best represented their communities and encapsulated the essence of their location. Susan Denning, the program director of Literary Arts, co-edited the Portland section and hosted the book launch.

“Alive at the Center. What a great accomplishment,” Denning said. “It is no small feat.

“Looking through this collection—what a great community of poets we have,” she continued.

The Portland event was the last in a series of book launches held in each of the three cities the book features. The release party featured readings by poets who appear in the local edition of the anthology, including Carl Adamshick, Emily Kendal Frey and Paulann Petersen.

Authors like Leah Stenson, who was one of the Portland editors for the anthology, shared poems featured in the collection and offered insight into the creative process.

“Working on this book has really given me an appreciation for the diversity and talent we have here [in Portland],” Stenson said.

Some of that talent includes John Sibley Williams, a former student of Ooligan Press whose work is included in the book.

“I was an Ooligan student, and it is a pleasure seeing it from the beginning to end. It is a wonderful achievement,” Williams said.

The book is out now and available at Powell’s Books, IndieBound and Amazon.com.