Portland Lindy Hop Events September 28-October 5

The Week of September 28-October 5

Wednesday September 28


Thursday September 29

7:30-11:00pm Bridgetown Sextet Live!
PPAA (618 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:30 Live Music by Bridgetown Sextet

Friday September 30

6-8pm Anna Paul and the Bearded Lady at Secret Society
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
6-8 pm Live Music by Trashcan Joe

Saturday October 1

6pm-12am Swing Time Speakeasy
Drinking Age Only, 21+ 
Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
6-8pm Pete Krebs and the Portland Playboys
9pm-12am Anna Paul and the Bearded Lady

7-10pm Swing Outside into the Fall
Peninsula Park (700 N Rosa Parks Way, Portland)
7-10pm DJ'd Music

Sunday October 2

7-11:00pm Sunday Swing
Scottish Rite (1507 SW Morrison, Portland)
7:00 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:00-11:00pm DJ'd Music
http://www.stumptowndance.com/

Monday October 3

6:30-8:30pm Beginning to Beyond Beginning Swing with Josh and Emily McLaughlin
Wimbledon Square (2837 SE Colt, Portland)
6:30 Drop-in Lesson
7:30-8:30 Dance Practice
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138845799520031

7:30-9:30pm Guided Swing Practica
Lower Melody Ballroom (615 SE Alder, Portland)
http://www.stumptowndance.com/

9-11pm Kung Pao Chickens
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Laurelthirst Public House (2958 NE Glisan, Portland)

Tuesday October 5

7:30-12:30 Tuesday Blues
Lenora's Room (615 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Intermediate Blues Lesson
8:30 Beginning Blues Lesson
9-12:30 Dj'd Music

Wednesday October 6


7:00-11:00pm Weekly Swing
McMinnville Grand Ballroom (325 NE 3rd St, McMinnville)
7:00-8:00 Beginning Swing Lesson
8-11:00 DJ'd Music

Upcoming Events!

October 12-16 Sun Valley Jazz Festival (Sun Valley, ID)
October 22-23 Workshop with Andy and Nina (Portland, OR)
October 29 Midnight Serenaders Halloween Bash at the Secret Society (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
November 25-27 Brenda Russell and Steven Mitchell Dance Workshop - Lindy/Blues/Waltz (Portland, OR)
December 2-4 Killer Diller Weekend (Seattle, WA)
March 2-4 Portland Lindy Exchange

Steampunk Book Release: Ganymede, The Immorality Engine, and All Men of Genius!

Happy Book Day to Cherie Priest, George Mann and Lev AC Rosen!

I've been looking forward to Ganymede for a long time.  I can't wait to sit down with this latest installment in the Clockwork Century.

I haven't gotten through the second book of Mann's Newbury and Hobbes series but it's nice to have something to look forward to once I do.

All Men of Genius is new to me but I look forward to seeing what Rosen has to offer.

All in all, it looks to be an awesome week for Steampunk books!  Must read faster!

NaNoWriMo Preparation Sept 25

I have a full, though very basic outline that takes me from the beginning to the end of the story with a couple of options for the epilogue.  It turns out that there will be four viewpoint characters despite my assumption and expectation of five.  I wanted five but right now everything seems to flow pretty smoothly so I’ll leave it as it is for now.  Even though I have the events set out, some of them are only tenuously connected to the viewpoint character at that point so I will have to figure out where the pieces fit together.

Current Brainstorming Progress:

• Outline goes through the basics from Beginning to Ending
• Identified Two Possible Outlines
• Have identified and named 4/4 Viewpoint Characters
• The Viewpoint Characters have clear motivations (but not much else)
• Done some basic World-building
• Settlement Structure
• Institutionalized Hierarchy
• Basic Outbreak Procedures

I feel better about my ability to churn out at least 50,000 words on this project and can look forward to spending the next few weeks getting to know my characters.

Review: Hellbent by Cherie Priest

Hellbent by Cherie Priest
Spectra, September 6, 2011
Genre: Urban Fantasy

From the back of the book:
Vampire thief Raylene Pendle doesn’t need more complications in her life. Her Seattle home is already overrun by a band of misfits, including Ian Stott, a blind vampire, and Adrian deJesus, an ex-Navy SEAL/drag queen. But Raylene still can’t resist an old pal’s request: seek out and steal a bizarre set of artifacts. Also on the hunt is a brilliant but certifiably crazy sorceress determined to stomp anyone who gets in her way. But Raylene’s biggest problem is that the death of Ian’s vaunted patriarch appears to have made him the next target of some blood-sucking sociopaths. Now Raylene must snatch up the potent relics, solve a murder, and keep Ian safe—all while fending off a psychotic sorceress. But at least she won’t be alone. A girl could do a lot worse for a partner than an ass-kicking drag queen—right?

My Thoughts:

Hellbent turned out to be a fun, well paced romp throughout the country.  It’s hard to go wrong when the traveling companions are a paranoid vampire thief and an ex-Navy SEAL drag queen.  Hellbent delivers exactly what was promised: action, adventure, vampire political maneuvering and a chapter-long penis joke.

It was interesting to see more about the House structures in the vampire filled world that Cherie Priest has created.  I enjoyed the political posturing that ensued. 

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Hellbent, it still had a few things that didn’t quite work for me.  Voice-wise, I still don’t get the feel of a century old vampire from the narrator.  It holds up better than Bloodshot did but it still isn’t there yet.  I also felt there could have been more development of the plot investigating Project Bloodshot.  The addition of a certain character to the team is the only move forward toward Bloodshot which was interesting and exciting but it didn’t represent the forward motion that I would have liked to see.  

Hellbent added a lot of world-building and represents a considerable marshalling of the troops for a forward push.  There is enough action to satisfy and I both enjoyed and recommend reading Hellbent.  This series keeps improving as it goes on and I would certainly like to see another Cheshire Red novel in the future. 

Written as Part of the Speculative Fiction Challenge

Other September Reviews from the Speculative Fiction Challenge


More from Cherie Priest:
Bloodshot
Clementine

Review: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
DAW Books, September 2009
Genre: Urban Fantasy


From the Back of the Book:

The world of Faerie never disappeared: it merely went into hiding, continuing to exist parallel to our own. Secrecy is the key to Faerie's survival—but no secret can be kept forever, and when the fae and mortal worlds collide, changelings are born. Half-human, half-fae, outsiders from birth, these second-class children of Faerie spend their lives fighting for the respect of their immortal relations. Or, in the case of October "Toby" Daye, rejecting it completely. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating into a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, Faerie has other ideas.

The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose, one of the secret regents of the San Francisco Bay Area, pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby is forced to resume her old position as knight errant to the Duke of Shadowed Hills and begin renewing old alliances that may prove her only hope of solving the mystery...before the curse catches up with her.

My Thoughts:

To start off, Seanan McGuire also writes under the name Mira Grant (Feed, and Deadline) so I was excited to see what she could do with the world of Faerie.  I was not disappointed.  She put her own spin on the internal workings and politics of Faerie and those differences drove the plot along well.

I loved the variety of characters and for that matter creatures, especially Tybalt the King of Cats.  It's nice when authors remember that the Faerie world doesn't just contain Elves but also Selkies, Kitsune, Trolls, and Undine.  I found the way Faerie dealt with changelings to be very intriguing and it added more tension between Toby and other members of Faerie.

I thought that the mystery aspect of Rosemary and Rue was well-handled and the twist came as a surprise to me.  I loved how all the details came together.

Rosemary and Rue was a fun read and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series.  If you are looking to add more Urban Fantasy to your life, definitely give Rosemary and Rue a try.

Written as Part of the Speculative Fiction Challenge

Other September Reviews from the Speculative Fiction Challenge


More by this Author:
As Mira Grant:
Feed
Deadline

Portland Lindy Hop Events September 21-28

The Week of September 21-28

Wednesday September 21


Thursday September 22

7:30-11:00pm Thursday Swing
PPAA (618 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:30 DJ'd Music

Friday September 23

 9-12pm Trashcan Joe at Secret Society
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
9-12pm Live Music by Trashcan Joe

Saturday September 24

6-8pm Boy and Bean at the Secret Society
Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
6-8pm Live Music by Boy and Bean

Sunday September 25

3-6pm Workshop with Brenda Russell
Scottish Rite (1507 SW Morrison, Portland)
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128096753954694

7-11:00pm Sunday Swing
Scottish Rite (1507 SW Morrison, Portland)
7:00 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:00-11:00pm DJ'd Music
http://www.stumptowndance.com/

Monday September 26

6:30-8:30pm Beginning to Beyond Beginning Swing with Josh and Emily McLaughlin
Wimbledon Square (2837 SE Colt, Portland)
6:30 Drop-in Lesson
7:30-8:30 Dance Practice
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138845799520031

7:30-9:30pm Guided Swing Practica
Lower Melody Ballroom (615 SE Alder, Portland)
http://www.stumptowndance.com/

9-11pm Kung Pao Chickens
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Laurelthirst Public House (2958 NE Glisan, Portland)

Tuesday September 27

7:30-12:30 Tuesday Blues
Lenora's Room (615 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Intermediate Blues Lesson
8:30 Beginning Blues Lesson
9-12:30 Dj'd Music

7:00-11:00pm Weekly Swing
McMinnville Grand Ballroom (325 NE 3rd St, McMinnville)
7:00-8:00 Beginning Swing Lesson
8-11:00 DJ'd Music



Wednesday September 28

 

Upcoming Events!

September 29 Bridgetown Sextet at the PPAA (618 SE Alder, Portland)
October 12-16 Sun Valley Jazz Festival (Sun Valley, ID)
October 22-23 Workshop with Andy and Nina (Portland, OR)
October 29 Midnight Serenaders Halloween Bash at the Secret Society (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
November 25-27 Brenda Russell and Steven Mitchell Dance Workshop - Lindy/Blues/Waltz (Portland, OR)
December 2-4 Killer Diller Weekend (Seattle, WA)
March 2-4 Portland Lindy Exchange

Steampunk Book Release: Goliath!

Book 3 of Scott Westerfeld's Trilogy is now released into the wild.  Look for Goliath in Bookstores near you.  Or if you are behind, like me, celebrate the new release by purchasing Leviathan or Behemoth.

Review: Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez with Kristin Ohlson
Random House, December 2007
Genre: History, Women's Studies, Non-Fiction

From the Back of the Book:

Soon after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid to this war-torn nation. Surrounded by men and women whose skills–as doctors, nurses, and therapists–seemed eminently more practical than her own, Rodriguez, a hairdresser and mother of two from Michigan, despaired of being of any real use. Yet she soon found she had a gift for befriending Afghans, and once her profession became known she was eagerly sought out by Westerners desperate for a good haircut and by Afghan women, who have a long and proud tradition of running their own beauty salons. Thus an idea was born.

With the help of corporate and international sponsors, the Kabul Beauty School welcomed its first class in 2003. Well meaning but sometimes brazen, Rodriguez stumbled through language barriers, overstepped cultural customs, and constantly juggled the challenges of a postwar nation even as she learned how to empower her students to become their families’ breadwinners by learning the fundamentals of coloring techniques, haircutting, and makeup.

Yet within the small haven of the beauty school, the line between teacher and student quickly blurred as these vibrant women shared with Rodriguez their stories and their hearts: the newlywed who faked her virginity on her wedding night, the twelve-year-old bride sold into marriage to pay her family’s debts, the Taliban member’s wife who pursued her training despite her husband’s constant beatings. Through these and other stories, Rodriguez found the strength to leave her own unhealthy marriage and allow herself to love again, Afghan style.

With warmth and humor, Rodriguez details the lushness of a seemingly desolate region and reveals the magnificence behind the burqa. Kabul Beauty School is a remarkable tale of an extraordinary community of women who come together and learn the arts of perms, friendship, and freedom.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a fascinating look into the culture of Afghan women.  It gave so many different glimpses in the lives of the women encountered by Debbie.  So many of the women's stories were terrible and sad but there were also bright points.  Despite the very harsh culture which the Afghan's are recovering from, these women have found camaraderie and laughter together.  This book had the potential to be very melancholy but the voice of the author herself kept the tone light and generally positive.  I really liked the generally cheery tone of the book.

There were a few structural flaws within the book.  I think that it lost some of the power with the jumps in time and the occasionally disjointed presentation.  Overall, it didn't detract overly much from the novel.

This was one of the best books that I've read this year.  It is a book that will shape my world view for years to come.  One of the most powerful themes in the book is the comparison of the author's bad marriage to an itinerant preacher with those of the Afghan women and their abusive husbands with very few differences.  I highly recommend reading the Kabul Beauty School.

Portland Lindy Hop Events September 14-21

The Week of September 14-21

Wednesday September 14


Thursday September 15

7:30-11:00pm Thursday Swing
PPAA (618 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:30 DJ'd Music

9:30pm-12:30am Anna Paul and the Bearded Lady at Duff's Garage
Duff's Garage (1635 SE 7th Ave, Portland)
9:30-12:30 Live Music with Anna Paul and the Bearded Lady

Friday September 16

6-8pm Anna Paul and the Bearded Lady at Secret Society
Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
6-8pm Live Music by Anna Paul and the Bearded Lady

Saturday September 17


Sunday September 18

7-11:30pm Sunday Swing
Scottish Rite (1507 SE Morrison, Portland)
7:00 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:00-11:00pm DJ'd Music
http://www.stumptowndance.com/

Monday September 19

6:30-8:30pm Beginning to Beyond Beginning Swing with Josh and Emily McLaughlin
Wimbledon Square (2837 SE Colt, Portland)
6:30 Drop-in Lesson
7:30-8:30 Dance Practice
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138845799520031

7:30-9:30pm Guided Swing Practica
Lower Melody Ballroom (615 SE Alder, Portland)
http://www.stumptowndance.com/

9-11pm Kung Pao Chickens
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Laurelthirst Public House (2958 NE Glisan, Portland)

Tuesday September 20

7:30-12:30 Tuesday Blues
Lenora's Room (615 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Intermediate Blues Lesson
8:30 Beginning Blues Lesson
9-12:30 Dj'd Music

7:00-11:00pm Weekly Swing
McMinnville Grand Ballroom (325 NE 3rd St, McMinnville)
7:00-8:00 Beginning Swing Lesson
8-11:00 DJ'd Music

Wednesday September 21


Upcoming Events!

September 25 Workshop with Brenda Russell at the Scottish Rite (1507 SW Morrison, Portland)

September 29 Bridgetown Sextet at the PPAA (618 SE Alder, Portland)
October 12-16 Sun Valley Jazz Festival (Sun Valley, ID)

October 22-23 Workshop with Andy and Nina (Portland, OR)
November 25-27 Brenda Russell and Steven Mitchell Dance Workshop - Lindy/Blues/Waltz (Portland, OR)

December 2-4 Killer Diller Weekend (Seattle, WA)

NaNoWriMo Prep Week 1

I was reminded last week that National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is sneaking up on me again.  Every year that I do NaNoWriMo I get a little better prepared.  Last year I went in with an idea and about half a story's worth of an outline and I scraped out a win.  It was difficult and had it's fair share of word padding but I wrote 50,000 words in 30 days.  This year I hope to be even better prepared with a complete outline and a decent feel for my characters.  I've learned a lot about writing both through my participation last November and in the months following and I'm looking forward to giving it another go.

Current Brainstorming Progress:

• Dusted off and combined a few plot bunnies
• Figured out the Beginning and the Ending
• Decided on 2/? viewpoint characters, still unnamed
• I know that the "?" corresponds to the number of Acts there will be
• I know the fate and motivations of Viewpoint Character #1
• And I know, roughly, the Chain of Events he sets in motion

I think it's a good thing that I have a month and a half to keep brainstorming...

Review: Timecaster by Joe Kimball

Timecaster by Joe Kimball
Ace Books, June 2011
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller, Ecopunk

From the Back of the Book:

Chicago, 2064: Talon Avalon is bored.

Talon is a timecaster—one of a select few peace officers who can operate a TEV—the Tachyon Emission Visualizer—which allows the user to record events (most specifically, crimes) that have already happened. Violent crime is at an all-time low and there hasn’t been an unsolved murder in seven years. So Talon has little to do except give lectures to school kids—and obsess about his beloved wife’s profession as a licensed sex partner.

Then one of her clients asks Talon to investigate a possible murder. And when Talon uses the TEV to view the crime, the identity of the killer is unmistakable—it’s him, Talon Avalon. Someone is taking timecasting to a whole new level and using it to frame Talon. And the only way he can prove his innocence is to go off the grid—which even in 2064 is a very dangerous thing to do…

My Thoughts:

I'm really surprised that I haven't heard any buzz about this book!  Timecaster is the first science fiction novel written by Joe Kimball, a pseudonym for JA Konrath who has previously written thriller and horror novels.  Timecaster is full of interesting world-building: a virtual Utopian society with no violent crime, legalized drugs, institutionalized prostitution and life after oil.  Technology is a big feature in Timecaster, both in creating the setting and driving the plot. The technology that changed the role of the police is warped by a mysterious figure to do terrible things in the name of the protagonist Talon.  Combined with the vivid world-building is fast-paced action that made Timecaster a breeze to read.

Part of the World-building is that society no longer runs of oil products.  Everything is run on biofuel which means, that between transportation needs and food needs, animals and plant products are in high demand.  It becomes illegal to own anything made from animal and plant products and citizens are required to contribute either credits or plant matter.  Every available surface is covered in plants- roads, walls, floors, and ceilings included!  The details created with this are absolutely lovely if terribly sad since paintings and books are now illegal.

While I really enjoyed Timecaster, there were some scenes that detracted from my enjoyment of the story.  There were certain sexual scenes that disturbed me.  I don't mind sex scenes in my science fiction but the portrayals of non-consensual sex with a male victim were handled very poorly.  I don't think their inclusion added to the story at all and the only compelling reason to not have the sex scenes be consensual is to show just how "old-fashioned" and faithful to his wife the protagonist is.  It also would have been more convincing if the non-consensual gang bang hadn't gone on until a male tried to join in.  Overall, not a flattering portrayal of anyone's sexuality.

The action and plot were enough to carry me through the book and come out with generally fuzzy feelings for the novel but the portrayals of sexuality did detract from my appreciation.  It might not have been as big a trigger if there hadn't been as large a tendency toward Sex Positive Culture.  I would probably still recommend this book because I did really enjoy it but it isn't going to make a favorites list.  I'm also going to look forward to the sequel coming out later this year.

Written as Part of the Speculative Fiction Challenge

Other September Reviews from the Speculative Fiction Challenge

Revisiting: Bloodshot by Cherie Priest

My first read through of Bloodshot left me feeling very disappointed having really enjoyed Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century Books.  Earlier this week was the release of book 2 in the series, Hellbent, which prompted me to give Bloodshot another try.

I found that I did enjoy the narrative voice.  It still bothered me that the voice of Raylene sounded more like a modern woman than a vampire from the 1920's.  But the character voice didn't jar me out of the reading experience like it did the first time around.  Even though I really enjoyed my second read through of Bloodshot, I'd still hesitate to recommend this book due to my initial experience.

I already have Hellbent waiting to be read and I look forward to seeing more of the characters, especially Adrian/Sister Rose.  I certainly hope that Hellbent makes a better first impression than it's predecessor.

Portland Lindy Hop Events September 7-14

The Week of September 7-14

Wednesday September 7


Thursday September 8

6:00-8:00pm Portland Playboys at Duff's Garage
Drinking Age Only Please, 21+
Duff's Garage (635 SE 7th Ave, Portland)

7:30-11:00pm Thursday Swing
PPAA (618 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:30 DJ'd Music

6pm-Midnight Secret Society Anniversary Party

Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
6-8pm Live Music by The Stolen Sweets
9-Midnight Live Music by the Portland Playboys
Free!

Friday September 9

6-8pm Anna Paul and the Bearded Lady at Secret Society
Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell Ave, Portland)
6-8pm Live Music by Anna Paul and the Bearded Lady

8:30-11:30 Pete Krebs Trio
Press Club (2621 SE Clinton Street, Portland)



Saturday September 10


7-10:30pm Swing Outside Saturday
Peninsula Park (700 N Rosa Parks Way, Portland)
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=172103259533608

Sunday September 11

7-11:30pm Stumptown Dance 7th Year Anniversary with 12 Ave Hot Club Live
Scottish Rite (1507 SE Morrison, Portland)
7:00 Beginning Swing Drop-in Lesson
8:00-11:30pm Live Music by 12 Ave Hot Club
http://www.stumptowndance.com/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=157132824366268

Monday September 12

6:30-8:30pm Beginning to Beyond Beginning Swing with Josh and Emily McLaughlin
Wimbledon Square (2837 SE Colt, Portland)
6:30 Drop-in Lesson
7:30-8:30 Dance Practice
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138845799520031

7:30-9:30pm Guided Swing Practica
Lower Melody Ballroom (615 SE Alder, Portland)
http://www.stumptowndance.com/

9-11pm Kung Pao Chickens
Drinking Age Only, 21+
Laurelthirst Public House (2958 NE Glisan, Portland)

Tuesday September 13

7:30-12:30 Tuesday Blues
Lenora's Room (615 SE Alder, Portland)
7:30 Intermediate Blues Lesson
8:30 Beginning Blues Lesson
9-12:30 Dj'd Music

7:00-11:00pm Weekly Swing
McMinnville Grand Ballroom (325 NE 3rd St, McMinnville)
7:00-8:00 Beginning Swing Lesson
8-11:00 DJ'd Music

Wednesday September 14


Upcoming Events!

September 25 Workshop with Brenda Russell at the Scottish Rite (1507 SW Morrison, Portland)

September 29 Bridgetown Sextet at the PPAA (618 SE Alder, Portland)
October 12-16 Sun Valley Jazz Festival (Sun Valley, ID)

October 22-23 Workshop with Andy and Nina (Portland, OR)
November 25-27 Brenda Russell and Steven Mitchell Dance Workshop - Lindy/Blues/Waltz (Portland, OR)

December 2-4 Killer Diller Weekend (Seattle, WA)