Last week I went to a book reading at Powell’s with a friend. We’ve both been in a very introspective mood and looking for a little creative inspiration, so this felt like a great event to connect with a sense of community.

The book reading was for a recently published collection of flash essays by local Oregon authors. Brave on the Page focused on the process of writing- what those moments are like when pen is put to page, or idea takes form in dialogue, description and punctuation.

Here are some of my doodles from the short set of readings:

One of my bigger takeaways was the idea of being “brave”. Being creative requires courage. Thinking that your ideas are worthwhile enough to express in some way, and then having thick enough skin to show it to a critical world takes guts. That’s why I love the title of this book.

What was ESPECIALLY cool about this book is that it’s printed in house by Powell’s, in the middle of the bookstore. After the reading, we went down and watched a staff member print and bind a book. It’s amazing to me how technology has revolutionized the publishing process- it’s not feasible to write and publish your own books- and with a handy (and very expensive) printer and equipment, you could print it in your very own living room.