Blog

In her new book, Holy Moli, Hob Osterlund details the lives of albatross on Kauaʻi and her connection to them as her ‘aumakua, ancestors often manifested as sacred animals. Hob expresses her experiences with death, grief, and healing from the loss of her mother at a young age, while relating her stories to those of the albatross she serves. With a powerful bond to the albatross she quickly grew to love, Hob reveals the personal lives of moli. In Part 1 of the second OSU Press podcast, George P. Griffis intern Liz Pilcher spoke with Hob Osterlund over the phone to discuss Holy Moli.

OSU Press, Oregon Wildlife Foundation, and the Greenbelt Land Trust present Wild in the Willamette.

Wild in the Willametteis a guidebook to the natural treasures of the mid-Willamette Valley, extending far beyond the familiar 1-5 corridor. This reading and presentation by contributors to the book will describe a range of outings at different levels of challenge. Families with young children, day hikers, long-distance backpackers, kayakers, canoeists, bird watchers, and cyclists alike will find ideas for spending a satisfying afternoon or venturing outside for a multiday trip This reading and presentation will feature Henry Hughes, Abby Phillips Metzger, Michael Pope, and more. Part of our Authors Across Oregon reading series, this event is open to the public.

March 8th marks the day we celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the world: International Women’s Day! According to the United Nations, International Women’s Day has been celebrated since the 1900’s.

The first National Women’s Day was observed in the United States on February 28th, 1909. That date was designated in honor of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York where women protested against working conditions.

by Liz Pilcher, Griffis Publishing Intern

This month marks the 55th anniversary of the OSU Press. While there have been struggles throughout the history of the Press, many amazing things have been accomplished. We currently have about 250 books in print, and have published over 600 books total. 

OSU Press began as part of the Office of University Publications, who had long published a “Monograph Series.” These were research reports written by OSU faculty, mainly in the science departments, and published in pamphlet form. In 1961 there were 46 monographs in bacteriology, botany, economics, education and guidance, entomology, geology, history, literature and language, mathematics and statistics, political science, and zoology. They had cost an average of $1.20, for as little as $0.35 and $5.00 at most.

After a long day, sometimes the best way to relax is with a glass of wine. What better day to celebrate drinking wine than February, 18th - National Drink Wine Day? Oregon has an international reputation for its production of wine and there is an amazing journey starting with the seed planted in the soil all the way to the wine in your glass.

Here are some fun facts about wine from Willamette Valley Wineries:

Black History Month honors the significant role African Americans have in our society that is often overlooked in traditional history lessons. Wednesday, February 17^th, 2016, author Max G. Geier will have a reading and talk about his book The Color of Night: Race, Railroaders, and Murder in the Wartime West. This book highlights the murder trial of Robert Folkes who was charged with murder in rural Oregon. Folkes’ trial, controversial conviction, and resulting execution provokes thought about race, class, and privilege in Oregon.

In his forthcoming book, Reporting the Oregon Story, veteran journalist Floyd McKay documents his time as a reporter and political analyst from 1964 to 1986, when Oregon was undergoing some of it’s biggest changes. Starting with the election of Tom McCall as Secretary of State and Bob Straub as State Treasurer, the “Oregon Story” unfolded at a time when the relationship between politics and media was quite different from today. In the first-ever OSU Press podcast, George P. Griffis intern Liz Pilcher sat down with Floyd McKay at the Oregon Historical Society to discuss Reporting the Oregon Story. 

Liz Pilcher, the Griffis Publishing Intern at OSU Press, will graduate from OSU this year with a major in Digital Communication Arts. Her experience here at the Press has whetted her appetite for all things publishing-related, and inspired her to apply to the graduate publishing program at Portland State University.

Although OSU Press is the only university press in Oregon, the publishing program at PSU is home to Ooligan Press. Ooligan is a book publisher housed at a university. So why isn’t Ooligan a university press? Books published by university presses are subjected to a rigorous process of peer review --  an indispensible step in our mission to publish important works of scholarship. Ooligan, by contrast, functions much more like a commercial trade publisher, except that the publishing decisions are made by students. In fact, the entire operation is student-run, providing a unique educational laboratory.

The University of Oregon’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art presents From the Heart: The Photographs of Brian Lanker.

This exhibit features photography from the accompanying book, which includes a collection of essays written by Lanker’s colleagues and friends. His photographs of rural Kansas, sports, the arts, noted African-American women, shoes, and more will be on display for those who wish to experience the world through Lanker’s eyes.