Halloween Hijinks
October closed this week with fantastic flair in what I would consider the best lead up to Halloween I've ever had. My week was filled with lots of fun on- and off-campus events.
Starting last Wednesday, I went to the Beaverton branch of Powell's Bookstore for a book signing of "Welcome to Night Vale." For those who aren't familiar with the name, WtNV is a popular podcast about strange, and often horrifying happenings in a fictional desert town called Night Vale. These stories are structured as reports and announcements on the town's local radio news show. The novel is a spin-off from the podcast, and Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor - the podcast's creators - were on a nationwide tour promoting the book. They were joined that night with well-known YouTuber - Hank Green - and they answered questions and read an excerpt. It was a really awesome night with so many people coming out for the book signing - and so many people came in costume. It was classic Portland weirdness.
October closed this week with fantastic flair in what I would consider the best lead up to Halloween I've ever had. My week was filled with lots of fun on- and off-campus events.
Starting last Wednesday, I went to the Beaverton branch of Powell's Bookstore for a book signing of "Welcome to Night Vale." For those who aren't familiar with the name, WtNV is a popular podcast about strange, and often horrifying happenings in a fictional desert town called Night Vale. These stories are structured as reports and announcements on the town's local radio news show. The novel is a spin-off from the podcast, and Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor - the podcast's creators - were on a nationwide tour promoting the book. They were joined that night with well-known YouTuber - Hank Green - and they answered questions and read an excerpt. It was a really awesome night with so many people coming out for the book signing - and so many people came in costume. It was classic Portland weirdness.
Our pre-book signing dinner spot... a local vegan and gluten-free friendly, organic, plant-based café.
From the pre-signing discussion panel - Hank Green, Joseph Fink, and Jeffrey Cranor (L to R).
Me with my signed copy of the Welcome to Night Vale book.
The next day, I went to the first official meeting of the Lewis & Clark Gay Book Club, sponsored by the Queer Student Union. We talked mainly about what kinds of books we were interested in reading - non-fiction histories, sappy romances, etc... We ended up all going together to this English Department hosted book reading from author John Treat. Before reading an excerpt, he took some time to talk about his experience living within the AIDS crisis and how that inspired his new fiction novel, "The Rise and Fall of the Yellow House."
At the book reading in the Frank Manor House.
Laster that night, I went to amateur queer horror film festival being held at the Hollywood Theater in NE Portland. As a big movie fan who was looking for something really spooky and different to watch before Halloween - this night did not disappoint. The collection of short films ran the gambit from extremely campy, eerily bizarre, flamboyantly silly, tragic, genuinely incomprehensible, to quite theatric. It was a night I won't forget as a moviegoer.
Special shout-out to the stranger on the unicycle outside the theater who was wearing the Phantom of the Opera mask and blowing a flamethrower bagpipe. You made my night very memorable.
On the big night on Saturday, I was in quite a frantic state preparing for this huge party at my apartment with lots of food to make. I did end up having some time to run through the rain to the Campus Activity Board (CAB) and Basketball collaborative event at the Pamplin Gym. My favorite bit was the haunted house they had with actual students as scare-actors.
From the Pamplin haunted house.
My David Bowie inspired costume.
A quick photo from my very successful Halloween party.
All-in-all, it was a really epic week that finished off October with a bang. I look forward to seeing how November compares!
Until next week,
Nicole
Please email me at ncalande@lclark.edu if you have any questions I might be able to answer.