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Levine has amassed awards for his poetry that give only an inkling of the vital, necessary position he occupies in contemporary poetry: the American Book Award, the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, two National Book Critics Circle Awards and the Lenore Marshall Award. "Philip Levine may be the best of the generation of poets that grew up during WorldWar II," poet/critic Jay Parini writes, and reknowned poet Stanley Plumly notes, "Book by book, Levine has become the singular poet of his generation." Such praise becomes even more extraordinary when you remember the generation of poets who came of age with Levine 4 a list that runs from A.R. Ammons and John Ashbery to Charles and James Wright and includes Allen Ginsberg, James Merrill, W.S. Merwin, Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich and other equal or near-equal luminaries. One school of thought views poetry as an elaborate artifice. "The poet is the ornament of society," it says, placing poetry with other luxury items such as diamonds, cavier and John Keats. But Levine argues passionately and persuasively that poetry is and always has been one of the places where men and women go to find the truths that give meaning and coherence to life. This conviction has been an unwavering aspect of Levine's vision from his first books to his most recent. As he says in the poem,"The Simple Truth," from his 1995 book of the same name: Some things you know all your life. They are so simple and true In his first books Levine emerged as formal poet, writing in meter, rhyme and syllabics ("Animals are Passing From Our Lives") about what would turn out to be his lifelong obsessions. The poetry has evolved stylistically, moving from poems about his childhood in Detroit and work in the factories there to poems about his heroes, the anarchists who died in the Spanish Civil War. But his focus has never changed: What it means and how it feels to be poor in America; and, as given in the title of one of his most important volumes, What Work Is. The reading is sponsored by the UO Creative Writing Program, a program to which Levine has strong ties in the three writers who make up the poetry side of the department: Dorianne Laux, Pimone Triplett and Garret Hongo. In the forward Levine wrote to Laux's first book, Awake, you see another side of his dedication to the art of poetry 4 his unmatched generosity in mentoring younger writers. "If this were Japan" Laux says, "Phil Levine would be a national treasure by now." Triplett studied with Levine at the University of Houston. "Phil was incredibly generous and supportive," she says. "He understood right away what I was trying to do with my Thai-American background. His own work, his career over the years, has helped break ground for all sorts of diverse writers." Hongo also credits Levine with opening new ground for American poetry, "particularly in his poems about workers, otherwise anonymous in the rest of our literature." As a young student, Hongo read the poems that would form the volume, They Feed They Lion, drawn by "the great and beautiful rhetoric" and the realization that "here at last is an American who knows what's going on," a poet for whom the poor, angry minorities were not "those people" but "our people." Hongo believes -- and he is not alone in this belief -- "If there's an American who deserves the Nobel Prize, it's Phil Levine."
Brian Clark, who trained at Harry's Fine Dining in Manhattan, and Holly prepare three-course dinners five days a week for 15 to 40 diners who call in by noon for the dinner du jour advertised in brochures that list the daily offerings a couple months ahead. Pick up is at 5 pm. Many days the specialty sells out early. Items from February's menu include Calypso Pork with Rum Lime Sauce ($7.29), Duck with Apples in Port Sauce ($7.69) and Baked Ham with Lingonberry Glaze and Scalloped Potatoes ($6.99). Clark sometimes pairs up with chef Ryan Brooks, formerly of the Downtown Athletic Club and the Valley River Inn, to produce some delectable delights, such as sauerbraten or braised lamb shanks. Holidays, all that can be celebrated from the international calendar, are special events. Valentine's Day dinner featured a lovers' feast of Moroccan Game Hens with a glazed orange/honey sauce, rice pilaf with ginger and apricots, oven-roasted vegetables, a chocolate-almond cheesecake and Seaview Champagne from Australia ($29.95). Speaking of lovers, Holly and Tim bought this business so they could be together 24/7. After an extensive courtship, Tim gave up a lucrative salary in Chicago to marry Holly, who could not stand to be transplanted away from her native roots to the cruel Midwest. Together they have four children, ages 16 to 23, and now they get to work 75 hours a week together building the Deli into a business that will support them all. "I call this exhausted exuberance," said Tim, who had been trying to talk me into some German headcheese 4 a taste I've avoided acquiring in my European travels. We traded soup stories of kale and sausage, which is Tuesday's specialty, and he promised to try to get piccalilly, a Dutch relish for potato meals. The four tables in the Deli fill up easily, spilling out onto a lovely terrace on nice days. Soups for $1.99 a cup and $2.99 a bowl go quickly, although most add a half sandwich for another $1. The coffee is good (Allann Bros.) and the atmosphere is friendly and cosmopolitan. This couple loves to talk food and will try to get whatever their customers want. Treats to watch for in March are: * March 2: Wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres with Ewald Moseler, importer of German wines. $10, reservations required. * March 14: The two chefs, Ryan and Brian, team up to produce Baked Salmon with Tarragon Tomato Compote for $7.95. Holly sees the future as a possible second shop downtown and a web page, currently under construction, to focus on gift baskets and specialty wines. The International Deli is located at 2805 Oak Street in the Southtowne Shoppes of Eugene. Call 686-9201 or fax 349-1441 to order dinners or get on their mailing list. The shop is open from 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, and from 10 am to 5 pm Saturdays.
Oregon's people and the communities they create are as diverse as the state's weather, land forms and politics. Local videographer and producer Loren Sears has created a community video magazine that tells the stories of five communities around the state where ordinary people have come together to work for the common good. "Oregon Gazette" will air at 1 pm Sunday, Feb. 25 on Oregon Public Broadcasting, Cable 7. And if public response is favorable, Sears hopes OPB will pick up a limited series of the show for next year. In "Sisters: A Town of Great Spirit," people who had not previously worked on community projects find that by working together they can change the future of their town. As one woman put it, they now ask themselves, "What do we want this place to look like 10 years from now?" and then figure out how to get there. "KRCO Prineville: Radio Neighbors" takes the viewer inside a rural radio station that aims to connect neighbor to neighbor in this sparsely populated region of the state. People who have something to sell 4 say, weaner pigs 4 put a free want-ad on the station, and people who want to buy call them. Sounds simple, but it's a great little method for community building. Likewise, the folks who've come together in "Depoe Bay: Preserving Ocean Front" wanted the city to acquire the last 10 lots in town that have a view of the coast and preserve them from development. Problem is, Depoe Bay doesn't have a tax base. So these volunteers put on a music festival and other fund-raising events to find the funds to create an uncluttered view of beach front coastline from downtown. And they're having fun! In "Humboldt Neighborhood: Revitaliz-ation" the issue is how to build a broad-based community coalition to help preserve this older Portland neighborhood as a new light rail line goes up, bringing with it very large federal and private investments. One man talks about the need to avoid the "wholesale gentrification and displacement of African Americans" that happened in the past with projects such as the interstate highway. Now, the coalition is actively involved in the development of 40 units of affordable housing for families that will help mitigate the impact on the neighborhood. "We have a high interest in working together," one person notes. "Street Rocks: Speaking Out and Seeking Community" is another upbeat story about people helping themselves. But this community is Portland's homeless, and the newspaper they produce is called street roots. Traditionally, homeless people have no voice in mainstream media, one activist notes. But she smiles as she tells how people become empowered when they write about their lives, and others read their story. Poet Sherry Asbury says she has found support and acceptance here. The writers have organized poetry readings, published a successful chapbook and formed a publishing cooperative. If you like Oregon Gazette, let the people at OPB Viewer Services know. Write to 7140 SW Macadam Ave., Portland 97219 or call (888) 293-1982.
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