Grass Roots Books
227 SW 2nd Street

In Dandelions Blooming in the Cracks of Sidewalks: Stories from the Bedside of the Dying, Amita Lhamo uses her luminous stories to reveal the power of simple human kindness and the profundity of being. She shares the beauty found blooming within the cracks of broken hearts leading us into the intimacy of the soul’s journey in death. This book is a collection of stories, gleaned from thousands of conversations around the deathbed.

Amita Lhamo (Yeshe Dawa) holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies, and a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. After many years practicing as a psychotherapist, she took further training, which led to her work as a hospice chaplain. She is the founding director of The Mandorla Project, a 501 (c) organization dedicated to exploring the relationship between spirituality and care for the dying. She has studied with Lakota, Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist teachers, completing a five-year meditation retreat within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The event is free and open to the public. Grass Roots will have books available for purchase.


 

Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
645 NW Monroe Avenue
Corvallis, OR

Sleep plays a crucial role in our waking lives. While we sleep, our bodies recharge, damaged tissue is repaired, and our memories are stored. When we don't get enough sleep, we are tired, less positive, less motivated, less focused, and are more likely to feel depressed. If you suffer from insomnia, this talk by Catherine Polan Orzech, co-author of Mindfulness for Insomnia: A Four-Week Guided Program to Relax Your Body, Calm Your Mind, and Get the Sleep You Need, can help you to begin to break the cycle of anxious thinking and rumination that keeps you up at night. This talk is sponsored by the Oregon State University Contemplative Studies Initiative.

Catherine Polan Orzech, MA, LMFT, has taught mindfulness since 2000. She is certified to teach mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindful self-compassion. Catherine lives in Corvallis, where she is a marriage and family therapist specializing in mindfulness-based psychotherapy focusing on individuals, couples, and families. The event is free and open to the public. Grass Roots will have books available for purchase.

The Mid-Willamette Valley's premier literary event, The Magic Barrel: A Reading to Fight Hunger, is held each fall in Corvallis, Oregon, to raise funds for Linn Benton Food Share. This unique event which began in 1993 is named after Bernard Malamud's short story collection, The Magic Barrel, and features writers from around Oregon sharing their fiction, poetry, and works of nonfiction in brief readings.

The evening begins and ends with live music, beer, and wine, with all proceeds benefiting Linn Benton Food Share. The audience enjoys readings by novelists, poets, short story writers, and non-fiction writers. Grass Roots will be selling books by the readers at this event and will donate 100% of the net proceeds after costs to Linn Benton Food Share on behalf of The Magic Barrel.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets for this event will be available through the Magic Barrel website.