May 14 was a particularly artful day at Clark College, as the afternoon saw both the unveiling of the 2014 Phoenix as well as the opening reception and awards presentation for the 2014 Art Student Annual.

Mike Shank read his poem “Small Things Cost the Most.”

Phoenix staff distributed free copies of the award-winning annual arts and literary journal to students in PUB 161. Clark student Mike Shank read from his moving poem, “Small Things Cost the Most,” which earned Editors’ Choice Award for literary work in the journal. Afterward, guests headed downstairs to Archer Gallery to view works by student artists, many of whom also had work published in Phoenix. Seventy-five students showed a total of 127 works in the show, in media as varied as watercolor, photography, welded metal, ceramics, and video. Awards were announced and presented during the reception.

For more photos of these events, visit our Flickr albums of the unveiling and art show.

2014 Art Student Annual Awards

Joy Margheim “Gate”, welded sculpture
Best Welded Sculpture award
Sponsored by Airgas and the Clark College Welding Department

Irina Burchak “Self Portraits”, photography
Excellence in Photography Award
Sponsored by Knight Camera

The 2014 Phoenix staff.

Erin Merrill, “Columbia River Series”, photography
Excellence in Photography Award
Sponsored by Pro Photo Supply

Shelby Warner “Drawing Room Chair”, photography
Photography Award
Sponsored by Pro Photo Supply

Garry Bastian “The Act of Characterization”, photography
Darkroom Photo Award
Sponsored by Blue Moon Camera and Machine

Anthony Abruzzini “There’s Nothing Wrong with Having Only One Eye…”, drawing
Works on Paper Excellence Award
Sponsored by Frame Central Framing

Sherrie Masters “Greys”, watercolor
Works on Paper Excellence Award
Sponsored by Frame Central Framing

Students at the Phoenix unveiling waited patiently until the end of the program to open the paper wrapping around the new publication.

Jenny Avens “Flour Effect”, photography
Holga Camera Award
Sponsored by Freestyle Photographic Supplies

Lauren Dwyer “Organic Free Form”, ceramic
Best Ceramics Award
Sponsored by Georgie’s Ceramic and Clay Company

Luke Entwistle “Puntitled”, painting
Muse Art Award
Sponsored by Muse Art and Design

Krista Zimmerman “Self Obstruction”, painting
Muse Art Award
Sponsored by Muse Art and Design

Liz Alexander “Out of Place”, video
Film and Video Award
Sponsored by the NW Film Center

Anni Becker “John”, video
Film and Video Award
Sponsored by the NW Film Center

Director of IT Services, Phil Sheehan was the asked to juror the student show this year. He has been a supporter of student work throughout his time at Clark.

Riley Donahue, “The Day I Became a Man”, installation
Best Contemporary Art Award
Sponsored by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art

Belinda Luce “Type in The City”, typography
Best Graphics Award
Sponsored by Intel

Filip Popa “Matches”, painting
Painting Award
Sponsored by Dick Blick Art Materials and the Clark College Bookstore

Jeremy Crane “Germ Evolved”, painting
Painting Award
Sponsored by Dick Blick Art Materials and the Clark College Bookstore

Elise Cryder “Thank Your Mother”, painting
Best in Show Award
Painting Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore and the NW Film Center

After the awards are presented, students had an opportunity to talk to each other about their work.

Mariah Lewis “Muse”, painting
Painting Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Martin Stone “Still Life #2”, painting
Painting Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Megan Ostby “30 Minute Pose”, drawing
Drawing Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Jason Cardenas “The Island”, drawing
Drawing Award
Sponsored by the Clark College Bookstore

Lauren Pucci “Botany”, watercolor
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater and Anna Banana’s Café

Grace Edwards “Sun Color”, watercolor
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater and Anna Banana’s Café

Sara Robison “Hipster George”, digital illustration
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater and Anna Banana’s Café

Matthew Caravaggio “Abstract Revelation”, drawing
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater

Michael Jasso “For the Glory of Rome”, ceramics
Special Recognition Award
Sponsored by Kiggins Theater

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley 

Clark College has received a second land gift in as many weeks—for a total of more than $3.85 million in gifts—which when combined with private and state funding, will be the location for a future Clark campus in Ridgefield, Wash.

A $731,549 gift of land from Ridgefield East 1 Associates, LLC in addition to a May announcement of a $3.12 million land gift from the Boschma family, will have a long-lasting effect for the region, including expanding access to education.

Lisa Gibert, president/CEO of Clark College Foundation, who was instrumental in securing both gifts and brokering the land purchases, praised the Ridgefield East gift as the ideal location for an entrance to Clark’s upcoming campus. “These 10 acres will be the gateway to Clark College at Boschma Farms,” she said. “In the years to come, we will work with the city of Ridgefield to encourage retailers such as eateries and coffee houses to open shops, making it an attractive entryway for a vibrant new campus.”

Clark College will benefit by the acquisition of the new property through the combined generosity of Ridgefield East 1 Associates, LLC, the Boschma family and the charitable support of Clark County residents, Clark College alumni, philanthropic supporters, trusts and foundations.

The Ridgefield East transaction consists of a $1.99 million purchase price by the Clark College Foundation, accompanied by a $731,549 land donation—providing a total of 10.28 acres for the future expansion of Clark College. Once built, the North County campus will be known as Clark College at Boschma Farms.

The land is adjacent to the 59.24 acres that was partially gifted from the Boschma Family, LLC and purchased by Clark College Foundation in May. The Ridgefield East property is located on the east side of N. 65th Avenue. It is east of Interstate 5 and Pioneer Street. The address is 264 N. 65th Avenue, Ridgefield, Wash.

The gifts and acquisitions represent a long-term visionary chapter for the growth anticipated at Clark College. The college’s 2007 Facilities Master Plan identified North County as an area where the college could fulfill its mission of providing access to an underserved area of the service district. The Washington Legislature approved the project concept in 2009.

Recently, the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges prioritized building projects for the upcoming biennium. Though no money has been allocated yet, funding for design and building has received a green light.

The population in the area has continued to expand. Clark College believes that once facilities and programs are available on a North County campus, students from the northern region of Clark and South region of Cowlitz counties will utilize this location for their educational needs and career advancement.

Washington State Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens, standing, answers questions from students in Clark’s Business Law class, which she visited with Chief Justice Barbara Madsen and Associate Chief Justice Charles Johnson.

In 2012, the Clark College Law Club took a field trip to Olympia, where they visited both the State Legislature and the State Supreme Court. While there, paralegal student Richard Thomas got the chance to chat with then-Justice James Johnson, who retired from the court last month.

“Justice Johnson and I were talking, and I asked him, ‘Does the court ever go out and visit places around the state?'” recalled Thomas. “And he said, ‘Yes! We love going on the road. The problem is, we have to be invited.’ So I came back here the next day and started trying to get this going.”

Clark Law Club member Richard Thomas helped make the Washington Supreme Court’s visit a reality.

Two years later, Thomas’s efforts—along with those of the rest of the Law Club and the college itself—resulted in the Washington State Supreme Court spending two days at Clark College. The nine justices visited classrooms, met with members of the community, and heard three cases during their time at the college. Justice Mary Yu, who had been appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee but not yet sworn in at the time of the visit, also attended many of the events, including an open forum.

Many students from Clark’s highly regarded Paralegal program attended the open forum, gaining career advice from the member of the highest court in the state. The justices were emphatic about the importance of paralegals in their work.

“A paralegal really is part of the team,” said Justice Mary Fairhurst, who spent 16 years working in the Washington Attorney General’s Office before becoming a judge. “We couldn’t do our job without them.”

“A good paralegal is a little bit like a fortune teller,” added Justice Yu. “Somebody who knows which deadlines are coming and makes sure everything’s taken care of to meet them. That is so helpful to the lawyers.”

The court heard three cases in Gaiser Student Center on the second day of their visit: one on whether or not drug court staffing should be presumptively open to the public; the disciplinary case of a lawyer; and a case questioning whether or not past acts of domestic violence were admissible evidence in assessing the credibility of an alleged victim. Joining the court to hear these cases was Justice Pro Tem Joel Penoyar, who was temporarily filling Justice James Johnson’s seat until Justice Yu was sworn in.

Clark paralegal student Becky Pomaville listens as Washington State Supreme Court justices answer her question about appellate law.

The justices took questions from the courtroom audience after two of the hearings. “There are hardly any lawyers in this area who practice appellate law,” said Clark paralegal student Becky Pomaville. “What is it that makes it so difficult?”

“That’s true, though of course there are some,” replied Justice Debra Stephens, who practiced appellate law for many years. “The beauty of being an appellate lawyer is that you don’t often have to go to court very often. You can do it from your deck chair, so to speak. … What makes an excellent appellate lawyer is a study of where the court is headed. If you’re interested in that, I hope you do pursue it.”

Afterward, Pomaville said she was heartened by Justice Stephens’ words. She hopes to continue on to law school after graduating from Clark, hopefully in spring 2015, and to specialize in appellate law. Surprisingly, just six months previously, Pomaville hadn’t even considered going to college. “When I graduated from high school, I got a bunch of scholarships, but I didn’t complete college,” she said. “I joke that I got my ‘MRS’ degree instead.”

But when the recently single mother of eight stopped by Clark’s Career Center for some job-hunting help, she noticed a poster for the college’s Eligibility Programs that mentioned tuition assistance for displaced homemakers.

“I hadn’t even thought of the possibility of coming here,” she said, but stopped by Eligibility Programs and quickly found herself enrolled for winter quarter. Now she is thriving in the Paralegal program. “I am learning a lot. Last term I took a criminal law course and it was really tough—and I enjoyed every minute of it.”

The justices heard three real cases during their visit to Clark.

For paralegal student Richard Thomas, whose offhand question during a field trip resulted in this visit, the event was a fitting way to end his time at Clark; he anticipates graduating this quarter and is hopeful that his current internship may turn into a full-time job. Looking every inch the professional in his suit and tie, he said he valued the opportunity to not only witness the justices hearing cases, but also to spend time socializing with them during private receptions organized by the college during the visit.

“When you have a chance to rub elbows with those who are at the pinnacle of your profession, I think it’s incumbent on you to absorb their experience and their wisdom,” he said. “But then at the same time, once you get to talk with them one-on-one, you realize they’re real people, too.”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley. For more photos from this event, visit our Flickr album. 

Not even an accidental fire alarm could stop the festivities at this year’s Día del Niño/Día del Libro celebration, held in Gaiser Student Center on May 9. Approximately 225 guests enjoyed the evening-long celebration of Latino culture and literature, which included a bilingual puppet show performed by Clark Spanish language students, dance performances by Olincalli Ballet Folklorico, free food from Panadería Cinco de Mayo, and hands-on activities for children. Oswald the Penguin was on hand to greet children and pose for pictures–even when the party moved outdoors temporarily after an inquisitive toddler managed to pull a fire alarm. The celebration quickly moved back inside to continue the festivities, which are held each year around April 30, the date of Mexico’s Día del Niño (“Day of the Child”) and the American Library Association’s Día del Libro (“Day of the Book”).

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Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Members of the 142nd Wing of the Portland Air National Guard formed the color guard that opened the Veterans Resource Center ribbon-cutting event on May 22.

On May 22, the Thursday before Memorial Day, Clark College hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its recently opened Veterans Resource Center (VRC). The event began with a color guard and the singing of the National Anthem by student Petya Grozeva. VRC Coordinator Kurt Kolch introduced the event by reminding guests that unlike Veterans Day, which honors those among us who have served in the military, Memorial Day is a day to remember those men and women who died while serving.

Physics professor Dick Shamrell, a 25-year Air Force veteran, spoke about how veterans resource centers like Clark’s helped him and his wife to succeed at second careers outside of the military. He also described how his military experience enriches his teaching–when asked by a student what the speed of sound was, for example, he can accurately describe what is is like to go twice that speed.

A ceremonial ribbon to the VRC’s doorway was cut by Clark College President Bob Knight, student veteran Alex Peraza, VRC donor Jane Hagelstein and Jennifer Rhoads, president of the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington, which contributed $30,000 toward the VRC in November. The Vancouver Barracks Historical Society provided military uniforms and maps relevant to the region for guests to view.

Peraza, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served as an infantryman in Iraq, is in his second year at Clark pursuing a Associate of Applied Technology degree in electrical engineering; after graduating from Clark, he plans to pursue his bachelor’s degree at Washington State University Vancouver. A single father of three children, he said he is motivated to continue his studies “not only by my children’s needs, but by my nation’s needs,” citing President Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address that connected the country’s success to an increase in graduates from fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

“The people at the Veteran Resource Center at Clark College are the reason why I have been so successful in the past and moving forward,” Peraza added. “From [Veterans Affairs Program Specialist] Mike Gibson to [VetCorps Navigator] Tim McPharlin, as well as supporting staff, all have helped me navigate the hurdles and obstacles of being a student veteran.”

Approximately 700 veterans enroll at Clark College every quarter, about 500 of whom use GI Bill benefits to help pay for tuition, fees, housing, books and supplies.

More photos from the event at our Flickr page.

Video: Clark College/Nick Bremer Korb
Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley  

Clark College announced today the purchase of land that will become the location of a new campus serving the northern portion of the college’s service district.

The purchase was made possible with the strong partnership of the Clark College Foundation, which finalized the purchase of nearly 60 acres through a generous $3.1 million gift from the Boschma Family LLC. Additionally, the foundation will pay $6 million for the land. The acreage is located in Ridgefield on the east side of North 65th Avenue, north of Pioneer Street and northeast of the Interstate 5 and Pioneer Street interchange.

The leadership gift from the Boschma family was key in being able to move forward on this project. In making the more than $3.1 million gift, Hank and Bernice Boschma said they were excited to be a part of expanding educational opportunities for students in the region, including first-generation and immigrant students.

In April, the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges prioritized building projects for the upcoming biennium. According to that prioritization, the North County Campus building will receive design funding in the 2017-2019 budget, and likely receive construction funding in the 2019-2021 budget.

The gift and acquisition help realize the long-term vision for the growth anticipated at Clark College. The college’s 2007 Facilities Master Plan identified North County as a growth area based on projections from regional economists, and the most recent update of the Facilities Master Plan reinforced the need for a facility in this part of Clark’s service area.

“It’s a really great, interactive relationship where you’re able to talk to someone about what you’re going through,” says Clark student Kassidy Quade, left, about her experience with First Year Experience mentor Cindy Magallanes.

When Princeton McBride started classes at Clark College in fall 2013, he knew he could use some help getting adjusted. Not only was he new to college, but he was new to the area, having moved to Vancouver from his native South Carolina shortly after graduating from high school. The move itself was a major adjustment, the 18-year-old says: “I didn’t even own a rain jacket.”

So when McBride saw a message in his student email about the opportunity to be connected with a mentor through Clark’s First Year Experience program, he jumped at the chance. “I immediately knew that I needed someone who would guide me throughout my first year of college,” he said.

As luck would have it, McBride didn’t wind up with just any mentor–he was paired with Matt Rygg, Clark’s Dean of Student Success and Retention. The two began meeting regularly, sharing doughnuts and coffee as they discussed the challenges of moving across country and tackling new coursework, as well as McBride’s newly discovered passion for helping the homeless. Rygg shared his encouragement and his knowledge of the college’s systems and services with McBride, helping him navigate the challenges of his first year–a time when many students become overwhelmed and wind up dropping out. It worked: Today McBride is well on his way to completing his prerequisites to enter Clark’s highly competitive nursing program, and is also starting a new student club called Through the Eyes of Poverty that aims to create a stronger connection between the Clark community and the homeless community. He hopes to eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing and to then transition to medical school to become a doctor of emergency medicine.

Princeton McBride, right, says his First Year Experience mentor, Matt Rygg, helped him “find the right path” during his first year at Clark.

“I have been really proud of the ways Princeton has invested himself on campus,” Rygg says. “He is doing well in his classes and has made good friends here. I recently walked by the fountain outside Gaiser Hall on the way to a meeting, and I saw Princeton sitting with a group of friends enjoying the sunshine and each other’s company. It made my heart glad to see him integrating so well into the Clark community.”

This is the goal of the FYE Mentor Program: Students get one-on-one support and advice from someone at the college, and college employees get the personal connection to students’ success that can sometimes get lost in day-to-day administrative work. It’s a win-win situation–one that research is showing can help keep students in school. Janette Clay, First Year Experience & Outcomes Assessment Support Specialist, says FYE has surveyed the students who have been part of the mentor program. This research found that the fall 2012 cohort of mentees (the program’s first cohort) fared significantly better than their peers. They earned a C or higher in 90.7 percent of their first-term courses, compared to 76 percent for first-term, degree-seeking students without mentors. And while 20 percent of all first-term, degree-seeking students didn’t return to Clark for winter quarter, 100 percent of the mentees did.

“Although the mentee cohorts have been relatively small so far, they do fare better in their courses and retain at higher rates than those students without a mentor,” says Clay. “As the program grows, we hope to see the effects of the positive relationships and the support that is provided by the mentors spread even further across the college.”

Kassidy Quade is immensely grateful to have met her FYE mentor, baking instructional technician Cindy Magallanes. “I’d been out of school for three years, I’d gotten my GED in January,” she says, sitting next to Magallanes in Gaiser Student Center, where the two met at least weekly during Quade’s first quarter. “With Cindy, I can talk to someone who’s a part of the school and who knows the school–which I don’t. And she’s always encouraging me. When I was writing my essays for English class–I’m horrible at writing–”

“But you aren’t horrible at writing,” interrupts Magallanes, laughing. “You did fine, right?

“I try to encourage her and give her that boost: ‘You can do it! I know you can!’,” Magallanes adds. “I remember being a student here and not knowing anyone at the college, and how scary that was.”

Magallanes enrolled at Clark in 2000 because she wanted to start her own bakery. At the time, one of her nieces was working at Lower Columbia College. “She called me the first night after classes and asked, ‘How’d it go?’ She called me the second night, too, and she just kept calling. She really wanted to make sure I kept going. I remember how important that was for me, how helpful. For me, the FYE mentoring program is a great way to pay that forward.”

Even after Quade’s and Magallanes’s mentoring partnership officially ended at the end of winter quarter, the pair continue to keep in touch. Quade, who is now in her second quarter of Clark’s paralegal program, says she would recommend the mentoring program to any student new to Clark.

“I think it’s a great program,” she says. “I say, get involved.”

 Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Still from John, a short film by student Anni Becker to be shown at the Clark College Student Video Festival on May 29.

Clark College will hold its first public screening of student videos at the historic Kiggins Theatre on Thursday, May 29, at 6 p.m. in an event that will be free and open to the public.

The 90-minute program will feature more than two dozen short-form videos (between one and ten minutes long) produced by students in Clark’s Time-Based Art and Web Video Production classes, as well as a selection of work from students at other area educational institutions including the Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland State University, Washington State University Vancouver, and the Northwest Film Center.

“This event will feature the best video and time-based artwork from Clark College students,” said Clark College art professor Lisa Conway. “These exciting art forms push the boundaries of traditional gallery or print-publication settings, and we are thrilled to have a venue like the Kiggins Theatre in which to showcase this work. Hopefully this is the start of an annual event for the college, our students and the larger community—one that will continue to grow as our course offerings in this area grow.”

Clark College has offered classes in Time-Based Art and Web Video Production for the past three and two years, respectively. The Web Video Production class was introduced two years ago when Clark transitioned its Graphics Communication and Printing program into a redesigned Computer Graphics Technology program, which teaches valuable modern-day skills like web design and computer animation. The Time-Based Art class was developed three years ago with the start of new Associate of Fine Arts degrees in Graphic Design and in Studio Art.

The students’ videos range from whimsical works of stop-motion animation to emotional mini-documentaries and personal stories.

Kiggins manager Dan Wyatt said he was pleased to host this event. “As a former student of film, I not only enjoy supporting other student filmmakers, but think it is important that their works be screened in the best possible environment conducive to evaluating film–a movie theatre,” he said. “Some of the best learning and growth as artists happens while screening your project and getting feedback from peers.”

The Kiggins Theatre is located at 1011 Main St. in downtown Vancouver, Wash. (Phone number: 360-816-0352.)

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in these events should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP). The DSS office is located in room 013 in Clark’s Penguin Union Building.

Almost 800 people attended the 2014 Career Days job fair, which hosted representatives from 50 different employers.

The numbers are in from this year’s Career Days, and they show what many at the college and in the community already knew: Clark College’s week-long program for job-hunters is growing stronger every year. This year, more than 1000 job-seekers attended one or more Career Days events, which included workshops, clinics, job and transfer fairs, panel discussions, and expert presentations.

As always, events began before the official April 21 – 24 run of Career Days with the opening of the Career Clothing Closet the Thursday and Friday of the week before. This year, more than 200 students received free interview outfits of gently worn professional clothing donated by members of the community.

Officially, however, Career Days kicked off on Monday, April 21, with an employer panel featuring representative from Adidas, The Boeing Company, and Madden Industrial. The Ellis Dunn Community Room in Gaiser Hall was filled with students and guests ready for tips on what these employers were looking for. One key need: skilled technicians in fields like machining, welding, and carpentry. “There’s a shortage here in the Portland area,” said Randy Shelton of Madden Industrial.

Visitors at the 2014 Career Days job fair had a chance to speak directly with representatives from employers in the region.

Michael Lushenko of Boeing agreed. “There’s a shortage of people who know how to make parts,” he said. “Our engineers tend to have at least a bachelor’s degree, but machining is an area where we are happy to look at people with two-year degrees.”

Lushenko cautioned that the job market has become more competitive recently, in part because of the increasing popularity of the Pacific Northwest as a place where people from other parts of the country would like to move. “I’ve been hiring for 15 years,” he said. “It used to be a I got a lot of local residents applying. Now I’m getting a lot of applicants from the East Coast and the South.”

Fortunately, Career Days offered local job-hunters many opportunities to gain an edge over other competitors. One popular presenter was Bobby Castaneda, director of business development at the Vancouver-based ACS Professional Staffing. “He was a participant on our employer panel last year,” said Career Services Program Specialist Sarah Weinberger, who chaired the Career Days committee. “Attendees enjoyed his role on the panel, so we brought him back this year to present his own workshop.”

Attendees also flocked to hear Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies. The biggest draw of the program, however, remained the job fair, held April 23. Nearly 800 job-seekers attended the event, which for the second year in a row was at full capacity with 50 employers represented; employers included Boeing, Columbia Machine, C-Tran, EarthLink, and Evergreen School District 112. The fair also included a photo booth where job-hunters could get a professional photo taken to use on their LinkedIn profiles. This feature was back for the second year in a row, as was the Penguin Passport, an incentive for visitors to attend multiple events. Passport prizes this year included an iPad Mini, a Fit Bit Flex, free pizza for a year from Papa Murphy’s, and gift baskets from local companies.

Vancouver resident Patti James stands in the Career Center after receiving advice on her resume during Career Days 2014.

The program also included a drop-in resume clinic, during which job-seekers could have their resumes reviewed by trained human-resources professionals. Anne-Marie Rupert, a human resources professional who is currently a stay-at-home mother, was one volunteer reviewing resumes at the clinic. She said one of the key mistakes many job-seekers made was not understanding how much experience they actually have.

“What I’ve realized is that their resumes are brief, but what they’ve actually accomplished is impressive,” she said. “So helping them to get their accomplishments on paper has been the key thing I’ve been doing.”

Patti James, a Certified Nursing Assistant who was looking to change careers, said she came to Career Days specifically for help with her resume. “I haven’t done a resume for so long,” said the mother of five. “I was in my last job for 19 years.”

James said she had a completely new resume after speaking with Rupert. “She actually helped me to create a resume with the right keywords,” she said. “I didn’t realize you could create a resume that talked exactly about the skills an employer was looking for. And she made me realize I had more experience than I thought.”

While the majority of Career Days attendees are Clark College students, the college hosts the program as a service for anyone in the community who could use help in finding a job. James, who lives in Vancouver, is not a student; she saw an ad for the event on Craigslist and decided to visit.

“I think it’s wonderful that they have this event for all of us who are looking for work,” she said. “I was scared they’d throw me out when I said I wasn’t a student. I said, ‘I’m nobody, can I still be here?’

“Instead they just laughed and said, ‘You’re somebody! Come on in!'”

Photos: Clark College/Jenny Shadley

Author Karen Russell will appear in the spring 2014 installment of the Columbia Writers Series on May 29. Photo credit: Michael Lionstar

During the spring installment of its renowned Columbia Writers Series, Clark College will welcome writer Karen Russell, author of Swamplandia!, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, and St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.

This event is part of “Subtext,” a three-day festival of words and literary arts. Other events include a free book exchange and a reading by students and faculty, including Clark County poet laureate Christopher Luna. All of these events are free and open to the public.

Karen Russell, a native of Miami, won the 2012 National Magazine Award for fiction, and her first novel, Swamplandia! (2011), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She is a graduate of the Columbia MFA program, a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow, and a 2012 Fellow at the American Academy in Berlin. In 2013, she was a recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” Her short stories have been featured in The Best American Short Stories, Granta, The New Yorker, Conjunctions, Oxford American, and Zoetrope.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to host Karen Russell for our spring reading since she is not only a fabulously talented fiction writer, but has been nationally recognized by critics as an American author of true significance,” said Clark College English professor James Finley, director of the Columbia Writers Series. “It is not every day that we can bring a writer of this stature to Clark. Her writing–with all its cleverness, jaunty energy, and searing insights into the human condition–are a perfect match for college-age audiences, and I hope Clark students and the community at large take advantage of the opportunity to hear Russell read from her work in a live setting.”

Russell will read from some of her works and discuss her writing process from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 29, in Foster Auditorium. The book exchange takes place in the Cannell Library commons area on Wednesday, May 28, 10 a.m. to noon. Crossroads, the student/faculty reading, takes place Friday, May 30, noon to 1 p.m. The theme for this year’s Crossroads is “Plants and Animals.”

Individuals who need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in these events should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services (DSS) Office at 360-992-2314 or 360-991-0901 (VP). The DSS office is located in room 013 in Clark’s Penguin Union Building.

The Columbia Writers Series was launched at Clark College in 1988, bringing local, national and international authors to the college and the region.