Avenue of the People, the Madness of Travel Writing and Book Reviews

Megan Sukys/Dave Beck
10/20/2008

Visit downtown Port Angeles, and you'll find a woman sitting on a bench, a couple arguing near a storefront and a husband pushing his wife in a wheelchair. Today, sculptor Bob Stokes shares the inspiration behind "Avenue of the People." Plus, book reviews from Nancy Pearl.

At 2:05 p.m. – Mary Cornish: The Poetry of Beauty and Decay

With a painter's eye and a poet's ear, Mary Cornish offers a view of the world where beauty and decay are intertwined. Today, Cornish reads two poems from her collection "Red Studio" (Oberlin College Press, 2007). Her poems take us inside the practice of footbinding in China, and into the alchemical properties of a bowl of autumn fruit on a household table. "Red Studio" was a finalist for the 2008 Washington State Book award in poetry, and winner of the Field poetry prize for 2006. Cornish teaches at Fairhaven College of Western Washington University. Recorded at Richard Hugo House by Jason Pagano.

At 2:20 p.m. – Dee Simon – Lessons From The Holocaust

The Holocaust happened more than half a century ago. But its legacy of bigotry and genocide still reach us in 21st century Washington. Dee Simon is the co–director of the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center. As a child, she'd hear her mom wake up screaming. It took years for Dee's mother to finally disclose that she was a Holocaust survivor. And that's where the nightmares came from.

At 2:40 p.m. – Nancy Pearl Book Reviews

Our weekly visit with public radio librarian and author of "More Book Lust," Nancy Pearl.

At 2:50 p.m. – Avenue of the People

The postcard image of Port Angeles, Washington is an industrial harbor town in the shadow of the Olympic Mountains. But once you make your way downtown to Laurel Street, the scene changes. You'll find 16 life–size steel sculptures of headless figures frozen in time. A woman sits on a bench; a couple talks near a storefront; a husband pushes his wife in a wheelchair. This is the "Avenue of the People," created by multimedia artist Bob Stokes. Bob Stokes has created an international reputation for his work on the Pearl Harbor memorial, as well as projects for George Lucas and Pope John Paul II. But for Bob, this sculpture series represents his connection to a newly–adopted community. Bob Stokes talks with Jeremy Richards.