NE Portland American Legion Post Gets Lit
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Ever been in an American Legion hall?
They\\u2019re not fancy, but for a certain generation they\\u2019re as familiar as the corner taproom. They\'re the place to go for a chat, cheap drinks and of course, monthly bingo \\u2014 not to mention the assurance of finding people who\\u2019ve experienced military service.
Legion membership is shrinking nationally, but one hall in Northeast Portland \\u2014 an old Quonset hut with a dropped ceiling and scuffed floors \\u2014 found revival by embracing new people and new voices.
American Legion Post 134 on Alberta Street has become a home for all kinds of new voices. In the course of one evening, the audience heard a blazing variety of personal stories and essays, as well as poems and songs. Some writers are vets. Some aren\\u2019t. Post commander Sean Davis holds book release parties for veterans who are publishing their own work. The post even has its own small press and published an anthology of war stories. \\u2028
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So how do you convert a failing American Legion post into an oasis of community and expression, where veterans rub shoulders with queer kids and street people mix with art curators?
We recently sat down with Davis, who \\u2014 as you might remember \\u2014 ran for Portland mayor last spring. He teaches writing at Mt Hood Community College and is the author of a memoir called "The Wax Bullet War." We were joined by Amelia McDanel \\u2014 another Legion member, a Navy veteran and MFA grad of Antioch University-Los Angeles \\u2014 who oversees the Legion Readers\\u2019 series at the post.
Read the full story: http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/state-of-wonder/article/portland-american-legion-post-134/'