New Parkdale writing retreat features poet

Writers Leah Stenson and Brennock are hosting one writer a month, May through October, to the Drop Out Parkdale residency. On the last Sunday of each month, there is a free reading or event, open to the community. Writers in Portland, Hood River, and The Dalles attend and share their own writing with each other.

“Drop Out is a no-tech retreat. That means that our residents are encouraged to leave their cell phone and internet behind for the three days they’re with us. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it is actually tough to disconnect that way,” Brennock said. “We are totally dependent on our phones and the internet, but really dropping out of that info stream is extremely helpful creatively.”

David Perez will travel from San Jose, California. Perez served as the 2014-2016 Santa Clara County Poet Laureate. He’s a recipient of the Arts Council Silicon Valley Fellowship for Literary Art and the National Association for Latino Arts and Culture Achievement Award. He’s also a repeat guest on the NPR storytelling series Snap Judgment, and author of the poetry collection “Love in a Time of Robot Apocalypse.”

“Everyone needs to drop out every once in a while, especially if you are a writer, to see the world in a new way. To find hope and voice it. It is incredibly satisfying to give that to writers,” Brennock said.

To attend the reading, register at dropoutretreat.org/events. Email questions to Brennock at dropoutretreat@gmail.com. To preview Perez’s work, visit YouTube.