Featured Writers

Ron Stewart Marshall

Writing workshop participant of Write On: Returning Writers for adults who have participated in two or more previous workshops. We created this special workshop to meet the demand from participants who wanted to continue to build community through writing.

Ron Stewart Marshall, 51, is originally from Illinois and has lived in Portland for 11 years. Ron works part-time and attends Portland Community College (PCC) part-time where he studies creative writing. He is considering becoming a teacher. Ron also likes working on and fixing computers. He originally joined a Write Around Portland workshop because he wanted to get serious about writing and be able to express his feelings on paper. Now Ron writes almost everyday, and says that he is always doing something with writing.

To the Point of Perfection

By Ron Stewart Marshall

I never thought that I would be like this…

vehicle that I have become.

I see some object that belongs to me and think, Why did it have to

be so concrete and well formed?

No one is formed absolutely to the point of perfection.

A lone star in the western sky will one day crumble into fine particles of dust.

Try as they must,

a great work of art can be flawed.

No matter how much energy, pain, sorrow, suffering or love

that the artist puts into her work—

the paint peels through the years.

Although, all those years are someplace back there.

They try their best to dictate what you “should pursue” in life.

Sometimes, they come to visit with me in the shape of that

old, abandoned house that used to be some place just up the street from here.

It looks almost the same way it did when we used to play games in the lot nearby.

The paint peels through the years.

Sometimes, in order to go on…you must leave.

When I write, I always leave it to the point of perfection.

Sometimes, no matter how difficult it may seem, you have to say, Goodbye!

Interview with featured writer Ron Stewart Marshall

Biography writer and interviewer: Jodi McLaren, Write Around Portland volunteer, pictured below with Ron

Do you feel that writing has a big effect on you?

Writing is a way of life. Write for every occasion—you can have lunch in Paris or Portland and then write about it. Writing can transform people, change the way they think about things. When I write something about something that has happened or an experience, I feel this: If I can do it on paper, I can do it in real life.

Which Write Around Portland workshops have you participated in?

I attended the workshop in the spring of 2008 at Talking Drum Bookstore, which is a cool little bookstore/coffee shop in NE Portland, a workshop at REACH Powell Apartments, and a workshop at the Maybelle Clark MacDonald Center. [All three workshops were held for adults living on a low income and/or with a disability,] but they were all very different.

And now you are in the Write On workshop for returning writers? How is that going?

I like it a lot. It's a really unique experience, and the other participants are really interesting.

It's different than the other workshops I've taken. People seem like they want to be serious writers. We’re talking about making a zine with broadsides [of our writing] where we staple them together.

So what is the experience of the Write Around Portland workshop like?

It's really helped me use my imagination, helped me with going to college, and it has helped me read in front of other people both at the workshop and the reading. It takes you from being introverted to getting out there and communicating more. Now I really want to write for a local newspaper, for example.

How did you feel being in the workshop environment?

You don’t feel like you’re writing by yourself, you have a little community of people. I’ve run into people outside of the workshop and they remember me...It's a very inventive way of bringing out ideas...There is a sense of camaraderie.

People can stay connected after the workshop and start their own little group. Everyone comes to the workshop and everyone looks different, someone is a skater, or with piercings and tattoos, or dressed in a suit, but we’re all the same, we’re all writing.

How did you feel about sharing your work with others and hearing others stories?

I liked hearing other people’s stories. Sometimes you relate to what they’ve been through. The idea is that it’s fictitious, so it’s not really themselves. This way people are writing about a fictitious character and they can open up.

Some people open up they cry and they laugh, they have to have someone else finish it, but they got that out of them and it helps them, they can go on. It’s like a therapy session. Once you see what they’ve read it makes you want to read something too.

That’s really great. Would you recommend Write Around Portland to others?

I would recommend the workshops to others—it will show them what it feels like to write, for some people they can’t afford to come to a class and pay hundreds of dollars at a school or university; they can come to this [workshop]. You go there and have a writing journal and a snack and you can write and get positive feedback [about your writing]. You get a group of people to help you grow as a writer.

I realize you have some pieces published in the Write Around Portland anthologies. Do you have any thing you would like to tell readers about your writing?

Writing is something I like to share with people. Writing helps people learn how to express themselves. I write this so maybe they can relate to my writing, I try to keep growing as a writer, not just stay in one style.

You mentioned earlier that you are taking creative writing classes at PCC. Were you already interested in taking these classes or did Write Around Portland help you become more interested in going there?

The Write Around Portland workshops made me more interested to go to PCC. I am also transferring to Portland State University into their creative writing program.

That’s really exciting. As a volunteer, I’m curious: have you also volunteered with Write Around Portland?

I have volunteered as part of the selection committee for the most recent anthology. In the [anthology] selection committee, you read the writings from a participant, you mark down which piece you liked the most. A leader was there, we pass the piece along to see who also likes that piece, and eventually you get a vote for which piece everyone likes the most and that one goes to the anthology.

But the reading got cancelled because of the storm.

Oh, I didn’t hear this story. What happened?

There was a storm in December of 2008, and they called it "The Arctic Blast." [Write Around Portland] cancelled the reading and had to reschedule it for January of this year.

[ed. note: The January reading was our largest ever - 290 people in attendance! Ron is pictured at the reading in the upper right hand corner of this page.]

Well thank you so much for your time, Ron. It was great meeting with you!

Thanks a lot.


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TAKE A Writing Workshop SIGN UP for Write Around Portland News WRITING RESOURCES	Publications & Writers Featured Writers Ron Stewart Marshall Writing workshop participant of Write On: Returning Writers for adults who have participated in two or more previous workshops. We created this special workshop to meet the demand from participants who wanted to continue to build community through writing. Ron Stewart Marshall, 51, is originally from Illinois and has lived in Portland for 11 years. Ron works part-time and attends Portland Community College (PCC) part-time where he studies creative writing. He is considering becoming a teacher. Ron also likes working on and fixing computers. He originally joined a Write Around Portland workshop because he wanted to get serious about writing and be able to express his feelings on paper. Now Ron writes almost everyday, and says that he is always doing something with writing. To the Point of Perfection By Ron Stewart Marshall I never thought that I would be like this… vehicle that I have become. I see some object that belongs to me and think, Why did it have to be so concrete and well formed? No one is formed absolutely to the point of perfection. A lone star in the western sky will one day crumble into fine particles of dust. Try as they must, a great work of art can be flawed. No matter how much energy, pain, sorrow, suffering or love that the artist puts into her work— the paint peels through the years. Although, all those years are someplace back there. They try their best to dictate what you “should pursue” in life. Sometimes, they come to visit with me in the shape of that old, abandoned house that used to be some place just up the street from here. It looks almost the same way it did when we used to play games in the lot nearby. The paint peels through the years. Sometimes, in order to go on…you must leave. When I write, I always leave it to the point of perfection. Sometimes, no matter how difficult it may seem, you have to say, Goodbye! © Ron Stewart Marshall and Write Around Portland Interview with featured writer Ron Stewart Marshall Biography writer and interviewer: Jodi McLaren, Write Around Portland volunteer, pictured below with Ron Do you feel that writing has a big effect on you? Writing is a way of life. Write for every occasion—you can have lunch in Paris or Portland and then write about it. Writing can transform people, change the way they think about things. When I write something about something that has happened or an experience, I feel this: If I can do it on paper, I can do it in real life. Which Write Around Portland workshops have you participated in? I attended the workshop in the spring of 2008 at Talking Drum Bookstore, which is a cool little bookstore/coffee shop in NE Portland, a workshop at REACH Powell Apartments, and a workshop at the Maybelle Clark MacDonald Center. [All three workshops were held for adults living on a low income and/or with a disability,] but they were all very different. And now you are in the Write On workshop for returning writers? How is that going? I like it a lot. It's a really unique experience, and the other participants are really interesting. It's different than the other workshops I've taken. People seem like they want to be serious writers. We’re talking about making a zine with broadsides [of our writing] where we staple them together. So what is the experience of the Write Around Portland workshop like? It's really helped me use my imagination, helped me with going to college, and it has helped me read in front of other people both at the workshop and the reading. It takes you from being introverted to getting out there and communicating more. Now I really want to write for a local newspaper, for example. How did you feel being in the workshop environment? You don’t feel like you’re writing by yourself, you have a little community of people. I’ve run into people outside of the workshop and they remember me...It's a very inventive way of bringing out ideas...There is a sense of camaraderie. People can stay connected after the workshop and start their own little group. Everyone comes to the workshop and everyone looks different, someone is a skater, or with piercings and tattoos, or dressed in a suit, but we’re all the same, we’re all writing. How did you feel about sharing your work with others and hearing others stories? I liked hearing other people’s stories. Sometimes you relate to what they’ve been through. The idea is that it’s fictitious, so it’s not really themselves. This way people are writing about a fictitious character and they can open up. Some people open up they cry and they laugh, they have to have someone else finish it, but they got that out of them and it helps them, they can go on. It’s like a therapy session. Once you see what they’ve read it makes you want to read something too. That’s really great. Would you recommend Write Around Portland to others? I would recommend the workshops to others—it will show them what it feels like to write, for some people they can’t afford to come to a class and pay hundreds of dollars at a school or university; they can come to this [workshop]. You go there and have a writing journal and a snack and you can write and get positive feedback [about your writing]. You get a group of people to help you grow as a writer. I realize you have some pieces published in the Write Around Portland anthologies. Do you have any thing you would like to tell readers about your writing? Writing is something I like to share with people. Writing helps people learn how to express themselves. I write this so maybe they can relate to my writing, I try to keep growing as a writer, not just stay in one style. You mentioned earlier that you are taking creative writing classes at PCC. Were you already interested in taking these classes or did Write Around Portland help you become more interested in going there? The Write Around Portland workshops made me more interested to go to PCC. I am also transferring to Portland State University into their creative writing program. That’s really exciting. As a volunteer, I’m curious: have you also volunteered with Write Around Portland? I have volunteered as part of the selection committee for the most recent anthology. In the [anthology] selection committee, you read the writings from a participant, you mark down which piece you liked the most. A leader was there, we pass the piece along to see who also likes that piece, and eventually you get a vote for which piece everyone likes the most and that one goes to the anthology. But the reading got cancelled because of the storm. Oh, I didn’t hear this story. What happened? There was a storm in December of 2008, and they called it "The Arctic Blast." [Write Around Portland] cancelled the reading and had to reschedule it for January of this year. [ed. note: The January reading was our largest ever - 290 people in attendance! Ron is pictured at the reading in the upper right hand corner of this page.] Well thank you so much for your time, Ron. It was great meeting with you! Thanks a lot.	"Write Around Portland has expanded my abilities, expanded my ideas and most of all, expanded my circle of friends. " Paula Nielson, Write Around Portland Participant Provide a writer with a writing journal, pen, bus tickets, and an anthology. Featured Writer Ron Stewart Marshall Click here to read about past featured writers.
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