Featured Writer

Glenn Pyle

Over the years, Glenn has flown air planes, sailed boats, ridden motorcycles and raced cars. He was also an electronics technician and engineer. He participated in our workshop in partnership with Schrunk Riverview Tower, a Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) low income housing building.

“Who we are in this day is the result of our childhood conditioning,” Glenn told us. He explains how his childhood conditioning was to be controlled and he wasn’t able to do things that he wanted to do. This shut down his creative expression. He explains what having a block put on his creative expression was like and how the Write Around Portland workshop shifted that: “It was like being in a car with the engine ready to run and you couldn’t shift it into gear. This writing workshop allowed me to shift into gear. It actually opened the block.”

You can read Glenn’s writing and in interview with him below.

Animal's Revenge

by Glenn Pyle

Mike and I spent an exciting fun weekend at the air races in Reno, Nevada. On the way home Mike was driving and the conversation was totally about the beautiful, fast airplanes and the people and pilots we talked with.

I noticed an animal body in the center of our lane on the road. The instant we passed over it, the quiet rumble became an ear-shattering roar. It was then that I knew that something about that body was payback because I knew that the whole muffler system had just been ripped off the car. We could not hear each other. Mike stopped the car and—looking back down the road—there was the exhaust pipe, muffler, small parts and tail pipe scattered over a block of the road.

from our anthology, Moving or Still/En movimiento o quieto

Interview with Featured Writer

Glenn Pyle

Interview by Write Around Portland volunteer Nicole Rosevear

Photo by volunteer Rick Sadle

What interested you about participating in a Write Around Portland workshop?

One word caught my attention: writing. I’d been in writing groups before, writing stories about my past, but this one was more fun. It had a tendency to open up my brain to be more creative.

So you wanted to get involved in writing again?

I wanted to do more writing. This workshop was totally different, though. I never had the opportunity to do this kind of creative writing before. I wrote stories before that were actual experiences to get rid of the hurt of some of those experiences and solve them. Now I’m interested in expanding my creativity. It was hard, but this workshop helped give me a shift in my brain about writing.

I felt that when I started this writing workshop that it was entirely impossible to dream up some story. I never dreamt that I could do that before, but just being around the people in the workshop, their great writing and my great writing really opened up that venue for me.

Were there some particular moments writing with this group that really stood out for you?

Hearing how other people had different concepts of the same writing prompts. I liked that part of it. Also, at the end of the workshop, we passed around a paper to write notes to each other, and I was amazed with what people wrote to me about my stories.

Have you found this workshop to be valuable on some level in other areas of your life?

Valuable is an understatement. What I discovered is that I do have a creative imagination, even though I have no training or experience in writing. It was a real confirmation that I could write creatively.

Also, this writing workshop affected me in many different areas of what I do and who I am. For example, I assemble switches for radio controlled model airplanes. This writing workshop allowed me to “think outside of the box” and I have been able to bring that ability to think more creatively about the switches I am making. The writing workshop also helped me explain myself more clearly.

Do you write more on your own now that you’ve experienced this workshop?

I have very small living quarters and they are full (F-U-L-L full) of my interests—model airplanes, all sorts of things that are interesting to me—so I have to go somewhere else to write. I love being around people. So if I have a writing workshop, I will make time to be at that workshop. Partly, too, my self-discipline leaves a whole lot to be desired.

How does it feel to be published in the Write Around Portland anthology, Moving or Still/En movimiento o quieto?

Wonderful. I don’t know what else to say. It feels wonderful.

Would you like to participate in another Write Around Portland workshop?

Yes. As soon as possible. And the reason is because I want to continue this. I want to write more.


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TAKE A Writing Workshop SIGN UP for Write Around Portland News WRITING RESOURCES	Publications & Writers Featured Writer Glenn Pyle Over the years, Glenn has flown air planes, sailed boats, ridden motorcycles and raced cars. He was also an electronics technician and engineer. He participated in our workshop in partnership with Schrunk Riverview Tower, a Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) low income housing building. “Who we are in this day is the result of our childhood conditioning,” Glenn told us. He explains how his childhood conditioning was to be controlled and he wasn’t able to do things that he wanted to do. This shut down his creative expression. He explains what having a block put on his creative expression was like and how the Write Around Portland workshop shifted that: “It was like being in a car with the engine ready to run and you couldn’t shift it into gear. This writing workshop allowed me to shift into gear. It actually opened the block.” You can read Glenn’s writing and in interview with him below. Animal's Revenge by Glenn Pyle Mike and I spent an exciting fun weekend at the air races in Reno, Nevada. On the way home Mike was driving and the conversation was totally about the beautiful, fast airplanes and the people and pilots we talked with. I noticed an animal body in the center of our lane on the road. The instant we passed over it, the quiet rumble became an ear-shattering roar. It was then that I knew that something about that body was payback because I knew that the whole muffler system had just been ripped off the car. We could not hear each other. Mike stopped the car and—looking back down the road—there was the exhaust pipe, muffler, small parts and tail pipe scattered over a block of the road. © 2011 Glenn Pyle & Write Around Portland from our anthology, Moving or Still/En movimiento o quieto Interview with Featured Writer Glenn Pyle Interview by Write Around Portland volunteer Nicole Rosevear Photo by volunteer Rick Sadle What interested you about participating in a Write Around Portland workshop? One word caught my attention: writing. I’d been in writing groups before, writing stories about my past, but this one was more fun. It had a tendency to open up my brain to be more creative. So you wanted to get involved in writing again? I wanted to do more writing. This workshop was totally different, though. I never had the opportunity to do this kind of creative writing before. I wrote stories before that were actual experiences to get rid of the hurt of some of those experiences and solve them. Now I’m interested in expanding my creativity. It was hard, but this workshop helped give me a shift in my brain about writing. I felt that when I started this writing workshop that it was entirely impossible to dream up some story. I never dreamt that I could do that before, but just being around the people in the workshop, their great writing and my great writing really opened up that venue for me. Were there some particular moments writing with this group that really stood out for you? Hearing how other people had different concepts of the same writing prompts. I liked that part of it. Also, at the end of the workshop, we passed around a paper to write notes to each other, and I was amazed with what people wrote to me about my stories. Have you found this workshop to be valuable on some level in other areas of your life? Valuable is an understatement. What I discovered is that I do have a creative imagination, even though I have no training or experience in writing. It was a real confirmation that I could write creatively. Also, this writing workshop affected me in many different areas of what I do and who I am. For example, I assemble switches for radio controlled model airplanes. This writing workshop allowed me to “think outside of the box” and I have been able to bring that ability to think more creatively about the switches I am making. The writing workshop also helped me explain myself more clearly. Do you write more on your own now that you’ve experienced this workshop? I have very small living quarters and they are full (F-U-L-L full) of my interests—model airplanes, all sorts of things that are interesting to me—so I have to go somewhere else to write. I love being around people. So if I have a writing workshop, I will make time to be at that workshop. Partly, too, my self-discipline leaves a whole lot to be desired. *How does it feel to be published in the Write Around Portland anthology, Moving or Still/En movimiento o quieto?* Wonderful. I don’t know what else to say. It feels wonderful. Would you like to participate in another Write Around Portland workshop? Yes. As soon as possible. And the reason is because I want to continue this. I want to write more.	"This workshop helped give me a shift in my brain about writing.” --Glenn Pyle, Workshop Participant Donate Now Provide a writer with a writing journal, pen, bus tickets, and an anthology. Featured Writer Glenn Pyle Click here for archive of past featured writers
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