Featured Writer

Laura Jameison

Writing Workshop Participant with the Alder House for adults living on a low income and/or with a disability. Her writing is published in our summer anthology, Unexpected Metaphors.

Laura was born and raised in Oregon, and has spent most of her life in the Portland area. The mother of five children, and a grandmother to three, she still has a 14-year-old daughter at home. Laura completed her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Writing at Marylhurst University in 2006. She loves writing, drawing, and music, and she’s played the piano since she was four years old. She started writing when she was about nine years old, and even then, she was a poet at heart.

If I Had All the Time in the World

by Laura Jameison

She asked me to write starting with, “if I had all the time in the world.” If I had all the time in the world? Lately, I have been thinking who knows how much time, or how many healthy days I have, and I’ve been feeling a bit of urgency to get things done. I haven’t thought about this other idea. Suddenly I realized if I had all the time in the world I would do the same things I am trying to do now. What irony.

If I had all the time in the world, I would take my daughter camping as much as possible. I have not been able to take her camping all these years. I took her for the first time this Spring Break. We heard hundreds of frogs and dozens of coyotes vocalizing as the sun went down. We listened to a countless number of birds singing as the sun came up. Sparkling, chilled dew was on everything and our simple breakfast tasted great. I may not have that much time so I will take my daughter camping as much as possible...

...CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL PIECE

Interview with featured writer Laura Jameison

Biography Writer, Interviewer and Photographer:

Haili Jones Graff

Write Around Portland Volunteer

Tell us about your experience in a Write Around Portland Workshop.

The most important thing is the sense of community—working together in a safe place with fellow artists. When I finished school, even though I’d won scholarships with my writing, I didn’t know how to get my work out there, and I developed a huge writer’s block. Write Around Portland really helped me to get it all down on paper and feel inspired again.

What did you get out of the workshop?

I found a sense of community, a safe place to write and share my art. I have read at two Write Around Portland readings and am looking forward to the third. Readings are very important in that the audience can not only read the author’s words, but really experience the intent and emotion behind them. In turn, the author experiences the depth of the audience’s reaction.

Had you written much before you joined the Write Around Portland workshop?

I have been writing since I was nine. I never really stop. I have been fortunate to have a few poems published in Poets Against War, in an anthology by Friends of the River, and in Marylhurst University’s online literary magazine MReview. While a student, I was awarded the Binford Writing Scholarship.

How was your experience writing in a group? Sharing with others? Hearing other people’s stories?

I liked it a lot. I really feel that I need this connection with the community, especially the creative community. I am inspired, and I believe I may inspire others as well. The encouragement helps me feel safe enough to write.

Would you recommend Write Around Portland workshops to others?

Definitely, and I have. I’ve even recommended it to people that I thought could be [volunteer workshop] facilitators. Write Around Portland recommended me for an opportunity to attend a workshop through the William Stafford Writing Center. I felt privileged to have such an opportunity.

What did the workshop help you learn about yourself as a writer?

I love writing and will always write, but the workshops encouraged me to experiment with different forms of inspiration and writing, and to realize that such experimentation led to some of the best creations. The prompts were especially helpful; in one workshop, we took pictures out of magazines and used those to write a story—that’s led me to do all types of character studies for later works.

Is there anything you would like to tell your readers about your writing?

I write from a place of compassion, empathy, and social responsibility, but I also write out of a great passion for the art of writing itself. If even just one person feels something, then I feel I’ve served my purpose. I’m a survivor of domestic abuse. I’ve lived through a lot of stuff. I like to turn that experience into a way to connect with people and to help others out. You survive best when you help others survive along the way with you. And I know that for me, writing is a part of that.


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TAKE A Writing Workshop SIGN UP for Write Around Portland News WRITING RESOURCES	Publications & Writers Featured Writer Laura Jameison Writing Workshop Participant with the Alder House for adults living on a low income and/or with a disability. Her writing is published in our summer anthology, Unexpected Metaphors. Laura was born and raised in Oregon, and has spent most of her life in the Portland area. The mother of five children, and a grandmother to three, she still has a 14-year-old daughter at home. Laura completed her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Writing at Marylhurst University in 2006. She loves writing, drawing, and music, and she’s played the piano since she was four years old. She started writing when she was about nine years old, and even then, she was a poet at heart. If I Had All the Time in the World by Laura Jameison She asked me to write starting with, “if I had all the time in the world.” If I had all the time in the world? Lately, I have been thinking who knows how much time, or how many healthy days I have, and I’ve been feeling a bit of urgency to get things done. I haven’t thought about this other idea. Suddenly I realized if I had all the time in the world I would do the same things I am trying to do now. What irony. If I had all the time in the world, I would take my daughter camping as much as possible. I have not been able to take her camping all these years. I took her for the first time this Spring Break. We heard hundreds of frogs and dozens of coyotes vocalizing as the sun went down. We listened to a countless number of birds singing as the sun came up. Sparkling, chilled dew was on everything and our simple breakfast tasted great. I may not have that much time so I will take my daughter camping as much as possible... ...CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL PIECE Interview with featured writer Laura Jameison Biography Writer, Interviewer and Photographer: Haili Jones Graff Write Around Portland Volunteer Tell us about your experience in a Write Around Portland Workshop. The most important thing is the sense of community—working together in a safe place with fellow artists. When I finished school, even though I’d won scholarships with my writing, I didn’t know how to get my work out there, and I developed a huge writer’s block. Write Around Portland really helped me to get it all down on paper and feel inspired again. What did you get out of the workshop? I found a sense of community, a safe place to write and share my art. I have read at two Write Around Portland readings and am looking forward to the third. Readings are very important in that the audience can not only read the author’s words, but really experience the intent and emotion behind them. In turn, the author experiences the depth of the audience’s reaction. Had you written much before you joined the Write Around Portland workshop? I have been writing since I was nine. I never really stop. I have been fortunate to have a few poems published in Poets Against War, in an anthology by Friends of the River, and in Marylhurst University’s online literary magazine MReview. While a student, I was awarded the Binford Writing Scholarship. How was your experience writing in a group? Sharing with others? Hearing other people’s stories? I liked it a lot. I really feel that I need this connection with the community, especially the creative community. I am inspired, and I believe I may inspire others as well. The encouragement helps me feel safe enough to write. Would you recommend Write Around Portland workshops to others? Definitely, and I have. I’ve even recommended it to people that I thought could be [volunteer workshop] facilitators. Write Around Portland recommended me for an opportunity to attend a workshop through the William Stafford Writing Center. I felt privileged to have such an opportunity. What did the workshop help you learn about yourself as a writer? I love writing and will always write, but the workshops encouraged me to experiment with different forms of inspiration and writing, and to realize that such experimentation led to some of the best creations. The prompts were especially helpful; in one workshop, we took pictures out of magazines and used those to write a story—that’s led me to do all types of character studies for later works. Is there anything you would like to tell your readers about your writing? I write from a place of compassion, empathy, and social responsibility, but I also write out of a great passion for the art of writing itself. If even just one person feels something, then I feel I’ve served my purpose. I’m a survivor of domestic abuse. I’ve lived through a lot of stuff. I like to turn that experience into a way to connect with people and to help others out. You survive best when you help others survive along the way with you. And I know that for me, writing is a part of that.	"I just believe in myself more." Write Around Portland Participant Provide a writer with a journal, pen, bus tickets, and Anthology. Featured Writer Laura Jameison Click here to read about past featured writers.
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