Featured Writer

Robin Robberson

At six years old, Robin Robberson saw Mt. St. Helen’s erupt from the vantage point of her Huffy Big Wheel. This sparked a lifetime of adventure: since then, she’s lived everywhere from Spain to Alaska to New Orleans. She finally settled in Portland and has stayed put for the last nine years.

Recently, Robin overcame a drug addiction spawned by a bout with ovarian cancer, of which she is now a survivor. Wanting to get her life back on track, she went from selling T-shirts in NOLA’s French Quarter to acquiring a Master’s Degree in Public Health, finishing most of it while going through chemo.

Robin is now affiliated with the Recovery Mentor Program of Central City Concern, a local nonprofit that strives to increase the self-sufficiency of those who are homeless, economically disadvantaged or coping with addictions. When she’s not gleefully torturing herself at the gym, she spends her free time doing arts and crafty things.

Robin participated in her first workshop with Write Around Portland through Central City Concern in partnership with Portland Center Stage (PCS). As part of the workshop, participants attended PCS's production of Bust.

“I love school, I love writing,” Robin says. “I’m a dork.” You can read an interview with her and her writing from our new book below.

My Guts, My Glory

by Robin Robberson

You can’t tell by looking but my guts are often in knots. They tie themselves up in a nest of worry and fret. Sometimes they moan softly, almost begging to be freed from the prison of scar tissue that holds them captive. They disobey my orders. If you stop and listen closely they gurgle the story of me.

They speak to me in jolts and kicks. They remind me of where I have been and what I have endured. Remember when we were bathed in chemotherapy? Remember when we lost a part of ourselves to that painful resectioning? My guts tell the story of where I have been but not who I am becoming.

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

Interview with Featured Writer

Robin Robberson

Interview by Write Around Portland volunteer Celeste Hamilton

Photo by volunteer Rick Sadle

What was your workshop experience like?

This was the first opportunity I had to creatively write with these writing prompts and just free flowing, and I did really well. I really liked how my stuff worked out. Ever since I had cancer, people are like, “You have this story, you should write a book.” From this experience I’ve been inspired to do some sort of memoir that is part fiction.

How was your experience with others in the workshop?

Often I notice with people in recovery, and especially in the mentor program, there’s a high concentration of artistic folks. So there were a lot of people with a lot of talent in our room. And people who didn’t think they had talent, still had talent.

How does writing differ from your other creative outlets?

I don’t know if it’s so much different. It’s that same creative process I enjoy when you don’t expect something to be able to happen and then something happens. I love it when that happens.

Tell me about the piece you read at the Write Around Portland anthology release and reading.

It’s about my intestines. It’s called My Guts, My Glory. [see above] What I learned from a lot of my experiences is that my intestines are my emotional barometer. Having a colostomy and all those painful things, if I get upset, my intestines get upset.

On one level, they’re almost independent of me. I talk about them in the third person. “Oh look my intestines, they’re really bothering me today.” I’ve always had this whole dialogue of what my intestines are doing. So it’s almost like this other part of me, this mini-me.

Would you recommend Write Around Portland to other people?

Definitely. You might surprise yourself is why I think people should do it. I think we underestimate, you know, we get insecure around artistic things and I think there’s a lot more people who could express themselves and give themselves a voice through Write Around Portland.


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TAKE A Writing Workshop SIGN UP for Write Around Portland News WRITING RESOURCES	Publications & Writers Featured Writer Robin Robberson At six years old, Robin Robberson saw Mt. St. Helen’s erupt from the vantage point of her Huffy Big Wheel. This sparked a lifetime of adventure: since then, she’s lived everywhere from Spain to Alaska to New Orleans. She finally settled in Portland and has stayed put for the last nine years. Recently, Robin overcame a drug addiction spawned by a bout with ovarian cancer, of which she is now a survivor. Wanting to get her life back on track, she went from selling T-shirts in NOLA’s French Quarter to acquiring a Master’s Degree in Public Health, finishing most of it while going through chemo. Robin is now affiliated with the Recovery Mentor Program of Central City Concern, a local nonprofit that strives to increase the self-sufficiency of those who are homeless, economically disadvantaged or coping with addictions. When she’s not gleefully torturing herself at the gym, she spends her free time doing arts and crafty things. Robin participated in her first workshop with Write Around Portland through Central City Concern in partnership with Portland Center Stage (PCS). As part of the workshop, participants attended PCS's production of Bust. “I love school, I love writing,” Robin says. “I’m a dork.” You can read an interview with her and her writing from our new book below. My Guts, My Glory by Robin Robberson You can’t tell by looking but my guts are often in knots. They tie themselves up in a nest of worry and fret. Sometimes they moan softly, almost begging to be freed from the prison of scar tissue that holds them captive. They disobey my orders. If you stop and listen closely they gurgle the story of me. They speak to me in jolts and kicks. They remind me of where I have been and what I have endured. Remember when we were bathed in chemotherapy? Remember when we lost a part of ourselves to that painful resectioning? My guts tell the story of where I have been but not who I am becoming. © 2011 Robin Robberson & Write Around Portland from our anthology, Moving or Still/En movimiento o quieto Interview with Featured Writer Robin Robberson Interview by Write Around Portland volunteer Celeste Hamilton Photo by volunteer Rick Sadle What was your workshop experience like? This was the first opportunity I had to creatively write with these writing prompts and just free flowing, and I did really well. I really liked how my stuff worked out. Ever since I had cancer, people are like, “You have this story, you should write a book.” From this experience I’ve been inspired to do some sort of memoir that is part fiction. How was your experience with others in the workshop? Often I notice with people in recovery, and especially in the mentor program, there’s a high concentration of artistic folks. So there were a lot of people with a lot of talent in our room. And people who didn’t think they had talent, still had talent. How does writing differ from your other creative outlets? I don’t know if it’s so much different. It’s that same creative process I enjoy when you don’t expect something to be able to happen and then something happens. I love it when that happens. Tell me about the piece you read at the Write Around Portland anthology release and reading. It’s about my intestines. It’s called My Guts, My Glory. [see above] What I learned from a lot of my experiences is that my intestines are my emotional barometer. Having a colostomy and all those painful things, if I get upset, my intestines get upset. On one level, they’re almost independent of me. I talk about them in the third person. “Oh look my intestines, they’re really bothering me today.” I’ve always had this whole dialogue of what my intestines are doing. So it’s almost like this other part of me, this mini-me. Would you recommend Write Around Portland to other people? Definitely. You might surprise yourself is why I think people should do it. I think we underestimate, you know, we get insecure around artistic things and I think there’s a lot more people who could express themselves and give themselves a voice through Write Around Portland.	"I think there’s a lot more people who could express themselves and give themselves a voice through Write Around Portland." --Robin Robberson, Workshop Participant Donate Now Provide a writer with a writing journal, pen, bus tickets, and an anthology. Featured Writer Robin Robberson Click here for archive of past featured writers
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