Cold Eye, the Kindle Edition

(Lee Santa photo)

Cold Eye and the Long Goodbye

"When I moved to Portland in 1977, a segment of the city’s literary scene was centered on the Long Goodbye, a café/club in the heart of what is now known as the Pearl District, the upscale enclave of restaurants and apartments at the edge of Portland’s city center. In 1977, the area was a rundown district full of crumbling, turn-of-the-century warehouses. A few craftsmen and artists lived there on a dime and a dream, satisfied with the inexpensive rent and plentiful solitude. At night, the district was eerily dark and quiet, with long shadows, dim streetlights and a foreboding, noirish feel. The café’s owner, Richard Vidan, must have felt that vibe when he opened the place, naming it after Raymond Chandler’s famous noir novel.

"The Long Goodbye was a music, theater and poetry venue in the enduring fashion of fifties and sixties-era New York coffee houses, a place where poets looked like poets. I haven’t owned a beret in years, but I know I had a black one back then, and I’d usually don it for Tuesday night open mic, when the poets gathered. I carried my precious poems in a leather shoulder bag and kept a G harmonica in my tweed sports coat, just in case. At times, I wore a beard, or I’d trim it back for the Beat feel. It didn’t concern me that I was twenty-years late for that literary movement."--Terry Simons

This is a small slice of the literary history of Portland, of which I'm very proud.  Buy it now at the Kindle store.


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