An Anthology of Oregon Prose

Oregon has always been a place of hope and new beginning. Yet all who have come to Oregon have not shared the same hopes, nor have they realized the same degree of success. This wide-ranging selection of nonfiction prose records Oregonians' dreams, their fulfillments and their frustrations. The individual pieces are arranged in seven thematic categories that recur throughout Oregon's history, from community to individualism.

Varieties of Hope brings together essays, speeches, and works of biography, history, and journalism to illuminate the people, places, events, and institutions that define Oregon. Selections range from Beatrice Canady's 1928 essay, "Some of the Joys of Being Colored in Portland" to Barry Lopez's "Children in the Words," and from Karen Karbo on the Portland Trailblazers, and James Depriest on support for the arts, to C.E.S. Wood's profile of Chief Joseph, and Barbara Yasui's "Nikkei in Oregon." The writings collected here illustrate the richness of the Oregon experience--as well as its challenges, regards, and diversity.