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VANCOUVER, Wash.— The Clark College Veterans Center of Excellence invites the community to its 10^th anniversary celebration from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21 in Gaiser Student Center in Gaiser Hall on the main campus, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Directions and maps are available online.

The center assists military-affiliated students with their educational journey. Focused on supporting veteran student success, the center provides a single point of contact to coordinate comprehensive, individualized support services that address the academic, financial, physical, and social needs of Clark College’s student veterans. A Clark College veteran is any military-affiliated student at Clark: veterans, active duty, or a military dependent, either spouse or child. 

The center’s staff can connect student veterans to agencies, programs, and support. The center also provides tutoring, help with books and calculators; useful workshops; a study area with computers and printers; lounge and games for relaxation; networking with other veterans and more.

Donna Larson, Associate Director of Veterans Center of Excellence said, “It is so important for the students to know that we care about them and their success. Student success is directly affected by the resources that we can offer. We want to uplift our student stories and express our gratitude for the donors and community members' contributions that made this happen year after year.” 

Schedule:

• Patriot Guard will welcome guests
• Cowlitz Tribal member will give the land and labor acknowledgement and welcome guests
• VCOE student success stories will be shared
• Contributors to VCOE over the years will be acknowledged
• Veterans Club at Clark College
• Make thank you notes to veterans 

Connect with Veterans Center of Excellence: 

In person: Penguin Union Building, PUB 015

Phone: 360-992-2073 or 360-992-2864

Email: veterans@clark.edu

Website: https://www.clark.edu/campus-life/student-support/vrc/

Clark College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution. Learn more at www.clark.edu/nds. If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Clark College’s Human Resources Office. Phone: 360-992-2105 or email: hr@clark.edu/.

About Clark College 

Founded in 1933 and celebrating its 90^th year, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately 45% of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.   

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View demonstrations; tour the welding lab; meet instructors and students  

VANCOUVER, Wash.— Clark College is hosting a Welding Technology open house on Friday, May 17 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on the main campus, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way in its Welding Technology and Fabrication facility in Building AA2. 

Learn about the welding industry and get a hands-on tour of the Clark College welding facility. Demonstrations will include a welding robot, virtual reality (VR) welder, computer numerical control (CNC) plasma cutter, press brake and more.

Clark’s welding students can earn an Associate of Applied Technology (AAT) degree in Welding Technologies in two years. Concurrently, students will complete five welding certificates. The welding program offers a part-time schedule and evening classes to accommodate working students. Learn more at Welding (clark.edu)

Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

Clark College expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, perceived or actual physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, creed, religion, honorably discharged veteran or military status, citizenship, immigration status, or use of a trained guide dog or service animal in its programs and activities. Learn more at www.clark.edu/nds

If you need an accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Clark College’s Human Resources Office. Phone: 360-992-2105 or email hr@clark.edu

About Clark College 

Founded in 1933 and celebrating its 90^th year, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately 45% of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.   

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FREE FESTIVAL CULMINATES IN DAY-LONG WORKSHOPS DESIGNED FOR WRITERS OF ALL LEVELS  

VANCOUVER, Wash.— The English department at Clark College hosts its annual Creative Writing Festival from May 6-11. The event, which is free and open to the public, features activities geared for writers at all levels. The festival allows writers to immerse themselves in workshops and readings by renowned authors. It will culminate with the Clark Spring Creative Writing Workshop on Saturday, May 11, with a full day of workshops for writers.

All events will be in the Penguin Union Building (PUB) on Clark College's main campus, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.  Directions and maps are available online.

Schedule

May 6, 11 a.m. - noon, PUB 258B: Writing from Lived Experience: A reading and conversation with author Peyton Marshall 

May 7, 10-11 a.m., LIB 101, Cannell Library: “Exit Black” book release party: A reading and celebration of Clark English professor Joe Pitkin’s new sci-fi novel

May 8,12-2 p.m., LIB 101, Cannell Library: Create Your Own Comic: A hands-on workshop by Clark Art professor Grant Hottle. Art materials provided. 

May 9, 10 a.m.-noon, PUB 161: “The Swift” release party with student readings and a celebration of the publication of the 2^nd edition of Clark's student-run literary journal 

May 9, 4-6 p.m., PUB 161: English Department Awards Ceremony

May 10, 10-11 a.m., PUB 258B-C: Yoga for Creativity: A free yoga class focused on connecting the mind and body to nourish creativity

May 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Penguin Union Building: Spring Writing Workshop: A full day of writing workshops, readings, and community building. Includes free lunch, coffee, and pastries. 
Reserve your free tickets here. (bit.ly/writing-24)

SPRING WRITING WORKSHOP on May 11:

STEPHANIE ADAMS-SANTOS, “Dreamscape of the Altar” "You must give birth to your images."~ Rilke. Through a blend of guided meditation and writing prompts, we will work to nurture a fertile soil for receiving sacred imagery from the depths of the psyche. Delving into the mysterious terrains of embodied inner life, we'll explore the concept of an interior altar, using active imagination to connect with unconscious symbols and dreams. This process serves as a pathway to delve more deeply into our own creative material. Note: We will be working on the floor for part of the workshop, though this portion can be adjusted to accommodate any body; all materials provided.

LISA BULLARD, “Opening Another Door: Symbolism in Poetry” Symbolism opens the door for a poet to say more with fewer words, and a striking symbol adds depth and intrigue to a poem. In this workshop, we will look at models of how others have used symbols and create symbols of our own. The workshop will be group oriented: the more brains, the better! We'll have fun and play with words.

EMILY CHENOWETH, “Disruption and Change in Character, Setting, and Plot” “There are only two plots in all of literature — a person goes on a journey, and a stranger comes to town.” So said celebrated writing teacher John Gardner (supposedly). Whether Gardner’s right is up for debate, but Arrivals and Departures are classic literary tropes for good reason. In this generative workshop, we’ll consider the three pillars of character, setting, and plot, and craft short prose pieces that have disruption and change at their heart.

MICHAEL GUERRA, “Tangible Objects: Developing an Inner Life for Your Character” This workshop will focus on the life of tangible objects that often define and shape our lives. Through this process of developing an inner life for our characters, we will discover patterns for shaping both knowns and unknowns that motivate our characters and push our stories in ways we never thought possible.

DEBRA GWARTNEY, “Who is Telling Your Story?” In this workshop, we will explore the role of the “I” in memoir writing. Both the “I” involved in the action, and the “I” remembering and reflecting upon the event at the center of your narrative. This “dual-I” is where the tension in memoir lives, and where readers engage and connect. Come prepared to write and, if you wish, to talk about the challenges of turning yourself into a character on the page.

HR HEGNAUER, “Judge a Book by Its Cover” It could be said that the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" seems to overlook the significant impact of book design. In this workshop, we'll dive into key aspects of book design, covering topics such as cover design, interior layout, paper selection, printing methods, and the integration of eBook design. We'll also envision our own future book covers, looking at your design ideas alongside logistical considerations.

SARA JAFFE, “Starting with Image: A Prose Workshop” What is an image? While conventionally defined as a visual representation or description, an image in writing can activate many senses at once. Transcending mere detail, an image electrifies and swirls up from the page, announcing to the reader that they are in this language-world and none other. In the words of cartoonist and writer Lynda Barry, "[An image is] alive in the way thinking is not, but experiencing is, made of both memory and imagination." Because so much meaning and sensation accrues to them, images can be terrific starting points for works of fiction and creative nonfiction. In this workshop, we'll mine our own personal image-banks for generative material, and work together to effectively bring the power of the image to the page.

MEREDITH KIRKWOOD, “Unexpected Arrivals: Writing Surprising Images” A poem is a series of departures and arrivals. A poet takes the reader to one image, then departs to another. Sometimes the reader arrives at the place they expected, but at its best, poetry can surprise—can take us to places the reader (and writer!) never anticipated. Those places offer us a sense of mystery and weirdness, a glimpse into other modes of consciousness and ways of being. This workshop offers tools for getting our poetry from the ordinary and predictable into some of those other places. Using as a guide the poem “4 Stars” by Oregon Poet Laureate and recent Columbia Writers Series guest Anis Mojgani, participants will write a poem by combining fragments of memory in unexpected ways. Then they will exchange images to create an even weirder, more surprising poem. Finally, they will try to break all the rules of grammar they can to arrive at unknown poetic terrain.

JOE PITKIN, “From Margins to the Center: How to Use Duotrope to Get Connected to Publishers” Do you have a story that you are proud of but have no idea how to get it published? Are you wondering what kinds of magazines and podcasts would be open to publishing your work? This session will explore how the online tool Duotrope can be used to get connected to publishers and agents!

MATHIAS SVALINA, “Writing with Dream Logic” Dreams cohere & dissolve in the same event; in this way the logics of dreams relate to the logics of emotional overwhelm & to the logics of the mass hallucinations of history or culture. This workshop will explore dream logic as a conscious & intentional writing tool, a writing strategy to employ to arrive at writerly truths beyond the rational. We will discuss the fugitive rationality in nonsense & the profundity in silliness as we look at some writers’ use of dream logics, & the forms & rhetorics of how we tell others our dreams. We will write to explore dream logic in narrative, lyric, & personal writing. The goals are to generate work that both bewilders & intimately engages the reader & writer alike.

PAULS TOUTONGHI, “Intention and Obstacle: The Use of a Time-Based Goal to Give Your Story Urgency” Fiction writers often struggle with plot -- or at least the idea of plot. Writing can come from a place of deep imagination, which is often not harnessed to any kind of mechanical apparatus. In fact, the imagination -- a dreamworld -- often specifically resists thinking in terms of timeline and story container. We will work to open stories that have a clear sense of urgency or, if it's missing, think about ways to get this urgency in existing stories.

CLAIRE VAYE WATKINS, “Writing Life and Death: How to Raise the Stakes of a Story” This workshop will be a generative session on how to raise the stakes in your story.

Clark College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution. Learn more at www.clark.edu/nds. If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Clark College’s Human Resources Office. Phone: 360-992-2105 or email: hr@clark.edu/.

About Clark College 

Founded in 1933 and celebrating its 90^th year, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately 45% of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.   

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Leland to talk about how losing his sight expanded his world view at Columbia Writers Series   

Vancouver, Wash.— The Clark College Columbia Writers Series welcomes writer Andrew Leland. This event, which is free and open to the public, will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 29 in the Penguin Union Building (PUB) room 258 A-B on Clark College's main campus, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.  Directions and maps are available online.  

Leland’s debut book, The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight, about the world of blindness and figuring out his place in it, was published by Penguin Press in 2023. 

Leland is a writer, audio producer, editor and teacher. His writing has been published in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s Quarterly, The San Francisco Chronicle, and more. He is a former host and producer of The Organist, an arts and culture podcast for KCRW. He has produced segments for Radiolab and 99 Percent Invisible. 

Since 2003 he has been an editor at “The Believer”, a quarterly literature, arts and culture magazine published by McSweeney’s. He has taught nonfiction writing, radio and digital storytelling at Smith College, University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Missouri. He lives in western Massachusetts with his wife and son. Learn more about Leland here.

The Columbia Writers Series was launched at Clark College in 1988, bringing local, national and international authors to the college and the region. Learn more about the Columbia Writers Series at www.clark.edu/cc/cws. 

Clark College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution. Learn more at www.clark.edu/nds. If you need accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Clark College’s Human Resources Office. Phone: 360-992-2105 or email: hr@clark.edu/.

About Clark College  

Founded in 1933 and celebrating its 90^th year, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately 45% of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.    

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April 26, 6-9 p.m. - ¡Celebración de Primavera! /  Día del Niño
April 23, 4-8 p.m. - Noche de Familia

Vancouver, Wash. – Clark College invites the community to its annual free, family-friendly Latine cultural celebration of children, literacy and Earth Day. ¡Celebración de Primavera! / Día del Niño (Celebration of Spring/Day of the Child) is from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 26, and its Noche de Familia event on Tuesday, April 23, from 4 to 8 p.m.

Both events are held at Gaiser Student Center on Clark’s main campus, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way. 

¡Celebración de Primavera! / Día del Niño

Celebrate children, families, reading, dancing, and singing with environmentally friendly games, arts and crafts and snacks on April 26 from 6 to 9 p.m. See the complete schedule here. Activities include: 

• 6 p.m. - Snacks
• 6:30 p.m. - Songs by Harney Elementary students 
• 6:45 p.m. - Reading by author Christopher Cousins 
• 7 p.m. - Games 
• 7:30 p.m. - Dancing by Vancouver Ballet Folklórico
• 8 p.m. - Dance lessons 
• 8:15 p.m. - Dance party!

Noche de Familia

In addition, Clark College is hosting Noche de Familia on Tuesday, April 23 from 4 to 8 p.m. in Gaiser Student Center. This is a special night for Latine families to learn about academic options and resources available at Clark. Offered every term by the college and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, this free, public event includes activities for kids and dinner for all. 

Attendees will have opportunities to speak with Clark representatives from Financial Aid, Transitional Services, Workforce Education Services, Disability Support Services, Counseling and Health Center, Career Services and more. Workshops will be offered to explain the processes of applying for Clark College and applying for financial aid. Information will be available in both Spanish and English. 

Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

Clark College expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, perceived or actual physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, creed, religion, honorably discharged veteran or military status, citizenship, immigration status, or use of a trained guide dog or service animal in its programs and activities. Learn more at www.clark.edu/nds. 

If you need an accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Clark College’s Human Resources Office. Phone: 360-992-2105 or email hr@clark.edu 

About Clark College 

Founded in 1933 and celebrating its 90^th year, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately 45% of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college. 

To learn more, visit the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion https://www.clark.edu/campus-life/student-support/diversity-and-equity/    

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Clark College amidst cherry blossoms

ANNUAL EVENT CELEBRATES FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN CULTURES 

Vancouver, Wash.— The annual Sakura Festival returns on Thursday, April 25 to the Clark College main campus, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way. The free community event underneath a canopy of cherry blossoms is presented by Clark College, the city of Vancouver and Vancouver Rotary. 

Opening remarks begin at 1 p.m. in the Royce Pollard Japanese Friendship Garden, located next to Beacock Music Hall on Clark’s main campus. In case of inclement weather, the event will be inside Gaiser Student Center in the Penguin Union Building.

Schedule 

• 12:50 p.m. - Koto performance by Mitsuki Dazai
• 1:10 p.m. - Greetings from Dr. Karin Edwards
• 1:15 p.m. – Greetings from City of Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle
• 1:22 p.m. – Greetings from Mr. Yuzo Yoshioka Consul General
• 1:25 p.m. – Greetings from Clark College student, Daniel Wall
• 1:28 p.m. – Clark College Treble Ensemble performance
• 1:40 p.m.– Guests walk through Japanese garden and up to Gaiser Student Center
• 2:30 p.m. - The celebration continues in Gaiser Student Center with a performance by Oregon Koto-Kai, Haiku reading by Clark College Japanese Club, martial art demonstration, and art share by children enrolled in Child and Family Studies program. There will be a variety of cultural displays and demonstration tables around the room. Hand-painted cherry blossom cookies will be provided by the college’s Professional Baking & Pastry Arts students.
• 3:30 p.m. - Event ends

History of Sakura Festival at Clark College: More than 25 years ago, the City of Vancouver received a gift of friendship: 100 Shirofugen cherry trees. They were planted at Clark College, creating an enduring reminder of the bonds between our region and Japan. Over the years, those trees have grown and blossomed—as has that friendship, creating traditions like the establishment in 1995 of a sister-city relationship between Vancouver and Joyo, Japan, and our annual Sakura Festival, begun in 2006. Learn more about the history of the Sakura Festival.

Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

Clark College expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, perceived or actual physical or mental disability, pregnancy, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, creed, religion, honorably discharged veteran or military status, citizenship, immigration status, or use of a trained guide dog or service animal in its programs and activities. Learn more at www.clark.edu/nds.

If you need an accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Clark College’s Human Resources Office. Phone: 360-992-2105 or email: hr@clark.edu

About Clark College 
Founded in 1933 and celebrating its 90^th year, Clark College provides residents of Southwest Washington with affordable, high-quality academic and technical education. It is a public community college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs, including bachelor’s and associate degrees; professional certificates; high school diplomas and GED preparation; and non-credit community and continuing education. Clark serves a wide range of students including high school students, displaced workers, veterans, parents, non-native English speakers, and mature learners. Approximately 45% of its students are in the first generation of their families to attend college.   

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