UCC And Roseburg Public Library Host An Evening With Author B. R. Lewis (Photo) - 10/08/26
Oct. 28 event features Pacific Northwest stories, an author conversation and book signing
ROSEBURG, Ore., Oct. 8, 2026 — Stories of family, place and the choices that shape our lives will take center stage when Umpqua Community College’s Sue Shaffer Learning Commons & Library and Roseburg Public Library host “An Evening with Author B. R. Lewis” on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, from 6–7 p.m. at UCC’s Sue Shaffer Learning Commons & Library.
Lewis, who currently teaches at UCC, will discuss his writing journey and read selections from “A Certain Kind of Luck”, followed by an audience question-and-answer session. A book signing will follow the presentation.
Born in Portland and raised in the paper-mill town of Camas, Washington, Lewis brings deep Pacific Northwest roots to his writing. He graduated from Western Washington University and earned his Master of Fine Arts at Eastern Washington University’s Inland Northwest Center for Writers in Spokane. He also completed two AmeriCorps service terms in Sitka, Alaska, and Vancouver, Washington, and served as an editor for the literary journals “Willow Springs” and “Sundog Lit.” He now lives in southern Oregon.
The collection’s fourteen stories explore life’s duality and the ways an unexpected turn of luck can lead to a dream fulfilled—or a life never imagined. Spanning several generations in the Pacific Northwest, Lewis’s characters navigate family relationships, economic uncertainty, personal and historical trauma, and injustice.
From Camas, Washington, to Roseburg, Oregon, and from riverbanks to rural communities, the stories examine the tension between caring for others and honoring one’s own needs. A young married couple confront jealousy, financial pressures and unplanned parenthood, while a Yakama mechanic questions why he is rebuilding a fishing platform on a river where there are no salmon.
“These are big hearted stories, full of grit and resolve, empathy and love, care and compromise,” said Leyna Krow, author of “Sinkhole and Other Inexplicable Voids” and “Fire Season.”
Author Robert Yune praised the collection’s vivid sense of place and emotional resonance: “You can practically hear the rivers, smell the moss.” Yune is the author of “Impossible Children,” winner of the 2018 Mary McCarthy Prize.
The evening offers readers an opportunity to hear directly from Lewis about the collection, explore his writing process and join a conversation about stories rooted in the landscapes and lives of the Pacific Northwest. A limited number of copies of “A Certain Kind of Luck” will be available for purchase.
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About Umpqua Community College
Nestled in the beautiful North Umpqua River Valley, Umpqua Community College is the regional center for higher education in Douglas County, Oregon. UCC provides high quality college degree programs, workforce development, and community learning opportunities. For more information, please visit us online at www.umpqua.edu
About Roseburg Public Library
Roseburg Public Library, a department of the City of Roseburg, is a full-service information center serving the community’s literacy and lifelong learning needs. For more information, visit their website at www.roseburgpubliclibrary.org
