Susan DeFreitas, and the Lan Su Chinese Garden...
Literary Community, Local Beauty, Portland and Writing.
Before the snows of Portland’s second winter hit this year, weighing down branches and leaving new roses and tulips to knock against the frozen ground, I was fortunate to spend an afternoon in the sun with author Susan DeFreitas.
Susan is a friend, and the author of the novel, Hot Season, about climate change and direct action, radicals and love. I’m all for it. My words on the back:
A beautiful book that asks the crucial question, is it worse to destroy a dam or to destroy a river? Which is to say, how do we live our conscience on a crowded, corrupted planet? -Monica Drake, author of The Stud Book
More recently, she’s edited a collection in tribute to the author Ursula K. LeGuin, Dispatches from Anarres.
She and I dropped in to catch up and see how the Lan Su Chinese Garden is faring. The answer? The walled garden is as beautiful, peaceful and precious as ever.
It is a tranquil oasis, in a troubled city.
Before you start to think that a walled garden is preserved only for the wealthy, know this: if you’re low-income, an Oregon Trail card will grant you a $5.00 entrance fee. That at least increases access. Sometimes, if you ask in advance—or perhaps if you’re part of a group—you may be gifted a complimentary pass.
Inside the garden’s walls, the gentle sound of water rushing over stones works to sooth the body’s sympathetic nervous system, I’m sure of it. The flash of a koi in a pond is a small victory, a witnessing and a communion. There are carefully laid stones, walkways and tended plants. Each detail is as symbolic as it is materially, physically, satisfying. Children, grandparents and everyone else, make their way through peacefully. Some guests follow guides, or docents, learning about the plants, culture, history and design. Others only follow their own wandering impulses.
The garden invites a gentleness, and a creative urge. Many take photos, while some visitors settle in to draw or even paint. The thoughtful design invites consideration of life’s smallest details: the placement and shape of a doorway, a sightline, a stone, shifting light, seasons, the world.
Susan and I drank tea and enjoyed red bean mooncakes in the teahouse, in the middle of so much earthly beauty. We talked about writing and life. She had some amazing things to say about her evolving work as a book coach, teacher and editor. More about that, soon.
And on the way out, we took a few photos. Homecoming? Prom? Here we are, in our reunion. I’m her fan.
Look for an upcoming mini-interview, and details on her next class…soon.
p.s.—feel free to like, share, subscribe, chat back…say hi! :) xo