The Nature of Words and Deschutes Public Library will welcome poet Paisley Rekdal and singer-songwriter Kevin Gordon to the Downtown Bend Public Library for November’s Second Sunday event. This special Second Sunday program follows the 2012 The Nature of Words Literary Festival, which takes place in Bend November 7–11. Rekdal and Gordon will read and perform on November 11, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at the Downtown Bend Public Library. An open mic follows the reading.

Paisley Rekdal is the author of a book of essays, The Night My Mother Met Bruce Lee, as well as four books of poetry. Her hybrid photo-text memoir that combines poems, nonfiction and fiction, Intimate: An American Family Photo Album, was published this year by Tupelo Press. Rekdal has been honored with a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, a Village Voice Writers on the Verge Award, and a Fullbright Fellowship to South Korea. Her work has been included in numerous anthologies, including the 2012 Pushcart Prize Anthology.

Kevin Gordon is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter with five CDs to his credit. His 2012 release Gloryland garnered the highest critical success of his career from a wide variety of sources including Rolling Stone Magazine and The New York Times. Gordon studied poetry and graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He also became a working musician and began fronting his own band and writing songs. Gordon’s songs have been cut by a host of artists, including Keith Richards, Levon Helm and New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas.

The Nature of Words was founded in 2005 to strengthen and support the literary arts and humanities in Oregon and the Northwest through community interaction with acclaimed authors and through creative writing programs for youth and adults.

The Deschutes Public Library serves more than 160,000 Deschutes County residents through libraries in Bend, La Pine, Redmond, Sisters, and Sunriver. Outreach services to senior centers, day care providers, and homebound residents are an integral part of the Library. The Library offers free and dynamic cultural programming for all ages to enrich our daily experience and encourage all residents to Know More.

For more information about this or other library programs, please visit the library website at www.deschuteslibrary.org. People with disabilities needing accommodations (alternative formats, seating or auxiliary aides) should contact Tina at 312-1034.