As part of the Salem Film Festival happening all this week, “Salemia,” Salem’s own satirical web series will have its premiere tonight at the Grand Theater at 7:45 p.m. The place can hold about 400 seats, and I hear the tickets are selling briskly. I’ll be heading there with my awesome neighbors, John and Susan.

Since I know you’re wanting to prepare for the viewing, I’ve interviewed screenwriter Dave Jenkins and filmmaker Mike Perron about the project. I’m posting the first part of the interview right now and will add more extended video soon.

Really, I love these guys. I’m guessing this is going to be one of the big events of the year and you should really come see it. I’ve watched a few of the scenes and am really excited about how affectionate the series is going to be about Salem. Hope to see you there!

One crappy thing about being a writer is having a ton of writer friends producing work that you may like or detest. I sometimes find you can like the person, hate the work.

This was a common occurrence when I was living in Iowa City and every bar stool had the cheek indentations of some undiscovered genius.

But something strange has happened since I moved here. I seem to only know writers whose work I actually, really, really love.*

Take Scott Nadelson,  a creative writing professor at Willamette.  He’s got a new collection out this month from Hawthorne Books called Aftermath: Stories.

I got an early copy of it and reviewed it this fall for Eugene Magazine (site down, so no link) and enjoyed it so much I had to write him a fan letter between sentences.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Nadelson is interested in the grey area between major life events, the fumbling and wrong turns, the ambiguities of heart and purpose that have become the hallmarks of young adulthood. His stories strike just the right balance between funny and sad, between the high shtick of aging Jewish parents and the raw emotion of young people experiencing their first major personal disasters.”

I have to say that Nadelson’s milieu, suburban Jews from New Jersey, isn’t exactly something that would get me turning pages in most cases. But that, my dears, is why you should always pick your books by author first, not by content.

Great writing, heart tugged.

Nadelson is reading at Willamette’s Hatfield Library today at 4:30. Lucky us.

*Makes no claims about being loved back…

What’s the deal with all of the #Salemia hashtags being typed out by Salem’s most active Tweeps?

The short story is that my filmmaker friend Mike Perron decided it might be fun to envision what a Salem-centric version of the Fred Armisen pet project “Portlandia” might look like. “Portlandia” is an online web series, conceived, written and starring Armisen, that skewers some of the more the ridiculous hipster pursuits and lifestyle choices of a city where everyone seems to be a bike messenger/barista/struggling artist/tattoo landscape.

Not surprisingly, critical review of “Portlandia” has been mixed, with people in Portland embracing both the concept and the product (ironically, of course), and with critics in the trade press suggesting that the show features “an array of tiresome characters.”

Also, I’m not sure why you need to film in Portland to make fun of Brooklyn, NY.

But a show about Salem — well, that would provide some fodder for amusement. That must have been what Mike Perron was thinking because he set about to create some scenes for a potential mockumentary about Salem, and others followed in his wake.

So he sent out a Tweet with the first scene:

perronbrothers Salemia. Opening scene: five hipsters fighting over a half smoked cigarette outside Chelsea’s place… #Salemia

Here’s just a few of the ideas that are taking root:

MelinaTomson Homeowner converts meth lab to grow lab and gets community improvement award. #Salemia (my personal favorite)

GinoCorridori A grassroots campaign in the state penitentiary elects prisoner to the city council. #salemia

aaronjamesyoung@GinoCorridori … and nobody notices a difference #salemia

MnLs In an effort to combat sex-trafficking reputation, City changes nickname from Cherry City to Cougar Town. Curves memberships soar. #salemia

perronbrothers All Salem sign and print shops close after the “Chelsea’s Place”-style cardboard storefront signs become the rage. #Salemia #CherryPity

kidcapitale Trader Joe’s finally opens to overwhelming crowds but soon closes because “the wine was too expensive”.#Salemia

scriptdave Statesman Journal increases readership by 2% following addition of page 3 dedicated to hipster emos. #salemia

perronbrothers Regulars angry that they must wait for a 4:30 pm table after Olive Garden wins “best Italian restaurant” again. #Salemia #CherryPity

Now, to be sure, some of the ideas coming forth seem more like potential headlines from The Onion than ideas for a show about Salem. But I have to say this is one of the more interesting collaborative writing projects I have come across recently. Generally if you put ten strangers in a room and ask them to write a novel you end up with a bunch of junk.

This is junk worth touching.

Too bad that mass media producers tend to be obsessed with what is already popular and  old (making fun of hipsters), because our local Tweeps might be onto something.

Don’t forget, it’s Super Blog Sunday in Salem! Click below for more details.

Lots of shout-outs in the Oregonian today by my friend Rachel Bucci, who penned a travel story about Salem for the Oregonian. It’s kind of a get-off-the-highway-you-lazy-travelers take on the things to do in the area for travelers.

Venti’s, Bubble Rooms, Little Cannoli Bakery, they’re all there.

Perhaps not surprisingly for a story appearing in our neighbor to the north, the comments are a tad uglier than the story, pointing out the lack of public transportation on weekends and holidays and suggesting that what you will really encounter in the state capital is illegal immigrants.

I’m glad Rachel alerted the big O’s reader’s to La Capitale, but Portlanders are certainly hearing a lot about it these days. Just last fall, Willamette Week did a road trip featuring La Cap that praised the restaurant for being the  “the closest you’ll come to a Portland-style restaurant or French bistro in the state capital.”

Um… since when is anything exceptional “Portland-style?”

I’m going to start calling everything good I find in the state “Salem-style” and see where it gets me.

I’ve been taking something of a blogging break this month, but I couldn’t let this one pass me by without a mention.

Salem’s own Karen Holman, tenured chemistry professor at Willamette University and the idea-lady behind KMUZ radio, just won Oregon Professor of the Year.

The Oregonian did a great profile of Prof. Holman, even posting a music video of her rocking out with her band.

Are you feeling a little bit sorry for yourself? Did you never have a punk rock teacher? Me either. Sad.

Karen is an inspiration to me — she moms, she rocks, she researches, she teaches, she has a family and she still engages with the world. And she has not given up on her dream of getting Salem a radio station of its own.

If you’ve been following KMUZ on Facebook (and you should), then you know that much has happened in the past month or so, with new volunteers coming on board to help launch the station and other state-wide donors stepping up with much-needed engineering equipment.

KMUZ also has some new branded gear up on Cafe Press. Indeed, you can pretend those strangers checking out your, um, pecs, are searching Where’s Waldo-like for the Oregon Pioneer.

Congrats, Karen! I’m filing you under “Salem Celebrities.”

Of all of the under-utilized Salem images, the Oregon pioneer — who stands proudly atop the state capitol building with his axe in hand and his heroic, purposeful gaze challenging us to be better every day — has to beat them all.

He is the perfect image for Salem, not just because of who he is (the one standing for the many!), how he got here (he’s well traveled!), or what he’s been doing ever since (symbolizing is hard work!), but because of the limitless possibilities to take the image of one man and mold it to our own uses.

Think of him as a sexier Mr. Potato head, a kind of doing-man’s dress-up doll, whom we can clothe and accessorize to suit our own purposes.

I remember this thought crossing my mind when I was bemoaning the lack of great Salem-related T-shirts many months ago. But like anything you think about too much, the image lodged in my mind, and it wasn’t long before I started seeing him  in new incarnations.

He was sending out his voice in the KMUZ logo:

He was getting kissed by Statesman Journal columnist K. Williams Brown, offering an update on the old standard: “I’ve kissed a lot of pioneers before I found my prince.”

He was even up in Portland in the pages of Willamette Week, previewing the Cherry City Music festival!

Or how about this “Where’s Opi” from the Friends of Salem Saturday Market? (Thanks, Missy).

Or how about this BRILLIANT pairing of pioneer and brewing spirit from the Capitol Brewers? (Thanks to I_am_orange via Twitter. Also, notice the Oregon Pioneer functioning as a kind of German Masskrugl topper).

It doesn’t seem to matter that the pioneer has a face that recalls Christopher Walken. Or that he seems to be wearing skinny jeans. Or that his jawline features creative manscaping.

I am completely in love with the image of a man standing atop a state building, people above power, humans before structures.

Yes, you could even say I’d like to see more of him. On T-shirts. On websites. In fliers.

Do you know of any other instances of the Oregon pioneer working hard for Salem?

It’s that time again — time to honor the best and most exciting blog posts of the past month emerging from the Salem blogging scene.

Don’t hate me for being the curator. Just do it faster, better, harder!

1. EatSalem. I always tell my journalism students: “You can’t judge the success of a blog by its comments.”

Psshaw!

If your post gets 50+ comments, some level of success must be acknowledged. EatSalem posted this month about some changes to the Salem dining scene and got, in return, a fascinating, interactive conversation about the plight of the restaurateur and some insight into the fickle relationship between the Salem foodies and the businesses that serve them. And it was just a list!

2. Poetry and Popular Culture. Professor Mike posted what is perhaps the most interesting preview of the first-ever Salem Beer and Cider Festival. Far from just a be there, do this, see that kind of preview, his post was a homage to the natural connection between beer and poetry. And he makes the case for why Salem is actually reclaiming its beer culture mojo (with special thanks to Capital Taps for scaring up some of the history).

3. Creative Concepts and Contracting. If you are knew to the intricacies of selling real estate — or if you don’t watch HGTV — you will want to read this local business’s excellent blog about what it does to make messes into eye candy. Even better? Start with the recent post on stripping. That’s right, I said stripping. Margaret gets this month’s vote for “Post Most Likely to Be Read by New Readers.”

4. The Pringle Creek Community blog. If you’ve been following the news about Solarize Salem, you definitely want to check out this preview for the Salem Green + Solar Tour 2010. Among the projects featured in the tour, happening this Saturday, is Oregon’s first Passive House. This is something to be actively excited about.

5. Salem Treasure. Stuck in an office? The rainy season has started? Need some mid-day Zen but can’t get out? When the walls start to close in, turn to Salem Treasure for a play-by-play of a walk along Mill Creek. With ducks.

I am deliriously happy this morning.

I just watched the transformation of my friend Jessica Ramey’s garage into a DIY studio, where she will be holding crafting workshops and being all-around amazing.

The best thing about DIY has always been the spirit of innovation, the sheer chaotic abundance of the world of Etsy, products produced by people, crafts made by hand and designed by a single person. Gifts that don’t feel fabricated by machine in China. When Martha Stewart Omnimedia picks up on your trend, you know you’ve got a populist movement made mainstream.

But! It is still possible to seek out your domestic mavens a little closer to home.

Take my friend Jessica, of the Northwest Nest blog.

You might also know her as the genius behind the Salem Zine Project.

Jessica just launched this studio in her home and is holding an open house on Sunday October 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (contact her for details on where this is happening) to introduce people to the studio’s series of workshops and events.

Some days I have the feeling that Jessica is the only person doing anything within a 20-mile radius.

I don’t want to insult all of your cultural producers out there, but seriously, is there anything this woman can’t do? Or hasn’t done in the past month?

She is making me feel like a lazy, do-nothing schlubb. And I am loving her more for it every day.

If I can add… I might also be in love with her husband — and with the image of a boring space for cars being co-opted for  a different kind of travel.

Creative travel!

Jackson had been helping my husband, Adam, pursue his interest in miniaturizing trees. Of the boxwood above, which Jackson had been trying to interest other buyers in for years (it is 20 years old), he said: “It deserves a nice pot.”

Jackson had an almost prophetic ability to understand what kind of tree Adam might be drawn to. Most recently, he had loaned Adam a book, in Mandarin, of bonsai art. Adam has learned as much in a few short weeks from this book than from any other. Of the seedum above he said: “This is really the hero of the succulents.”

Adam had spoken with him about this three-year-old dwarf river willow’s interesting trunk structure underground. Jackson: “If you’re willing to dig it out, it’s something someone with your interest could appreciate.”

This dwarf tea was something of a gateway tree. Jackson: “It’s painfully small; you have to plant it somewhere where it won’t get stepped on.”

On this sephora: “Bonsai artists like this one because they don’t have to feel guilty about trimming. When you give it the rest it needs over the winter it just drops its leaves anyway.”

There will be a Celebration of Life Potluck Sunday, September 26 at 3:00 p.m. at his nursery, 16065 SW Oldsville Road, McMinnville, OR 97128. Donations can be made to Salem Friends of Felines or the Cat Adoption Team.