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Ever been in an American Legion hall?
They’re not fancy, but for a certain generation they’re as familiar as the corner taproom. They're the place to go for a chat, cheap drinks and of course, monthly bingo — not to mention the assurance of finding people who’ve experienced military service.
Legion membership is shrinking nationally, but one hall in Northeast Portland — an old Quonset hut with a dropped ceiling and scuffed floors — found revival by embracing new people and new voices.
American Legion Post 134 on Alberta Street has become a home for all kinds of new voices. In the course of one evening, the audience heard a blazing variety of personal stories and essays, as well as poems and songs. Some writers are vets. Some aren’t. Post commander Sean Davis holds book release parties for veterans who are publishing their own work. The post even has its own small press and published an anthology of war stories.
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So how do you convert a failing American Legion post into an oasis of community and expression, where veterans rub shoulders with queer kids and street people mix with art curators?
We recently sat down with Davis, who — as you might remember — ran for Portland mayor last spring. He teaches writing at Mt Hood Community College and is the author of a memoir called "The Wax Bullet War." We were joined by Amelia McDanel — another Legion member, a Navy veteran and MFA grad of Antioch University-Los Angeles — who oversees the Legion Readers’ series at the post.
Read the full story: http://www.opb.org/radio/programs/state-of-wonder/article/portland-american-legion-post-134/