The Columbian

Lifting up Latino culture, literacy at Clark College celebration

Local families enjoy bilingual fun and games at Clark College during 2018’s combined celebration of children, diversity and literacy — the annual “Celebracion de Mi Gente: El Dia del Nino/El Dia del Libro,” or “Celebration of My People/Day of the Child/Day of the Book.” This year’s free event is set for the evening of April 26.

Since the late 1920s, most countries on this planet have celebrated some version of International Children’s Day. Some do it on the first or second weekend in June, or earlier in spring when life is new; others have adopted Nov. 20 as Universal Children’s Day. Read story

Washington poet laureate to use $100,000 award to bring poetry to Columbia River

Claudia Castro Luna, Washington's poet laureate

Washington poet laureate Claudia Castro Luna, who visited Vancouver earlier this month to give a reading at the downtown community library, has won a $100,000 award from the Academy of American Poets. The award, intended to support an innovative, impactful public poetry project, was one of 13 given to poets… Read story

Washington poet laureate all about connections

April 11, 2019, 6:03am Clark County Life

Poetry is all about making connections, and Claudia Castro Luna sees deep connections between people and places. Read story

Vancouver native Justin Klump, now a professional singer-songwriter and resident of Nashville, plays April 9 at the White Eagle Saloon in Portland. His new single, “The Other Side,” is getting rave reviews.

Singing Justin Klump’s praises

April 5, 2019, 6:05am Clark County Life

Justin Klump has played many stages and many rooms, but one of his most meaningful gigs ever was in pre-op. Read story

Hikers will find profuse blooms of balsamroot at the east end of the Columbia Gorge in May, including this display in Columbia Hills State Park in Klickitat County.

Explore spring wildflowers on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge

April 5, 2019, 6:05am Clark County Life

Dog Mountain is so bloomin’ popular with hardy hikers, the U.S. Forest Service has again instituted a spring-weekend permit system to prevent the place from getting loved to death. Permits are required Saturdays and Sundays, April 20 through June 16, and they cost $1 each. That’s down 50 cents from… Read story

Tonight’s upcoming First Thursday lecture at the Clark County Historical Museum is all about the historic spot down the street and the man who built it: the Kiggins Theatre and nine-term Vancouver Mayor J.P. Kiggins.

Kiggins – the man, his movie theater – focus of history talk

April 4, 2019, 6:01am Clark County Life

Andrew Gregg, who saw his first big-screen film at the Kiggins Theatre in 1961, knows he’s one of many local folks who feel undying love for downtown Vancouver’s historic movie palace. Read story

Plunging deep into Lakota country in “Neither Wolf Nor Dog” are the late Dave Bald Eagle, from left, Christopher Sweeney and Richard Ray Whitman. The 2017 feature is back for a single screening Sunday night at the Kiggins Theatre.

Indie film returns to Vancouver, which helped put it on the map

April 4, 2019, 6:00am Clark County Life

A unique cinematic look at contemporary Lakota country that has enjoyed startling success — thanks in part to a great summer June 2017 run at Vancouver’s Kiggins Theatre and related press coverage, its makers say — returns Sunday night for a special anniversary screening. Read story

Stories by Scott Hewitt

Columbian staff writer