Old St. Francis History Pub

Presented by Laurence Cotton, public historian and Tim Barnes, author

Join Laurence Cotton and Tim Barnes for observations and insights into one of Oregon’s most colorful and significant citizens — Charles Erskine Scott (C.E.S.) Wood (1852–1944). Soldier, attorney, poet, essayist, artist and art patron, public speaker and raconteur, philosophical anarchist and cultural figure, C.E.S. Wood left a profound, enlightening, and controversial legacy on Portland, OR, and the West Coast. Wood’s early formative—and continuing lifelong–experiences in the Oregon desert had a lasting impact on his writings, his artwork, even his personal philosophy.

First, historian and documentary film producer Laurence Cotton will introduce the popular OPB “Oregon Experience” film C.E.S. Wood. Following the 30 minute film, Tim Barnes, editor of the book Wood Works: The Life and Writings of Charles Erskine Scott Wood will delve into greater detail as to the impact of the high desert on Wood’s life and artistic output.

About the Speakers:

Laurence Cotton is a public historian, writer and producer of documentary films. A resident of Portland for twenty-five years, Laurence is an interpreter of the cultural history of the Pacific Northwest, and a biographer, largely working in film, of regional and national figures. Two such films are C.E.S. Wood, which Laurence co-produced with John de Graaf for the Oregon Experience series and the nationally broadcast film Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America, a project Laurence originated and for which he served as Consulting Producer. The film was produced by Florentine Films/Hott Productions for PBS. Laurence Cotton serves as a lecturer and interpreter of cultural and natural history onboard small ship cruise vessels that ply the waterways and coastlines of North America. One of his specialties is the Columbia and Snake River region.

Tim Barnes taught literature, composition, and creative writing at Portland Community College for twenty-five years. He is the author of several books of poetry, most recently, Definitions for a Lost Language and co-author of Woodworks, The Life and Writings of Charles Erskine Scott Wood. He was the leader of the Heavenly Discoursers, an acting troupe that performed the satires from Wood’s best-selling book Heavenly Discourse, and a founding member of the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission. He is on the board of the Friends of William Stafford and the editor of Friends of William Stafford: A Journal & Newsletter for Poets & Poetry.