Hamlet: a reading 3/21/26
2026-03-21 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
photo by Corky Miller

Hamlet
a reading

Johnny Stallings reads an abridged version of Hamlet.
Saturday, March 21 at 2 pm
Artspace Room at Taborspace, 5441 SE Belmont

this Open Road event is free

Jay Bean Performing Live at Hood River Brewing Company 3/21/26
2026-03-21 19:00 - 21:00
Jay Bean Performing Live!

Saturday, March 21st, 7-9 pm
Hood River Brewing Company
101 4th Street, Hood River

Will Hornyak upcoming performances
2026-03-27 - 2026-04-10
The First Irishman: The Legend of Tuan Mac Cairill and the Tale of the Dagda’s Harp (ORR) Storyteller William Kennedy Hornyak weaves the epic myth of Tuan Mac Cairill with poems, songs and Irish lore in celebration of Beltaine, St. Patrick and the Druids and gods and goddesses of the Emerald Isle.

Friday, March 27, 7:30 pm
KALA Performance Space, 1017 Marine Drive, Astoria, OR
Beer, wine & cocktails available
$20
Reservations: https://www.tickettomato.com/event/9948

Friday, April 10, 7 pm
Taborspace Copeland Commons, 5441 SE Belmont, Portland
$20 Cash/Check/Venmo at the Door
Limited Seating, Reservations Recommended:
hornyak.will@gmail.com

peace, love, happiness & understanding 4/2/26
2026-04-02 - 2026-05-06
Rocky & Johnny under the palm trees

THE OPEN ROAD
peace, love, happiness & understanding

April 2, 2026

Time is money.

—Benjamin Franklin
*

…time is not money. Time has much more value than money.

—Thich Nhat Hanh
*

I’m excited that Rocky Hutchinson is getting out of prison on April 15th, after 17 years. He’s even more excited than I am! See for yourself:

Rocky’s final letters from prison

March 8, 2026
5:15 a.m.
Dear Johnny & Nancy

Well, it’s a start to another week & as I lay in my bunk last night I felt a memory come over me. It was no normal memory, but one of those that you can feel physically. It was like a wind, a change of season wind that I could feel blow over my soul. It reminded me of times to come & times that have passed. Time changes, but sometimes memories & emotions & a subtle wisp of Nature all mix together, bringing on a feeling so good, when we were so happy, that we can even remember how the wind felt and we can feel the atmosphere in our minds stirring our souls. It’s not any one memory, it’s many I think, or maybe a junction where our heart, mind & soul, our joy & our love all come together with the elements of the world around us giving us a gift.

I often of late have been getting those types of feelings, like something in me is waking up and the feeling is of joy and wonder. The thoughts & feelings are of such beauty that they’re hard to describe. The other morning I was meditating & somehow I was standing on a rocky riverbank & in the wind blew thousands of dandelion wishes. I think my soul is feeling the beauty that is to come soon. It is reaching out and lacing itself to it, my aura is reconnecting to the world.

I understand the gift that I have been able to rebuild within myself & I plan to cherish it & share it with all that I’m close to. It has been difficult…almost damaging to me to be looked upon like I’m weak or crazy when I’ve tried to talk about the deeper beauty of life with others recently.

At first, I felt that if I explained what I meant a little better, others would understand. So I used the example of how a fruit tree and the soil have a relationship, a love, so to speak. The tree cultivates the soil & provides life for all the creatures with which it is involved. The tree’s blood grows leaves & fruit & nuts for us, so we can then live & love.

All things connect in a circle of life, love & joy. Like this one relationship, all relationships are connected in one way, shape or form. It is beautiful to behold how all things work together. In my life before, I never really took the time to be in love—for no other reason than its rightness in the world.

So, getting to be around like-minded people here in the near future is really going to be something wonderful. Everything is going to work out so good. I’m sure that as time passes and I just stay kind & calm, diligent & positive, do the right things that are being asked of me, life will be good. I just need to keep things simple and transparent.

Getting to sit and have good conversations with you two & everyone else—Jude, Dick, Josh, Carla, Kristen—and all the rest of the gang is really going to increase the quality of all of our lives. Mine more than you all know! When I think about that and how soon that will happen I feel my chest swell up and my eyes start to get blurry! All the tears I’ve been holding back are going to finally fall…that will be so cleansing, tears of so many mixed emotions. I should save them in a little vial! Use them to water a bunch of seeds for flowers for everyone as a gift of love & devotion.

In the last few days I’ve lost all desire to participate in anything here but my release classes, writing resumes, letters, and in my journal—staying out of the way, in my cell, and relaxing. This is fine with me & since I’m 30 days to home I’m not required to do anything but finish school!

I’ve been thinking about when I find a place to rent and all of that starts coming together. The first two plants I want to get are: #1) a canna lily and #2) a monstera. Both get large & both are beautiful. An Irish ivy will be nice, too. I plan on having a very green apartment. I’m also planning on eating so healthy…fresh veggies! Different kinds of breads & fruits that have so many amazing tastes. No more crazy processed foods, or being forced to eat things I don’t want to eat, because I have to to live! That will be Amazing, and even more so…to eat with friends! Yes!

My day switched gears & I’m now sitting in class and vibe is good today in here. This is my last book and it was a big one. I finished the written part, so the book is done—now it’s just group work! My seat is right under the skylight and there are geese walking on the skylight!!! Very funny.

Sitting here thinking about what you, Johnny, and I were talking about concerning treatment! I am over that part of my life. I simply have zero want or urges to participate in anything that that life has to offer. I’m so far from it that it never really crosses my mind.

As I sit here & am going through my treatment support people, it’s always the same 6 people: Johnny, Nancy, Shawna, Autumn, Dick, Howard. Seems to be a pattern in my life, and with a few added loved ones like Josh & Jude, these are my loved ones. My dearest friends. The people who took this long 216 month journey with me!

March 10th

Well, I moved cells again—I hope for the last time. Once again it’s with someone I’ve known for years. He is a really mellow guy & a super good artist. Right about the time I release he will be going into the dog program. He will do very well at that.

The new cell I’m in is the coolest one so far! It has an art collage drawn all over in it, complete with a cityscape of Portland & Mt. Hood, along with many other things. It’s cool to have artwork on the walls in the house.

I don’t know what it was about today & our call, but it triggered something in me that put my mind into a whole state of home & this is all already in the past, really in the past. I’ve really been thinking about what it’s going to feel like to walk out this door! I might RUN! What I am going to do is pay close attention to my emotions. I want to feel & remember walking out that door & leaving this place behind. Later in life I want to be able to process at different times these emotions in many ways throughout my life.

March 19, 2026
Dear Johnny

It’s a beautiful morning here & I’m sure it is at your place too. It’s because the world we live in is amazing in every way, all of it.

One of the counselors or officers asked me last night if I was going to go back to a life of crime. The answer came so fast & so natural that it made me…I don’t know—feel normal! It was a big NO! I’m not even of that mind any longer, nor of that world. The thought of it put fear in me, a fear that most people have never felt themselves. A fear of losing “Everything in life” is a fear only those who have really gone through that truly know what horrors come from it. So, no. My life is truly a second chance gift and full of wonder & joy & love! I won’t even be caught J-walking!

I’ve not been writing very much for a little while now. But recently it has come back like a wave, the tide of it is rolling in & soothing me. It takes the moments of stress & restlessness away from me, preoccupying my mind, so that I’m not thinking only about releasing. It’s always been such a good friend to me, like a salve for the soul, bringing a much needed peace to me & to others. My writing is a gift and has gotten me through a lot in life. Having people to write to—like you, Johnny, and others—is a gift.

It is the end of the night now. My little bit of nightly work is finished & I’m settling into my bunk, which is a cozy little place. When my friend went to the Hole on 3-2-26 I got his old pillows! That’s how it goes in here, it’s a normal thing. He had very nice pillows! Now I have them & for my last 25 days I get to have the best pillows in the whole joint!!! One of them is a Sealy Posturepedic—never had one of them before now.

3-23-2026

Well, the weekend went by very fast, which is a good thing. I spent a lot of time with letters & journalling and trying to be…in my cell alone, away from all the needless drama—no distractions, and focusing on home.

I’m so excited about getting to spend time with you & everyone else. I’ve been noticing these…well, mental time jumps. I’ll be home so soon and I catch myself planning out my week-to-week life…then it hits me: *Home*! Where I can walk down the street & see all the cherry trees that are in bloom, smell a million flowers & draw them if I want to. This will happen soon…only a short time after you’ve read this letter, we will be drinking coffee together.

Healthy food has been on my mind, too—fresh food, clean, good food, well-prepared food. I’m so happy to get to share this with you and Nancy and everyone else.

I have gone through a few changes in the last few days…. Pressure from others is heavier than ever before. I’m trying to stay away from everyone and everything.

3-24-26

I’m sitting in class under the skylight. The rain is beating down on the skylight. I’m hoping that the rain does not take all the cherry blossoms from the face of Spring until I can see them this year. There’s so many other beautiful things to see & soon I will love feeling overwhelmed by all of it. I’m really looking forward to taking walks, running, and being in & of nature, and being with the ones I love. This is how I want to be with the opening of my heart in this new world—the beauty pouring into my blooming, opened heart.

I truly want to let all of the wonders of it all soak into me. Truly allow the wind that’s full of the smell of flowers & trees seep into my mind, feel the hugs of my loved ones imprint upon my soul. To feel the touch of another human…will be…strange & wonderful & a little scary! So destructive is the lack of human touch, simple contact, holding hands, a hug, a gentle hand upon the shoulder—these are so needed in life to feel human. How wonderfully overwhelming it all is going to be & amazing—the gift of it from those who truly love me. To have emotions like this fulfilled will be a once-in-a-lifetime gift. We all have the best love for each other…because it’s very real & unconditional. I’m so lucky…we are all so blessed to have this. What an amazing life we have to share with each other!

I’ve been thinking a lot about food! LOL Healthy, clean good food, homemade food, soups & salads, a large variety of veggies, breads, fruits…fish! Healthy foods…I’ll have to be careful at first, so I don’t get sick. I’ve heard that real food will make me sick at first. We will see!

Sitting in a room full of men trying to find a way out, out of addictions of all sorts.
Unpacking all the broken pieces & knowing you can not pick them up at all anymore.
Knowing that to find the golden paths in life we have to leave it behind & walk out the door.
I did not succeed in doing this alone with my life—my friends & family helped me to survive.
So many times sitting in a small empty room, putting broken pieces together with no glue.
Pieces of sadness, shame, sorrow & remorse, of a broken life that I tried to fix from guilt, haunted by ghosts.
Having let it all go & gladly starting all things in life anew is easy knowing now what to do.

….It feels good to have the relationships I have in my life with all of you. They are deep & strong & real & powerful—full of love and goodness, joy and truth. I’m proud of the person I’ve become & know that I’m lucky to have the life I have. Most don’t come back from a level of damage like this. I hope others see it & know that they can overcome the pitfalls of life, too!

Love you & see you later for Coffee too!

—Rocky Hutchinson
*

Elizabeth Domike shared this poem:

Nurture

From a documentary on marsupials I learn
that a pillowcase makes a fine
substitute pouch for an orphaned kangaroo.

I am drawn to such dramas of animal rescue.
They are warm in the throat. I suffer, the critic proclaims,
from an overabundance of maternal genes.

Bring me your fallen fledgling, your bummer lamb,

lead the abused, the starvelings, into my barn.
Advise the hunted deer to leap into my corn.

And had there been a wild child—
filthy and fierce as a ferret, he is called
in one nineteenth-century account—

a wild child to love, it is safe to assume,
given my fireside inked with paw prints,
there would have been room.

Think of the language we two, same and not-same,
might have constructed from sign,
scratch, grimace, grunt, vowel:

Laughter our first noun, and our long verb, howl.

—Maxine Kumin
*

SHEEP

So why would I write about sheep? What do sheep have to do with Peace, Love, Happiness and Understanding? Well, as it turns out—-everything!

We have one hundred and fifty sheep about half a mile down the road from us. I either ride my bike or drive past them every day. Almost always I stop. “Hi sheep!” I call out. Without interrupting their grass munching, they lift their heads and eye me with a mild gaze. They’re used to me by now. I’ve been greeting them this way for as long as they’ve been in the pasture, five or six years? I’ve seen them at every stage: big and white and fluffy, ragged and molting, shorn and pink-skinned.

When I see them my heart is filled with peace. And love. And sheer happiness. And deep understanding that this—-being in the moment with peace, love and happiness is what matters in my life.

—Jude Russell

For Amusement Purposes Only 4/11/26
2026-04-11 14:00 - 16:00
For Amusement Purposes Only

Johnny Stallings attempts to entertain.
Just for fun!
There will be snacks.

Saturday, April 11, at 2 p.m.
Artspace Room at Taborspace, 5441 SE Belmont

this Open Road Event is free

A Midsummer Night's Dream in Prison: screenings on April 16th & 17th
2026-04-16 - 2026-04-17
This month, there will be two screenings of Bushra Azzouz’s film A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Prison, in Portland. If you haven’t seen the film, this will be a good opportunity. If you have seen it, maybe you’d like to watch it again. Or tell your friends about it.
Both screenings will be followed by Q & A with actors.
Both are free and open to the public.

Portland State University
Women’s Resource Center & Queer Resource Center
April 16th, 2026 3:30 p.m.
Smith Memorial Union Building
1825 SW Broadway
4th Floor, Room 439

S.M.I.L.E. STATION
Sellwood-Moreland Improvement League Neighborhood Association
April 17th, 2026 5:30 p.m.
8210 SE 13th Ave

peace, love, happiness & understanding 5 9 26
2026-05-09 - 2026-06-03
Julia, Rocky & Jeffrey at Portland Japanese Garden

THE OPEN ROAD
peace, love, happiness & understanding

May 9, 2026

THE ROCKY ROAD

First some thoughts from Jude about this new chapter in Rocky’s life. Then, some of Rocky’s impressions of what these last few weeks have been like:

Through the Eyes of Rocky

I have been thinking daily of our dear Rocky Hutchinson. I have been seeing The World through the Eyes of Rocky, and want to appreciate the world as if seeing it for the first time in seventeen years. What would it be like to stand under a flowering pink cherry tree, a pink dogwood tree, a maple tree shaking its leaves open from its small packets? To walk in a forest of dark green firs, to see the sunlight slicing through the quiet, towering trunks. To see the moon, not just a glimpse but waxing and waning from night to night. To sit quietly, happily at a meal—a good meal—-with beloved friends who have become like family. To walk and walk and walk, with no one to stop you, no one to make you stop. To visit with dogs, and cats, and chipmunks, and squirrels and robins and worms and ants.

To savor it all. To love life, the new life Rocky has. A life of peace, love, happiness, and understanding.

—Jude Russell
*

It was an early Spring morning in April. The end of Winter could be felt hanging on the face of Spring. That first day was like a wave of love that came from a warm Spring unending. I was surrounded by all the people that had come into my life to form a beautiful family. As the days went by, each and every one, all the stress and fear of the unknown quickly faded. In its place the tapestry of my life began to unfold, each and every fold came with acceptance, understanding and ease. All of my misconceptions soon faded.

At the same time, the beauty of the world, of nature, of people—the touch of it all so real, so potent, so big, was there. The world and all that it has to offer, all the things I meditated on in my prison cell, were there to never take for granted again. The movement of the city, the smells of food, the passing look of a woman, the ability to give and accept hugs from anyone—with no one there to dehumanize, to ridicule—just the love is there.

The ocean of seasons that we live in our lives changes with the tides, the vast amount of time that I swam to get to this hour is for me the sweetest Spring of my life. So much so that I can give it as a gift to others around me. Such a powerful emotion to feel when others around me can see it, feel it. I can feel it like electricity pulsing within me, the power of love and positivity.

I am grateful to have the room I now call home. It is so close to where I was removed from the world 17.5 years ago. Fate saw fit to place me back where I came from. I am able to see a reflection of my life—a reflection most will never see. The homeless and the addicts are still there. I used to be one of them, and it breaks my heart to see them. It puts a drive in me to never take things in my life for granted, to love the life I have to the fullest. For those who have lived a life full of trips down the wrong roads, there comes a time to choose. If you give in, and dive into the endless void of addiction and abuse, it is a weak and powerless act. Then, there is the other choice—a stance, a life decision that nothing can break through. I have had enough of the past, of the never-ending life of addiction. Getting to have that reflection in my face every day is a blessing. It hurts, too, to see them—not knowing that a change is there for them, and it is as simple as one choice. I have made that definite choice!

I have been out of prison less than a month and am still experiencing the wonders of it all. As I re-acclimatize to all that is life, I notice that all of the good qualities that I instilled within my heart, mind, and soul are strange and growing day by day. It matters the things we do within the walls. Those who tell you otherwise, (and they do and will), are wrong—very very wrong. I imagined the world full of new wonder and amazements and that is just what it is to me. Every walk I take is an adventure, every conversation with friends is deep and meaningful, every song I hear is more pleasant. The elegance of it all is right there in everything. That’s how I choose to live and be in the world. I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon, nor do I want that to change.

This moment in my life, this transition is important to me and I am sure it will be important to others too. Everything is a perspective for all of us. Coming from such confinement, it is easy for me to cut through and avoid snags that can appear in my daily life. For me, it’s all about my point of view on acceptance—there’s no reason to go against the grain. There is only enough time to do so much in a day in life. The ability to make my own choices to do what I know is right is a root of joy, not only for me but for everyone. That is a right of being human, being alive, being a speck of dust in the universe. According to Einstein, particles can change there alignments—and I am living proof. It is all possible. None of us are stuck, but I have had a tremendous amount of help in my life. The help is there for everyone. If anyone is truly trying to change, that will happen. The help will show up. That’s how it works—hands helping hands, love and life, friends and support.

April 29, 2026

Went to the Japanese garden today with some new friends that I met, Jeffrey & Julia. Johnny had brought us together long ago over the phone and through letters from over the years, so I am sure they know my heart. All I can hope for is that all can now see that in me as we become closer in person. As we traversed the paths of peacefulness and the unbelievable beauty the universe gifts to us all, I could feel the wonder of kindness and love that was reciprocating between us and all other living things in our spheres of life. The beauty of people and of myself is now a gift that can be shared between each of us. Being out only 14 days from the walls of confinement and having the chance to partake of such beauty is…something I want to take in and tread upon lightly. I want to leave the lightest of footprints upon it as a delicate gift that I know the meaning of. In my life I have not had the chance to have people whose purpose was to give and share the beauty of life. It feels so strange to just get to be, and to not be guarded. There is nothing I have to protect myself from.

As we took in the beauty offered to us I could not help but slip away in my mind—so much of me wanted to become a permanent part of it all. Knowing that my time here is fleeting is the key to truly seeing it, the beauty. The winding vines of the Japanese maples, the crawling moss, the babbling water whispering secrets that only are understood by my soul. I know that what beauty I understand in my waking mind is just a drop in the pool of endless wonder.

It is an unspoken language between all of us—“indescribable wonder” I think is the best description any of us can utter. We just know it for what it is—BEAUTY & WONDER—to share it with all who can understand it for its truth is a gift all in itself. It’s a simple understanding: we are all parts of it and of each other—all are one.

April 30, 2026
(Day 15)
How amazing it feels to wake up in this new world, one filled with new friends, trees, rivers, options. Part of me feels very lost and bewildered, things are so new. I know this world and I remember what role I had in it before. That is not who I am now. I am new. Things move different—not fast, but in waves. Blessed is the path I am on, a hard-won gift born out of many battles that were fought on every front a person has.

As I walk out of my room every day I remember where I am and what I am thankful for, the joy I have to tread so lightly and take for granted as little as possible. To simply smile to anyone, to a friend, and receive one back is amazing. To talk to others that I have never met or seen is quite a gift too.

Day 15. April 30, 2026 (continued)

We had group today and the wealth of knowledge and love in the group is truly a shining gift. If only that group of people were guiding the course of mankind…

I find myself becoming endeared to each of them as time goes on, and I want to sit with each of them and talk of the human condition and of ages past—to see through their eyes. To me it is like placing bricks on the golden paths we all walk. That is what has been missing in my life for many many years. I find myself not drinking from the fountain, but drowning in it.

I am wondering if there are other groups like that that I can go to as well. It seems to me that I am loving the ability to just talk to people. That is very different to what I used to be like. Before I went into prison, I detested people. That was due to so many social walls and bridges of ruin. All of that seems to have been worked out. As I see the world now, many people are simply beautiful and I can see that in them—a kindness, a glow, a sort of purity that is of the unseen, registering with the mind’s eye and the heart.

I took a walk down to the waterfront tonight and wanted to give an offering. A sort of personal sacrifice of the last of the old me. There are things we all as humans have as traits within us. I have set most of them to rest, but, like everyone, I still battle. What a gift is death when it comes!—a hard reset of oneself to start anew, fresh and clean. If only we could keep some of ourselves! In a way, we do. But all that will come in life’s natural cycle.

It is only 16 days since my release and I am seeing happy couples in their union, and am longing for that in my life. I have been alone long enough. In time I am certain that will change. My soul is just hungry to love and find companionship. Human hands were meant to hold each other, that is why they fit together like they do. It is a sacred bond to have another being to care for and to love. The ground has the sky. The ocean has the shore. The tree has the soil. All things have their duality.

My first room, the Medford Hotel

It is a humble place, one not to forget. Here I take my first steps into a world, and it is now the future. Difficult to explain. At times I find myself feeling like the time traveler from H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine. As I stepped out of the machine I was in I see the changes the world has undergone. Just as he did, I, as he, ask questions and people look at me a little strangely. I know that they know something is a little off with me. It is okay because I am kind and friendly, personable. As I sit here in my room I am thankful. Thankful to have just what I need to live and to be me. This is a kindness, a gift of love.

In the corner stands a large wardrobe out of times past, like me. The room is old and that is fine, it is cozy. Small, humble, like me too. I am lucky to have it. Out on the street is the drunk, the junky, the hooker, the hard, sad, lost and broken, the me before I was awoken. A man duct-taping his life together. He needs to run a thousand miles an hour on the streets. He has not yet awoke from his addictions, neither has she. Her beauty screaming out as it is sacrificed by its owner. It hangs from her face. I see what she could be…if only. I know their drive, their hopeless, endless ride in nothing in the end.

In my room I have a bed, a blanket, a pillow, rest. I have so much now. Just beyond the 10 inches of wall…always a wall of separation in my life. Sitting in this room, knowing I never want to forget—here, where I left. Now I am starting, I am going…but never forgetting. I came from here, I was all of them. And now I am me. I made it back and will never go back to the walls that kept me in for so long. And in this room, my first room, I must keep walking the path away from and into the next room that has not yet come. This room will never be forgotten. Nothing will ever be forgotten.

May 8, 2026

Sitting at the Lotus Bean, which has become me favorite morning coffee shop, knowing that it’s a whole new day full of many positive forward possibilities. Josh and I have a show to go to tonight—Puscifer! That is a good show for my first big show since I have been out. I love the Golden Path that I am on. There are a few things that I need to fix about myself, and reel myself back in from the temptations the world is placing in my path.

The day is a beautiful one—gray with the promise of Spring sun. 7:30 a.m. is a wonderful time in the morning to be out in the city. The sidewalks are somewhat clean and the streets seem to be content from the night before—peaceful, and a vibe that feels calm. It will be a good Friday night—my first one where I have plans to do something amazing. Sitting here listening to some Led Zeppelin, knowing that things so far have turned out alright. These little things point the way of my life. It’s a strange thing to have changed so much and to be back where I used—but as a different person. I am thankful for my crazy life.

—Rocky Hutchinson

Book Signing!: My Jedi Memoir by James Kahn
2026-05-16 18:30 - 20:30
Open Road Recommends!:

J is doing a reading from My Jedi Memoir, and signing it along with some of his early sci-fi works at:

Parallel Worlds Bookshop

2639 NE Alberta St., in Portland

Saturday, May 16th, 6:30-9:30 pm

Come one, come all, and tell your friends!

Elevate Him Coffee Day Fundraiser 5/19/26
2026-05-19

Song of Myself 5/31/26
2026-05-31 14:00 - 16:00
painting of Walt Whitman by Rick Bartow

Song of Myself

To celebrate Walt Whitman’s 207th birthday, Rocky Hutchinson & Johnny Stallings will read from Walt’s masterpiece.
There will be a birthday cake!

Sunday, May 31, at 2 p.m.
Artspace Room at Taborspace, 5441 SE Belmont

this Open Road event is free

FREE ART IN THE PARK! 6/2/26-7/30/26
2026-06-02 - 2026-07-30
FREE ART IN THE PARK (ORR). LARRY YES is the ebullient host for artists of all descriptions. Everyone is an artist!!!
Tuesdays & Thursdays in June and July, from 11:30 to 1:30
Pioneer Square, in Portland

peace, love, happiness & understanding 6/4/26
2026-06-03 - 2026-07-01
Larry Yes & his Radical Positivity installation

THE OPEN ROAD
peace, love, happiness & understanding

The day will come when we all agree
that we should live in harmony
and we will know and we will see
how we’re all connected. We’re all family.
All the people, the plants, the animals, the birds, the seas.

—from the song “Live in Harmony” on the album “Everyone on This Planet Is Family” by Larry Yes

June 4, 2026

Ken Margolis gave me a copy of the Spring 2026 issue of “Emergency Horse,” which contained an article by David Turnbull on the Republic of Užupis. Užupis is a “micro-nation” or “artistic republic,” occupying about two and-a-half square miles in the center of Vilnius, which I’m sure you know is the capital of Lithuania. Ken and I both fully endorse the Constitution of Užupis which, when translated into English, reads:

Everyone has the right to live by the River Vilnelė, and the River Vilnelė has the right to flow by everyone.
Everyone has the right to hot water, heating in winter and a tiled roof.
Everyone has the right to die, but this is not an obligation.
Everyone has the right to make mistakes.
Everyone has the right to be unique.
Everyone has the right to love.
Everyone has the right not to be loved, but not necessarily.
Everyone has the right to be undistinguished and unknown.
Everyone has the right to be idle.
Everyone has the right to love and take care of the cat.
Everyone has the right to look after the dog until one of them dies.
A dog has the right to be a dog.
A cat is not obliged to love its owner, but must help in time of need.
Sometimes everyone has the right to be unaware of their duties.
Everyone has the right to be in doubt, but this is not an obligation.
Everyone has the right to be happy.
Everyone has the right to be unhappy.
Everyone has the right to be silent.
Everyone has the right to have faith.
No one has the right to violence.
Everyone has the right to appreciate their unimportance.
No one has the right to have a design on eternity.
Everyone has the right to understand.
Everyone has the right to understand nothing.
Everyone has the right to be of any nationality.
Everyone has the right to celebrate or not celebrate their birthday.
Everyone shall remember their name.
Everyone may share what they possess.
No one can share what they do not possess.
Everyone has the right to have brothers, sisters and parents.
Everyone may be independent.
Everyone is responsible for their freedom.
Everyone has the right to cry.
Everyone has the right to be misunderstood.
No one has the right to make another person guilty.
Everyone has the right to be individual.
Everyone has the right to have no rights.
Everyone has the right to not to be afraid.
Do not defeat
Do not fight back
Do not surrender

*

The Constitution of Užupis reminded me of Eduardo Galeano’s “The Right to Dream.” Eduardo Galeano is author of the astonishing, beautiful, heartbreaking and inspiring 3- volume history of Latin America, Memory of Fire.

The Right to Dream

In 1948 and again in 1976, the United Nations proclaimed long lists of human rights, but the immense majority of humanity enjoys only the rights to see, hear and remain silent. Suppose we start by exercising the never-proclaimed right to dream? Suppose we rave a bit? Let’s set our sights beyond the abominations of today to divine another possible world:

the air shall be cleansed of all poisons except those born of human fears and human passions;
in the streets, cars shall be run over by dogs;
people shall not be driven by cars, or programmed by computers, or bought by supermarkets, or watched by televisions;
the TV set shall no longer be the most important member of the family and shall be treated like an iron or a washing machine;
people shall work for a living instead of living for work;
written into law shall be the crime of stupidity, committed by those who live to have or to win, instead of living just to live like the bird that sings without knowing it and the child who plays unaware that he or she is playing;
in no country shall young men who refuse to go to war go to jail, rather only those who want to make war;
economists shall not measure living standards by consumption levels or the quality of life by the quantity of things;
cooks shall not believe that lobsters love to be boiled alive;
historians shall not believe that countries love to be invaded;
politicians shall not believe that the poor love to eat promises;
earnestness shall no longer be a virtue, and no-one shall be taken seriously who can’t make fun of himself;
death and money shall lose their magical powers, and neither demise nor fortune shall make a virtuous gentleman of a rat;
no-one shall be considered a hero or a fool for doing what he believes is right instead of what serves him best;
the world shall wage war not on the poor but rather on poverty, and the arms industry shall have no alternative but to declare bankruptcy;
food shall not be a commodity nor shall communications be a business, because food and communication are human rights;
no-one shall die of hunger, because no-one shall die of overeating;
street children shall not be treated like garbage, because there shall be no street children;
rich kids shall not be treated like gold, because there shall be no rich kids;
education shall not be the privilege of those who can pay;
the police shall not be the curse of those who cannot pay;
justice and liberty, Siamese twins condemned to live apart, shall meet again and be reunited, back to back;
a woman, a black woman, shall be president of Brazil, and another black woman shall be president of the United States; an Indian woman shall govern Guatemala and another Peru;
in Argentina, the crazy women of the Plaza de Mayo shall be held up as examples of mental health because they refused to forget in a time of obligatory amnesia;
the Church, holy mother, shall correct the typos on the tablet of Moses and the Sixth Commandment shall dictate the celebration of the body;
the Church shall also proclaim another commandment, the one God forgot: You shall love nature, to which you belong;
clothed with forests shall be the deserts of the world and of the soul;
the despairing shall be paired and the lost shall be found, for they are the ones who despaired and lost their way from so much lonely seeking;
we shall be compatriots and contemporaries for all who have a yearning for justice and beauty, no matter where they were born or where they lived, because the borders of geography and time shall cease to exist;
perfection shall remain the boring privilege of the gods, while in our bungling, messy world every night shall be lived as if it were the last and every day as if it were the first.

—Eduardo Galeano (born: September 3, 1940; died: April 13, 2015)
*

Eduardo Galeano’s “The Right to Dream” reminded me of Larry Yes’ song “Live in Harmony” and I thought I might include the lyrics in this issue, but then I wondered if I had already done that in a previous issue. I had. I found it by going to the Open Road website, clicking on EVENTS, and typing in “Live in Harmony.” In the 2025 June issue—exactly one year ago—you can find the lyrics to two of Larry’s songs, “Live in Harmony” and “Free: Everyone on This Planet is Family.” In that same issue, there are more inspiring words from Nick Swift, Dustin Jamison, Rocky Hutchinson, Ken Margolis and Jude Russell. (Since that time, both Rocky and Dustin have gotten out of prison. Hooray!!!) Here’s a link to that issue:

https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-6-5-25/

The whimsy in these lists—“A dog has a right to be a dog” and “in the streets, cars shall be run over by dogs”—reminds me of the whimsy of Borges’ Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge, an “ancient Chinese encyclopedia,” where animals are divided into the following categories:

a) those that belong to the Emperor
b) embalmed ones
c) those that are trained
d) suckling pigs
e) sirens (or mermaids)
f) fabulous ones
g) stray dogs
h) those included in the present classification
i) those that tremble as if they were mad
j) innumerable ones
k) those drawn with a very fine camelhair brush
l) others
m) those that have just broken a flower vase
n) those that from a long way off look like flies

—Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986)
*

…which, by a mysterious alchemy in my brain, reminds me of…

Ode to things

I have a crazy,
crazy love of things.
I like pliers,
and scissors.
I love
cups,
rings,
and bowls –
not to speak, or course,
of hats.
I love
all things,
not just
the grandest,
also
the
infinite-
ly
small –
thimbles,
spurs,
plates,
and flower vases.

Oh yes,
the planet
is sublime!
It’s full of pipes
weaving
hand-held
through tobacco smoke,
and keys
and salt shakers –
everything,
I mean,
that is made
by the hand of man, every little thing:
shapely shoes,
and fabric,
and each new
bloodless birth
of gold,
eyeglasses
carpenter’s nails,
brushes,
clocks, compasses,
coins, and the so-soft
softness of chairs.

Mankind has
built
oh so many
perfect
things!
Built them of wool
and of wood,
of glass and
of rope:
remarkable
tables,
ships, and stairways.

I love
all
things,
not because they are
passionate
or sweet-smelling
but because,
I don’t know,
because
this ocean is yours,
and mine;
these buttons
and wheels
and little
forgotten
treasures,
fans upon
whose feathers
love has scattered
its blossoms,
glasses, knives and
scissors –
all bear
the trace
of someone’s fingers
on their handle or surface,
the trace of a distant hand
lost
in the depths of forgetfulness.

I pause in houses,
streets and
elevators
touching things,
identifying objects
that I secretly covet;
this one because it rings,
that one because
it’s as soft
as the softness of a woman’s hip,
that one there for its deep-sea color,
and that one for its velvet feel.

O irrevocable
river
of things:
no one can say
that I loved
only
fish,
or the plants of the jungle and the field,
that I loved
only
those things that leap and climb, desire, and survive.
It’s not true:
many things conspired
to tell me the whole story.
Not only did they touch me,
or my hand touched them:
they were
so close
that they were a part
of my being,
they were so alive with me
that they lived half my life
and will die half my death.

—Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)

¡Bibliophilia!
2026-06-13 14:00 - 16:00
Read any good books lately? What are your favorite books of all time? What books changed the way you understand and experience the world? Join Johnny for a lively dialogue about books

It’s gonna be FUN!.

¡Bibliophilia! Johnny Stallings hosts a conversation about books. There will be snacks.
Saturday, June 13, 2 pm
Artspace Room at Taborspace, 5441 SE Belmont
This Open Road event is free!

Monica Faricy! 6/16/26-8/23/26
2026-06-16 - 2026-08-23

A Midsummer Night's Dream
2026-06-18 - 2026-06-28

Consider This: Naomi Shihab Nye 6/18/26
2026-06-18 19:00 - 21:00
Open Road Recommends: Consider This. Naomi Shihab Nye reads from her work.
Thursday, June 18, 7 pm
Alberta Rose Theater
Tickets and info: https://albertarosetheatre.com/calendar (Sold Out)

Naomi Shihab Nye & Kim Stafford: A Reading and Conversation 6/20/26
2026-06-20 18:30 - 20:00
Naomi Shihab Nye & Kim Stafford: A Reading and Conversation
Saturday, June 20, 2026, 6:30pm

Sanctuary Hall, First Congregational UCC (1126 SW Park Ave, Portland)
General Admission $15 | Student $8
Book signing to follow | ASL interpretation provided

Join two beloved voices in American poetry for an evening of reading and conversation rooted in legacy, humanity, and the power of language.Beloved poet Naomi Shihab Nye returns to Portland for a public reading, drawing from her expansive body of work. She is joined by past Oregon Poet Laureate Kim Stafford for an onstage conversation about poetry as daily practice, influence, and how creativity can sustain us in uncertain times.This special evening is presented by The Stafford Challenge and Wild Poet Events in partnership with Oregon Humanities and Lewis & Clark College.
Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/wildpoetevents/2066199

As You Like It
2026-06-26 - 2026-07-19
Howard Thoresen founded the Portland Actors Ensemble in 1970–along with Keith Scales, Alan Benditt, Aaron Smith & Hal Slater.
Free Shakespeare in the parks–what a wonderful idea!
Covid tried to put an end to it–but it’s back!
HOORAY!!!

LARRY YES at Waterfront Blues Festival 7/2/26
2026-07-02 13:00 - 14:00
LARRY YES brings a massive amount of GOOD VIBES to Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival (https://waterfrontbluesfest.com/) on July 2nd, at the River Rhythms Stage at 1:15 pm.

NOT TO BE MISSED!!!
