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PRODID:-//The Open Road:  a learning community - ECPv6.15.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN
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X-WR-CALNAME:The Open Road:  a learning community
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://openroadpdx.com
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Open Road:  a learning community
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TZID:America/Los_Angeles
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20260308T100000
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DTSTART:20261101T090000
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260321T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260321T210000
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260306T171007Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260306T173158Z
UID:6121-1774119600-1774126800@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Jay Bean Performing Live at Hood River Brewing Company  3/21/26
DESCRIPTION:  \nJay Bean Performing Live! \n  \nSaturday\, March 21st\, 7-9 pm \nHood River Brewing Company   \n101 4th Street\, Hood River \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/jay-bean-performing-live-at-hood-river-brewing-company-3-21-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/0.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260327
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260411
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260301T221935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260325T182310Z
UID:6091-1774569600-1775865599@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Will Hornyak upcoming performances
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \nThe 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. \n  \nFriday\, March 27\, 7:30 pm \nKALA Performance Space\, 1017 Marine Drive\, Astoria\, OR \nBeer\, wine & cocktails available  \n$20   \nReservations:  https://www.tickettomato.com/event/9948 \n  \nFriday\, April 10\, 7 pm \nTaborspace Copeland Commons\, 5441 SE Belmont\, Portland \n$20 Cash/Check/Venmo at the Door   \nLimited Seating\, Reservations Recommended:   \nhornyak.will@gmail.com \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/will-hornyak-upcoming-performances/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/unnamed.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260402
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260507
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260402T113146Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260402T113343Z
UID:6151-1775088000-1778111999@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  4/2/26
DESCRIPTION:Rocky & Johnny under the palm trees \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nApril 2\, 2026 \n  \nTime is money. \n  \n—Benjamin Franklin \n* \n  \n…time is not money. Time has much more value than money. \n  \n—Thich Nhat Hanh \n* \n  \nI’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: \n  \nRocky’s final letters from prison \n  \nMarch 8\, 2026 \n5:15 a.m. \nDear Johnny & Nancy \n  \nWell\, 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. \n  \nI 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. \n  \nI 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. \n  \nAt 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. \n  \nAll 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. \n  \nSo\, 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. \n  \nGetting 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. \n  \nIn 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! \n  \nI’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! \n  \nMy 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. \n  \nSitting 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. \n  \nAs 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! \n  \nMarch 10th \n  \nWell\, 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. \n  \nThe 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. \n  \nI 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. \n  \nMarch 19\, 2026 \nDear Johnny \n  \nIt’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. \n  \nOne 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! \n  \nI’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. \n  \nIt 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. \n  \n3-23-2026 \n  \nWell\, 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. \n  \nI’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. \n  \nHealthy 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. \n  \nI 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. \n  \n3-24-26 \n  \nI’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. \n  \nI 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! \n  \nI’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! \n  \n     Sitting in a room full of men trying to find a way out\, out of addictions of all sorts. \n     Unpacking all the broken pieces & knowing you can not pick them up at all anymore. \n     Knowing that to find the golden paths in life we have to leave it behind & walk out the door. \n     I did not succeed in doing this alone with my life—my friends & family helped me to survive. \n     So many times sitting in a small empty room\, putting broken pieces together with no glue. \n     Pieces of sadness\, shame\, sorrow & remorse\, of a broken life that I tried to fix from guilt\, haunted by ghosts. \n     Having let it all go & gladly starting all things in life anew is easy knowing now what to do. \n  \n….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! \n  \nLove you & see you later for Coffee too! \n  \n—Rocky Hutchinson \n* \n  \nElizabeth Domike shared this poem: \n  \nNurture \n  \nFrom a documentary on marsupials I learn \nthat a pillowcase makes a fine \nsubstitute pouch for an orphaned kangaroo. \n  \nI am drawn to such dramas of animal rescue. \nThey are warm in the throat. I suffer\, the critic proclaims\, \nfrom an overabundance of maternal genes. \n  \nBring me your fallen fledgling\, your bummer lamb\, \n  \nlead the abused\, the starvelings\, into my barn. \nAdvise the hunted deer to leap into my corn. \n  \nAnd had there been a wild child— \nfilthy and fierce as a ferret\, he is called \nin one nineteenth-century account— \n  \na wild child to love\, it is safe to assume\, \ngiven my fireside inked with paw prints\, \nthere would have been room. \n  \nThink of the language we two\, same and not-same\, \nmight have constructed from sign\, \nscratch\, grimace\, grunt\, vowel: \n  \nLaughter our first noun\, and our long verb\, howl. \n  \n—Maxine Kumin \n* \n  \nSHEEP  \n  \nSo why would I write about sheep? What do sheep have to do with Peace\, Love\, Happiness and Understanding? Well\, as it turns out—-everything!  \n  \nWe 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.  \n  \nWhen 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. \n  \n—Jude Russell
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-4-2-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/0-15.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260411T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260411T160000
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260325T175513Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260401T000708Z
UID:6135-1775916000-1775923200@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:For Amusement Purposes Only  4/11/26
DESCRIPTION:  \nFor Amusement Purposes Only \n  \nJohnny Stallings  attempts to entertain. \nJust for fun! \nThere will be snacks. \n  \nSaturday\, April 11\, at 2 p.m. \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont  \n  \nthis Open Road Event is free \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/for-amusement-purposes-only-4-11-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/twain-Alpha.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260416
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260418
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260410T000403Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260410T001516Z
UID:6162-1776297600-1776470399@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:A Midsummer Night's Dream in Prison: screenings on April 16th & 17th
DESCRIPTION:  \nThis 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.  \nBoth screenings will be followed by Q & A with actors.  \nBoth are free and open to the public. \n  \nPortland State University  \nWomen’s Resource Center & Queer Resource Center  \nApril 16th\, 2026     3:30 p.m.  \nSmith Memorial Union Building   \n1825 SW Broadway   \n4th Floor\, Room 439   \n  \nS.M.I.L.E. STATION  \nSellwood-Moreland Improvement League Neighborhood Association  \nApril 17th\, 2026     5:30 p.m.  \n8210 SE 13th Ave \n  \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/a-midsummer-nights-dream-in-prison-screenings-on-april-16th-17th/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/DSC_7307-donkey-titania1-cropped-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260509
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260604
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260510T221143Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260510T221215Z
UID:6186-1778284800-1780531199@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  5 9 26
DESCRIPTION:Julia\, Rocky & Jeffrey at Portland Japanese Garden \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n  \nMay 9\, 2026 \n  \nTHE ROCKY ROAD \n  \nFirst 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: \n  \nThrough the Eyes of Rocky \n  \nI 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.  \n  \nTo savor it all. To love life\, the new life Rocky has. A life of peace\, love\, happiness\, and understanding. \n  \n—Jude Russell \n* \n  \nIt 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.                                                                                                                           \n  \nAt 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.   \n  \nThe 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.                                                                                                                             \n  \nI 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!                                \n  \nI 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.                                 \n  \nThis 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.  \n  \nApril 29\, 2026 \n  \nWent 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. \n  \nAs 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. \n  \nIt 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.  \n  \nApril 30\, 2026 \n(Day 15) \nHow 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. \n  \nAs 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.   \n  \nDay 15. April 30\, 2026 (continued) \n  \nWe 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… \n  \nI 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.     \n  \nI 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.   \n  \nI 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. \n  \nIt 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.  \n  \nMy first room\, the Medford Hotel \n  \nIt 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.   \n  \nIn 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. \n  \nIn 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. \n  \nMay 8\, 2026 \n  \nSitting 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. \n  \nThe 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. \n  \n—Rocky Hutchinson
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-5-9-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/0-2.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260516T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260516T203000
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260516T031847Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260516T035049Z
UID:6194-1778956200-1778963400@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Book Signing!: My Jedi Memoir by James Kahn
DESCRIPTION:Open Road Recommends!:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJ is doing a reading from My Jedi Memoir\, and signing it along with some of his early sci-fi works at:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nParallel Worlds Bookshop\n\n\n2639 NE Alberta St.\, in Portland\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaturday\, May 16th\, 6:30-9:30 pm\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCome one\, come all\, and tell your friends!
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/books-signing-my-jedi-memoir-by-james-kahn/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/0-4.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260519
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260520
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260516T035439Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260516T035457Z
UID:6209-1779148800-1779235199@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Elevate Him Coffee Day Fundraiser  5/19/26
DESCRIPTION:
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/elevate-him-coffee-day-fundraiser-5-19-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/0.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260531T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260531T160000
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260301T001521Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T065313Z
UID:6078-1780236000-1780243200@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:Song of Myself  5/31/26
DESCRIPTION:painting of Walt Whitman by Rick Bartow \n  \nSong of Myself  \n  \nTo celebrate Walt Whitman’s 207th birthday\, Rocky Hutchinson & Johnny Stallings will read from Walt’s masterpiece.  \nThere will be a birthday cake! \n  \nSunday\, May 31\, at 2 p.m. \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont  \n  \nthis Open Road event is free
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/song-of-myself-5-31-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/unnamed-20-3.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260603
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260702
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260603T195427Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260603T195427Z
UID:6218-1780444800-1782950399@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:peace\, love\, happiness & understanding  6/4/26
DESCRIPTION:Larry Yes & his Radical Positivity installation \n  \nTHE OPEN ROAD \npeace\, love\, happiness & understanding \n\n  \nThe day will come when we all agree  \nthat we should live in harmony  \nand we will know and we will see  \nhow we’re all connected. We’re all family. \nAll the people\, the plants\, the animals\, the birds\, the seas. \n  \n—from the song “Live in Harmony” on the album “Everyone on This Planet Is Family” by Larry Yes \n  \nJune 4\, 2026 \n  \nKen 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: \n  \n\nEveryone has the right to live by the River Vilnelė\, and the River Vilnelė has the right to flow by everyone.\nEveryone has the right to hot water\, heating in winter and a tiled roof.\nEveryone has the right to die\, but this is not an obligation.\nEveryone has the right to make mistakes.\nEveryone has the right to be unique.\nEveryone has the right to love.\nEveryone has the right not to be loved\, but not necessarily.\nEveryone has the right to be undistinguished and unknown.\nEveryone has the right to be idle.\nEveryone has the right to love and take care of the cat.\nEveryone has the right to look after the dog until one of them dies.\nA dog has the right to be a dog.\nA cat is not obliged to love its owner\, but must help in time of need.\nSometimes everyone has the right to be unaware of their duties.\nEveryone has the right to be in doubt\, but this is not an obligation.\nEveryone has the right to be happy.\nEveryone has the right to be unhappy.\nEveryone has the right to be silent.\nEveryone has the right to have faith.\nNo one has the right to violence.\nEveryone has the right to appreciate their unimportance.\nNo one has the right to have a design on eternity.\nEveryone has the right to understand.\nEveryone has the right to understand nothing.\nEveryone has the right to be of any nationality.\nEveryone has the right to celebrate or not celebrate their birthday.\nEveryone shall remember their name.\nEveryone may share what they possess.\nNo one can share what they do not possess.\nEveryone has the right to have brothers\, sisters and parents.\nEveryone may be independent.\nEveryone is responsible for their freedom.\nEveryone has the right to cry.\nEveryone has the right to be misunderstood.\nNo one has the right to make another person guilty.\nEveryone has the right to be individual.\nEveryone has the right to have no rights.\nEveryone has the right to not to be afraid.\nDo not defeat\nDo not fight back\nDo not surrender\n\n* \n  \nThe 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. \n  \nThe Right to Dream \n  \nIn 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: \n  \nthe air shall be cleansed of all poisons except those born of human fears and human passions; \nin the streets\, cars shall be run over by dogs; \npeople shall not be driven by cars\, or programmed by computers\, or bought by supermarkets\, or watched by televisions; \nthe TV set shall no longer be the most important member of the family and shall be treated like an iron or a washing machine; \npeople shall work for a living instead of living for work; \nwritten 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; \nin no country shall young men who refuse to go to war go to jail\, rather only those who want to make war; \neconomists shall not measure living standards by consumption levels or the quality of life by the quantity of things; \ncooks shall not believe that lobsters love to be boiled alive; \nhistorians shall not believe that countries love to be invaded; \npoliticians shall not believe that the poor love to eat promises; \nearnestness shall no longer be a virtue\, and no-one shall be taken seriously who can’t make fun of himself; \ndeath and money shall lose their magical powers\, and neither demise nor fortune shall make a virtuous gentleman of a rat; \nno-one shall be considered a hero or a fool for doing what he believes is right instead of what serves him best; \nthe world shall wage war not on the poor but rather on poverty\, and the arms industry shall have no alternative but to declare bankruptcy; \nfood shall not be a commodity nor shall communications be a business\, because food and communication are human rights; \nno-one shall die of hunger\, because no-one shall die of overeating; \nstreet children shall not be treated like garbage\, because there shall be no street children; \nrich kids shall not be treated like gold\, because there shall be no rich kids; \neducation shall not be the privilege of those who can pay; \nthe police shall not be the curse of those who cannot pay; \njustice and liberty\, Siamese twins condemned to live apart\, shall meet again and be reunited\, back to back; \na 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; \nin 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; \nthe Church\, holy mother\, shall correct the typos on the tablet of Moses and the Sixth Commandment shall dictate the celebration of the body; \nthe Church shall also proclaim another commandment\, the one God forgot: You shall love nature\, to which you belong; \nclothed with forests shall be the deserts of the world and of the soul; \nthe 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; \nwe 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; \nperfection 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. \n  \n—Eduardo Galeano (born: September 3\, 1940; died: April 13\, 2015) \n* \n  \nEduardo 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: \n  \nhttps://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-6-5-25/ \n  \nThe 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:  \n  \na) those that belong to the Emperor \nb) embalmed ones \nc) those that are trained \nd) suckling pigs \ne) sirens (or mermaids) \nf) fabulous ones \ng) stray dogs \nh) those included in the present classification \ni) those that tremble as if they were mad \nj) innumerable ones \nk) those drawn with a very fine camelhair brush \nl) others \nm) those that have just broken a flower vase \nn) those that from a long way off look like flies \n  \n—Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) \n* \n  \n…which\, by a mysterious alchemy in my brain\, reminds me of… \n  \nOde to things \n  \nI have a crazy\, \ncrazy love of things. \nI like pliers\, \nand scissors.  \nI love \ncups\,  \nrings\, \nand bowls –  \nnot to speak\, or course\, \nof hats. \nI love \nall things\, \nnot just \nthe grandest\,  \nalso \nthe  \ninfinite- \nly \nsmall –  \nthimbles\,  \nspurs\, \nplates\, \nand flower vases. \n  \nOh yes\, \nthe planet  \nis sublime! \nIt’s full of pipes \nweaving \nhand-held \nthrough tobacco smoke\, \nand keys \nand salt shakers –  \neverything\, \nI mean\, \nthat is made  \nby the hand of man\, every little thing:  \nshapely shoes\, \nand fabric\, \nand each new \nbloodless birth \nof gold\, \neyeglasses \ncarpenter’s nails\, \nbrushes\, \nclocks\, compasses\,  \ncoins\, and the so-soft \nsoftness of chairs. \n  \nMankind has  \nbuilt  \noh so many \nperfect \nthings! \nBuilt them of wool \nand of wood\,  \nof glass and \nof rope:  \nremarkable \ntables\,  \nships\, and stairways. \n  \nI love \nall \nthings\, \nnot because they are \npassionate \nor sweet-smelling \nbut because\, \nI don’t know\, \nbecause \nthis ocean is yours\, \nand mine;  \nthese buttons \nand wheels \nand little \nforgotten \ntreasures\, \nfans upon \nwhose feathers \nlove has scattered \nits blossoms\, \nglasses\, knives and \nscissors –  \nall bear \nthe trace \nof someone’s fingers \non their handle or surface\, \nthe trace of a distant hand \nlost \nin the depths of forgetfulness. \n  \nI pause in houses\, \nstreets and  \nelevators \ntouching things\, \nidentifying objects \nthat I secretly covet;  \nthis one because it rings\, \nthat one because  \nit’s as soft \nas the softness of a woman’s hip\, \nthat one there for its deep-sea color\, \nand that one for its velvet feel. \n  \nO irrevocable  \nriver \nof things:  \nno one can say \nthat I loved \nonly \nfish\,  \nor the plants of the jungle and the field\,  \nthat I loved \nonly \nthose things that leap and climb\, desire\, and survive. \nIt’s not true:  \nmany things conspired \nto tell me the whole story. \nNot only did they touch me\, \nor my hand touched them:  \nthey were \nso close \nthat they were a part \nof my being\, \nthey were so alive with me \nthat they lived half my life \nand will die half my death. \n  \n—Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/peace-love-happiness-understanding-6-4-26/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/0.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260613T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260613T160000
DTSTAMP:20260613T131656
CREATED:20260305T165459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260611T005629Z
UID:6116-1781359200-1781366400@openroadpdx.com
SUMMARY:¡Bibliophilia!
DESCRIPTION:  \nRead 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 \n  \nIt’s gonna be FUN!. \n  \n¡Bibliophilia! Johnny Stallings hosts a conversation about books. There will be snacks. \nSaturday\, June 13\, 2 pm  \nArtspace Room at Taborspace\, 5441 SE Belmont   \nThis Open Road event is free! \n 
URL:https://openroadpdx.com/event/bibliophilia/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://openroadpdx.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/81jHEoQqLHL._AC_SX679_.jpg
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