“Varley’s Vancouver – Discovering the City’s Artistic Heart in Frederick Varley’s Past” Freed Weed feature column by Dave Olson in Megaphone Magazine, January 27, 2012
Pub: “Varley’s Vancouver” – Megaphone (Vancouver), Jan. 2012
Category Archives: Writing Collections
a library in process holding collection of my writing projects including expository essays, articles for counter-culture magazine, sudden fiction and freeverse poetry – organized by form or collection
Pub: “Flying High” (collage art and interview) – RainZine (Vancouver), Summer 2010
“Flying High”(collage art) and “Who is this DaveO Guy Anyhow?” (interview) in Rain Zine (Radical Art in Nature) Summer, 2010
See also: Let it Rain ~ “Flying High” boardgame-inspired art & interview in DIY Zine
Pub: “Let’s Get Lost” – Megaphone (Vancouver), June 2010
“Let’s Get Lost – Exploring Vancouver’s Counter-Culture Landmarks,” Freed Weed feature column by Dave Olson in Megaphone Magazine, June 11, 2010
Pub: “Letters from Russia” (excerpt and art) – RainZine (Vancouver), 2010
“Letters from Russia” (excerpt and art) in Rain Zine (Radical Art in Nature) Spring, 2010
Cover art by Jer Crowle, also includes Kris Krug, Dan Mangan, Bex Apostoli , Dorian Taylor, Carla Bergman and Indigo
Pub: “Hemp for Victory” (contrib’d re: Japan), 2006
Somewhere around 2006 author Kenyon Gibson reached out about a project was co-writing called “Hemp for Victory” asking about the history of hemp cannabis in Japan and related artifacts.
I had recently published my original research about hemp culture in Japan in Cannabis Culture magazine, Journal of International Hemp Association, Hemp Horizons and other outlets and was happy to share my resources and knowledge.
A couple years later, in Brighton England and stopped into a hemp store and saw the book there for the first time on the shelf, opened it up and saw an image from my collection in the flyleaf alongside at foreword by Woody Harrelson.
I got in touch with Mr. Gibson who lives in London and stopped by his flat with Max Freakout and a fella from a hemp shop in Camden. Over tea, we recorded an extensive podcast interview with this gent who can riff on so many topics. I received a copy or two of the book, signed etc. which i suggest is among as well-done a book as there is on the topic.
I’ve shared snippets from the Japan section for personal archival purposes and to encourage you to track down a copy of this book for your library.
Continue reading Pub: “Hemp for Victory” (contrib’d re: Japan), 2006
Folio: Hotsprings and Stubbed Toe / occasional haiku, 2004
Download poetry chapbook (pdf): Hotsprings + Stubbed Toe, by Dave Olson, 2004
Pub: “Mp3 Lowdown” / Menu Magazine, Olympia, Nov. 1999
“The real lowdown on Mp3 downloads – #2” from “Leveling the Playing Field” feature column by Dave Olson in Menu Magazine, Olympia, WA, Nov. 1999 [missing page goes here] 
See also: The real lowdown on Mp3 downloads – #2
Pub: “Internet + Hockey” / Menu Magazine, Olympia, Dec. 1999
“How the Internet enhances my Hockey viewing experience – # 3” from “Leveling the Playing Field” feature column by Dave Olson in Menu Magazine, Olympia, WA, Dec. 1999
See also: How the Internet enhances my Hockey viewing experience – # 3
Folio: January in the Hot Springs / haiku and paint, 1993-5
After arriving in Japan for the first time, i began exploring Japanese poetic forms – realizing that the didactic 5-7-5 structure *wasn’t the point* / Then combining with impressionist colours seen on a recent ramble in Europe, Read it a series combining, in a fashion, Japanese forms with European colours and “new-world” themes.
Then with brother Bob’s upcoming wedding, compiled a bunch of these creations into a little book and read (with translation) at his wedding (mostly to blank stares of bewilderment.
A few years later in Guam, did a proper layout and production run (maybe 50?) and mailed the chapbooks out around the world. Used hemp/cereal straw paper from China (ordered from Paul Stanford in Oregon) which was rough going through copy machines of the day –especially my complicated double-sided / zigzag layout with topstitch binding – of course sewn with hemp twine.
I don’t have one of the “finished ones” in my archive, but do have the original layout production master / will eventually dig out > in the meantime, here is the cover (not hemp paper) + Pay special attention to my proto-Creative-Commons non-copyright on the erstwhile colophon and the pseudonym (do you know the origins?)
While I have few delusions about my poetry chapbooks being “popular” this one especially seems to have disappeared into the wind with nary a sound (despite it being one of the projects of which i am most proud).
Note: a few of these poems were used/re-mixed in a collection from 2004 (assembled in Olympia) called “Hotspring and Stubbed Toe” which was distributed digitally and will be available shortly in this archive as part of #daveo50 series.
Publication: “MUD 201-H” literature fanzine, UVCC, 1989 (w/ excerpts)
A “literary fanzine” produced as a project at Utah Valley Community College (formerly Utah Technical College, later Utah Valley State College > Utah Valley University) for Larry Harper’s inaugural “creative writing hono(u)rs” program (course number 201H – hence the title).
At this time, I was working the night shift at the college library and had access to copy machines so, the final product was produced in one weird night. Design and layout by frequent collaborator Brandon G Kiggins and me, while Larry’s miraculous Army-trained typing speed banged out tuned-up text as needed. Assembled in classic “scissors and glue” style with magazine clippings, ephemera and oddities as design elements.
My contributed story, “What I thought in Sweetgrass” is included below in full, along with Brandon’s sudden story, and a short poem by Larry – the rest is (probably) available upon request/permission by the creators.
A few other “meta pages” ergo: preface; table of contents; a section of “obituaries” as author bios; and a signature page – are included for historical record.
See also: “What I Thought In Sweetgrass” story