Win or lose, Ries is ready for awards

By Elena Boryczka

The Times, Oct 18, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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Author Lori Ries of Tigard has been nominated for a 2007 Oregon Book Award with her release, “Aggie and Ben: Three Stories.”

Ries’ book is one of five titles up for the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children’s Literature. The winner will be announced at the 21st annual Book Awards Ceremony on Dec. 2.; a free party and reading by some of the finalists will take place Nov. 16 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel, 403 S.W. 10th Ave. in Portland.

“Reading, ‘Dear Lori, On behalf of Literary Arts I am pleased to inform you that your book, ‘Aggie and Ben,’ has been chosen as a finalist for the 2007 Oregon Book Awards. Congratulations!’ . . . I had to read it twice,” she said. “Me? Really? I couldn’t believe it. My husband and children were in the car with me as we stopped to pick up the mail, and I read them the letter. I am still overwhelmed and touched by the words.”

As the author of three other children’s titles, Ries knows such recognition is an honor to receive. Still, she said her focus is at the ceremony will be more on having a good time than on winning.

“[At the awards] I think I’ll be thinking about how glad I am to be sharing the night with such wonderful company,” Ries said. “If ‘Aggie’ wins an award, great, and if she doesn’t that’s great, too. It will be lovely to be at the Oregon Book Awards celebrating good literature with everyone.”

Ries said joining her that evening will be her husband and two of her three children; her mother and in-laws might be flying in from out of state to share the special event with her.

She said she is also excited to be accompanied by her close friends Tony and Arlene McCasline, who owned the real-life Aggie that inspired the book. Ries said she first met the larger-than-life golden retriever on a trip to the beach several years ago; when she witnessed the golden lab go headfirst into where her daughter was feeding some ducks and come out with “the smirkest doggie grin,” she was inspired.

“I fell so in love with that dog right then. Aggie had character - lots of character,” Ries said. “I sat with Tony and Arlene on different occasions learning all I could about Aggie. I learned she was a ‘dog.’ She dug. She boated. She was a best friend. A stretch of truth mixed with lots of imagination made the magic. But it all started with a real dog, Aggie.

“I'm beyond pleased as I was able to capture and keepsake a best friend that could possibly live forever for my friends Tony and Arlene. To have ‘Aggie and Ben’ be nominated is beyond a dream to me.”

Since 1987, the Oregon Book Awards have been presented annually for the finest accomplishments by Oregon writers in genres of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, drama and young readers literature. Out-of-state judges choose finalists in each category, including a winner, using literary merit as the sole criterion.

All finalists are promoted in libraries and bookstores across the state, and invited to take part in the Oregon Book Awards Author Tour, which brings finalists to public libraries and bookstores in towns including La Grande, Roseburg and Astoria.