Bill Lascher 11/26/13 Bill Lascher 11/26/13

A Wedding At The Brink of War

For a brief moment after the wedding, the world fell away from Mel and Annalee. That they didn't have the traditional wedding their friends in the Chinese government wanted to throw for them back in Chungking didn't matter. That all their things — including most of Annalee's clothes — were on a ship that would end up diverted from Manila when the war started didn't matter. They were two young reporters in love.

Bill Lascher 8/8/13 Bill Lascher 8/8/13

Mel on the Run

Melville Jacoby on the island of Cebu in the Philippines while he, his wife Annalee, and the A.P.'s Clark Lee were on the run from the Japanese in March, 1942. (apologies for the faded scan).

Bill Lascher 8/7/13 Bill Lascher 8/7/13

Chungking

“Learning to bum cigarettes from visitors, enduring a cold water bath, eating only Chinese food, getting letters home by clipper, settling the world’s problems over rice wine, and watching the Chinese in their tremendous efforts is all part of Chungking’s fun,"

— Melville Jacoby, Summer, 1941

Bill Lascher 8/1/13 Bill Lascher 8/1/13

Upon an L.A. Arrival

More than anything else, the expanse below me is familiar, forever within me, whether I want it to be or not. Even the city exploding over the hills and suffocating in the haze is home. Hundreds of miles north, I still feel it, this sense in my blood. Down below, the pure Californianess of it all, the golden hues, the marching oaks and the wrinkled mountains and the blankets of concrete. All of it.

Bill Lascher 5/29/13 Bill Lascher 5/29/13

Portfolio Pick: Books Remain on My Brain

Yesterday, I shared a picture from my portfolio of the Seattle Public Library. I'm still thinking about books today, and I'm often thinking about Los Angeles. So why not share another of my favorite pictures? This time, enjoy a glimpse of the Rotunda at the Los Angeles Central Library. Isn't it interesting that two of my favorite shots in my portfolio are of libraries? Like this image? Though I’m first and foremost a writer, I do shoot pictures when I can. You can see some of my favorite shots and even order prints if you like by visiting my Photoshelter portfolio.

Bill Lascher 5/28/13 Bill Lascher 5/28/13

Portfolio Pick: Books on The Brain and The Seattle Public Library

Because I spent most of my weekend reading (or, rather, re-reading) Paul French's mesmerizing "Midnight in Peking"), because publishing houses are currently evaluating my own book proposal, because my twitter stream is full of tweets from Book Expo America, and because books are amazing any time, today's portfolio pick comes from the astounding Seattle Public Library.

Bill Lascher 4/1/13 Bill Lascher 4/1/13

Notes From The Starting Line

Today brings a bloom of beginnings from a tangle of endings. Perhaps that's not surprising. I suppose beginnings and endings all occupy coterminous space. And as I write, I'm struck by how my own beginnings and my own endings weave around one another and, often, between two places — Los Angeles and Portland.

But I'm writing today to recognize one simple beginning: the redesigned, relaunched version of my website*, upon which, presumably, you're reading these words. I do so hoping to re-introduce the world to my own background as a writer and journalist and as a storyteller, and to re-pique your curiosity about Melville Jacoby, whose adventures, romance and experiences as a journalist in World War II-era China and the Philippines will be the subject of a forthcoming book.

Bill Lascher 12/19/12 Bill Lascher 12/19/12

The Thinkingest Episode 6 - Patrick Nork on Creativity

[Audio:http://lascheratlarge.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Episode-6-Patrick-Nork.mp3] Freelance writing is far from the only game in town when it comes to striking out on one's own as a creative professional. For the most recent edition of The Thinkingest I sat down with Portland-based visual artist and creative consultant Patrick Nork to talk about going into business for oneself as a creative professional. Nork is the proprietor of Well-Inked Hand, which provides creative problem solving, design and other services. He is also an accomplished printmaker and a board member at Print Arts Northwest.

Bill Lascher 12/14/12 Bill Lascher 12/14/12

No Exit - How Low Car Life Will Save Portland When The Big One Strikes

Bridges will tumble, rail lines will shut off and fuel will run low. But when the Big One strikes, 20-minute neighborhoods, bikes and even food carts may save Portland.

Bill Lascher 12/7/12 Bill Lascher 12/7/12

Pearl Harbor as a Reporter Experienced it in Manila

"Manila has not yet digested the fact of war. Balloon and toy salesmen and vendors on the streets with extra editions are just appearing as fully equipped soldiers are appearing," After news reached Manila that U.S. forces had been attacked at Pearl Harbor, Melville Jacoby cabled news to his Time Magazine editors about how the Philippines capital digested news of the Japanese raids.