Kimberly Bowker is the editor of the pocket-sized "Central Oregon Book Project," featuring the voices and stories of 19 area writers.

A year and a half after its creator launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund it, “Central Oregon Book Project,” a slender paperback featuring the poetry and prose of 19 area writers, will debut in an event at 6 p.m. Thursday at Roundabout Books in NorthWest Crossing in Bend.

The book is the brainchild of Bend writer Kimberly Bowker. In the introduction, Bowker, who grew up in Central Oregon, writes “The intention of this anthology is to share true stories (each 250 words or fewer) from those who live in the region and/or experience a connection with the Central Oregon landscape.”

According to Bowker, 110 copies of the pocket-size books will be distributed in little free libraries and public places around the region.

“One of the intentions for its small size is to let it move easily and wherever it needs to go. Also, in the back, are blank pages for people to include stories or thoughts or drawings about their own connection to Central Oregon,” Bowker said. “Thus each book is original and different from the next.”

Contributing writers will be on hand Thursday to read their pieces, and the book will be available for purchase at Roundabout or at lulu.com/shop, with a portion of proceeds going to local nonprofits, according to Bowker, who shares more on the project below:

GO!: What led you to want to create the “Central Oregon Book Project”?

KB: A handful of years ago, I was writing a lot about Central Oregon and trying to put voice to my thoughts about the region in past, present and future. While participating in a workshop focused on writing about place, I realized that it is not all about me and my feelings about Central Oregon, but about us and our feelings about Central Oregon. At that point, the idea of the collection took shape to create a space where people’s stories can be both expressed and heard by others. It is my hope that the book is a way for us to hear each other a little more as we learn about the region’s history, how we live together in the present, and how we may consciously co-create a future.

GO!: What kind of response did you get from area writers when you put out the call?

KB: Everyone was very supportive and generous in offering their prose and poetry to the collection. Contributors came from many different writing backgrounds, from professional writers to those who may be published for the first time. Some of the writers who are well-known in our local and Northwest communities include Ellen Santasiero, Kim Cooper Findling, Mike Cooper, Tiffany Lee Brown, Kai Strand, and Kim Stafford. Local news outlets helped to spread the word, and Central Oregon Writers Guild was very supportive in having me on one of their virtual meetings to help share the info.

GO!: Any certain themes present themselves frequently enough that they altered or helped shape the book?

KB: Great question! One of the main threads that naturally appears and weaves through the book is the Central Oregon landscape. Readers will notice mentions of familiar names of local landmarks as part of the terrain, such as the Deschutes River, that are included in many of the prose and poems. The species of trees, the High Desert, and the flora and fauna also make appearances in people’s lives and stories, perhaps honoring a type of common ground

When requesting writing submissions, the chapters were identified along the lines of “Our Archive,” “Our Community,” and “Our Gratitude.” What I didn’t expect is that many writers incorporated the idea of “our” into their own pieces, whether it be in the title or within the poem or prose itself, and that was a beautiful surprise.

GO!: Any certain pieces or participating writers you’d like to mention?

KB: There were 18 writers (19 including myself) who contributed, and Andy Zeigert drew sketches of five local landmarks. Spectrum Editing provided editing services. Each writing submission brings forward its own voice, originality and connection with Central Oregon and the landscape.

GO!: Who would you say is the natural audience for the book?

KB: The natural audience for the book would be anyone who comes across it, whether those who have multi-generational roots in Central Oregon or those who have just moved here or those who are traveling as visitors. My hope is that readers add their own stories, thoughts and drawings to the books.

More info is available at centraloregonbookproject.com.