Creative Writing

Gary Corbin is a freelance writer and editor in Vancouver, WA, a suburb of Portland, OR. Gary's work includes:

For more details, click on the links below.

Recent Creative Writing

Novels. Gary seeks representation for his novels, Lying in Judgment, about a man serving on the jury for a murder trial that he committed, and The Mountain Man’s Dog, the story of a simple man caught up in the complex world of politics, romance, and pet ownership.

Plays. His one-act play, "PS, I Love Your Daughter,” played on the Coho Theater stage in June 2010, and his murder mystery dinner theater spoof “Mama Versus the Mob” was performed by Magenta Theater, October 23 at The Cascade Inn and November 6, 12, and 13 at Rosemary’s Café, 1001 Main St., Vancouver, WA. Buy tickets here.

Novels

Lying in Judgment

Peter Robertson serves on the jury of a murder trial -- for the crime that he committed. Keep up with my blog on the ongoing efforts to publish this work. Read an excerpt here.

The Mountain Man’s Dog

Lehigh Carter, a forester in Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, fears two things: women and dogs. Then his former fiancée convinces him to adopt a stray. His simple life suddenly gets entangled in the complex world of romance, politics, arson, and pet ownership. Read
an excerpt here.

Short Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction

Take a look at some samples of Gary's shorter fiction:

NonFiction

In addition to assignment work for private sector, government, and not-for-profit clients, Gary's creative and journalistic work has been published in BrainstormNW, the Portland Tribune, The Oregonian, and Global Envision, among others.

Pacific Northwest

Articles published in BrainstormNW include:

  • Catalogs and Websites, Unite: November, 2008
  • An Experience in the Kitchen: September 2008
  • Survive (Even Thrive) in Today's Economy: August 2008
  • Home Away from Home: July 2008
  • Living the Suite Life: June 2008
  • Links to the Past (cover feature), May, 2008
  • Fascinating Oregonians: Jessica Gregg, Rachel Solotaroff, and Barbara Sidway, April 2008
  • Mount Hood: More than a Meadow, January 2008
  • Prior articles on various topics available upon request: Central Oregon Tour of Homes, Fascinating Oregonians, Tillamook Cheese, Antique Golf
  • Collection photoessay, Pioneer Courthouse photoessay.

Other articles of interest:

  • "Another reason to visit the Gorge: Wines and wineries of the Columbia Gorge," The Oregonian, November 14, 2006.

Beer and Wine Writing

A homebrewer as well as a maker of wine, mead, cider, and soft drinks, Gary is a member of the Oregon Brew Crew and a BJCP National Beer Judge. He won the blue ribbon at the National Homebrew Competition in 2000 for his Prohibition Porter, and he designed and brewed (with Michael Rasmussen) what is now Widmer’s Collaborator “Hallucinator”, a perennial favorite at the Holiday Ale Festival on Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square in December. He also leads“Beervana Pub Crawl” brewpub tours with Portland Walking Tours.

Gary started writing about beer in the early 90’s. He has published several articles on beer and wine in a variety of sources, including the Portland Tribune, BrainstormNW, and The Oregonian.

Guest On Tap Beer Column

Gary was a regular contributor to the Portland Tribune’s Guest on Tap column until its demise in January, 2009. Articles included:
  • Sipping on the Other Side of the River, December 18, 2008
  • Slow Food and Beer, November 6, 2008
  • New Beers to Fall For, October 16, 2008
  • Portland Oktoberfest: Envy Our Diversity, September 16, 2008
  • The Best Beer for John Deere, July 17, 2008
  • There's Nothing Like The Beer Here In Beervana, July 9, 2008
  • The World's Largest Organic Brewers Festival, July 2, 2008
  • Welcome Stop on a Road Trip, June 4, 2008
  • Buildings Recycled but the Beer's Fresh, April 29, 2008
  • New Beers for Spring 2008, March 25, 2008
  • The Last Ride of the Day, February 12, 2008
  • Make Beer, Not Cars, November 13, 2007
  • Pagan Beer for Modern Times, October 30, 2007
  • Cerveza with a Sense of Place, June 27, 2007
  • Bookmark your beer
  • Foam for Fido
  • Thirty Years of Brass
  • Brew with a View
  • Beer Festival Survivor's Guide (July 18, 2006 Portland Tribune)
  • How beer has changed in Oregon
  • Buy your Dad a beer
  • Good beer - you be the judge of it
  • Remember the Little Guys
  • A toast to Jim Kennedy
  • New beers for spring 2006
  • Home brewers: The Innovative Force
  • East Coast Hop Monsters
  • Brewcast for 2006 - What’s on tap for 2006

Beer and wine articles published elsewhere

  • Read his beer descriptions in the annual program guide for the Oregon Brewer’s Festival
  • How to Spot a Beer Geek. Geekery explained and terms defined
  • A technical article on water treatment in homebrewing
  • Rock Bottom hits Portland
  • An era has Pabst: on the closure of an historic brewery in Milwaukee, WI
  • Review of the Valley Mill
  • Ivy League Brews
  • Another reason to visit the Gorge: Wines and wineries of the Columbia Gorge, The Oregonian, November 14, 2006.
  • Keep up with Gary’s beer musings on his beer blog.

Travel

Gary loves to travel - and it shows in some of his most passionate writing, including: