Copy

July 2021


 


WordFest on Summer Break

 -- July & August --



 
July WordFest cancelled.
One of the presenters needed to cancel and another had technical difficulties when trying to record on Zoom, so it was necessary to cancel July's WordFest. In August we take our usual summer break.

Meeting in person in September?
Because more and more people have become vaccinated against the coronavirus and its evil emerging variants (Thank you!), we are planning to meet in person when WordFest resumes on Tuesday, September 14th.

Rumors are circulating that the formerly-Cassava Coffeeshop space is re-opening this summer. We hope to be meeting with the new owners soon and establish a relationship for future WordFest gatherings. Stay tuned.

At the same time, Zoom director
Vikki J. Carter and editor Bethany Glenn, and I will be exploring the possibility of hybrid meetings, where people have the choice of either attending in person or watching on Zoom. (I mean, really, how hard can it be?)



 
Missed last month's WordFest? Catch it here.

WordFest on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, offered a variety of voices and stories.

Mary Stone read from her YA novel, IN BeTWEEN TROUBLE, about Janie Mulvaney, trapped between kid-and-teenage-hood, and fearing she is sentenced to be twelve for life.

PJ Peterson read from her latest mystery, Rembrandt Rides A Bike, about Julia Fairchild, MD, who becomes enmeshed in a series of missing art pieces from museums she and her friends have recently visited.

And anthropologist, writer and tour guide Don Messerschmidt read a selection of his poems about the Himalayas, which editor Bethany Glenn masterfully joined with photos and music from Bhutan.


You can watch the program here, and it is also being aired on KLTV Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, Thursdays at 3:00 pm, and Fridays at midnight.

 

Here's what you'll find below: 


Good reading, good writing!

Local Literary News

As If Death Summoned wins Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award (LGBT Category.)


Okay, all false humility aside, I was floored when I received the announcement from my publisher. Pleased and surprised to be named a finalist in the spring, I never expected that my book had a chance of actually winning.

You can read the full press release
here.



 
Calling for presenters to read at WordFest in September, October, November and December.

All writers of all ages, published and unpublished, are invited to share their unique voices--in poetry, short stories, through excerpts from their novels, or novels-to-be, essays, memoirs, or song. 

Contact Alan at
alan@alan-rose.com to sign up to read.



 
Southwest Washington Writers Conference
Centralia College, September 10-11
This annual conference is nearby and inexpensive, offering a Master Class on Friday, September 10, followed by the full-day conference on September 11. This year one of the workshop presenters will be our own Mary Stone from Longview.

See more information and registration
here.






 

"We are all stories."


Bywater Books, and their imprint Amble Press who published As If Death Summoned, produced a beautiful and inspiring 1-minute video that captures why so many of us read books and why so many of us write them.

You can watch it
here.


Share your literary news for the August 2021 newsletter by sending to alan@alan-rose.com by July 31.




 

Poetry Corner --
 

"The Field is White"


 
Facing a blank sheet of paper, Ernest Hemingway called it "the white bull"--but Hemingway was a wimp. Local poet Carolyn Caines imagines a white field, "prime real estate," ripe with beauty and mystery and  self-discovery.

I prefer Carolyn's vision of a blank sheet of paper: not something threatening or dangerous, but something rich in potential, prepared to give back to us more than we bring to it: like seeding a freshly plowed field.




 
The field is white and bare,
not a comma or dot marks the way.
A perfect acre of lawn,
prime real estate.
 
Here is the tract where a poem
could rest and stretch out its limbs,
where a thing could blossom
displacing the silence.
 
Leave room for a breath after
each plowed and planted row,
the space necessary for words
to mature from prose into poetry.
 
The field is white and ready
for a plucking of keys
and a planting of thought.
Here is an acre that will do.






 
Vikki J. Carter produces the Podcast Authors of the Pacific Northwestinterviews with writers, editors and publishers, at www.squishpen.com
Episode 107: Erica Miner (http://www.ericaminer.com) 
Award winning author, screenwriter, lecturer, and journalist Erica Miner talks with Vikki about her opera mystery series, her musical background, and her journey to publication. 





 

Book Review


JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
Fredrik Logevall

Do we really need another biography of John F. Kennedy? Well, apparently, we do.

Sixty years since Kennedy became the youngest elected President of the United States, the first of a two-volume biography has been released by Harvard historian Fredrik Logevall, who would argue that with time comes historical perspective, beyond the initial hagiography and mythology of Camelot, beyond the later revisionist accounts of extramarital affairs, to see the man in a more balanced and complete light...

You can read my full review 
here.



 

Books People Are Excited About...

Philip Portwood writes, “ I was lamenting my frustration with pushy people when a friend suggested Boundaries:  When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control Of Your Life. This is a self help book developed by two clinical psychologists. It’s written from a Christian perspective, using Biblical scripture along with case studies from both authors’ practices..."
 
 
Read Philip's full recommendation in the July 15 issue of The Columbia River Reader.
 

Philip Portwood from Longview worked for Weyerhaeuser 30 years and then with Goodwill as a job coach for people with disabilities. An organist and pianist at several local churches, he also tutored for Project Read 15 years prior to the Covid pandemic.





 

Excited about a book?


Email me at alan@alan-rose.com with the title and why you liked it, and we'll share it in What Are You Reading? in The Columbia River Reader. 




 
 

 

A Bit of Whimsy








Photo-reflection


                Season of the Fawn

 

                                    I love this time of year,
                                    so rich in new life
                                    with all its daily wonders.


 


Note cards from photo reflections available for purchase.

Note cards created from the photo reflections are available on my website. You can view them here.


Find more news, reviews, interviews, and photo-reflections at www.alan-rose.com. and feel welcome to contact me at alan@alan-rose.com.


Previous newsletters available here: June 2021, May 2021, April 2021March 2021February 2021January 2021, December 2020November 2020October 2020September 2020
August 2020, July 2020June 2020May 2020April 2020, March 2020.
Copyright © 2021 Alan E Rose, All rights reserved.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
Website






This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
WordFest · PO Box 1866 · Woodland, WA 98674-1700 · USA

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp