On Tuesday, January 7, WordFest kicks off the new year with three recently published books by local authors.

Steve Anderson will be reading from his novel, Book of Hours: The Beguilement of Brother Aphaios, about a cloistered monk from Italy who comes to the U.S. to restore a badly damaged Book of Hours. In the process he becomes beguiled by both its fifteenth century illuminator and by the richly layered chaos of a modern American city.

 

Kelley Jacquez will be presenting her book, Holding Woman and Other Stories of Acceptable Madness, a collection of darkly comic tales about the residents of a small New Mexico town.

 

 

Janet Bray Rubert will read from her novel, ‘Til Summer’s End, about a woman working on her doctoral dissertation in Ghana who is pregnant and recently abandoned by her husband.

 

Copies of their books will be available for purchase and autographing.

 

WordFest is a monthly gathering of readers and writers who meet the first Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm. In January, we will meet at Cassava, on the corner of Broadway and 14^th Avenue, in Longview. The restaurant offers a dinner menu for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.

The events are free and open to the public. There is an open mic period following the presentations.

 

On Tuesday, December 3, WordFest will feature biologist and popular writer Robert Michael Pyle, who lives in Gray’s River. Bob’s 17 books include the award-winning Wintergreen and Sky Time in Gray’s River, both about the Lower Columbia region.

Bob will read two short essays from his latest book, The Tangled Bank, a collection of his essays that appeared in Orion magazine, and then several poems from his forthcoming book, Evolution of the Genus Iris.

 

Cynthia Moyer will read about her experience as an exchange student from Southern Illinois going to live in the Philippines in 1983.

Cynthia is a former newspaper reporter who has written several novels including The Misfortune of the Emerald Thief, a middle grade fantasy, and Stolen Spring: Kidnappings, murder, and mochas on the Oregon Coast, an adult mystery.

 

 

WordFest regular Ed Putka will be reading another of his humorous stories about growing up in his ethnically rich Polish neighborhood in Cleveland.

Copies of Bob’s and Cynthia’s books will be available for purchase and autographing.

In December, we will meet at Gyros Gyros, 1338 Commerce Avenue, lower level, in Longview. The popular Greek and Mediterranean style restaurant offers a full dinner menu for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.

There will be an open mic period following the presentations.

On Tuesday, November 5, WordFest will feature three very different books by local authors.

A departure from her usual non-fiction, Irene Martin will be reading from her first published book of poetry, The Family that Never Threw Anything Away. Author of The Flight of the Bumble Bee, Irene has written books on the history of the lower Columbia River region, salmon fishing, and spirituality.

Dennis Weber, a retired history teacher and frequent contributor to the Cowlitz Historical Quarterly, has written a fresh, new pictorial history of Longview in cooperation with retired librarians Sue Maxey and Karen Dennis. To create Images of America: Longview, they studied over 500 digital images from the collections of the Cowlitz County Historical Museum and the Longview Public Library’s Longview Room. Dennis will read from the book and discuss the process of compiling it.

Jon Gosch, a native of Longview and graduate of R. A. Long High School, will read from his recently published first novel, If We Get There, the story of two young brothers who embark on a cross country motorcycle trip in search of a better life. Jon received a degree in Creative Writing from the University of Washington in 2007.

Copies of the books will be available for purchase and autographing.

WordFest is a monthly gathering of readers and writers who meet the first Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm. In November, we will meet at Cassava (formerly Fusion Café) on the corner of Broadway and 14^th Avenue. A special buffet menu will be offered for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.

The events are free and open to the public. There is an open mic period following the presentations.

 

 

 

On Tuesday, October 1, WordFest will host the launching of two new books by local authors.

Pat Nelson will present an anthology, Not Your Mother’s Book On Being a Parent, which she created with Dahlynn and Ken McKowen. The McKowen’s co-authored Chicken Soup for the Soul books for 10 years before starting their own humorous, sometimes edgy Not Your Mother’s Book series. The new book consists of 68 true stories about parenting and raising kids. Some of the book’s storytellers will be on hand at WordFest to read their stories that earned them a spot in this new anthology.

Carolyn Caines will be reading from her new book of poems, titled My Substitute Life, drawn from her five years as a substitute teacher in the Kelso School District. She has published two earlier collections of poetry, In the Noiseless Night and A String of Perils, as well as a Young Adult novel, Passage To Love, An Ellis Island Love Story.

Copies of Pat’’s and Carolyn’s books will be available for sale.

Fred Hudgin will read his humorous short story “Nice Day for a Ride.” His short stories and poems have been published in Biker Magazine, Poetry.Com, The Salal Review, and in the anthology, That Holiday Feeling.  He has written two novels available on Amazon’s Kindle site: Sulphur Springs and Green Grass.

WordFest is a monthly gathering of readers and writers who meet the first Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm. In October, they will meet at Gyros Gyros at 1338 Commerce Avenue (Lower Level). A full dinner menu will be offered for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.

The events are free and open to the public. There is an open mic period following the presentations.

On Tuesday, September 3, WordFest will meet at The Electric Bean, 945 Washington Way in Longview.

Retired physician Dan Roberts will be reading his short story that won second place in the Mystery/Thriller category at this year’s Pacific Northwest Writers Association. “The Trouble with Sam” begins with a text message from Sam that arrives two weeks after Sam’s death.

Becky Bell will be reading from a book she has been writing about four friends from a small town who become widows around the same time.  They decide to take a cruise together to get a renewed appreciation for life and to broaden their perspectives. Bell has written a number of travel pieces for The Daily News.

Rosemary Powelson, a retired visual artist and educator who taught at LCC for 30 years, will read from her travel narratives and excerpts from two articles published by The Daily News.

The events are free and open to the public. There is an open mic period following the presentations.