Local judge and storyteller Ed Putka will kick off WordFest’s fall season next Tuesday, September 12, 6:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse.

A WordFest favorite, Ed has been compared to Garrison Keillor for his popular Cleveland stories, set in the Polish neighborhood of his youth. Once again combining memory and humor, Ed will share another tale of how the old gang helped the new kid with the all-time worst name get through school.

 

 

 

 

Steve Anderson will read excerpts from the third in his Book of Hours trilogy. The resplendent fifteenth century Book of Hours has been restored and presented to Pope Gregory XVII, but what will happen to the ancient shreds of parchment that Brother Alphaios and archivist Inaki Arriagi found within its covers?

 

 

 

 

The parchment holds a deep secret that undercuts one of the very pillars of Catholicism. Will Alphaios be able to continue a monastic life or be driven from it for his disobedience?

Steve lives and writes in Longview.

 

 

 

Alan Rose will read from his recently completed novel, As If Death Summoned, about the AIDS epidemic. Alan was involved in the epidemic, first in Australia in the 1980s, and then working at Cascade AIDS Project in Portland through the 1990s.

 

 

 

 

Alan has written two earlier novels, The Legacy of Emily Hargraves, a paranormal mystery, and Tales of Tokyo, a quest novel set in modern day Japan, as well as a novella, The Unforgiven, a psychological mystery published by Bold Strokes Books in 2012.

 

 

 

There will be an open mic period following the presentations.

 

The monthly gathering of readers and writers meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, at Cassava, 1333 Broadway in Longview. The events are free and open to the public.

Cassava offers a dinner menu for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.