In honor of Women’s History Month, WordFest offers an evening of readings reflecting the variety of women’s experiences, on Tuesday, March 11, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Avenue in Longview.
Julie McDonald Zander will read from her historical novel, The Reluctant Pioneer. Matilda Koontz cherishes her life as a wife and mother on their Missouri farm, but her hardworking husband Nicholas dreams of free land and a new life in the Pacific Northwest. In the spring of 1847, Matilda, Nicholas and their sons set out on a grueling, two thousand-mile journey across the Oregon Trail. Fresh graves testify to the dangers of disease, accidents, starvation, and other hazards threatening her family and her husband’s dream. With new struggles at every turn, Matilda wonders how she will protect her sons on such a perilous journey. Will they reach the trail’s end? Will the baby growing inside her survive? And when tragedy strikes, how can she possibly continue?
Julie’s debut historical novel is based on her earlier nonfiction book, Washington Territory’s Grand Lady: The Story of Matilda (Glover) Koontz Jackson (2019), which was a finalist for two national awards. Julie is known to a number of WordFest writers as the organizer of the annual SW Washington Writers Conference at Centralia College. She holds a bachelor’s in communications and political science from the University of Washington, and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor before launching Chapters of Life (www.chaptersoflife.com) which captures and preserves life stories.
Sharon M. Peterson will be reading from her women’s fiction/romcom novel, The Do Over, about Perci who has felt like a failure her entire life. When she’s dumped on the radio by her boyfriend, she and her best friend write a series of New Year’s anti-resolutions she can’t possibly fail at, like “I will not try to lose weight,” “I will not date,” “I will not try to be a better daughter and sister.” But the new year takes a fresh turn when she meets the single dad next door, deals with her overbearing mother, and meets up with local lady felons. With the help of her sassy grandmother and her emotional support fish, Perci may just have the most hilarious, heartwarming, and surprising year of her life.
Sharon reports that she is a former middle school teacher and has the personality to prove it. One of her favorite quotes is from Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath: “It was her habit to build up laughter out of inadequate materials.” She lives with her husband and four children, including two autistic sons, two cats, one dog, and a Russian tortoise. You can find more about Sharon at www.sharonmpeterson.com, https://www.instagram.com/stone4031/, and https://www.facebook.com/SharonMPetersonAuthor/
Other voices that evening include Gloria Sanders, sharing a reflection about cooking in the 1970s which includes the history of Texas Chili; and members of a local writing group who call themselves The Woman Warriors, sharing both light and serious short stories: Lori Steed will be reading “Going to Grandma’s House,” a story loosely based on her dad’s adventures as a young child; Stella Mortensen reads “Honoring You,” first published in the 2020 Timberline Review, about new employee haunted by a horrifying assault at work, who finds a way to move forward in the shadow of the trauma; Debz Briske reads about exploring the darker places of one’s childhood; and Jaimee Walls reads about her personal writing journey, entitled “For as Long as Words Last.”
An open mic will follow the presentations.
The monthly gathering of readers and writers meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, in the fellowship hall of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. The events are free and open to the public.