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.

 

 

Each summer WordFest takes a break in August. We will next gather on Tuesday, September 3rd.

With the closing of The Brits Restaurant, we will be seeking a new location.

You can keep up to date with what’s happening on the WordFest FaceBook page.

Good summer!–Good reading and writing! See you in September.

On Tuesday. July 9, WordFest will meet for the last time at The Brits, 1427 Commerce Avenue In Longview.

The Brits owners closed the restaurant at the end of June, but will open that evening at 5:00 pm for WordFest. In place of a menu, they will be offering a buffet for $10 per person, including water, iced tea and coffee. Hot tea, beer, wine, and sodas will be 50% off.

Cynthia Moyer, a former newspaper reporter new to WordFest, will be reading from two of her published novels, Stolen Spring, an adult mystery, and The Misfortune of the Emerald Thief, a middle grade fantasy, as well as from her new novel, Drowning Summer, coming out this month.

Three other presenters are WordFest regulars who will be reading short stories: Kelley Jacquez and Ron Schauer both contributed pieces to last year’s anthology, That Holiday Feeling. Ned Piper, PUD Commissioner and co-owner of The Columbia River Reader, was one of the original founders of WordFest.

WordFest is a monthly gathering of readers and writers who usually meet the first Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm, but the July gathering was moved to the second Tuesday due to the Fourth of July holiday.

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

 

On Tuesday, June 4, several local writers will be reading from their works.

Fred Hudgin will be reading his poem, “Breath,” and a nonfiction story titled “The Last Salute.” After serving in the army, including a tour in Viet Nam, Fred earned a BS degree in Computer Science from Rutgers University and has had a career as a computer programmer.

“Technology plays a large part in my books.  I try to find creative ways to use it in the story line,” he said. His short stories and poems have been published in Biker Magazine, Poetry.Com, The Salal Review, and in That Holiday Feeling, a collection of Christmas short stories.  He has written two novels available on Amazon’s Kindle site: Sulphur Springs and Green Grass.

Elaine Cockrell, retired administrator and teacher from the Kelso School District, will be discussing her historical fiction novel about World War II and the internment of Japanese Americans working on the farms in Eastern Oregon.  Using one chapter from her book, she will discuss the sources, the historical setting, and the insights from her writers group in helping to bring her story to life.

Rhoda Karr will be presenting her story, “The Lottery”, which she notes “is not to be confused with ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson, and more along the lines of ‘The Lady or the Tiger?’ by Frank Stockton.” Rhoda has spent her life on the West Coast, from Baja to the Bering Sea, and writes fictional stories from her experiences.

WordFest is a monthly gathering of readers and writers who meet the first Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm., at The Brits, 1427 Commerce Avenue, in Longview, 6:00-8:00 PM.

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

The Brits offers a full dinner menu as well as selection of wines and beers for those who wish to enjoy a meal and beverage with the readings.

 

 

On Tuesday. May 7, Jeremy Snyder will be reading from his play, “Bird of L.A.” The 13-year old Mt Solo Middle School student is one of six finalists in the Oregon Children’s Theater playwriting competition. The theme for the competition was bullying, and Jeremy took his idea for the play from the bullying behavior he has observed among seagulls at the beach.

Read more about Jeremy and the OCT Competition at:  http://tdn.com/news/local/junior-playwright-melds-his-two-passions-wildlife-and-theater/article_650313ec-935c-11e2-9fe6-001a4bcf887a.html

Jeremy has performed on stage, most recently in the local production of “Peter Pan.”

Beverlee Ruhland will read from her work, titled, Seeker, the first in a planned series called The Winds of Change, about a boy who discovers an artifact, a shining medallion and chain, amid the ruins of something that is not natural, and he begins a journey to learn the truth about himself and what it will mean to become a man in his world.

After years of technical and scientific writing, Beverlee began writing stories about her family. One of the stories was published in The Salal Review, and then she began writing fiction, publishing Eye of the Dreamerin 2010.

Janet Lynn Rubert will read from her work, ‘Til Summer’s End, described as “a sensually vivid women’s fiction novel, dotted with humor, romantic twists, deep character analysis, vivid imagery and musical metaphors.”

Janet, a fifth generation Longview native, has had poems published, and has written for several newspapers, and most recently for the Cowlitz County Historical Quarterly.

WordFest is a monthly gathering of readers and writers who meet the first Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm., at The Brits, 1427 Commerce Avenue, in Longview, 6:00-8:00 PM.

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