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October WordFest celebrates coastal writers

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WordFest will feature writers from Wahkiakum and Pacific counties on Tuesday, October 11, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Avenue in Longview.

Singer/songwriter Kyleen Austin will be performing a number of original songs, from one of her earliest pieces, “Leaving Colorado,” to songs reflecting her life in the Pacific Northwest. She will also discuss the inspiration and story behind the songs, like “Middle of the Lake,” written during an epic solo kayaking expedition from Ketchikan, Alaska, to Puget Island on the Columbia River in 2019.

A resident of Cathlamet, Kyleen is a singer/songwriter, kayak coach/guide, and grower of food. She performs solo throughout the US and is a founding member of the band Skamokawa Swamp Opera. People can find her work at her website, kyleenaustin.com, and on the Kyleen Austin YouTube channel.

Peter Adams Young will read from his novel One Hundred Stingers, based on his experiences flying in the air war over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The trail was an extensive web of roads and paths winding through the jungles of Laos, connecting the ports of North Vietnam with Communist fighting forces in the South. The challenge of cutting off this steady flow of combatants and materiel pitted the technology of United States air power against the implacable resourcefulness of the North Vietnamese regime. The need to maintain the illusion of Laotian neutrality meant that this conflict was nominally conducted in secret.

After graduating from the US Naval Academy, Pete flew nearly one hundred combat missions over Laos and North Vietnam. He wrote the first chapter of One Hundred Stingers, in 1973. After retiring in 2016 from a career designing and developing military command and control systems, he found the time to complete the novel. After living in San Diego and Portland, Oregon, he and his wife moved to Pacific County, where he is active in veterans’ groups while working on the first of a series of contemporary murder mysteries set in and around Civil War battlefields.

Poet John Ciminello will read from a selection of his work. His poems are about place, gratitude, and service, and are shaped by words, breath, rhythm, and story.  A native of Washington D.C., he grew up on the east coast before he and his wife moved to the Pacific Northwest 40 years ago

The author of three chapbooks, Shrine Above High Tide (2009), Magnolias, Mockingbirds, and Sweet Potato Pies (2017), and Bone River Elegy (2022), he writes “from a place of profound humility since I am as lost as anyone on this strange, crazy, kaleidoscopic journey we call life.  My work is an offering to the holy and an incomplete record of my time here.” His work has appeared in the anthology Songs from the Flowering Mountains (2021), in Rain, Analog, Squid Ink, Mentor, the Salal Review, and The Sun. 

Jan Bono from Long Beach, WA, will read from her new book, Pen Pals. Jan has previously published a collection of 12 “murderous” short stories written earlier this year, as well as a 6-book cozy mystery series, all set in SW Washington.

In the novel, 39-year-old Delia Griswald is determined to find a boyfriend before hitting the big 4-0. She places a personal ad in a large city newspaper, which garners 63 responses. The best writer, and therefore the candidate with the most appeal, quickly becomes her pen pal. Unfortunately, that pen pal resides in the state penitentiary. Believing in second chances, Delia grows closer with her new pen pal until she learns he is soon eligible for parole. What could possibly go wrong?

An open mic will follow as time permits.

Due to Covid, it is recommended that people be vaccinated and boosted if possible, and wear masks when not eating or drinking.

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.

Rich offering of experiences at September WordFest

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WordFest will offer a variety of stories and experiences on Tuesday, September 13, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Avenue in Longview.

Caroline Kurtz will read from her memoir of growing up in Ethiopia, A Road Called Down on Both Sides, and from her second memoir, Today is Tomorrow, about returning to the area in the midst of a brutal civil war.

A citizen of two cultures, Caroline grew up, absorbing the sights, sounds, smells and customs of Africa, then returned later as an adult with her husband and three children where she taught, advocated for women, and supported peacemaking efforts between Ethiopia and Sudan. Fluent in Ethiopia’s Amharic language, Caroline has organized community-led projects for sheep banks, bee-keeping, apple orchards, and has raised funds for schools in Muslim villages. Now living in Portland, she continues to work with their community leaders to bring solar energy, clean water, and women’s empowerment to the region.

Steve Anderson reads from the third installment of his Book of Hours trilogy. The beautifully reconstructed fourteenth century Book of Hours is presented to the Pope, though without the shreds of an incendiary letter Brother Alphaios found hidden in the book’s leather-and-wood cover. Having determined who wrote it and knowing how damaging the letter could be to the Vatican, Brother Alphaios steals the letter and invites a select group to help decide how to handle the historical but potentially explosive document. Steve lives and writes in Longview, WA.

Craig Allen Heath will read from his debut novel, Where You Will Die. This amateur-sleuth murder mystery follows unconventional minister Alan Wright as he struggles against external obstacles and his own inner demons to discover who killed his new best friend, Ruth MacKenzie. Wright can’t fathom why anyone would harm one of the oldest and best-beloved citizens of Eden Ridge, a tiny foothill tourist town where he has found refuge from a broken heart. He and Ruth’s friends, five elderly women known as The Little Red Hens, join forces to reveal how even the admirable trait of loyalty can lead to evil acts.

Craig decided he wanted to become a novelist at age fourteen. He is on the cusp of achieving that goal fifty years later. Living in southwest Washington state with his wife, too much lawn to mow, a vegetable garden, and a hole in his heart where his dog should be, he is now working on Killing Buddhas, the sequel to his first story about Alan Wright in Eden Ridge.

Marc Imlay has been a meditation instructor since 1974, a chiropractor since 1981, and an acupuncturist since 1988.  He retired from his private practice in Kent, Washington, in 2014.  Marc has written poetry since high school, and recently published his first poetry book, Pilgrimages to a Bullfrog Buddha. 

In this collection, the saviors, saints, and sages of all religions, times, and places reside in an unspoiled, natural setting as various native creatures. With the poet, they consider the human predicament, finding ways to  minimize suffering and optimize happiness amid the vicissitudes of life. Marc has lived on Coal Creek for the past 8 years.

An open mic follows the presentations.

Due to Covid, it is recommended that people be vaccinated and boosted if possible, and wear masks when not eating or drinking.

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.

WordFest celebrates storytelling through film

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WordFest will meet on Tuesday, August 9, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Avenue in Longview.

Filmmaker Ron Walker of Astoria will discuss filmmaking as a form of storytelling, showing excerpts from films he has made over the past forty years.

Ron began working in films in the 1970s at the Film Loft in Portland as their resident “film composer.” Over the years he learned the craft of filmmaking, involved in film shoots on numerous locations and the editing process. He began making his own films in the 1980s, at first shooting on Super 8 film before moving on to a video camera which expanded what he was able to do. Many of his films have been documentaries about musicians, artists, historians, dancers, and poets, who have told their stories through creative expression.

Long time Kelso resident Dan Myers will be reading from his first novel, a murder mystery titled Kill the Rich. Dan grew up west of Longview and graduated from R.A. Long High School in 1961. A computer programmer and system analyst, he began programming computers in 1964, “when computers filled entire rooms and had less power than today’s smart phone.” He’s lived in Kelso for the last 38 years, serving 10 of those years on the Kelso city council.

In his novel, Dan tells the story of Steve Mattick. Desperate to save his job in a weakening job market, Mattick believes his only option is to kill the CEO who wants to move the company to Mexico.  To avert suspicion, Mattick plots to make it look like there is a serial killer targeting the wealthy.  Detective Stout, relying on his years of experience, suspects Mattick even when evidence points in other directions. The story follows Mattick’s disturbing plan as the hoped-for copycat murders begin to cloud the investigation.

School teacher, songwriter, and spiritual life coach, Cody Rothwell will read from his book The Mystic Shift. Raised an evangelical Christian, Cody underwent a spiritual transformation in 2010, that led to his breaking free from conventional Christianity and embarking on the mystical path of Christianity.

 “Christianity is not about religion, it is about relationship,” says Cody. In his book, he argues that Christianity is at a major crossroads in the 21st century, and that Christians have the opportunity to either implement the relational teachings of Jesus or risk losing credibility in the much-larger spiritual community. In his book, he introduces ten “mindset shifts” away from religious attachment, focusing instead on having a transformative relationship with God. He says, “Once Christians make the conscious shift from religion to relationship, Christianity will once again become an attractive pathway for the modern spiritual seeker.”

A graduate of Seattle Pacific University, he was trained in Christian meditation through the Mystical Church of Christ. He is the founder and director of The Center for Divine Encounter (CDE), a newly-established interfaith spiritual center focusing on interfaith relationships, spiritual and healing practices, and community outreach. He lives in Castle Rock with his wife Krista and two daughters, Elly and Emerson.

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.

Due to the continuing presence of Covid, it is recommended that people be vaccinated and boosted if possible, and wear masks when not eating or drinking.

WordFest meets at St Stephen’s Episcopal Church on July 12

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WordFest will meet on Tuesday, July 12, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428-22nd Avenue in Longview. The event will feature four northwest writers reading from their works.

Patty Hardin from the Long Beach peninsula will read from her anthology of stories of Vietnam veterans, Welcome Home: Veterans Share Their Memories of ‘Nam. At a suggestion from her husband, Patty had contacted the editor of the Vietnam Veterans of America magazine, who printed her request to interview veterans and collect their personal reminiscences. Her collection was first published in 2012.

Tiffany Dickinson will read from her novel, Kaleidoscope, about Tabby, a young girl doing her best to be a normal seventh-grader. But in Portland, in the 1980s, biracial isn’t normal, and fitting in becomes a challenge for Tabby as other kids push her to “choose a side” and declare one racial identity. She knows she has many facets. Can the kaleidoscope clarify who she is once and for all?

The book is geared for 9 to 12 year-olds and richly flavored with the Pacific Northwest and his people. Tiffany writes twisty, hopeful fiction, as well as some non-fiction. She has been published in the Salal Review and the Columbia River Reader.  A Portland, Oregon native, Tiffany now calls Longview home.

Randy Faro will read from his first novel, Bazo, following the life of Jedediah Bazo that stretches from the heart of Africa to the killing fields of Southeast Asia to the seedy streets of south Seattle. Raised in the Ndebele culture and embracing the values of his parents, Jed uses his martial arts and US Marine skills to combat evil wherever he confronts it. Through it all, Jed ponders what determines the actions of a man of faith . . . especially when others play by different rules. 

As a former U.S. Marine officer, Vietnam War veteran, and retired Lutheran pastor, Randy has infused his book with his experience of living in some two dozen countries, serving as a combat engineer officer, working as an advocate for Namibian independence as well as for peace with justice in North America. He resides in Olympia, Washington with his wife.

Tom Larsen will read from, Insomnia Blues, the fourth book in his series featuring Portland P.I. Jason Freeh, who is still working cases as he approaches his sixty-fifth birthday. What seems a simple job, delivering a subpoena to a homeless street kid, turns into a complex case involving embezzlement, identity theft, campaign donor fraud, and ultimately murder.

Tom is the author of six crime novels. His short fiction has been published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, and Black Cat Mystery Magazine. His short story, “The Body in the Barrel,” received the 2020 Black Orchid Novella Award and will appear in the forthcoming Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022 from Mysterious Press.

Due to Covid, it is recommended that people be vaccinated and boosted if possible, and wear masks when not eating or drinking.

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.

WordFest restarts June 14 at Keebler Coffee in Roxy Theater

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WordFest will meet on Tuesday, June 14, 6:00-8:00 pm, at Keebler Coffee Roasters in the Roxy Theater, at 1101 Commerce Avenue in Longview.

The event will feature five local writers reading from their works.

Retired internist PJ Peterson will read from her latest Dr. Julia Fairchild mystery, One Will Too Many. Dr. Fairchild is invited to a charity gala where she meets a young banker, Jay Morrison. The next day he dies from alcohol poisoning, and Julia’s nephew, a deputy sheriff investigating the homicide, asks Julia for help. Morrison has a long list of secrets and a number of people who might have wished him dead.

Retired English teacher and former Huntington Middle School principal Elaine Cockrell will read from her historical novel about the internment of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest during World War II. A Shrug of the Shoulders tells the story of the Yano and Mita families and their experiences in the internment camps and working the sugar beet fields of eastern Oregon.

Poets Karen Bonaudi and Robert Griffin will read selections from their poetry. Karen is past president of the Washington Poets Association, and author of the poetry collection, Editing a Vapor Trail.

Robert has received the Shakespearean Award of Excellence and several Rattle Awards.

Local poet, essayist, and activist Mary Lyons will complete the evening with thoughts on Flag Day 2022.

Due to Covid, it is recommended that people be vaccinated and boosted if possible, and wear masks when not eating or drinking.

The monthly gathering of readers and writers meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, at Keebler Coffee Roasters, and through the generous donation of space made available by the Roxy Theater. The events are free and open to the public.