Through his studies, he hopes that others will benefit from what he has learned. “It’s all about calming unsettled souls and dealing with unhealthy fears,” says Leroy. At WordFest, he will read and discuss his personal explorations that resulted in the book and take questions from the audience.

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. 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.

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www. Alan-rose.com.

The next WordFest explores Portland’s lesser known history on Tuesday, June 11, beginning at 6:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

Long before it was the funky, liberal, layback “Portlandia” we know, the city had a much darker reputation as being the most racist city outside of the South, where corruption was so common, it was considered just part of city government’s operation, and where, during Prohibition and the distribution of illegal liquor, organized crime and the Portland Police Bureau were often indistinguishable.

In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, he will be facilitating a panel discussion about Portland’s history of LGBTQ activism on June 24, 2019, Monday, from 7-9 p.m. The panel is part of McMenamins History Pub series at their Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd Avenue, Portland, Oregon.

More information is available at medicinefortheblues.com.

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. The events are free and open to the public.

Next Tuesday, May 14, WordFest dives into folklore and food, beginning at 6:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

Stevan Allred reads from his second novel, The Alehouse at the End of the World, published by Portland’s Forest Avenue Press in November 2018.

When a fisherman receives a mysterious letter about his beloved’s death, he sets off in his skiff to find her. A whale swallows him, then deposits him on the Isle of the Dead, which is ruled by a trio of giant bird gods. The fisherman must negotiate with the self-proclaimed leader—a narcissistic, bullying crow—to return his beloved to physical form. This is an epic comedy set in the sixteenth century, involving bawdy Shakespearean love triangles, shapeshifting avian demigods, and a fertility goddess who’s into bio-dynamic gardening. Stevan’s book is a juicy farce as well as a hopeful fable for our troubled times.

Stevan wowed the WordFest audience several years ago when he read from his first novel, A Simplified Map of the Real World. He teaches creative writing at the Pinewood Table in Portland and his stories have appeared in various literary journals.

Local poet Carolyn Caines has written seven books of verse on topics close to her heart and funny bone, about travel, teaching and family.  Her latest collection, The Obstinate Apple, focuses on food as “both the pleasure and bane of our existence.” The title poem is about an apple that would not let someone eat it. Carolyn explains, “True story. Many of these silly poems come from experiences with children who are prone to playing with their food.”

A popular presenter at WordFest, Carolyn is a retired teacher living in Southwest Washington. More than 200 of her poems have appeared in magazines, journals, and newsletters, and have been dramatized on radio and on video.

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. 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.

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www. Alan-rose.com.

Next Tuesday, April 9, WordFest will celebrate poetry as a performance art and also will play with the idea of choosing the U.S. president by lottery. The event begins at 6:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

Poet Karen Bonaudi will introduce and demonstrate the “poetry slam” as a popular way to present and experience poems. More performance art than a typical poetry reading, the slam emphasizes dramatic presentation. People are invited to bring their favorite poems, speeches, soliloquies and rants, and Karen will work with them in revealing the full dramatic potential of their words.

Karen, a published poet and past president of the Washington Poets Association, conducts poetry workshops around the state.

The 2016 U.S. presidential election caused many Americans to question once again the partisan mechanisms and machinations by which the nation’s highest office is filled every four years, especially where a candidate can win the Electoral College’s votes while losing the popular vote. In David A. Devine’s speculative political novel, Lottery President, another way is proposed that resonates with the American people, where the president and vice president are chosen by lottery. It becomes a resistance to politics-as-usual. For the first time, regular American citizens without wealth or pedigree can become president and vice president. Lottery President explores what could happen if an election wasn’t decided by red states and blue states, but by the draw of a lottery ticket. 

David is the local author of Growing Food God’s Way. He has also written a novel for young adults called Heidi the Hydrator, a health “coming of age” story. He has been an adjunct community college instructor, a trainer in state government, and a real estate broker before becoming an author.

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. 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.

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www. Alan-rose.com.

Retired judge and short story writer Ed Putka hosts the March WordFest next Tuesday, March 12, 6:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

Throughout the centuries, grief and personal loss have found expression and healing through prose and poetry. Two local writers will be sharing their unique personal experiences of this universal human condition.

Beverlee Ruhland has lived in Clatskanie for the last 40 years where she raised a family and enjoyed many adventures with Howard, her husband of 50 years. When he died in 2015, Beverlee fell into bouts of deep depression. Possessing a Masters degree in biology, she had worked as an environmental manager for various firms, where her writing was technical and scientific. With Howard’s death, her writing turned inward, and she began keeping a “grief journal,” writing out her grief through memoirs and poetry (“Or what passes for poetry to me,” she says.) Sharing from these writings is a further step in her healing,

Diane Searing’s husband, Jan, passed away unexpectedly 11 months ago. “Suddenly, my life was thrown on a whole new course,” she says. “I have spent much of this last year writing about this new journey alone.” Diane has been writing since childhood. Her articles have been published in the Oregonian, Women’s World Magazine, and Sisters International Magazine.  Jan had encouraged her to fulfill her dream of going to college and pursuing her writing. She graduated from Linfield College in 1999, and continued with post graduate courses in Expressive Arts Theory at Marylhurst University. Diane is hoping her writing will become a book helpful for others who “are walking this difficult path, trying to cope through this transition.”

Turning from grief and sadness to humor and mystery, PJ Peterson will read from her first novel, Blind Fish Don’t Talk, where physician Julia Fairchild has gotten away for a vacation on the beautiful island of St. Maarten. However, her plans for a week of sun, sand, reading, and scuba-diving are interrupted by the accidental death of an experienced scuba diver.  But was it an accident? Julia’s determination to learn the truth leads her on a dangerous path where she finds more questions than answers.

PJ has been preparing for this second career as a writer since childhood.  A voracious reader throughout her life, she penned winning entries for the medical journal Medical Economics, while practicing in her primary career as an Internal Medicine specialist, including “Don’t dismiss patients’ near-death experiences,” and “The patient who gave me flowers—every day for years.”

PJ is now writing her second novel (working title: “Rembrandt Rides a Bike”) where Dr. Julia Fairchild returns in a fun romp along the Rhine River. PJ also enjoys writing short stories, especially for her great-nieces and -nephews, tailoring each story to the child, and always ending with a life lesson.  Someday she will publish those stories for other children.

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. 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.

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www. Alan-rose.com.