Scappoose author Willy Vlautin will be discussing and reading from his award-winning novel, Lean on Pete, at WordFest on Tuesday, June 7. The novel is a gritty, heartbreaking story of 15-year old Charley Thompson, who steals his only friend, a broken down race horse named Lean on Pete, when Pete is to be sold for dog food. Together, they set off across the desert of eastern Oregon to find Charley’s aunt in Wyoming. The novel has won two Oregon Book Awards: the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction and the Reader’s Choice Award (You can read my review of the novel in the current issue of The Columbia River Reader.)

Willy, a singer and songwriter for the band Richmond Fontaine, has written two other novels, The Motel Life and Northline.

In the second hour, Mary Ellen Stone will be reading her story, “Some Swan Song,” which was published recently in Bethany House’s anthology, Love is a Flame. The nonfiction piece is both serious and humorous as it looks at what it takes to make a marriage stronger.

Unable to read last month as scheduled, Kelley Jacquez will be reading ”A Believable Story,” about a daughter’s efforts to protect her mother, who is a compulsive liar, from exposure. The story is from a collection of Kelley’s short stories, Holding Woman and Other Stories of Acceptable Madness, which has been accepted for publication by Bilingual Press, University of Arizona, Tucson.

WordFest is a gathering of readers and writers who meet on the first Tuesday of each month at The Brits, at 1427 Commerce Avenue in Longview, 6:00-8:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

Doors open at 5:30, and The Brits offers a select menu for those who wish a meal with the readings.

 

Spike Walker, author of a number of popular real-life thrillers, will be the featured author at WordFest on Tuesday, May 3. Spike will be discussing and reading from his most recent book, On the Edge of Survival: A shipwreck, a raging storm, and the harrowing Alaskan rescue that became a legend.

The story recounts the dramatic Coast Guard rescue of crew from the 738-foot freighter, Selendang Ayu, in December 2004. The ship lost its engines in the midst of a storm and began drifting toward the treacherous coast of the Aleutian Islands.

Spike is the author of Nights of Ice, Coming Back Alive, and Working on the Edge. His books inspired the hit television show, “The Deadliest Catch.”

Copies of his books, provided by Paperbacks Galore, will be available for purchase and autographing.

During the second hour, Bernadette Crepeau will be reading from book two of her Brooklyn Leprechaun Mystery series, entitled Royal Spirits, and will be discussing how writing a screenplay helps one become a better novelist.

Kelley Jacquez will be reading “A Believable Story,” about a daughter’s efforts to protect her mother, who is a compulsive liar, from exposure —until the lie goes too far. The story is from a collection of Kelley’s short stories, Holding Woman and Other Stories of Acceptable Madness, which has been accepted for publication by Bilingual Press, University of Arizona, Tucson.

WordFest is a gathering of readers and writers who meet on the first Tuesday of each month at The Brits, at 1427 Commerce Avenue in Longview, 6:00-8:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

Doors open at 5:30, and The Brits offers a select menu for those who wish a meal with the readings.

The next WordFest on Tuesday, April 5, will feature Mike Nettleton and Carolyn J. Rose, husband and wife, who have collaborated on a number of quirky murder mysteries set on the Oregon Coast, including The Big Grabowski, Hard Karma Shuffle, The Velvet Miasma, and their newest mystery, Sometimes a Great Commotion. In addition to their collaboration, each has written books individually. Carolyn’s newest mystery, Hemlock Lake, was released last year.

Mike and Carolyn will read from their work and talk about  how they collaborate on the writing of their books.

In the second hour Charolette Conklin will read her humorous short story, “Fighting Words,”  which placed second in the literary magazine Rambunctious Review‘s recent competition.

Jane Isfeld Still will be reading from the next book in her “Mother’s Daze” series–The Crazy Daze of Motherhood–out just in time for Mother’s Day.

The Brits owner Alice Dietz offers a select menu and wine and beer for those who wish dinner with the readings. The Brits opens at 5:30 pm.

On Tuesday, March 1, Greg Mortenson, author of the bestselling “Three Cups of Tea” and “Stones into Schools,” will be in Longview for the day. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 and 2010, Mortenson has inspired people the world over by his commitment to literacy through the building of more than 140 schools in rural and war-torn parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He will be meeting with students during the day, and at 7:00 pm in the evening, he will be speaking to the community at RA Long High School auditorium. Tickets are available at www.lowercolumbiacap.org for $35, or can be purchased at CAP, 1526 Commerce Ave., in Longview.

In honor of his visit, WordFest will not occur that night, and people are encouraged to attend Mortenson’s address at RA Long.

WordFest will resume on the first Tuesday of April (5th).

Castle Rock writer Jim LeMonds will be presenting at next Tuesday’s WordFest on February 1. Jim is the author of two books, South of Seattle and Deadfall.  After teaching for 30 years, he started his own business, WriteTek Northwest, which handles a wide range of editing and marketing projects. As the editor of the Cowlitz Historical Quarterly since 2006, Jim will be discussing his approach to editing the CHQ and read several selections from recent issues. 

Local poet Janice Haupt will be reading from her first book of poetry, The Profile of a Thin Woman. The poems span three generations and are about “joy and pathos and all kinds of human experience.” Copies will be available for purchase for $8.00.

WordFest regular Chuck Taylor will be reading a short story titled, “Gebediah,” set in the early 1940s, about a road trip crossing the desert. Chuck describes himself as “an antiquated retiree who still writes for the joy of creating and who believes it’s not too late to see something in print, now or posthumously.”

Following the presentations there will be an open mic time.

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

Doors open at 5:30. The Brits owner Alice Dietz will offer a new menu and choice of wines for those who wish to enjoy a meal and beverage with the readings.