Published poet and retired LCC English instructor Carolyn Norred will be the Guest Reviewer at the next WordFest gathering on Tuesday, March 3.

Carolyn will provide feedback to three presenters that evening:

Lorna Moon will be reading from her historical novel, Jacob’s Pillow, a medieval tale set in 13th century Scotland. Moon has recently returned from Scotland, where she lived for the past eight years, and is a member of the Society of Authors in Scotland.

Jane Still, a regular contributor to The Columbia River Reader, will be reading a humorous short story, Out to Lunch,” from her book, Mother Daze, No Dignity. Jane also wrote for The Second Half magazine in The Daily News.

Chuck Taylor will read an excerpt from his young adult fantasy, The Hidden Path, the adventures of three teenagers in the “Sky Realms.”

As Guest Reviewer, Carolyn will be identifying the strengths in each piece, and also ways the writers can improve their material.

 Following the presenters, there will be an open mic time where the public can read.

 The Brits owner Alice Dietz opens at 5:30 p.m. and offers a select menu for those who wish to enjoy a light dinner.

Something new for the new year.

Beginning at the February WordFest on Tuesday, February 3, guest reviewers will be giving feedback to the evening’s presenters, identifying strong points in their writing, as well suggesting how they can improve their writing.

 The guest reviewers will be professional or otherwise established writers who have years of experience and expertise to share.

The first two reviewers will be Cathy Zimmerman, features editor for The Daily News, and Ned Piper, Cowlitz PUD Commissioner and monthly columnist for The Columbia River Reader.

The three presenters at the February WordFest will represent a variety of writing genres and styles:

Rita Fontaine, an English instructor at Lower Columbia College, will be reading her nonfiction article on sailing, entitled “The Good Mariner.”

Laura Baird will be reading from her romance mystery novel, Gem Opportunities.

 And Rick Jaspers will read the first chapter from a novel he is working on for young people, entitled The Magical Photo Booth.

By adding guest reviewers to our monthly gatherings, WordFest presenters and participants will be able to benefit from the feedback of experienced writers.

There will also be the usual open mic time, when people have 10 minutes to read their material to the audience (Note: the guest reviewers will not be critiquing these shorter presentations.)

Brits owner Alice Dietz will open the doors at 5:30 for those who wish to order a meal from her select menu.

With over 180,000 books published each year and fewer and fewer publishing houses,  writers are increasingly turning to self-publishing as a way of sharing their stories, poetry, memoirs and plays.

At the next WordFest gathering on Tuesday, January 6, several authors who have chosen to publish their books will read from their works and discuss the experience of self-publishing, its challenges and its rewards.

 Jolan Durrah from Cathlamet wrote and published Adventure in Borneo: The True Story of One Man’s Quest to Find the Bornean Peacock Pheasant. It relates the adventures and misadventures of a friend who pursued his passion for exotic pheasants, taking him to the jungles of Borneo, where he knew neither the language nor customs.

Fran Gillette of Yacolt has been publishing her books on home arts and cooking for over twenty years, and estimates that she has sold more than 80,000 copies. Her books are in bookstores and special shops across the country.

 Also, Kelsey Ford, a 20-year old graduate of Mark Morris High School who is attending Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, will talk about her internship at a new literary magazine called, A Public Space. The magazine was started in 2006, by Brigid Hughes, former associate editor of The Paris Review, and has published shorter works of some of today’s leading literary voices, including Haruki Murakami (Kafka on the Shore), Marilynne Robinson (Gilead), and Nam Le (The Boat.) Kelsey will talk about her experience interning with the literary magazine and read from its most recent issue.

Elizabeth Evans returns to WordFest to share her poetry which has displayed a wit and whimsy that has been very entertaining.

Following the presentations, there will be an open mic session.

 The Brits owner Alice Dietz will offer a select menu for people who wish to enjoy a light supper.

The Brits opens at 5:30 p.m.

Bev Ruhland

Trained as a botanist, Bev had primarily written technical papers before she launched into fiction. “For a lark I participated in National Novel Writing Month after reading about it in The Daily News. Once I started, I couldn’t quit.” She has twice before accepted the challenge of writing a complete novel within one month, and is currently rushing to finish her third novel. She will read from it and talk about the high-pressure experience of writing under that kind of a deadline.

Tedine Roos

Last year, Tedine delighted the WordFest gathering with her essay on some unconventional means of keeping a woodchuck out of her garden. A retired librarian, she displays her wry and gentle humor again in “Wall Marks,” which she describes as “a Christmas letter to a couple of old friends who never put hooks or nails in their walls, and includes my history of various wall defacements.”

Charolette Conklin

Charolette is another writer who uses humor subtly and very effectively. She will be reading her short story, “Roots of the Heart,” which won third place in a contest sponsored by the literary magazine, Rambunctious Review. The story is written entirely as an interior monologue, mixing humor with poignant memories and everyday observations.

Lorraine Merrin

Rounding out the evening will be poetry read by Lorraine Merrin. Lorraine’s poems have been published in The Salal Review, Quercus Review, Tar Wolf, and will be appearing in The Great American Poetry Show.

The Brits Tea Shoppe opens at 5:30 pm and offers a select menu for people who wish to enjoy a light supper during the readings.

(Note: Due to the presidential election, the November WordFest has been moved to the following evening, Wednesday, November 5th.)

Suzanne Martinson, former features editor for The Daily News, will be reading from and talking about her book–The Fallingwater Cookbook. This is not your mother’s Betty Crocker cookbook. It is the story of one of the most famous private homes in America, Fallingwater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright over a waterfall, and the families who lived in it, and the woman who cooked for them. Oh, yes, there are also recipes included. Suzanne has won numerous food journalism awards. Copies will be available for purchase.

Note: See the interview with Suzanne and Daily News features editor Cathy Zimmerman on the Book Chat page on this website.

Dan Roberts will read his short story, “The Wedding,” about a divorced physician who falls in love at a medical meeting, but ghosts from the past lead to a surprising turn of events. Dan is a local physician and has written nonfiction throughout his career. He began writing fiction in 2001. He and his wife moved from Medford, Oregon to Kalama three years ago to be closer to their children and granchildren.

Bev Ruhland will be reading from her novel in progress that she is writing for National Novel Writing Month, where writers accept the challenge to write a novel in 30 days. She has completed two novels in this national event. Trained as a botanist and now working in a small environmental consulting firm, Bev says the experience got her started writing. “Once I got started, I couldn’t quit, and now get ‘possessed’ by an idea sometimes at 3:00 in the morning or driving down the freeway, and have to ‘exorcize’ myself at the computer.”

Rita Fontaine, an English instructor at LCC for over 30 years, writes poetry, nonfiction articles, and some fiction. She will be reading “The Million Dollar Rock,” published in a boating magazine in 2007, about an accident on a sailboat.

Lyle Sentman will be reading another passage from his autobiography, entitled The Quest. Lyle flew different commands in the air force, including SAC and the Air Defense Command.

An open mic period will follow the presenters, and The Brits will offer a select menu for a light supper. People who wish to eat are asked to order and pay for their food when they first arrive (The Brits opens at 5:30 pm).