Vikki J. Carter leads virtual book discussion of Alan's new novel this Friday.
Producer and host of the podcast series, Authors of the Pacific Northwest, Vikki will lead a discussion on As If Death Summoned, this Friday, February 12, at 1:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public. A Zoom invitation link will be sent out to everyone on the WordFest email list that morning. (Non-WordFesters can sign up to receive the newsletter here.)
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FisherPoets Gathering on Zoom this year, Feb 25-27.
The annual creative celebration of the commercial fishing industry and its community is going virtual this year, giving distant fisherpoets and fans the opportunity to participate without motoring to Astoria. Join them on-line Feb. 25, 26 and 27.
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There will be a series of Zoom webinars with live five-minute performances in 90-minute shows, probably three each night with a 30-minute break between shows. People are welcome to attend, free this year. More information at www.fisherpoets.org, including the reading schedule and information about joining FisherPoets Gathering webinars.
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Congrats to Lori Steed!
Her poem, "Widowed," was printed in the December 2020 issue of Wordswell Crazy Child Scribbler. The issue's theme was Isolation.
Kitchen table, Empty chair
House too quiet
Stove cold, Appetite gone
Dinner for one
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Lori says this was encouraging "because my creative writing 101 instructor was unequivocally unimpressed with every single one of my required poems." Good for you, Lori. Keep writing!
You might recognize Lori's smiling face (Imagine a mask) from Paperbacks Galore, where she works. You can read the full Scribbler newsletter here.
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Local brother & sister duo launch comedy podcast.
Vancouver WordFest member Gleenobly Butterworth and her brother Russ Aldridge have recently launched their comedy podcast Punctuated by a Lemon, where they discuss quirky, bizarre, and comedic life experiences, such as their daunting encounter with a huntsman spider named Captain 7 Legs in the Philippines, crazy driving direction stories, and odd car wash adventures.
Their podcast is on most podcast platforms (Spotify, Google, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Apple, etc) and also accessible at https://www.spreaker.com/show/punctuated-by-a-lemon. The episodes average 9 minutes during which Gleenobly and Russ do their best to bring laughter and smiles to the world, especially as many people are experiencing rough times and can use a good chuckle!
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CALL FOR POETS TO READ AT APRIL WORDFEST
April is National Poetry Month and we would like to invite as many local poets as we can squeeze into an hour to join us, reading one or two of their poems at WordFest on Zoom, Tuesday, April 13, 7:00 pm.
The individual readings will be pre-recorded during March. Sign up now by contacting Alan at alan@alan-rose.com
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Share your literary news for the March 2021 newsletter by sending to alan@alan-rose.com by February 28.
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Poetry Corner --
"Bathtub of Chinook"
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Jan Bono has brought out a collection of her poetry in time for this year's FisherPoets Gathering, February 25-27.
She explains that, depending on which fisherpoet you speak with, all fisherpoetry should or must rhyme, and tell a story.
Here Jan shares one of her story-poems about being a fisher wife.
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BATHTUB OF CHINOOK
I'd been married several years
to a midwater dragger's deckhand
brown rock cod became a staple
fried, grilled, poached, or canned.
He considered me a city girl
when I became his wife
and he figured I didn't know how to use
a fish filleting knife.
So I sat back and let him think
I couldn't clean no fishes
but nevertheless I cooked his meals
and made him his favorite dishes.
When he wasn't out on the ocean
he sometimes fished for fun
and I might even go with him
when there was a salmon run.
At dawn one day we struck it rich
quickly claiming our limit of Chinooks
of course I played the girl card
making him take out all the hooks.
When we got home he'd had a call
and had to leave right away for the dock
so he threw our fish in the bathtub
said he'd clean them later--what a crock!
Now I wanted a shower something fierce
but the fish were in the way
and I couldn't picture sharing
the slime-filled tub that day.
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So I hauled them out, one by one
and gutted, cleaned, and sliced
then packaged them for the freezer
all lined up in rows so nice.
He got home late, and cursed the fact
we'd ever caught those fish
he said he hoped they'd disappeared
it would be his greatest wish.
So I told him his wish was granted
that I'd given the fish away
to our neighbors down the street
and I'd really made their day.
He hurried to the bathroom
saw the tub with no Chinook
I wished I'd had a camera
to record his horrified look.
He fumed and fussed and stomped around
called me a lousy whore
so I held my hand up to stop him
from saying anything more.
Out to the garage I led him
and opened the freezer door wide
to see those salmon roasts and steaks
all lined up there inside.
He asked me who had done that
who had come and done this chore?
I confessed that I'd been cleaning fish
since I was only four.
He'd assumed I couldn't butcher fish
that I was just a pretty face
I guess he'd learned now who assumes
and I'd put him in his place.
But my story is a sad one
and it ends not quite so well
as from then on I was left to clean
every fish from heaven or hell.
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Fisher Girl, Fisher Wife, Fisher Poet is available at JanBonoBooks.com
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Mystery writer Marty Wingate ventures into historical fiction.
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Seattle writer Marty Wingate is known for her several mystery series. But in 2021 she has brought out her first work of historical fiction. Glamour Girls tells the stories of women pilots in World War II who delivered Spitfires, Hurricanes, and other fighter aircraft to bases across England.
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About the book:
During World War II, farmer’s daughter Rosalie Wright becomes a pilot assisting the RAF. But will a romantic rivalry send her aerial dreams plummeting to earth?
Ever since she was 10 years old, Rosalie Wright’s eyes have been on the skies. But at the age of 18, on the verge of earning her pilot’s license, the English farmer’s daughter watches her dreams of becoming an aviatrix fly away without her. Britain’s entry into World War II brings civilian aviation to a standstill. Then, Rosalie’s father dies, leaving her, her mother, and her brothers to run the farm.
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Everything changes when she learns that the Air Transport Authority is recruiting women pilots to ferry warplanes across Britain to RAF bases. Despite her mother’s objections, Rosalie cannot resist the call of her country–and the lure of the skies. During her training on Gipsy Moth aircraft, Rosalie forms a fast friendship with fellow flyer Caroline Andrews. Her trusty Ferry Pilots Notebook by her side, Rosalie delivers to five airfields in a day–while fighting an endless battle against skeptical male pilots and ground crews.
She would much rather spend her time on the wing than on the arm of any man…until she meets gruff pilot Snug Durrant and RAF squadron leader Alan Chersey. Snug is a cynical, wisecracking playboy, and Alan is every WAAF’s heartthrob…and Rosalie catches both their eyes. As the war drags on, and casualties mount, will love and tragedy send Rosalie’s exhilarating airborne life crashing to the ground?
Following are excerpts from Alan and Marty's conversation.
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Alan: You are a successful mystery writer. How did you decide to branch out into historical fiction with Glamour Girls?
Marty: I’ve always enjoyed the historical research I’ve done for my mysteries – all of which are set in Britain – so it wasn’t a far reach to decide to write a WW2-erabook. I wanted the story to stand alone and not be part of the mystery series, with new characters that live within only this one book.
Alan: How did you come up with the story? Is it based on a real person?
Marty: Yes, my main character Rosalie Wright was inspired by Mary Wilkins Ellis, one of the women ferry pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary who flew Spitfires and many other sorts of planes around Britain, delivering them to RAF bases. Mary died in 2018 at age 101! I read her autobiography and the stories of other pilots and picked and chose what I wanted to weave into Glamour Girls.
You can read the full conversation here.
Glamour Girls is available from your favorite bookstore or online booksellers.
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Vikki J. Carter produces the Podcast Authors of the Pacific Northwest, interviews with writers, editors and publishers, at www.squishpen.com
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Episode 101: Alaskan author D.M. Shepard discusses how she ended up in Alaska and talks about her multiple books. (http://dmshepard.com//)
Episode 102: D.K. Green (aka Denise Kawaii) talks about her latest adventure in writing mysteries & branching out under different pen names.
(https://kawaiitimes.wordpress.com)
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Book Review
Writers & Lovers
Lily King
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The Agony and the Agony
Lily King’s new novel is about love and writing. Judging from this book, both should be avoided whenever possible. Casey Kasem is a 31-year old aspiring writer. Her mother died recently, ending their complicated relationship; she’s also estranged from her father, hates her job as a waiter at a high-end restaurant in Boston, lives in a miserable renovated potting shed smelling of loam, and has $76,000 in student debt that’s growing faster than the federal deficit...
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You can read my full review here.
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Books People Are Excited About...
Michael Kruger says "The story is beautifully written, with a strong emphasis on the natural setting of the marsh. (“Autumn was coming; the evergreens might not have noticed, but the sycamores did.”) Immersed in nature, Kya discovers there are some dark secrets held in our own ancient DNA mirroring what she sees in the wild. Readers who appreciate the beauty of nature described in well-composed prose will devour this story."
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Read Michael's full recommendation in the Feruary 15 issue of The Columbia River Reader.
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Michael Kruger recently retired after a career in environment, water, and medical laboratory testing. When not working on his house and property, he enjoys jogging, walking, biking, reading, and trying new restaurants. He is currently working on two medical mystery novels set in Alaska.
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Excited about a book?
Email me at alan@alan-rose.com with the title and why you liked it, and we'll share it in What Are You Reading? in The Columbia River Reader.
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Puns & other forms of anti-social behavior.
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Puns produce chuckles in some people, groans and eye-rolls from others. The following offerings were found by Ned Piper who shares this possibly apocryphal story: "One of my counselors at the Spirit Lake YMCA Camp was quite the punster. He told me that his college frat brothers got so tired of his puns they locked him in a closet and said they would not let him out until he promised to stop punning. After an hour of lockdown, he shouted through the door, “Okay, Okay, you win. O-pun the door. O-pun the door."
Okay, you were warned. Here they are:
1. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
2. She was only a whiskey maker but he loved her still.
3. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
4. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
5. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
6. Don't join dangerous cults. Practice safe sects.
7. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
8. A backward poet writes inverse.
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Photo-reflection
Squirrel Shaming
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He perches on a branch outside my study, staring at me.
I know what he wants. He wants me to fill the bird feeders.
Like he’s nobly advocating on behalf of the birds.
I ignore him.
Over the next half hour, he continues his squirrelly attempt to shame me.
It’s not going to work. I will fill the feeders when I feel like it.
I address him through the window pane: “You’re wild. You’re supposed to fend for yourself. So, go away and do some fending.”
He pretends he doesn’t understand me.
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Through the afternoon he will leave, return,
check the feeders [still empty] and resume his position,
same branch, same stance, same deeply aggrieved expression,
hovering over my shoulder as I write
like Poe’s raven (“Quoth the squirrel, Some-more!”)
It’s distracting. I draw the blinds—
then peek between the slats to see if he’s still there.
He stares at me peeking through the slats
and I realize how pathetic I am.
I return to my desk, refusing to concede to a rodent,
determined to get back into my writing trance.
I light a candle, close my eyes, breathe deep several times,
centering myself until finally reaching that theta state
where there is only me,
where there is only this pen,
only this sheet of paper.
And a squirrel.
Frustrated, I beseech my muse for inspiration, for revelation, for insight.
At last, my muse speaks:
Feed the damn squirrel.
I put down my pen and go refill the feeders.
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Note cards from photo reflections now available.
Note cards created from the photo reflections available on my website. View the current note cards here.
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Find more news, reviews, interviews, and photo-reflections at www.alan-rose.com. and feel welcome to contact me at alan@alan-rose.com.
Previous newsletters available here: January 2021, December 2020, November 2020, October 2020, September 2020, August 2020, July 2020, June 2020, May 2020, April 2020, March 2020.
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