It’s been two years since we initiated WordFest–Who’d have thought it would last this long?
We will be celebrating our second anniversary on Tuesday, September 2nd, at a new location. With the closing of Frank’s European Cellar, we will be gathering at The Brits Tea Shoppe, 1427 Commerce Avenue in Longview. New owner Alice Dietz has graciously offered her cozy and charming establishment just for us.
The Brits will be open at 5:30 p.m. on WordFest nights (First Tuesdays), and Alice is offering a delicious select menu for those who may wish to have a light dinner before or during the readings:
Shepherd’s Pie–Slow cooked beef with fresh veggies and gravy, topped with creamy mashed potatoes and cheese, and served with soup or salad–$10.95
Cheese and Veggie Pasties–Fresh, sauteed veggies and cheese baked in a puff pastry, served with soup or salad–$8.95
English Muffin Melts–English muffins toasted with jack cheese and the Brit’s own special touch–$4.25
Chicken and Dumplings or Vegetarian Lentil Soup–$3.75
Come early and enjoy a meal!
And we have quite a line-up of presenters to kick off our third year:
Playwright and screenwriter Caroline Wood will present a scene from her play, “The Orchard,” about a couple who believe they have fallen out of love. The play was produced in a festival by Love Productions and Samuel French in New York. It took first place among the plays presented that week, and went on to compete with the winners from other weeks. Caroline says of her play, “There is dialogue in this play that hums in my mind like music.”
Ned Piper will read a short story entitled “Night Visitors,” which he describes as “a dark drama about a married couple who have lost trust in each other.” (Hm, I think I see a theme emerging.)
Ned has been writing–poetry, short stories, plays, novels, insurance books–since his teens. He has served as a PUD commissioner for the past 15 years, and helps his wife, Sue, with her monthly northwest magazine, The Columbia River Reader.
For a change of pace, Patrick Kubin, will be reading another section from his novel-in-progress, “A Time of Trial,” a courtroom thriller about a small town lawyer defending a young man for robbery and murder, offering twists and turns that will cast the case in a new light (Patrick read a portion of this novel at a previous WordFest–gripping stuff!)
Patrick is a local attorney, Superior Court Commissioner, and District Court Judge Pro Tem and Mediator, drawing on more than twenty years experience in writing “A Time of Trial.”
Cathy Zimmerman, features editor for The Daily News, will be reading…well, she wasn’t sure, but she thinks it will be a short story she is currently working on entitled, “True to His Word,” about different types of honesty, or lack of it.
And, as usual, following the presenters, we will have an open mic time.