WordFest will meet on Tuesday, July 12, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428-22nd Avenue in Longview. The event will feature four northwest writers reading from their works.
Patty Hardin from the Long Beach peninsula will read from her anthology of stories of Vietnam veterans, Welcome Home: Veterans Share Their Memories of ‘Nam. At a suggestion from her husband, Patty had contacted the editor of the Vietnam Veterans of America magazine, who printed her request to interview veterans and collect their personal reminiscences. Her collection was first published in 2012.
Tiffany Dickinson will read from her novel, Kaleidoscope, about Tabby, a young girl doing her best to be a normal seventh-grader. But in Portland, in the 1980s, biracial isn’t normal, and fitting in becomes a challenge for Tabby as other kids push her to “choose a side” and declare one racial identity. She knows she has many facets. Can the kaleidoscope clarify who she is once and for all?
The book is geared for 9 to 12 year-olds and richly flavored with the Pacific Northwest and his people. Tiffany writes twisty, hopeful fiction, as well as some non-fiction. She has been published in the Salal Review and the Columbia River Reader. A Portland, Oregon native, Tiffany now calls Longview home.
Randy Faro will read from his first novel, Bazo, following the life of Jedediah Bazo that stretches from the heart of Africa to the killing fields of Southeast Asia to the seedy streets of south Seattle. Raised in the Ndebele culture and embracing the values of his parents, Jed uses his martial arts and US Marine skills to combat evil wherever he confronts it. Through it all, Jed ponders what determines the actions of a man of faith . . . especially when others play by different rules.
As a former U.S. Marine officer, Vietnam War veteran, and retired Lutheran pastor, Randy has infused his book with his experience of living in some two dozen countries, serving as a combat engineer officer, working as an advocate for Namibian independence as well as for peace with justice in North America. He resides in Olympia, Washington with his wife.
Tom Larsen will read from, Insomnia Blues, the fourth book in his series featuring Portland P.I. Jason Freeh, who is still working cases as he approaches his sixty-fifth birthday. What seems a simple job, delivering a subpoena to a homeless street kid, turns into a complex case involving embezzlement, identity theft, campaign donor fraud, and ultimately murder.
Tom is the author of six crime novels. His short fiction has been published in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Tribune, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, and Black Cat Mystery Magazine. His short story, “The Body in the Barrel,” received the 2020 Black Orchid Novella Award and will appear in the forthcoming Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022 from Mysterious Press.
Due to Covid, it is recommended that people be vaccinated and boosted if possible, and wear masks when not eating or drinking.
The monthly gathering of readers and writers meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, in the fellowship hall of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. The events are free and open to the public.