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WordFest celebrates a new year on Tues, Jan 14.

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WordFest begins another year on Tuesday, January 14, 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

Lilly Robbins Brock will be reading from the second book in her Intrepid Journey historical fiction series, Perils in Paradise. New York, 1855. Jane Bennett misses her husband terribly. As war encroaches on the land and cholera wreaks havoc on the next ship out of port, she fears she may never see Thomas again. Caught between these two evils, Jane fears the decision she makes could seal her family’s fate.

With her husband forced to protect their future home against raids, Jane must lead her children on a grueling voyage to lawless San Francisco. As their money runs low and the dangers of roving kidnappers grow with each passing day, the stranded mother has no choice but to find deep inner strength in order to keep alive the ones she loves. In a land ravaged by conflict, can Jane and her family find the path to a loving future?

Lilly’s previous books were nonfiction, Wooden Boats and Iron Men, about men who served on PT boats in World War II, and Victory on the Home Front: While Her Husband Fought, She Built Planes ~ She was a Rosie the Riveter, focusing on strong women who served at home. Lilly’s preferred genre is historical fiction but she has also written and published Food Gifts Recipes from Nature’s Bounty, based on organic gardening

Tiffany Dickinson will be reading her short story “Sweeter than Honey,” which won second place in the 2019 Oregon Writer’s Colony short story contest and will be published in the 2020 Salal Review. The story is about breaking ties that bind and finding oneself – with a bit of a twist at the end.

Tiffany is a contributing writer and copy-editor for the Columbia River Reader. Writing for children and adults, she has won awards for both her poems and short stories. She is currently working on a couple of middle grade novels and is a student at Institute of Children’s Literature in the advanced course, “Writing and Selling Children’s Books.”

Charolette Conklin read her story, “Roots to the Heart,” at Wordfest ten years ago. At that time, it also won third place in the Rambunctious Review literary magazine contest. The story is about a mother who is in denial when she and her husband are notified their son has been killed in Afghanistan. Recently revised, the piece illustrates a mother caught in her bubble of pain.

Charolette’s stories and poems have been published in theWordFestanthology, That Holiday Feeling, and in the literary magazines Rambunctious Review and the Salal Review. A new short story will appear in Salal’s 2020 issue.

Charolette describes the writing experience for her as “staring at the computer screen, typing a line or two, then staring again. I hit backspace more than any other key. So when I produce a poem or story I’m pleased with enough to share, I’m grateful for Wordfest’s receptive audience at Cassava.”

There will be an open mic period following the presentations.

The monthly gathering of readers and writers meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, at Cassava. The events are free and open to the public.

Cassava offers a dinner menu for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www.alan-rose.com.

WordFest hosts first-ever ‘Book Pitch’ for local authors

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WordFest invites local authors to promote their books at its next event on the first Tuesday, December 3, 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

(WordFest usually meets on 2nd Tuesdays.)

[Artwork by Mark E Dykstra]

Any author is welcome to sell and sign copies of their books that evening.

“There should be quite a range of fiction and nonfiction books there,” said Alan Rose, who coordinates the monthly gathering of writers and readers. “We are expecting memoirs, thrillers and mysteries, literary fiction, historical fiction, romance, children’s and Young Adult books, poetry, all showcasing local literary talent.”

Books will include works published by major publishing houses and independently published. Authors are encouraged to bring along their own card or folding table, or double up with another writer.

Each person will have 5 minutes to talk about and/or read from his or her work.

“This is a great opportunity to do all your holiday gift shopping in one evening,” said Rose.

There may be an open mic period depending upon the number of authors talking about their books.

The monthly gathering of readers and writers usually meets on the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, at Cassava. All events are free and open to the public.

Cassava offers a dinner menu for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www.alan-rose.com.

November WordFest offers thrills through poetry and stories

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WordFest features daring poetry and a modern-day thriller ripped from today’s headlines on Tuesday, November 12, 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

Armin Tolentino is the author of the poetry collection We Meant to Bring It Home Alive (Alternating Current Press 2019). He earned an MFA at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ and his poetry has appeared in numerous journals including Common Knowledge, Arsenic Lobster, Hyphen Magazine, and The Raven Chronicles.  

He is a former Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship recipient and works for Multnomah County managing education and anti-poverty initiatives. He refers to himself as “a phenomenal clapper, a passable ukulele player, and a bumbling, but enthusiastic, fisherman.”

Armin will read selections from his collection, which explore loneliness, longing, and faith, told through the voices of an astronaut lost in space, a whaler cursed by a dragon, a 19th century bone collector escaping extinction, and other beings feeling severed from their world.

Find more information about Armin and his writing at www.armintolentino.com.

Rick E. George has worked as a wildland firefighter, a sportswriter, and an educator, including five years as a language arts teacher at Coweeman Junior High School in Kelso. He is the author of Vengeance Burns Hot and Cooper’s Loot, both published in 2019, as well as short stories and poetry. He lives with his wife April in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state.

Vengeance Burns Hot isa literary thriller set in the mountains around Snoqualmie Pass, where helicopter pilot and Afghan War veteran Ed Kline faces day to day challenges battling wildfires and building a new romance. But then a cryptic text, followed by deadly attacks from an anti-government militia, engulf Ed in a deeply personal way. Is Ed’s son part of the militia, or trying to escape from it, or both? In seeking the answer, Ed risks his career, his new relationship, and his life.

There will be an open mic period following the presentations.

The monthly gathering of readers and writers meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, at Cassava. The events are free and open to the public

Cassava offers a dinner menu for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www.alan-rose.com.

October WordFest offers humor (and crime)

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Humor and mystery writer Jan Bono returns to WordFest on Tuesday, October 8, 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

Jan will be reading from the newest offering in her Sylvia Avery Mystery series, set on the southwest Washington coast. In Hook, Line and Sinker, the frolicsome geriatric belly-dancing widows of the North Beach Peninsula are looking for love again, and Sylvia Avery is recruited to help them navigate the hoops, hurdles, and hustles of online dating. Love is in the air, online and elsewhere, but Sheriff Donaldson’s background checks reveal that a few of these internet fellows are up to no good. Can they be stopped before someone gets killed?

Jan has lived in Long Beach, Washington, since 1977, where she began writing a humorous, personal experience newspaper column that continued for 10 years, garnering 11 state awards from the WNPA. The column’s popularity led her to write for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, publishing 36 stories during the past 8 years. In 2012, Jan became the Grand Prize winner of the Coast Weekend serial mystery chapter contest, which inspired her to begin writing her lighthearted cozy mystery series, which she describes as “like Murder She Wrote, but with a lot more humor.”

Retired judge and storyteller Ed Putka will be reading a short story in the second hour. A WordFest favorite, Ed has been compared to Garrison Keillor for his popular Cleveland stories, set in the Polish neighborhood of his youth. His latest story takes place in a setting different from his Cleveland roots, about a small-town sheriff in the Pacific Northwest and his dealings with some notorious fish bandits

There will be an open mic period following the presentations.

The monthly gathering of readers and writers meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, at Cassava. The events are free and open to the public.

Cassava offers a dinner menu for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www.alan-rose.com.

September WordFest

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WordFest begins its 2019 fall season on Tuesday, September 10, 6:00-8:00 pm, at the Cassava Coffeehouse, 1333 Broadway in Longview.

Portland author and editor Jill Kelly will be speaking on what makes a strong first chapter. “First chapters are often the most reworked chapters of a book, and for good reason,” she says. “They’re like job interviews. We want to come across as accessible and intriguing.”

Jill will be reading and discussing first chapters, including from her novel, When the Past Comes Calling, which explores the unforeseen consequences of choices we make in the moment:  In 1972, six fraternity brothers meet a girl at a tavern, take her to a nearby apartment, where each has sex with her. In 1999, 27 years later, the child conceived that night comes looking for his father and justice for his mother. The six men, who have since moved on building their lives with wives, families and careers, have repressed or forgotten that night in the apartment.

Jill has written ten books of fiction and nonfiction, and assisted numerous authors in editing their novels for publication. Possessing a PhD in French literature, she has been a professor of French and an editor of technical writing.

YA author Jennifer Nightingale from Astoria will read from her debut coming-of-age novel, Alberta & the Spark: Living in a Pacific Northwest oyster town in the 1970s, 13-year-old Alberta struggles with adolescence, finding courage and a kindred spirit with 15-year-old Felix. He approaches the natural world as a scientist, while she reveres nature with a magical wonder. Through their friendship, they confront bullies, racism, and family disruptions, and manage to bring their fractured coastal community together.

Matt Love, author/editor of 21 books about Oregon and 2009 winner of the Oregon Literary Arts Legacy Award, calls Alberta & the Spark “the best Pacific Northwest coming-of-age novel since Jim Lynch’s The Highest Tide.”

 Jennifer lives with her husband Holt in Astoria, where her writing is “informed by wind, weather, tides, migratory birds and pinnipeds.

WordFest regular Linda Eddleston will be reading an essay titled, “What have you been reading?” about books she has read recently, looking at their different styles, and reflecting on what one can learn about writing through the process of reading.

Linda is a retired elementary and special education teacher living in Longview. Her work has been published in The Children’s Ministry magazine, That Holiday Feeling anthology, and the Longview Daily News. Her memoir of friendship and growing up in the Fifties, My Three Friends, was published in 2015.

There will be an open mic period following the presentations.

The monthly gathering of readers and writers meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 PM, at Cassava. The events are free and open to the public.

Cassava offers a dinner menu for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings, as well as local wines and brews.