WordFest will be celebrating two book launches on Tuesday, May 4, with wine and dinner.

Robin Cody will be reading from his newest book, Another Way the River Has. Robin has written two other books set in the Pacific Northwest, a novel, Ricochet River, and Voyage of a Summer Sun, about his solo canoe trip from the source of the Columbia River to the ocean, and which received an Oregon Book Award.

Jane Isfeld Still, a WordFest regular, will be reading from her book, Mother’s Daze, a collection of short humorous pieces on motherhood. In March of last year, Jane read one of the essays which was well received by those attending WordFest. Encouraged by this response, she sent off her manuscript and it was accepted by Cedar Fort Publishers.

Both Robin and Jane will have copies of their books available for sale and to autograph.

WordFest’s literary experience will now be enhanced with wine. Each month Joel McNelly will be offering a selection of wines from Capstone Cellars for participants’ enjoyment, and Brits owner Alice Dietz will be adding a special dish for that night only to her usual menu offerings.

For Tuesday, May 4, The Brits will be offering Crab Cake Caesar Salad, and Capstone Cellars will be offering a special wine to complement the dish, along with other wines.

A select menu of dinners and desserts is available for those who wish to enjoy food with the readings. The Brits opens at 5:30 pm.
 

In place of our usual gathering on the first Tuesday in March, WordFesters are encouraged to attend the Celebration of Literacy Week reading by Jamie Ford at 7:00 pm, at the Longview Public Library. The event is free and open to the public.

Jamie Ford’s novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, was selected by Altrusa International and Northwest Voices (a collaboration of Lower Columbia College and the Longview Library) for this year’s “One Book-Cowlitz Reads.”

WordFest will resume on the first Tuesday in April (6th) at The Brits.

On February 2,  WordFest will host one of the legends of modern science fiction. William F. Nolan and fellow author and documentary maker, Jason V. Brock, will launch their new anthology of science fiction, horror and dark fantasy, titled The Bleeding Edge.

Nolan, most famous for his science fiction classic, Logan’s Run, has written over 80 books of fiction, essays, biographies, anthologies,  and poetry. He wrote or co-wrote the screenplays for the films, The Legend of Machine Gun Kelly (1975), Logan’s Run (1976), and Burnt Offerings (1976), as well as the television adaptation of Henry James’ Turn of the Screw, Terror at London Bridge, and The Kansas City Massacre. Career collections of his writings have been published in Things Beyond Midnight (1984) and William F. Nolan’s Dark Universe (2001).

He has received numerous awards, including twice winning the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America, being voted a “Living Legend in Dark Fantasy” by the International Horror Guild, and receiving the honorary title of “Author Emeritus” by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. He was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Horror Writers of America,

He talked about the art of writing and read a short story at WordFest last October.

The new anthology features original and never before published works by Ray Bradbury, Earl Hamner, George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson, Lisa Morton, as well as by Nolan and Brock, and others. They will each read a story from the anthology and discuss writing horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy.

Copies will be available for purchase. The deluxe hardcover edition is signed by over 20 contributors. The trade paperback edition is signed by both Nolan and Brock.

An interview with Nolan and Brock can currently be viewed on KLTV’s program, “Book Chat.”

The Brits owner Alice Dietz offers a select menu and desserts for those who wish to enjoy a meal during the presentations. The Brits opens at 5:30 pm.

 

Local storyteller and Daily News crime reporter Leslie Slape will be the first WordFest Guest Reviewer in 2010. Leslie will be reviewing stories by two newcomers and one long time regular at the monthly writers and readers gathering on Tuesday, January 5.

Dan Di Iullo will be reading a chapter from his novel, “White Rock Chronicles.” In addition to the novel, Dan has written a play that was performed at the Loves Street Playhouse in Woodland last November, and another play that will be produced at the Astor Street Opry Playhouse in Astoria in February.

E. Bryan Calhoun has been writing for a number years, especially screenplays. He will be reading a short story entitled, “Fireman, Brothers are Forever,” about a young man whose family died in a fire that he believes he caused.

The third presenter will be Ned Piper, a regular at WordFest and one of its founders. Ned will read a short story entitled, “Too Big for His Britches,” concerning some mobsters welcoming home one of their members who spent a week with the boss at his villa in Puerto Vallarta. Ned, an avid reader, is also a Cowlitz PUD commissioner, and writes a monthly column for The Columbia River Reader.

WordFest occurs on the first Tuesday of each month, 6:00-8:00 pm, at The Brits Tea Shoppe, located at 1427 Commerce Avenue in Longview. It is free and open to the public, and offers an open mic time following the presenters.

A select menu is offered by Brits owner Alice Dietz for those who wish to enjoy a meal with the readings. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

On December 1st, Leslie Slape will be reading from “The Comedy of Crime,” funny stories drawn from her life as a crime reporter for The Daily News.

 Leslie is also a professional storyteller with the Storytellers Network. Her non-journalism writing has appeared in The Cowlitz County Historical Quarterly, The Salal Review, and in the book, “The Healing Heart: Families,” edited by Dave Albert and Allison Cox. She also wrote the play, “This Island Earth,” with Don Correll, which was produced at Lower Columbia College in spring 2009.

Peg Miller will read her story, “A Christmas Mistake,” about things that go wrong and go right at a Christmas dinner. It’s part of a series of short stories where food plays a prominent role.

Peg is a retired teacher and school librarian. Over a period of twenty-four years, she taught Literature for Children at Lower Columbia College, and in 2010, she will be teaching a class, “Write Your Life Story,” also through LCC.

Chuck Taylor will be reading from his 4th novel, in progress, “The Caverns of Acold,” a young adult novel about a brother and sister, who, on a visit with their father to Antarctica, fall through a crevasse, landing in another realm far below the surface, populated by the descendents of the Oceanids, who were featured in the myths of the Greeks and Romans.

Jane Still will be the guest reviewer for the evening. Her first book, a collection of humorous essays entitled, “Mother’s Daze/No Dignity,” will be released this spring.

Following the scheduled presenters, there will be an open mic time.

WordFest is a gathering of writers and readers who meet on the first Tuesday of each month at The Brits Tea Shoppe, 1427 Commerce Avenue, in Longview, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. A select menu is available for people who wish to enjoy a meal or coffee and dessert with the readings. Doors open at 5:30 pm.