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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

March WordFest highlights northwest history

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Both fictional and non-fictional historical events were featured at the WordFest on Zoom event on Tuesday, March 9, at 7:00 pm.

Michael Perry‘s excellent series on the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-06 that first ran in the Columbia River Reader has now been published in one volume, Dispatches from the Discovery Trail: A Layman’s Lewis and Clark.

Mike will read from the book and discuss his multi-year research, following in the tracks of the Corps of Discovery. Beautifully illustrated by the Pacific Northwest woodcut artist Debby Neely and edited by Hal Calbom, the book is available at the Columbia River Reader office or at www.crreader.com/crrpress.

Cathlamet resident Lilly Robbins Brock will read from the fourth book in her sweeping Intrepid Journey saga of the Bennett family. Twists of Fate opens as the nation (and the Bennett family) face the prospect of Civil War.

All Lilly’s books are available on Amazon or for a signed paperback copy,  contact: [email protected].

During the Open Mic period, Caleigh Maffett will read two poems, including one that will appear in this year’s Salal Review.

Caleigh recently graduated from Washington State University /Vancouver with a BA in English and Communications and a minor in Creative Writing. Her prose and poetry have been featured in LCC’s Salal Review and the WSU magazine.

The WordFest on Zoom events are free and open to the public. One doesn’t need to have a Zoom account to participate, but one must register for the free, monthly WordFest newsletter here to receive the Zoom invitation link by email.

For more information, go to www.alan-rose.com.

Join online book discussion of Alan’s new novel, Friday, February 12 at 1:00 pm.

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Join us for a “virtual book club” to discuss Alan’s haunting novel about the AIDS epidemic, As If Death Summoned. The story explores how ongoing grief can erode a life, and also how finding one’s way through grief can rebuild, renew, and deepen life.

The Zoom event on Friday, February 12, at 1:00 pm. is free and open to the public. People on the WordFest newsletter email list will receive an invitation link Friday morning. People do not need a Zoom account to participate.

People not on the WordFest email list can subscribe here. (The monthly newsletter is free and one can unsubscribe at any time.)

Vikki J. Carter, host and producer of Authors of the Pacific Northwest podcast, will lead the conversation. Participants will have the opportunity to ask the author questions about the book and the true stories on which the novel is based. But the discussion will also explore how participants have experienced their own personal losses, and what helped–and didn’t help–them through life-shattering grief.

It is not necessary to have read the novel to participate.

WordFest on literary hiatus for 2020

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Global pandemics are no fun. Along with destroying lives and livelihoods, COVID-19 has also disrupted our local literary community.

At this point (July) it is not looking like WordFest will resume for the remainder of 2020. However, you can stay in touch with the community and literary happenings through our monthly newsletter by subscribing here.

Until we can meet again face(mask) to face(mask), please stay safe and sane.

WordFest & Longview Library host Pandemic Writing Club

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The Longview Public Library and WordFest will offer an 8-week series on writing about the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Sessions will be conducted Tuesdays from 1:00-2:30 pm on the Zoom Conferencing platform.

Alan Rose, who coordinates the WordFest events, will facilitate the sessions. His newest novel, As If Death Summoned, about the AIDS epidemic, will be released in December by Amble Press, an imprint of Bywater Books.

“This is an unprecedented time in our community’s history,” said Rose. “We hope this class will provide people a way to experience it, express it, and share it in a positive and healthy way.”

All forms of writing are encouraged: nonfiction memoir and personal reflections on the pandemic, but also fiction short stories, flash fiction, poetry, science fiction and fantasy, even humor and whimsy, how ever people want to express their experience of the pandemic.

The program is open to all ages and all Cowlitz-Wahkiakum residents. People can participate by Zoom Conferencing on their laptops, PC/Mac, or tablets. The library will offer technical assistance to get people set up.

The organizers plan to publish some of the writing on the library’s website and on the WordFest webpage at www.alan-rose.com, and to hold a special WordFest event where writers read their works before the public at a future time.  

All sessions are free and open to the public, but spaces are limited and pre-registration and an email address are required. You can register today by contacting Elizabeth Partridge at the Longview Public Library at her email, [email protected].

Note: WordFest gatherings have been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WordFest suspended due to COVID-19

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With the closing of Washington state’s schools and out of concern for people’s health and literary well-being, the monthly WordFest events will be suspended for the foreseeable future.

Updates and bookish news will be posted in the monthly newsletter. Click here to sign up for it.

Stay safe, healthy and well-read!