October WordFest offers new works by local authors

Three Northwest writers will read from their work at the next WordFest event on Tuesday, October 10, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Avenue in Longview.

Poet Debra Elisa Wöhrmann will read from her debut collection, You Can Call It Beautiful, published by MoonPath Press, 2023. This poetry collection is a mosaic of joy and grief, offering glimpses into the loss and trauma that can shape a family. Other poems in the collection celebrate travel that can open us to wonder, and inspire in us the grit required to change, to cultivate, and to nourish each other.

Debra grew up in the shadow of Mount Rainier, connecting with nature from a young age. Having taught at Lower Columbia College for ten years, she now leads creativity workshops and enjoys inspiring creative expression. She writes poetry, fiction, and blogs at Live(s) Inspiring Today, www.l-i-t.org, and lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and dog.

D.K. Greene will read from her book, Where Bodies Lie, a Pacific Northwest serial killer novel with a twist. Peter is approached by the FBI, asking him for help in solving a decades-old cold case. It will require him uncovering dark secrets from his family and reconnecting with his convicted serial killer father. Peter becomes torn between finding justice and following in his father’s murderous footsteps.

Denise is a prolific writer of twisty crime mysteries that blur the lines between hero and villain. Author of the Killers Club series and the Mommy Mysteries series, she lives in Longview with her wife and son.

Award-winning author and WordFest coordinator Alan Rose will preview his newest novel, The Untimely Death and Life of Damian Greer.  The Corvisiero Literary Agency in New York City is currently representing the work to publishers. In his new novel, Alan has re-imagined Oscar Wilde’s classic tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, for our age, creating a stinging social critique of  the cult of celebrity and the  manufacturing of fame.

Alan’s previous novel, As If Death Summoned (Amble Press, 2020) won the Foreword INDIES (small independent publishers) award for the LGBT category and was featured in the Oregon Historical Society’s 2021 exhibit, “Forty Years of HIV/AIDS in Oregon.”

An open mic will follow the presentations.

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.