{"id":1494,"date":"2023-01-01T10:13:42","date_gmt":"2023-01-01T18:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alan-rose.com\/wordfest\/?p=1494"},"modified":"2023-01-01T10:13:44","modified_gmt":"2023-01-01T18:13:44","slug":"first-wordfest-of-2023-offers-laughter-and-inspiration-for-the-dark-months","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alan-rose.com\/wordfest\/first-wordfest-of-2023-offers-laughter-and-inspiration-for-the-dark-months\/","title":{"rendered":"First WordFest of 2023 offers laughter and inspiration for the dark months"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The first WordFest event for 2023 will be on Tuesday, January 10, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen\u2019s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd<\/sup> Avenue in Longview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Local comedian\u00a0Coree Spencer<\/strong>\u00a0will present her book, I\u2019m Not OK, You\u2019re Not OK<\/strong><\/em>, an activity book for when people are feeling down, anxious, or depressed. She created it from her own experience of having to rely on laughter to cope with mental health issues. \u201cThis book is like being with a hilarious friend who\u00a0has no good advice but totally gets what you are going through,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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It offers a bingo board to track signs that things may be off; a list of conversation enders and excuses for staying home when social anxiety creeps in, and a handy punch card that tracks the number of times one has canceled social plans.\u00a0\u201cThe book\u00a0is brightly illustrated but unafraid of the dark side, she says. \u201cWe\u2019ve all been there, and that\u2019s OK.\u201d Coree organized the Cinder Block Comedy Festival in New York City, which received coverage in the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>,\u00a0Huffington Post<\/em>, and the\u00a0Village Voice<\/em>\u00a0for its empowerment of marginalized groups.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Shirley Clukey<\/strong> of Woodland will be reading from\u00a0Dis-Membered: A Mormon Mom\u2019s Memoir<\/strong>.<\/em>\u00a0The work-in-progress tells the story of why she joined the church at age nineteen and why she left it four decades later. The story includes how grateful she remains for her years in the church and how she wishes she\u2019d never had anything to do with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirley spent forty-three years as a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving as choir director and holding a number of teaching and leadership positions in the US and overseas. Things changed after her twenty-year-old son came out as gay.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Hans Schaufus <\/strong>from Kalama has been writing an annual Christmas letter since 1996. They are pure fiction and represent different settings, in America, and several European and Latin American countries. He will be reading several of these letters. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After growing up in Baltimore, Hans traveled around the US and Europe for a number of years, earned a BA in History at the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico, in 1972, and spent 25 years working at the Longview Public Library where he was instrumental in creating the “Art at the Library” program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since his retirement in 2006, he\u2019s been involved in Longview\u2019s Outdoor Gallery, the downtown sculpture project, and is the author \/photographer of Am Ende der Strasse Links: Eine Reise Durch die Ehemalige DDR<\/strong><\/em>, a photographic essay on the former East German republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An open mic will follow the presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to Covid, it is recommended that people be vaccinated and boosted if possible, and wear masks when not eating or drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s Episcopal Church. The events are free and open to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information, contact Alan Rose at www.alan-rose.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first WordFest event for 2023 will be on Tuesday, January 10, 6:00-8:00 pm, at St. Stephen\u2019s Episcopal Church, 1428 22nd Avenue in Longview. Local comedian\u00a0Coree Spencer\u00a0will present her book, I\u2019m Not OK, You\u2019re Not OK, an activity book for…<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more First WordFest of 2023 offers laughter and inspiration for the dark months<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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