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The community is invited to share holiday stories and reflections at the next WordFest on Tuesday, December 6.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Local optometrist Terrence Tack<\/strong> will be leading with a short story\u00a0he wrote titled,\u00a0“Off the Grid” which, despite its title, is a Christmas story.<\/span><\/p>\n Following Terry\u2019s reading will be an open mic time when people are invited to share their poems, short stories, memoirs or chapter from their novel that focus on the holidays. There is a 10-min limit.<\/span><\/p>\n Doors open at The Brits at 5:30, with the readings starting at 6:00 pm. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The community is invited to share holiday stories and reflections at the next WordFest on Tuesday, December 6. \u00a0Local optometrist Terrence Tack will be leading with a short story\u00a0he wrote titled,\u00a0“Off the Grid” which, despite its title, is a Christmas…<\/span><\/p>\n
\n“Several years ago I began writing non-fiction vignettes about life changing encounters, the kind that you like to tell your grandkids.\u00a0 It started out as a casual exercise, a \u2018value checker\u2019, so to speak, and has become a way for me to pass on my heritage and to tell the same story more than once and not lose the details…or my audience,” says Terry.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nRaised on a farm in Rose Valley and a Kelso High graduate, Terry graduated with honors from Pacific University College of Optometry in 1970, then practiced optometry in the US Air Force\u00a0before establishing\u00a0his private practice in 1974 in Longview. His oldest son joined the practice\u00a0in 1991.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n