Meet local authors at Auntie’s book-signing bash
There are more locally based authors than you might expect. Auntie’s Bookstore will give you a chance to meet seven of them on Saturday when it hosts an unusual gathering of area talent. The event, which will occur between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., is being called a “Booksigning Extravaganza.”
No exaggeration needed. Scheduled to appear is a varied collection of writers, led by the nationally acclaimed Jess Walter, author of “Over Tumbled Graves” and “Land of the Blind.” Walter’s most recent novel is “Citizen Vince.”
The others are:
•Tony and Suzanne Bamonte, who have written a number of Spokane-area histories including “Spokane’s Legendary Davenport Hotel” and “Manito Park: A Reflection of Spokane’s Past.”
•Linda Lawrence Hunt, author of “Bold Spirit: Helga Estby’s Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America.”
•Terry Bain, author of “You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man’s Best Friend.”
•Fred Albi, author of “Baseball: This, That and the Other.”
•Jonathan Johnson, assistant professor of creative writing at Eastern Washington University and author of “Hannah And The Mountain: Notes Toward A Wilderness Fatherhood.”
As always, the event is free and open to the public.
Poets who know it
The Olympia-based Washington Poets Association is holding its third-annual Lothmann Poetry Prize competition, which is open to all current residents of Washington state.
Cash prizes of $150 will be given to each of the co-winners. One original poem of no longer than two pages is allowed each entrant.
Entry deadline is Jan. 31. For specific entry information, write to OPN, P.O. Box 1312, Olympia, WA 98501 or see www.thurston.com/~yake/opn.lohmann .htm.
Books for sale
Washington State University Press will hold its 14th annual Holiday Book Fair on Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Compton Union Building on the Washington State University campus in Pullman. All WSU Press books will be available at 20- to 50-percent discounts.
Two WSU Press authors, Jack Nisbet (“The Mapmaker’s Eye: David Thompson on the Columbia Plateau”) and Craig Holstine (“Spanning Washington: Historic Highway Bridges Of The Evergreen State”), will be on hand from noon to 2 p.m. to sign copies of their books.
For more information, call (509) 335-3518.
Book talk
•Poetry Reading Group (230-0950), 3 p.m. today, Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington (838-0206).
•Gay & Lesbian Book Group (“Book of Salt,” Monique Truong), 7 p.m. Wednesday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
•Literary Freedom Book Group (“Broken for You,” by Stephanie Kallos), 1 p.m. Saturday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
The reader board
•Connie Grove, poetry reading, 7:30 p.m. today, Peaceful Valley Neighborhood Center, 214 N. Cedar St. (624-8634).
•Straight From the Horse’s Mouth, open mike reading, 2 p.m. today, Hope Market Cafe, 620 Wellington Place, Hope, Idaho (208-255-4410).
•Matt Briggs (“Shoot the Buffalo”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
•Starbucks Family Book Night, 4-5 p.m. Monday, Hillyard Community Center, 4001 N. Cook St. (482-0203).
•Stephanie Nobles-Beans (“Dipped in Chocolate All Over Again”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
•The Women’s Hearth: Poetry Reading, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
•MaryJane Butters (“MaryJane’s Cookbook”), signing, 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
•Tony and Suzanne Bamonte, Linda Lawrence Hunt, Terry Bain, Fred Albi, Jonathan Johnson, Jess Walter, signings, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Auntie’s Bookstore.