Guide book authors giving slide-show talk
Rich Landers and Dan Hansen, longtime colleagues of mine here at The Spokesman-Review, have forgotten more information about Washington’s waterways than many of us ever would want to know.
That’s why those of you who are interested in boating, floating or merely exploring the state’s many rivers, streams, lakes and ponds might want to catch the two of them when they give a free slide-show talk about their new book at 7 p.m. Tuesday at REI, 1125 N. Monroe St.
“Paddling Washington: Flatwater and Whitewater Routes in Washington State and the Inland Northwest” (Mountaineers Books, 435 pages, $24.95), described in the press materials as “the only all-in-one guide to the best of Northwest flatwater and whitewater padding routes,” lists 112 routes.
It’s designed for “paddlers of all skill levels” and includes “maps, safety tips, equipment requirements and a route comparison chart.”
Landers says he and Hansen will describe six sample routes during their talk.
“That’s about all you can do in an hour,” he said.
Which, of course, is one reason to consult his book.
Summer reading
Don’t forget that the summer reading program, “Catch the Reading Bug @ Your Library!” begins Monday at all branches of the Spokane Public Library and Spokane Country Library District.
Get specifics about the program online at www.summerreadingspokane.org or by visiting any of the 16 individual branches.
For further information, call Eva Silverstone at (509) 444-5307 or Beth Gillespie at (509) 893-8205.
•Like some 3,000 other libraries across the country, the Sandpoint and Clark Fork branches of the East Bonner County Library District have received grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.
The grants come in the form of hardcover editions of 17 classic books from the “We the People Bookshelf,” a reading list compiled for readers from kindergarten through high school.
Examples include “The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen, “Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott” by Russell Freedman and “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes.
For information on events associated with the reading list (which includes Spanish translations of four of the books), call the Sandpoint Library at (208) 263-6930 or go online at www.ebcl.lib.id.us/ebcl.
For information about “We the People,” go online at www.wethepeople.gov/ bookshelf/index.html.
Writer’s corner
The Inland Empire Region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators will hold a writing workshop featuring author/editor Judy Gregerson June 14 at Westminster Congregational Church, 411 S. Washington.
Cost is $10 for the general public, $5 for SCBWI members.
Gregerson’s presentation is titled “And Here’s the Pitch!” Among issues she will address are how to format a “one sheet” (a one-page promotional package), how to talk to an agent and how to make a book-proposal pitch.
For further information, call Deby Fredericks at (509) 482-5288 or e-mail CAT09tales@hotmail.com.
Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.
Dad’s day
If you’re looking for a book to share with dad for Father’s Day next Sunday, you might consider the children’s picture book “Your Father Forever” (Illumination Arts, $15.95), written by Spokane author Travis Griffith and illustrated by Brazilian artist Raquel Abreu.
Griffith, who says he will donate his portion of the profits to the speech-therapy center RiteCare Spokane ( www.ritecarespokane.org), wrote the book as a way of promising his children that he would be more than merely a family provider.
“I’ve learned that daddies make an effort to see and understand the beautiful simplicity of how their children’s eyes view their surroundings,” Griffith says of his growing awareness of his children’s needs.
Book talk
•Poetry Scribes of Spokane, 2 p.m. today, Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington. Call (509) 838-0206.
•Gay and Lesbian Book Group (“Garden Spells,” by Sarah Addison Allen), 7 p.m. Tuesday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
The reader board
•Rich Landers, Dan Hansen (“Paddling Washington: Flatwater and Whitewater Routes in Washington State and the Inland Northwest”), slide-show presentation/signing, 7 p.m. Tuesday, REI, 1125 N. Monroe St. Call (509) 328-9900.
•Kevin Codd (“To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Santiago de Compostela”), reading, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
•East Valley High School young writers (“London: Minding the Gap”), reading, 7 p.m. Thursday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
•Ann Louise Gittleman (“The Gut Flush Plan”), signing/talk, 1 p.m. Saturday, Super Supplements, 403 W. Neider Ave., Coeur d’Alene. Gittleman’s talk is titled “21 Days to a Healthier Gut.” Call (208) 665-1500.