February Lit Lab

February 7, 2019 at the Conway Muse

Writers and reader gathered on February 7 at the Conway Muse @ 6:30 pm. Despite the cold, ice and snow, a robust group attended for literary fun, delicious food and fellowship. The evening focused on the Art, Uses and Joys of Reading Aloud. Attendees brought a short written piece to share.

February Presenters Included:

Becky Mandelbaum is the author of Bad Kansas, which received the 2016 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and the 2018 High Plains Book Award for First Book. Her work has appeared in The Missouri Review, The Georgia Review, Electric Lit, The Rumpus, Necessary Fiction, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and elsewhere. Originally from Kansas, she currently lives in Washington's Skagit Valley. Her first novel is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster. You can read more of her work at www.beckymandelbaum.com.Mary Jennings is a local librarian who is passionate about reading and writing. Mary has contributed to various publications including book reviews for regional and national periodicals. She freelances for a community newspaper and is currently working on her novel involving murder in a small-town library. Visit her site at camanobookster.Nicola Pearson is an award-winning playwright, author of the novels, Borrowed Ground and How to Make a Pot in 14 Easy Lessons, The Callum Lange Mysteries and the children's picture books, The Lost Hour and A Dog in the Big Courthouse. Originally from England, Nicola traveled extensive before settling down in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, Washington, with her potter husband, Stephen. They have three lovely children, Reed, Annie and Esther, as well as two dogs, a cat, and seven chickens. Nicola divides her time between selling her husband's beautiful pottery and writing. Learn more about her at Sauk Mountian Pottery Rob L. Slater. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Rob wanted to be an astronaut or a rock star. At 42, he gave up those dreams to become a writer of science fiction and fantasy, where he can pretend to be both. Like some of his characters, he has a propensity for speaking in lines from 80's movies, drinking Mountain Dew and eating pizza. He loves music as a listener, a zealous fan, a guitar player, and a singer-songwriter. His website is Rob L. Slater.Nancy Pates-Riches has taught 6^th and 7^th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies at Conway School for the past 15 years. Besides being a teacher, Nancy also is an actress and singer with 25+ years experience in community theater in the North Sound area. She has performed with the Northwest Savorards, the Seattle Symphony Chorale, the Everett Chorale, the Camwood Players, and is a performing board member of Pacific Northwest Opera. Contact Nancy at npatesriches@yahoo.com.