The WhatcomTalk Events Calendar shares things to do around Whatcom County including Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden, Blaine and beyond. Find fun activities and adventures throughout the region on our comprehensive events calendar. Have an event that isn’t listed? Click the green “Post your Event” button and our editors will review and approve within two business days.
A Whatcom County author who has been crafting columns, composing blogs, and recording radio shows for nearly 30 years here in northwest Washington, Matthew Thuney will be reading from and signing copies of his new book, “Bucolia: Hijinx in the Hinterlands” (imaginatively illustrated by Bellingham luminary Ellen Clark). In a humorous and heartfelt way, Bucolia narrates Matthew’s bewildered attempts to adjust to country living here in Whatcom County’s South Fork Valley (aka “Bucolia”).
Join local author Susan Conrad as she shares stories and images from her recently published memoir. She’ll talk about the magic and mayhem of paddling to Alaska – and writing a book!
Susan’s tour is sponsored by REI; her book is touted as “The nautical version of ‘Wild’.” Local buzz confirms the dynamism of her slides, music, and presentation. There will be several excellent prizes raffled and homemade cookies for folks with a sweet tooth. Arrive early; the theater will be packed!
Suggested donation: $10. Proceeds support educational programs and youth scholarships at the Community Boating Center.
Barnes & Noble Bellingham is proud to present B-Fest! This national book festival is designed to put the focus on teens. Join us for a weekend full of games and activities focused around some of your popular teen books and authors. Also engage in a creative writing workshop. One lucky winner from each store will receive a year supply of advance reader’s copies of the most anticipated teen books. You will also have an opportunity to meet some local authors like Tara Ellis, Raven Oak, Jesikah Sundin & James Wells.
Join us at 11 am on Saturday June 18, 2016, Local author Rebecca Van Slyke will be here to read her new book, “Dad School”.
A harrowing plane crash took the lives of two people and plunged 16-year-old Autumn Veatch into the middle of the rugged Cascade Mountains. Injured, alone, and lost, she defies all odds to make it out alive.
Barnes and Noble welcomes this young brave girl on the Anniversary of her tragic accident. Come in for a meet & greet with Autumn Veatch on July 11, 2016, at 5:00 p.m.
Tara Ellis, author of ‘Getting Out Alive’, will also be here to sign and discuss her book.
Keith Johnson discusses his book Crossing Zion, in which he addresses the joys and perils of mountain climbing, divorce, and love in a gripping tale of heartbreak and triumph.
Lummi Island author, Julie Trimingham, reads from her work, including Mockingbird and Way Elsewhere. Save the date for this wonderful event. Celebrate the Island Library with a short annual meeting and great refreshments, sponsored by Friends of Island Library.
Local author Susan Colleen Browne will chat about the independent publishing process, and how to get started as an indie author. She’ll also share tips about writing in several different genres, including memoir, women’s fiction, and a middle-grade fantasy-adventure series. The author of the award-winning “Little Farm in the Foothills,” Susan is a WCC creative writing instructor and runs a mini-farm in the Whatcom County foothills.
Curious about writing historical fiction? It’s not all about Tudor princesses or WWII in France. There is a lot of history going on in our own backyard. Hear how award-winning author J.L. Oakley researches and crafts her novels. From the Pig War to the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 30s & 40s to women hiking the North Cascades. This is local history with action and intrigue.
An Interactive discussion on the elements of writing. Abbe Rolnick uses her novel, Color of Lies, and short stories from her newest book, Tattle Tales: Essays and Stories Along the Way, to demonstrate how an author takes an idea, a person, or an event and weaves an intimate layered story for the reader. Become the storyteller.
In her new book, Meeting in the Margins: An Invitation to Encounter Society’s Invisible People, Cynthia Trenshaw takes us with her when, as a chaplain in a Midwestern hospital room, she holds a man with AIDS who becomes her inspiration to learn massage therapy. We go with her to the San Francisco streets, homeless encampments, and shelters where she practices the art of caring touch, offering seated massage to homeless people right where she encounters them. In a private home in Washington she “massages” an amputated limb for a woman experiencing phantom pain; in a hermit’s shack on Saratoga Passage she learns about silence as she cares for a classics scholar dying of lung cancer. Not many of us go where Trenshaw dares to go. And of those who do go to the margins, few are able to express, as she does, the profound reciprocal effect that encounters of intentional presence can have.
In her new book, “Meeting in the Margins: An Invitation to Encounter Society’s Invisible People,” Cynthia Trenshaw takes us with her when, as a chaplain in a Midwestern hospital room, she holds a man with AIDS who becomes her inspiration to learn massage therapy. We go with her to the San Francisco streets, homeless encampments, and shelters where she practices the art of caring touch, offering seated massage to homeless people right where she encounters them. In a private home in Washington she “massages” an amputated limb for a woman experiencing phantom pain; in a hermit’s shack on Saratoga Passage she learns about silence as she cares for a classics scholar dying of lung cancer. Not many of us go where Trenshaw dares to go. And of those who do go to the margins, few are able to express, as she does, the profound reciprocal effect that encounters of intentional presence can have.
Whatcom Talk editor, Please note: This event also occurs at the Ferndale Library at 10:30 AM on the same day. This is not a mistake or a duplicate listing. Thanks
Friday, May 5, 5:30-9:00. Children’s Art Walk, Book Release of children’s book, Big Ole’,by Todd Warger. Also, we’ll extend Karin Mueller’s amazing exhibit. FREE
Whatcom Community College is kicking off STEM Month with a special Chuckanut Radio Hour, presented by Village Books. This month’s radio hour will feature Nathalia Holt, author of “Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars.” WCC’s STEM Division Chair Heidi Ypma will interview Nathalia. Join us before the show for interesting and informational booths about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) at Whatcom, including 3D printing, the 50th element celebrating WCC’s 50 years, our excellence in cyber security, engineering scholarship opportunities and more.
Please join us! Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; seating for the show begins at 6:30 p.m. This event is free to WCC students, faculty and staff; just bring your ID card! Tickets are $5 for the public.
Special thanks to the Chrysalis Inn & Spa for author accommodations.
The Whatcom Literacy Council will host the annual Literacy Breakfast with Nancy Pearl Thursday, November 2 from 7:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. at Bellingham Technical College’s Settlemyer Hall. An $11 registration (available via the website www.whatcomliteracy.org) will be required to reserve a seat. This event typically sells out over a month in advance, so early registration is advised.
Since 1983, the Whatcom Literacy Council has helped hundreds of adults in Whatcom County transform their lives by strengthening their literacy skills with free tutoring and small group classes. Proceeds from the event go directly to programs that help our neighbors here in Whatcom County build skills that help them get jobs and take care of their families. This year the witty and wonderful Nancy Pearl, NPR commentator and author of Book Lust, More Book Lust, Book Crush, Book Lust To Go and, most recently, a novel called George and Lizzie, will return to share her thoughts on some of the best reads available. Village Books will be on hand to sell Nancy’s recommendations.
This is a fundraiser for the adult literacy programs offered by the Whatcom Literacy Council. It is expected that guests will make a donation at the event.
Join us in celebrating award-winning author Peter Donahue’s new book Three Sides Water at Village Books in Bellingham on Friday, June 8, 2018. Author Peter Donahue will read from his new book Three Sides Water at Village Books in Bellingham on Friday, June 8, 2018 at 7:00 PM. In his latest work of literary fiction, Donahue distills the raw and vivid world of the Olympic Peninsula into a stunning work that challenges what it means to live life with purpose and integrity.
THE BOOK
Across the dramatic landscape of the Pacific Northwest’s Olympic Peninsula, Donahue’s characters take extraordinary actions to transcend the limitations imposed upon them. Marguerite struggles with the emotional aftermath of sexual assault amidst the mysticism and untamed wilderness of the Pacific coast in the 1920s. Avery navigates life as a “juvenile delinquent” while the social and political convulsions of the 1960s transform the world around him. Chris escapes the present-day mill town where he grew up, only to find he must reconcile his true self with the troubling persona he’s taken on.
THE AUTHOR
Peter Donahue is the author of the novels Clara and Merritt and Madison House, winner of the 2005 Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction, and the short story collection The Cornelius Arms. He is co-editor of the 2016 edition of the memoir Seven Years on the Pacific Slope and the anthologies Reading Seattle and Reading Portland. His Retrospective Review column on Northwest literature has appeared in Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History since 2005. He teaches at Wenatchee Valley College at Omak and lives in Winthrop, Washington.
In addition to reading passages from each of the short novels in Three Sides Water, Peter will be spending some time discussing Olympic Peninsula literature and fielding questions from the audience.
In “Skein: The Heartbreaks & Triumphs of a Long Distance Knitter,” author Christen Mattix recounts how she stumbled upon an unusual way of meeting her Fairhaven neighbors when she decided to knit a half-mile blue rope from a public bench to Bellingham Bay. During those three and a half years of knitting at the bench, Mattix meets her loveable and quirky neighbors, visits a Trappist Monastery, falls in love and transforms from introverted artist to a catalyst for community connections.
In Skein: The Heartbreaks & Triumphs of a Long Distance Knitter, author Christen Mattix recounts how she stumbled upon an unusual way of meeting her Fairhaven neighbors when she decided to knit a half-mile blue rope from a public bench to Bellingham Bay. During those three and a half years of knitting at the bench, Mattix meets her loveable and quirky neighbors, visits a Trappist Monastery, falls in love and transforms from introverted artist to a catalyst for community connections.
Local author Candace Wellman speaks about her book “Peace Weavers: Uniting the Salish Coast through Cross-Cultural Marriages.” Peace-weaving marriages between Salish families and pioneer men played a crucial role in mid-1800s regional settlement. Author Candace Wellman illuminates this hidden history and shatters stereotypes surrounding these relationships. The four exceptional women she profiles left a lasting legacy in their Puget Sound communities.
Salvation isn’t a one-time event, it’s a continuous journey to wholeness.
Dr. Brad Jersak and William Paul Young are pioneers on this journey, bringing wisdom and intellect together for a full and life-bringing picture of what it means to be human. Christ Like. Love’s kind. Whole. Connected and open-hearted.
“When the way of our being matches the truth of our being” – Wm. Paul Young
We live in a world that divides heart and mind. One in which a great chasm exists between what we think we should be and who we really are at the core – so much so that we often feel incongruent. Like we are in a constant tug-of-war between our outsides and our insides as they battle to be on the forefront. What if congruence could be found so that who we are in the world is the same as who we are at our deepest level? When our outsides match our insides and the image of Christ in us becomes the image we portray as we live our lives?
Schedule: Please see registration link.
Childcare is available.
As the holidays draw nigh, the South Fork Valley Community Association cordially invites all who would come hither to join in celebration at
South Fork Winterfest
Saturday, November 23, 2019, 10:00AM to 4:00PM in the Van Zandt Community Hall, 4106 Valley Highway, Deming, Wash. (corner of Highway 9 and Potter Road).
Featured at Winterfest 2019
• Live music provided by acclaimed local minstrel Breanna Anderson
• Arts and crafts
• Unique holiday gifts
• Refreshments
• Holiday fun for the entire family!
Admission is free; donations are greatly appreciated.
Everyone is welcome!
Sponsored by: South Fork Valley Community Association (SFVCA). Proceeds will help provide for the upkeep of the historic Van Zandt Community Hall and the presentation of future community events.
Join us as Nancy Canyon presents her long-awaited novel and winner of the Cygnus Award: Paranormal Fiction from Chanticleer Reviews! She will be in conversation with fellow Bellingham author, Cami Ostman.
Set against a backdrop of a nightmarish snowstorm, Canyon’s characters are put to the test, trying to survive the current situation that seems to have supernatural strength and the emotional turmoil they each face. Is peace a possibility? Is happiness and love too much to hope for? Celia’s twin may know something that will change lives forever if only Celia discovers the key to unlock her message.
“A deadly storm, a cryptic secret, and one woman who holds the key – only she’s deceased. Will her twin be able to unravel the tale and resolve the storm? That’s the question in this beautifully penned, dramatic novel. Highly recommended.” – Chanticleer Reviews
Nancy Canyon holds the MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and a Certificate in Fiction from University of Washington. Her writing and art is published in publications like Cirque, Raven Chronicles, Clover: A Literary Rag, Popcorn Farm, and includes a book of poetry, Saltwater. Ms. Canyon is a creative writing instructor for Whatcom Community College Community Ed and a Writing Coach for “The Narrative Project”. She lives near the lake in Bellingham, Washington with her artist husband and their dog and cat. Currently, she is completing a memoir about two seasons spent working as a fire lookout attendant in the 70s in the Clearwater National Forest.
A community fundraiser for Friends of the Deming Library and the South Fork Valley Community Association
Saturday, November 21, 2020, 7:00PM via Zoom – copy and click this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82589170863
Admission is free, but donations are welcome: https://www.southforkvalley.org/
Bringing the community together to share and appreciate local talent and creativity.
Sponsored by: South Fork Valley Community Association (SFVCA) and Deming Library.
Poetry Café 2020, featuring
• Loads of beloved local poets, storytellers, minstrels
• Musical interludes provided by Breanna Anderson, Meinhardt Merry, Lori Erbs
• Wonders of the spoken word from Lois Holub, Jerry McDonnell, C.J. Prince, David Imburgia, Camille Hill, Carla Shafer, Sam Flot
• Special presentation by acclaimed musicians/authors Dean & Dudley Evenson
Further Information: Erin Suda, Deming Library, esuda22@yahoo.com, 206-953-6550
Matthew Thuney, SFVCA, southforkvalley@aol.com, 360-305-6939 (voice/text)
“Rock bottom,” Erica Barnett writes, “is a lie.”
Erica C. Barnett is an award-winning political reporter. She started her career at The Texas Observer and went on to work as a reporter and news editor for The Austin Chronicle, Seattle Weekly, and The Stranger. She now covers addiction, housing, poverty, and drug policy at her blog, The C Is for Crank. She has written for a variety of local and national publications, including The Huffington Post, Seattle Magazine, and Grist.
Kristi Coulter is the author of the memoir-in-essays Nothing Good Can Come from This, a 2019 finalist for the Washington State Book Award. Her work has also appeared in Elle, The Paris Review, New York Magazine, Vox, The Believer, and elsewhere. She lives in Seattle and is at work on the forthcoming Exit Interview, a literary memoir of her decade as an executive at Amazon.
When young Aggie accidentally lights a tragic fire, she hides in a rugged Pacific Northwest forest where no one can find her—including smart, mercurial Celia and two irresistible young men: one brilliant and autistic, the other, dangerous. An evocative coming-of-age story about personal wilderness, trust, and the search for forgiveness.
Naturalist, photographer, and award-winning author Cheryl Grey Bostrom lives with her veterinarian husband in rural Whatcom County. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including the American Scientific Affiliation’s God and Nature Magazine, for which she’s a regular photo essayist. A member of the Redbud Writers Guild, she has also authored two non-fiction books. This is her first novel.
Maggie Wallem Rowe, MABS, is a national speaker, dramatist, and writer from western North Carolina. Married for 45 years to her pastor-husband Mike, mother of three, and grandmother to six, Maggie’s work includes decades in public relations, adult education, and ministry to women. Maggie is the author of the nonfiction work This Life We Share and the upcoming Life is Sweet, Y’all.
