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.
Celebrate Adam Roberts debut fiction novel, Food Person, with us and Samantha Ferraro in the Readings Gallery! Drawing from his experience as a cookbook writer dive into this delectable comedy with him.
For fans of Alison Espach’s The Wedding People and Dolly Alderton’s Good Material, Food Person is a delectable comedy of manners about cooking, ambition, and friendship set in the food world as a young and socially awkward writer takes a job ghostwriting the cookbook for a famous (and famously chaotic) Hollywood starlet.
Adam Roberts is the author of The Amateur Gourmet, Secrets of the Best Chefs, and Give My Swiss Chards to Broadway. He started his food blog The Amateur Gourmet in 2004, and also hosts the podcast Lunch Therapy. Roberts has also written for The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, and for film and television.
Social links:
Website: https://www.adamrobertsfood.com
IG/TikTok: @amateurgourmet
What once started as a hobby connecting Samantha Ferraro to her multi-cultural roots has since led to a delicious business venture.
She has lived in different parts of the country, originally from NYC, then growing up in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, living Southern California and now making the PNW her home. All of these places and cultures inspire her in the kitchen.
In 2018, her debut cookbook ‘The Weeknight Mediterranean Kitchen’ was published, then recognized as one of the top 10 cookbooks in sales from Page Street Publishing. She is also a regular on-air talent on King5 Seattle, and teaches cooking classes virtually and in person. She does all of the recipe creation and food photography for LFK and social media. Her second cookbook, ‘One-Pot Mediterranean’ became available nationwide June, 2023.
Little Ferraro Kitchen (LFK) is a recipe website featuring international recipes, including Mediterranean, Jewish and Hawaiian. LFK has has been featured nationally in the Los Angeles Times, Washington post, PBS Food and Everyday Health, among others.
LFK has a strong social media presence with emphasis on videos and majority of readership being based in New York, Los Angeles and Seattle.
Join Village Books in welcoming Coll Thrush to the Readings Gallery for an evening filled with tales of shipwrecks and the meanings that were made from these events!
A provocative retelling of shipwreck tales from the Northwest Coast, Wrecked includes stories of vessels that met their fate in the “Graveyard of the Pacific” and the meanings made of these events by both Indigenous and settler survivors and observers. This lively history highlights the ways in which the three central myths of settler colonialism—the disappearance of Indigenous people, the control of an endlessly abundant nature, and the idea that the past would stay past—proved to be untrue.
Coll Thrush is the author previously of Native Seattle: Histories from the Crossing-Over Place and Indigenous London: Native Travelers at the Heart of Empire. He is professor of history at the University of British Columbia and founding co-editor of the Indigenous Confluences book series at the University of Washington Press.
Join Gerald Baron in the Readings Gallery for an in-depth talk about his book, It Was My Turn: One of Vietnam’s Most Decorated Pilots and America’s Secret War, where special guest and the main subject of the book Terry Crump will be joining him!
It Was My Turn: One of Vietnam’s Most Decorated Pilots and America’s Secret War is the story of Bellingham’s own Terry Crump who was awarded an unprecedented seven Distinguished Flying Crosses during his one year tour in Vietnam. This book puts you in the cockpit of a Cobra gunship as Terry and his fellow Pink Panther pilots fought to protect the lives of the Green Berets and their teams sent into the forbidden territory of Laos and Cambodia, most often against overwhelming enemy forces. The highly classified secret war of SOG, the so-called Studies and Observation Group, was finally revealed in the 1990s and has generated great public interest. This is the little known story of the war in the skies above the embattled Special Forces.
Gerald Baron is a retired businessman from Bellingham, founding and owning several businesses including Business Pulse, Baron & Company, a marketing a public relations firm, and PIER Systems. He also served as founding Executive Director of Whatcom Family Farmers and Save Family Farming. He has written several books including Now Is Too Late on crisis communication and A Fighter Pilot in Buchenwald, the Joe Moser story. He and his wife Lynne live in Mount Vernon.
Warrant Officer Terry Crump was a Cobra Gunship pilot who earned a near-unprecedented seven Flying Crosses in his one year tour in Vietnam. He was one of Vietnam’s most decorated pilots.
Join Village Books and founder of the Bellingham Queer Collective, Michelle Harmeier, in welcoming Patricia Grayhall to the Readings Gallery to celebrate her newest book, A Place for Us!
In 1981 London, Jo and Lauren’s passionate connection is derailed by distance and immigration. Two decades later, both trapped in unhappy relationships, a chance San Francisco reunion sets their passion ablaze. Against breathtaking landscapes, they must finally confront old truths and fight to claim the future they’ve always yearned for in a world slow to accept their love.
Patricia Grayhall is a retired medical doctor and author of the memoir Making the Rounds: Defying Norms in Love and Medicine, which garnered a starred Kirkus Review and was named one of Kirkus Reviews Best 100 Indie Books of 2022. Among the awards were the 2024 National Indie Excellence Award for LGBTQIA Non-fiction and Memoir and the 2023 Best Indie Book Award Winner for LGBTQ Memoir.
Patricia published a romance novel, Golden Years and Silver Linings, with her wife in 2023. A Place for Us: A Novel is her third book, inspired by her Canadian immigration experience. Her fourth book, Presumed Guilty, a thriller in which a physician and an environmental attorney confront Big Oil, will be published in January 2026.
Michelle Harmeier is the founder of the Bellingham Queer Collective (BQC), a whose mission is to connect, celebrate, unite, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. The BQC Community Center at 310 W. Champion St. hosts monthly book discussion groups and highlights local queer authors.
Join Village Books in celebrating New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre newest book, I Think I’m in Love with an Alien!
Galaxy Quest meets Roswell in this quirky sci-fi rom-com from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre.
He’s stranded. He’s desperate. He’s not looking for love.
Alien Tamzir Jaarn, a.k.a. Seeker, is paying the price for risking an illicit holiday on an interdicted planet. His ride off-world never showed, and he’s been stranded on Earth for nearly a year. His gear is breaking down, food is becoming a problem, and if his camouflage unit fritzes, he’ll wind up in a government lab.
But he’s met some cool humans online, and they’ve invited him to the biggest space-themed convention around. Why not make memories with them while he figures out how to get home?
Space Con or bust!
She’s nerdy. She’s flirty. She’s ready for romance.
Jennette Hammond is an endearing weirdo, voted most likely to bang an alien in high school. Her house is full of gray man collectibles, adorable tentacle monsters, and yes, in college, she volunteered for a SETI-type program. Not that she’s ever had any close encounters of the sexy, alien kind. Heck, she’s never even been able to convince anyone to attend Space Con.
But that’s about to change. Finally, she has online friends who have agreed to go, and it will be a romp to remember—and she’ll finally put a face to the name of her longtime crush, Seeker.
When alien meets adorkable, they’re destined for an out-of-this-world affair…
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ann Aguirre has been a clown, a clerk, a savior of stray kittens, and a voice actress, not necessarily in that order. She loves video games, Korean dramas, music, dogs and cats, and staring at the sea. Though she writes all kinds of genre fiction, she has a major soft spot for a happily ever after.
Sarah Hawley is the USA Today bestselling author of Servant of Earth and the Glimmer Falls series. She has an MA in archaeology and has excavated at an Inca site in Chile, a Bronze Age palace in Turkey, and a medieval abbey in England. When not dreaming up whimsical love stories, she can be found reading, dancing, or cuddling her two cats.
Join Village Books in celebrating New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd’s next book in her Daughter of Montague series, Thus with a Kiss I Die!
The delightfully irreverent eldest daughter of the not-so-ill-fated Romeo and Juliet returns to sleuth another day in fair Verona, in this hugely entertaining historical mystery series with a refreshingly bold premise.
Christina Dodd is a New York Times bestselling author whose suspense, paranormal, historical, and mystery novels have been translated into 30 languages and sold more than 15 million copies in print. Praised for her “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (Booklist), her award-winning books have landed on numerous Best of the Year lists and, much to her mother’s delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest, where her 700 lavender plants share the yard with her husband’s various “Big Projects,” including a treehouse, zipline, and their very own Stonehenge. Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list for humor, book news and entertainment (yes, she’s the proud author with the infamous three-armed cover) at ChristinaDodd.com.
Join Village Books to welcome award-winning, ardent conservationist, Northwest trails and hiking expert Craig Romano to the Readings Gallery for his latest book, Urban Trails: Vancouver, BC!
In this region rich with natural beauty, Urban Trails: Vancouver, BC spotlights 55 trails, parks, preserves and greenbelts within Vancouver and across the 21 municipalities of the greater Vancouver area. Some destinations take readers to old-growth forests, lakeshores, coastal beaches, riverfronts, and wildlife-rich wetlands while others uncover accessible trails and peaceful corners right within urban centers.
Craig Romano is an award-winning author, an ardent conservationist, and a Northwest trails and hiking expert. He has written for more than two dozen publications including Northwest Travel and Life, Washington Trails, and numerous websites. He provides weekly content for Hikeoftheweek.com and is co-host of the Washington State Hiking podcast. He lives in Skagit County and is frequently out hiking or trail running, often accompanied by his wife, Heather, and son, Giovanni.
Join Village Books for an extra special evening of music, stories, and fun to kick off 2025’s Chuckanut Writers Conference with the amazing Rena Priest, Robert Lashley, and Kevin Murphy at the Hotel Leo!
Doors open and music begins at 6:30pm. Recording starts at 7:00pm.
Special Guest Poet: Kevin Murphy
Musical Guest: 3-oh
Spaces are limited and REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED to secure your spot so don’t delay.
The Chuckanut Writers Conference is more than just a weekend of workshops. It’s an opportunity to engage your passion for writing, connect with fellow storytellers, and nurture your craft in the inspiring Pacific Northwest environment.
Whether you’re just starting your writing journey or you’re an experienced author, the Chuckanut Writers Conference offers a welcoming space for every voice.
We’re excited to come together in person once again to study the craft and business of writing and publishing, but most importantly… let’s network and encourage one another on the journey. Join us for a weekend of learning, laughter, and creativity that will leave you feeling motivated and ready to bring your words to life.
Rena Priest is a poet, essayist, and enrolled member of the Lummi Nation. She served as the sixth Washington State Poet Laureate (2021-2023) and was the first Indigenous person to hold this post. She has received a Washington State Book Award and an Allied Arts Foundation Professional Poets Award. She is also the recipient of residencies and fellowships from Hedgebrook, Storyknife, Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers, the Academy of American Poets, Indigenous Nations Poets, and the University of Washington Libraries. Her first collection, Patriarchy Blues, received an American Book Award. She has edited two anthologies, and her forthcoming collection of essays, Positively Uncivilized, will be published by Raven Chronicles Press as the winner of their 2024 Keepers of the Fire Award. Her poems appear in Yellow Medicine Review, Poetry Magazine, Poem-a-day at Poets.org, Verse Daily, and elsewhere. Priest holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and works as a freelance writer and speaker. She lives in Bellingham, Washington.
Robert Lashley was a 2016 Jack Straw Fellow, Artist Trust Fellow, and a nominee for a Stranger Genius Award. His books include Green River Valley (Blue Cactus Press, 2021), Up South (Small Doggies Press, 2017), and The Homeboy Songs (Small Doggies Press, 2014). His poetry has appeared in The Seattle Review of Books, NAILED, Poetry Northwest, McSweeney’s, and The Cascadia Review, and recently, The Cascadia Field Guide, which has been on the bestseller list for 40 weeks. In 2019, Entropy Magazine named The Homeboy Songs one of the 25 essential books to come out of Seattle. In 2024, his Novel, I Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer, was selected as a finalist for a Washington State Book Award.
Kevin Murphy has been writing poetry for over 45 years, often accompanying himself on guitar or percussion. He is poet-in-residence at the Chuckanut Radio Hour, and is a winner of the Bellingham Mayor Arts Award. He has recorded two CDs of his work, Between Onions and Oxygen, and the Bird of Pure Midnight. His new poetry collection is The Last Normal Year (2025).
3-oh has performed all over Whatcom county as well as live on the radio. Their acoustic music features two guitars, the occasional banjo and ringing three-part harmonies. Their sets include a number of original songs and old favorites as well as obscure cover songs originating in the 1930s to today from all sorts of genres. They especially enjoy twisting and tweaking old chestnuts until they sound like something new, and an altogether different kind of nut.
The Chuckanut Radio Hour, a recipient of Bellingham’s prestigious Mayor’s Arts Award, is a radio variety show that began in January 2007. Each Chuckanut Radio Hour includes guest authors, musicians, performance poet Kevin Murphy, and episodes of “As the Ham Turns” serial radio comedy performed by the Chuckanut Radio Players Les Campbell, Tonja Meyers, Sarah Hawley, and Robert Muzzy (plus the occasional guest!). Not to mention groaner jokes by hosts Paul Hanson, Kelly Evert, and announcer Rich Donnelly. The Chuckanut Radio Hour’s first guest was Erik Larson and has since included, Tom Robbins, Maria Semple, Christopher McDougall, Erica Bauermeister, and Garrison Keillor, among many others. Tickets for the Chuckanut Radio Hour are $5 and are available on Eventbrite.The Radio Hour airs Sundays at 7pm on Community Powered KMRE at 88.3FM and kmre.org.
Sponsored by 12th Street Shoes and the Salish Current.
Welcome Michael N. McGregor back to the Readings Gallery for his newest book, An Island to Myself: The Place of Solitude in an Active Life! Dr. Laura Laffrado from WWU’s English Department will be joining him for the afternoon.
In his twenties, Michael N. McGregor traveled to the remote Greek island of Patmos to spend two winter months alone, 6,000 miles from home. Although he expected his solitude to be meaningful, he wasn’t prepared for how it would change him. Before his island days, McGregor had spent years reporting on the world’s poor and months on the road. As he settled into days of rigorous writing, evening walks through fierce wind, and nights full of memories, dreams and spiritual encounters, he learned that solitude can be difficult and even dangerous, but also awe-inspiring and life-altering.
Michael N. McGregor is an award-winning author, essayist, journalist, and biographer. His first novel, The Last Grand Tour (January 28, 2025), received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews, and his first book, Pure Act: The Uncommon Life of Robert Lax, was a finalist for a Washington State Book Award and several other prizes. The New York Times has praised McGregor’s writing as “vivid and engaging” and Image magazine has called it “emotionally honest, intellectually engaging, and profound in its search for spiritual truth.” His work covers the range from short to long fiction, reported to personal nonfiction, secular to spiritual contemplation of both inner and outer life. A former professor of creative writing, McGregor holds an MFA from Columbia University and has published over 300 shorter works in publications such as Tin House, StoryQuarterly, Poetry, and Orion. He lives in Seattle. To learn more about McGregor and his work, go to: michaelnmcgregor.com.
Dr. Laura Fernandes Laffrado is an award-winning Professor of English at Western Washington University. She has published widely on American literature in journals such as a/b: Auto/Biography Studies; ESQ; Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers; Literature in the Early Republic; Nathaniel Hawthorne Review; Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture; and many other journals and collections. Among her books are Uncommon Women: Gender and Representation in Nineteenth-Century US Women’s Writing and her most recent book, Selected Writings of Ella Higginson: Inventing Pacific Northwest Literature, which received the Society for the Study of American Women Writers 2018 Edition Award. She is currently at work on a biography of Pacific Northwest writer Ella Rhoads Higginson.
Join us and local author Jeffrey Morgan in the Readings Gallery to welcome Pushcart Prize-nominated poet Mark Strohschein in celebration of his new chapbook, Cries Across Borders!
Cries Across Borders, a telling chapbook about the vagaries of the immigration system, poignantly and deftly addresses how difficult and trying unification with a loved one can be. In intelligent poems of longing, perplexity and discovery, the poet deconstructs the metaphor of exile and asks why borders still separate us.
Pushcart Prize-nominated poet and educator Mark Strohschein resides on Whidbey Island. His poems have appeared in Cirque Journal, Flint Hills Review, Bryant Literary Review, Broad River Review, The Milk House and other journals and anthologies. His new chapbook, Cries Across Borders, was a semifinalist for Button Poetry’s 2023 chapbook contest.
Jeffrey Morgan is a two-time National Poetry Series Finalist and the author of Crying Shame (BlazeVOX [books]) and The Last Note Becomes Its Listener (Conduit Books & Ephemera), winner of the Mind’s on Fire Open Book Prize. He lives in Bellingham, WA.
Join Christina Baldwin in the Readings Gallery to celebrate her debut historical novel, The Beekeeper’s Question!
World War II looms over of the Cooper family: a soldier son sends his pregnant bride to their Montana town; another son brings home his Blackfeet wife and reopens racial tensions. Their father, Leo, local preacher and beekeeper, endeavors to make the community as harmonious as bees. Doctor Jereldene Jesperson, keeps the valley together, curing bodies and tending souls. And Blackfeet grandmother, Josie Shines-the-Light, relies on Leo and his son to safeguard her granddaughter. A mysterious figure threatens the family and Maire, the war bride, must find the way to save her husband’s ravaged soul.
Christina Baldwin is a pioneer in personal writing and story with eight classic books in this field. For twenty-five years she taught circle facilitation across North America and around the world. The Beekeeper’s Question is her debut historical novel. Her website: www.christinabaldwin.com is dedicated to issues raised in her books.
