Submitted by Village Books

Fall is in full swing. Cozy up this season with blankets, tea and a good book from one of these local or visiting authors. Dip into some poetry or get swept aways in an imaginative story. There’s something for everyone throughout the month of November. 

Monday, November 2, 7:00 p.m.
Rick Steves: Europe Through the Back Door — Celebrating European Travel on a Budget

Join travel expert Rick Steves–acclaimed for his bestselling guidebook series, and public TV and radio shows–as he shares the latest in smart European travel. Steves explains the practical, money-saving ins and outs of independent travel. Hear his tips on getting the most out of every mile, minute, and euro on your next trip. Includes slide show!

For more than 30 years, Rick and his guides have been researching the best destinations–emphasizing authentic experience and value for your money. Rick was named “Travel Journalist of the Year” by the Society of American Travel Writers, and recently won the Lowell Thomas Travel Book Award. He packs the house every year, so grab your tickets now and prepare to have a great time! Admission is $5 and tickets are available at Village Books or online at brownpapertickets.com, and are non-refundable. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds will benefit Bellingham High School’s PTSA.

Tuesday, November 3, 7:00 p.m.
R.P. Ericksen, “Ponderables” — Poetry

With wit, candor, irony, and a hard-earned left-of-center perspective, Ericksen explores politics, religion, nature, and ideas. He asks us to ponder biblical “truths’ and the seductive lure of food and drink, the effect of our carbon footprint and the soft power behind blue jeans and electric guitars. This book should provoke an occasional laugh. It also should encourage your thoughtful response to life’s important questions.

Robert Ericksen is the recently retired Chair of Holocaust Studies at Pacific Lutheran University and the author of books such as “Theologians under Hitler” (Yale, 1985) and “Complicity in the Holocaust: Churches and Universities in Nazi Germany” (Cambridge, 2012). Alongside his scholarly work, he has now published this first book of poetry as well as a political commentary, “The Left Has Always Been Right” (2012). Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, his network of family and friends mostly tolerate both sides of his writing persona. 

Wednesday, November 4, 7:00 p.m.

Denis Hayes and Gail Boyer Hayes, “Cowed: The Hidden Impact of 93 Million Cows on America’s Health, Economy, Politics, Culture and Environment” — Co-sponsored by Sustainable Connections

In “Cowed,” Denis and Gail Hayes offer a revealing analysis of how our mutually beneficial, 10,000-year relationship with bovines has become tragically dysfunctional. Today, most cows are treated barbarically; cows, in turn, undermine human health and wreak havoc on the environment. The authors describe an alternative future that is good for people and cows, and a hard-nosed strategy to achieve it.

Denis Hayes is President of the Bullitt Foundation, former Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, former professor of engineering at Stanford, former Silicon Valley attorney, and national coordinator of the first Earth Day in 1970. Selected by Time magazine as a “Hero of the Planet” and by Look magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Americans of the 20th Century, he has received the national Jefferson Medal, the Rachel Carson Medal, and the John Muir Award. Gail Boyer Hayes is an environmental attorney who has written books on legal issues surrounding solar energy and on medical issues. She is a member of the DC, Colorado, and California bars.

Saturday, November 7, 4:00 p.m.

Constance Gibbons, “Mom Told Me You Are a Hero” – Local Author

This delightfully illustrated children’s book, for readers of all ages, will encourage generation-bridging discussions about trauma-induced anger, rage, memory loss, unexpected mood change (PTSD), and injury that can happen within families of veterans. It does not matter if the warrior recently returned, or if their war is decades behind them.

Constance Gibbons is a retired educator who grew up in a military family, and who continues to be inspired by all things military as the wife of a veteran and proud parent to five veterans. She is a member of SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and CANSCAIP (the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers). She lives on an island with two large dogs in Anacortes, WA.

Sunday, November 8, 4:00 p.m.
Gail Noble Sanderson, “The Lavender House in Meuse” — Local Author

Marie Durant Chagall, a young French woman, is left physically battered and emotionally scarred following her traumatic nursing service during World War 1. Rather than return to Marseille and her life of privilege with her Papa and half-sister Solange, Marie takes possession of an empty house along the banks of the River Meuse. This house, left to her by the mother she lost as an infant, becomes the sanctuary and setting for this dramatic and moving story of recovery and renewal following the trauma of war.

Gail Noble-Sanderson has been writing for as long as she can remember. In her career as a Speech-Language Pathologist, she has published many educational programs for children with special needs. She now turns her attention to the writing of historical fiction. Gail has lived in many parts of the United States, but has called the Pacific Northwest home for almost 30 years.

Monday, November 9, 7:00 p.m.
George Edward, “How To Steal From Mom” — Local Author

“How to Steal from Mom” investigates the financial exploitation of seniors, and is a primer on how and why adult children steal from their elderly parents. Edward developed a program at a local credit union to detect the financial exploitation of seniors. In this book, he gives examples of financial fraud and shows how the adult children manipulate bank accounts to drain their parent’s savings. Edward then offers advice on how to prevent fraud against the elderly.

George Francis Edward graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, and holds a Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law. George and his wife Dana, moved to Bellingham in 1999. He provided technical support to faculty and staff at Western Washington University through 2006, and served as Risk Management Officer at the Whatcom Educational Credit Union from 2007 to 2015. In 2009, George created the WECUSAFE program, which helped to identify eighty-four cases of financial exploitation involving elderly or dependent vulnerable adults. In each of those cases, George worked with WECU operations staff and local authorities to intervene, resolve and to terminate the financial exploitation or elder abuse of the senior.

Tuesday, November 10, 7:00 p.m.
Gary Keister, Fid and Needle — Poetry

Fid & Needle, a poetry chapbook, comprises poems written by the author that expands over several decades. He started writing as a teenager while crewing on purse seiners in Puget Sound and Alaska. Later, he continued writing on the subject of the sea, fishermen and the salmon canning industry, selecting his material from journals that he maintained. Many of his poems include the subject of his grandfather, a skipper, with whom he sailed, starting as a cabin boy at the age of eight. Mr. Keister’s poetry expresses the complexities of the human experience as a commercial fisherman, yet the immense joy in his respect for the sea.

Mr. Keister, a native of Anacortes, now resides on Discovery Bay, near Port Townsend, with his wife Susan, an artist. This is his first collection of poetry, a chapbook, devoted to commercial fishing. He published “Along The Corkline,” a memoir, in 2010. He has also written a screen play, “Capitol Favors,” several articles and short stories. Keister is a frequent presenter at the FisherPoets Gathering in Astoria, as well as the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend.

Wednesday, November 11, 7:00 p.m.
Louis Druehl, “Cedar, Salmon and Weed” — Fiction

Set in “Canada’s Cannery Row,” Bamfield on Vancouver Island, “Cedar, Salmon and Weed” is a colorful homage to life in a small BC fishing village, where hippies and town folk cope with a world of a dying fisheries and the civic unrest so common to the 1970s. Great parties, marine salvaging bordering on piracy, innocent pot growing gone awry, romances, and scientific discoveries unite the town’s bored and eccentric denizens struggling to alleviate their isolation and harsh weather.

Louis Druehl is a marine botanist, editor of the local paper, seaweed expert and a splitter of firewood and whacker of bush. He was a professor of marine botany at Simon Fraser University, holds graduate degrees from the University of Washington and the University of British Columbia, was one of the founders of the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (formerly the Bamfield Marine Station) and is one of the 2015 recipients of the B.C. Community Achievement Award. He authored the best-selling Pacific Seaweeds (Harbour Publishing) and resides in Port Desire, Bamfield with his wife Rae Hopkins and their dog Brady.

Friday, November 13, 7:00 p.m.
Richard Little, “Postcards from the Road” — Local Author

The reader will find herein colorful stories about a car trip across the US and back, about people and events — some real, some imagined — on roads less traveled. History and humor, small town cafes, and in company with Huck Finn, Woody Guthrie, and Walt Whitman, to name just a few.

A retired attorney and government lobbyist in Olympia and Washington D.C., Richard Little writes in the Pacific Northwest, where he’s lived for over 35 years. His work has been published in the Santa Fe Writers Project, the Seattle Times, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Sunday, November 15, 4:00 p.m.
Paula Forget, “Guided to the Higher Realms” — Local Author

Paula was in the middle of life changes and new beginnings. She was introduced to a meditation teacher who gave weekly classes and talks about spiritual life. This began her period of self-discovery; physically, emotionally and spiritually. It revealed the power of vibration for healing her body and accessing higher dimensions of consciousness. It is a detailed account of her encounters with spiritually evolved Beings, how they guided her to higher realms and deepened her understanding of the soul. In the end, she was healed of rheumatoid arthritis. The book is a captivating journey of transformation leading to ultimate freedom.

Paula Forget has had careers in several industries, including insurance, hospitality and fine arts. She teaches meditation in Canada and the US and leads groups on journeys of self-discovery. She lives in Bellingham, Washington.

Wednesday, November 18, 7:00 p.m.
Graham Kerr, Flash of Silver — Memoir

Join former “Galloping Gourmet” Graham Kerr as he presents the omnibus edition of his book Flash of Silver, which was originally available only as a serial publication. Part memoir and part spiritual journey, Flash of Silver is sure to appeal to anyone who has hoped to live life to the fullest. 

Graham Kerr was known, for many years, as the host of The Galloping Gourmet, an international television show that changed the cooking show genre into a unique form of entertainment for both devoted cooks and those without culinary concerns. The Food Network credits Graham’s Producer wife Treena for setting the scene for the later success of modern culinary entertainment.

Thursday, November 19, 5:00 p.m.
Random House Reps’ Picks with Katie Mehan and David Glenn

Join Random House sales reps Katie and David as they share their favorite picks for fall and winter 2015! Looking for a read for your book group? A great gift (or three)? A book for yourself? Look no further! These two experts are here to help!

This is a free event, and Katie and David’s picks will be just $10 each this evening only!

Thursday, November 19, 7:00 p.m.
Deeanne Graham, “Head On: Stories of Alopecia” — Local Author

This collection of personal narratives follows the courageous journeys of over 75 writers as they find their way after being diagnosed with Alopecia Areata, a hair loss condition that affects over 146 million men, women, and children throughout the world. Their discovery of acceptance, adaptability, and finally celebration are intertwined in these thought-provoking inspiring stories and captivating photos.

Thirty years ago, Deeanne Graham unwillingly exchanged the steady California sunshine for the perpetual liquid sunshine of Washington State, and is now happy to call Skagit Valley her home. She spends the majority of her time working with her husband, Cedar, in their salvage company, taking her son to the local skate park, and more recently has been mentally preparing for having a daughter in driver’s ed. You may catch a glimpse of her drinking tea at the Abbey Garden Tea Room, browsing the shelves at Village Books, or downtown grabbing a burger at Fiamma. She promotes Alopecia awareness and education by speaking at schools, fundraisers, and community events.

Friday, November 20, 7:00 p.m.
Susanne Paola Antonetta, Carol Guess and Brenda Miller, “Family Resemblance: An Anthology and Exploration of Hybrid Literary Genres” — Local Authors

When we talk about hybrid literary genres, what do we mean? Unprecedented in both its scope and approach, “Family Resemblance” is the first anthology to explore the answer to that question in depth, providing craft essays and examples of hybrid forms by 43 distinguished authors. In this study of eight hybrid genres, the family tree of hybridity takes delightful shape, showcasing how cross-genre works blend features from multiple literary parents to create new entities.

Susanne Paola Antonetta’s most recent book, “Make Me a Mother,” ranked a Top Ten Book of the Year by Image Journal, was published by W.W. Norton. She is also author of “Body Toxic,” “A Mind Apart,” the novella “Stolen Moments,” and four books of poetry. Awards for her poetry and prose include a New York Times Notable Book, an American Book Award, a Library Journal Best Science book of the year, a Lenore Marshall Award finalist, a Pushcart prize, and others. Her essays and poems have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Orion, The New Republic and many anthologies. She lives in Bellingham, Washington. Carol Guess is the author of fifteen books of poetry and prose, including “Darling Endangered, “Doll Studies: Forensics,” and “Tinderbox Lawn.” In 2014 she was awarded the Philolexian Award for Distinguished Literary Achievement by Columbia University. Her most recent book, “With Animal,” was co-written with Kelly Magee and published by Black Lawrence Press in 2015. She teaches in the MFA program at Western Washington University. Brenda Miller teaches in the MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in English Studies at Western Washington University. She is the author of four essay collections, including “Listening Against the Stone,” “Blessing of the Animals,” and “Season of the Body.” She also co-authored “Tell It Slant: Creating, Refining and Publishing Creative Nonfiction” and “The Pen and The Bell: Mindful Writing in a Busy World.” Her work has received six Pushcart Prizes.