Submitted by Lopez Bookshop

“Three guys walk into a bookshop” might sound like the start of a joke, and undoubtedly the “Local Writers Read” at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 1, at Lopez Bookshop will bring smiles to the audience. However, Robert Dash from Orcas Island, Richard Little from Bellingham and Harold Van Doren from Lopez Island are quite serious about their writing; they’ll read and discuss their books at the event that is free and open to all.

Dash is an educator, naturalist and photographer who has roamed from bluff to tree and from feather to seed, on an acre of Orcas Island forest, meadow and cliff. Using his camera, a scanning electron microscope, and subtle metaphor, he finds beauty at scales ranging from miles to micrometers. Dash’s work has been published by National Geographic, TIME and Lenswork, and shown in the United States and abroad. He’ll share images and stories from “On an Acre Shy of Eternity: Micro Landscapes at the Edge,” winner of a Nautilus Gold Book Award.

Retired attorney and lobbyist, Little has lived in the Pacific Northwest for more than 35 years. His work has been published in the Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Cirque Literary Journal and Clover: A Literary Rag. He last visited Lopez Bookshop with his short story collection, “Postcards from the Road.” This time, Little will read from his latest book, “Jakey’s Fork: A River’s Journey,” which begins high in the Rockies and follows a small creek to the mighty Missouri.

Van Doren has lived on four islands – Isle au Haut, Maine; Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; The Big Island, Hawaii; and finally, Lopez Island. He’s found each special in its own way, and that all share a unique “islandness.” Although born in New Jersey, Van Doren has become a true islander, easily moving from one island to another. He’ll read from his second book, “An Island Sense of Home,” about Isle au Haut.