Submitted by Lopez Island Bookshop
Fans of the Local Writers Read programs will be glad to know these highly-popular events are back! The evenings, sponsored by Lopez Bookshop and SHARK REEF Literary Magazine, are scheduled on the first Friday of every month from October through June 2017. The season kicks off Friday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. with readings from Lopez’s own Molly Swan-Sheeran, former Lopezian Hollis Giammateo and Seattle writer Erika Brumett.
Molly Swan-Sheeran, who makes her living as a metal smith, has been writing poetry for more than 50 years, and she has also written a book about designing paper-cut Celtic knots. Swan-Sheeran recently published a fifth book of her poems, entitled “When I Go,” which is titled after a light-hearted poem about dying.
Erika Brumett holds an MFA from Northwest Institute of Literary Arts. Her writing appears in numerous publications, including SHARK REEF, The Los Angeles Review, Pooled Ink Anthology, PageBoy Magazine and Crab Creek Review. Brumett lives in Seattle. She’ll read from her recently-published novel, Scrap Metal Sky, which won five stars from GoodReads.
“As a longtime fan of SHARK REEF, I’m honored to join Local Writers Read,” Brumett commented. “This series has a local focus, but it offers a model for our larger, literary community of ideas and exchanges that extend beyond the page. And what better spot for this ongoing dialogue than Lopez Bookshop?”
A Seattleite now, Hollis Giamatteo lived on Lopez in the 1990s. She feels her years here were “a great privilege, and still offer a perspective of stewardship, community and natural beauty in this chaotically changing world. I enjoyed an active writing life on Lopez, and I’m delighted to return in that capacity.”
A practicing Buddhist for over 30 years, Giamatteo has sought experiences that would challenge her practice, from teaching writing to working with the elderly. She co-founded, managed, and wrote plays for The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia and for Rhode Island Feminist Theater. Her work has been published in a variety of magazines ranging from Prairie Schooner and The North American Review to Ms. and Vogue. She was granted a National Endowment for the Arts award, selected for a residency at Hedgebrook, and received a PEN/Jerard Award. Her latest book, “The Shelf Life of Ashes: A Memoir,” chronicles the experiences of seeking models of healthy aging.
“We’re delighted to host these evenings at the Lopez Bookshop,” said Karen Barringer, Lopez Bookshop co-owner. “It’s clear Lopezians are always willing to come out for good writing.”
SHARK REEF editor Lorna Reese agrees, “We’ve been hosting Writers Read evenings for 18 years. It’s so gratifying to bring local writers to such a receptive audience.”
“Local Writers Read” is free and open to the public; donations to SHARK REEF are welcome. For more information visit lopezbookshop.com.
