Submitted by the Lopez Island Library

On Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m., the Lopez Library presents a reading with David Mauro, author of “The Altitude Journals: a Seven Year Journey From The Lowest Point In My Life To The Highest Point on Earth.”

When Mauro was in his forties, his life hit rock bottom. With nothing to lose, he left everything he knew behind and set out on an epic international adventure. For the next seven years, Mauro trudged across glaciers, frozen wastelands and through dense, dangerous forests. He communed with penguins and elephants, kept company with cannibals and gunrunners, and spoke with the dead. And though he’d never been a climber, he ended up joining history’s courageous few when he ascended into the clouds to stand at the summit of Mt. Everest. A part-time Lopez resident, Mauro writes for Adventures Northwest magazine and blogs extensively on topics ranging from mountain climbing to why sardines are safe. Mauro is also an actor and has appeared in several commercials for television, the internet, print and radio. He is an improv alumni of The Upfront Theatre Company in Bellingham, Washington. In addition to his reading on Thursday, Oct. 4, Mauro will facilitate a writing workshop at the library on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The workshop is titled, “Hear Your Creative Voice: Accessing Writing through Improvisation.” Mauro will lead this interactive session designed to help each attendee hear, trust, and act upon their own creative voice. No pre-registration is necessary. Please bring your preferred writing materials. Mauro’s presentation is part of the ongoing library speaker series, Know Your Neighbor, which features the expertise, publications and skills of Lopez residents. If you would like to participate as a speaker in this series, please send a brief statement of interest to Malia Sanford, Programs and Art Coordinator, at malia@lopezlibrary.org. All library programs are free and open to the public.