Please join us for an evening of book talk with 3 local authors from our community. Each featured author will be reading from and discussing their new books with time for Q&A and mingling at the end of the event.
This month we will be featuring a variety of genres including poetry and sci-fi!
Vincent Rendoni: A Grito Contest In The Afterlife
In A Grito Contest in the Afterlife, Rendoni skillfully depicts his half-brown, half-white world of clashing idols: a world of Menudo, El Caminos, Street Fighter, and overbearing Abuelos. In this blunt yet charming world, as Rendoni points out, it helps if "you know how to take a punch." Overall, Rendoni’s concise yet fierce language and narrative abilities help illuminate his solidarity with his roots and working-class folks alike, even if at times it is this very loyalty which breeds tension. It is, after all, what Rendoni truly knows and holds dear, "broken knows broken." You’re not going to want to put this book down! ¡Te lo juro!
Author Info: Vincent Antonio Rendoni is a Seattle-based poet and writer. A Grito Contest in the Afterlife is his debut collection. He is a 2022 Jack Straw Poetry Fellow and the winner of Blue Earth Review’s 2021 Flash Fiction Contest. His work has previously appeared in The Sycamore Review, Vestal Review, The Texas Review, Quarterly West, Necessary Fiction, and many other venues. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Chatham University. He can be found online at www.vincentrendoni.com/writer and @warshingtonian.
Ayla Webb (AKA August Wanderlust: Battle Creek
For years, Hal has been working to achieve his dream of forming a rock and roll band, but every time he gets a new member, they seem to acquire a new genre. With punk drummer Ryan, and metal-head Uli, (who ironically plays classical instruments), they only need one more man – a guitarist. After an unsuccessful day of searching at a music festival, a lone country guitarist catches Hal's eye as they eat dinner at a tavern. Country? Why not. That'll make a complete set. But, once guitarist Ricky joins them, they start getting hints that something is not quite right about him. He attracts animals like a magnet, frequently disappears at night, and doesn't seem to understand common aspects of modern daily life. As time passes and they start to find success in the music industry, the ability to keep brushing off Ricky's quirks becomes more difficult as evidence starts to mount. Finally, after a new 'talent' of Ricky's shows itself on the night of a big show, they can no longer make excuses. They need to find out what's going on. But, will forcing Ricky's secrets into the spotlight cause him to disappear into the night permanently, leaving the band in ruin without his incredible guitar playing skills? As leader, Hal has to try and reconcile fear and mistrust between his bandmates, and keep Ricky with them while also finding answers that could cause just as many problems as not knowing.
Author Info: August Wanderlust was born a few generations too late in 1988 to slightly older parents. Raised on ZZ Top and the Beach Boys, she was appalled by her generations' musical preferences, and took solace in oldies music and classic rock throughout high school and young adulthood. A technologically impaired millennial, she enjoyed working for many years as a DJ at a funky old roller rink, until it closed in 2015. She also likes cruising in her 1968 Mustang, hanging out at classic car shows, and engaging in paranormal research, especially regarding ghosts and hauntings. A goth girl at heart, August Wanderlust will forever love anything spooky. Afflicted for roughly 15 years with a mysterious and painful digestive tract disorder that ultimately rendered her at 78 lbs when she was 24 years old, the illness was finally diagnosed as 35 food allergies. Now on an extremely restricted diet, the pain is gone, and she is ready to begin the next chapter in her life as an author.
Morrie Cordero: The Key To Infinity
It's 1942. WWII. Nazis, Space Pirates, ten-foot tall alien cats, a primordial monster. Two sisters must face them all to rescue the mother they long thought dead but who was really kidnapped by the Lord of the Other Worlds
Author Info: Recently as part of her mid-life crisis, M.M. Cordero returned to college after a thirty-year hiatus to complete her bachelor’s degree. While in college, she rediscovered her love, and occasional hate, uh, hmmm, maybe that's too strong a word. How's this...She rediscovered her love and occasional ambivalence for writing. She completed her degree with a major in Creative Writing and just waited for all that money to roll in.