Within its pages there are poems pondering a parallel universe that is closer than you think. There’s even a sexual interpretation of the 1968 moon landing in poetic form.
In fact, “Whidbey Writes Again,” a newly released anthology by Whidbey Island writers, gives readers plenty to ponder within it’s 200 pages.
There are short stories about the lessons learned from e-mail dating, or about an uncomfortable cultural divide made insignificant by the open-minded encounter of an American mother and her unexpected Chinese daughter-in-law.
There’s also one about how a couple’s night spent in a dilapidated roadside inn on a snowy November night in Oregon left them with an unforgettable five-star memory.
The Whidbey Writers’ Group is made up of 15 writers who have been meeting every other Tuesday for more than 20 years.
They publish an anthology of their stories, essays and poems each year. This, the group’s seventh anthology, has just been released by Gull Rock Publishing of Oak Harbor. The collection is available at Whidbey bookstores and several local businesses, just in time for the holidays.
A great gift for residents of Whidbey Island, or for anyone who likes a good read, “Whidbey Writes Again” includes stories, essays and poems of true love, false love, lost love, humor, pathos, surprise, suspense, travel, growing up and the power of imagination.
A book-launch party was this past Sunday at the Coupeville Library. Authors read from their work throughout the afternoon.
Contributing writers include Ann Adams, Murray Anderson, Barb Bland, Kaye Erickson, Ann Gerike, Jackie Griesinger, Susan Jensen, Gail Madden, Herb McDonald, Susan (Nasus) Nunn, Sandra Ortgies, Dorothy Read, Larry Shafer, Bill Wilson and Rowena Williamson.
“Whidbey Writes Again” is dedicated to the late Jackie Griesinger, one of the group’s charter members. The book’s cover was designed by Philip Williamson.
“Whidbey Writes Again” is currently available at Moonraker Books in Langley, Wind & Tide Bookstore in Oak Harbor, and Kingfisher Bookstore and the Honey Bear in Coupeville.
Whidbey Writers’ Group meets every other Tuesday.
For those interested in learning more about the group, call Barb Bland at 360-675-9676 or e-mail barble@comcast.net.
