Author Pyle to give reading at Wordfest

Robert Michael Pyle will be launching his newest book, Mariposa Road, at the next WordFest gathering on November 2, at 6 p.m. at The Brits restaurant in Longview.

Pyle, a Yale-trained naturalist living in Grays River, is the author of 14 books, including Chasing Monarchs, Where Bigfoot Walks, and Wintergreen.

He will be discussing and reading from Mariposa Road, which relates his travels in 2008, when he set out to see as many North American butterflies as he could in one year. He relates the people, experiences, as well as butterflies he encountered along the way. Copies of Pyle's books will be available for sale and to be autographed.

During the second hour, poets Carolyn Norred and Karen Bonaudi will host a "Poetry Night" where local poets will read and receive feedback from Norred and Bonaudi on their poems.

Norred, a WordFest favorite, has shared her poetry over the years. A retired instructor of language and literature, she brings years of experience of helping poets find their voices.

Bonaudi is a former president of the Washington Poets Association. Her poetry has been published in a number of journals, and she has received awards from the Washington Poets Association and the Washington Community College Humanities Association. Her chapbook of poems, Editing a Vapor Trail, was published in August by Pudding House Press.

WordFest is a gathering of writers and readers who meet on the first Tuesday of each month at The Brits, 1427 Commerce Avenue, in Longview. The restaurant opens at 5:30 p.m., a select menu is available and Capstone Cellars offers a variety of wines.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about WordFest, contact Alan Rose at 360-425-3430 ext 280, or at http://www.alan-rose.com.