Main Street Books, 110 East Main Street, Suite 100 in downtown Monroe, will host the first Writer in a Window event on Small Business Saturday, November 25. From 10am until 6pm, local writers Denise Ohio, Travis Locking, and Kristi Radford will take turns sitting in the front window of Monroe’s favorite local bookstore as they work on their fiction, nonfiction, and poetry projects.
There may be pencils snapped in half, thesauruses ruined, scribbled pages thrown on the floor, and swear words. Everyone is invited to share the pain.
Main Street Books owner Emily Newman has always supported local authors by hosting the monthly Monroe Writers Group and local author readings and book signings. When Ohio came up with Writer in a Window, she knew who to go to. “When I wanted to do an arts event featuring writers as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I knew Emily would love the idea. When I asked if she would host Writer in a Window, Emily said yes before I finished talking.”
Writer in a Window seems awfully public for such a solitary activity like writing. “A lot of people think writers are hermits,” Ohio continued. “And a lot of us are. But not all the time. This event will help writers find a support system and let Monroe show off the number of writers and other artists who live here. Plus, I just thought it would be fun. Who doesn’t like hanging out in a bookstore?”
Writer in a Window will feature Ohio, Radford, and Locking working on their novels, short stories, memoirs, or other projects, shared on video display while being written, revised, and deleted. “I’ll be working on my fourth novel, Crossing of the Fathers. Travis will probably work on his first novel, working title Songbook, but Kristi may be revising her YA novel or one of her picture books—she both writes and illustrates them. You can stand outside Main Street Books and read from the video display or come in and read over a shoulder.” Ohio said. “There will be a tip jar and a handout with lists of local writers groups, open mics, and other events writers and readers will find interesting. And while you’re in the store, buy that book you’ve been hearing about. Reading is fundamental.”
Emily Newman took over Main Street Books in 1912 after growing up in libraries. Emily’s artistic shop is full of used titles, with a curated selection of popular and recommended new books. The walls are decorated by hand-painted murals and you can often find bookstore cat, Miranda, slinking around the shelves. See more at Main St. Books Monroe | Main St. Books Monroe WA (mainstbooksmonroe.com).
Ohio is a Monroe-based writer who has published essays, articles, and criticism, as well as three novels, The Finer Grain (Naiad), End of the Empire (St. Martin’s), and Blue (McPherson & Co.), as well as nonfiction, Five Essential Steps in Digital Video: A DV Moviemaker’s Tricks of the Trade (Pearson Education/Que), and The Curious Case of the City of Everett (Holy Toledo). You can also watch a trailer of her documentary, Verona: The Story of the Everett Massacre (Virgil Entertainment) and see the entire film on streaming services iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and VUDU. Learn more about Ohio and her work on holytoledo.com. Her fourth novel, Crossing of the Fathers, is the first in an historical fiction series about the Everett Massacre.
Kristi Radford is a Monroe-based writer who works in YA, picture books, and adult fiction. You can find more about her and her work on https://www.facebook.com/Kristiradfordbooks and https://kristiradfordbook.wordpress.com/.
Travis Locking lives in Monroe where he plays music and is writing his first novel.
Event Links: https://www.facebook.com/mainstbooksmonroe