Lunch for Literacy 2023

It’s just 90 days (can you believe it?) until 2023’s LUNCH FOR LITERACY “where Learning Lab’s friends and supporters gather to celebrate the successes of students and the generosity of our community”. The guest speaker will be New York Times bestselling author Amanda Turner.

Show your support by purchasing tickets and watch for an upcoming SILENT AUCTION opportunity.

Read all about Lunch for Literacy 2023 on this page.

Sunny Beaches in February

…at a writer’s retreat. Yes! It’s possible. While your friends and neighbors are bemoaning gray skies and dismal snow slush, you could be honing your writing skills at WRITER’S CAMP with well-known local author Amanda Turner 5-19 February 2023.

Spend 5 days and 4 nights in a creative paradise...we’re confident that you’ll find Writers Camp to be a safe and encouraging environment.

Read all about it and register on this page. SPACES ARE LIMITED.

Photo by Sean Oulashin on Unsplash

Sunday, 6 November – be there!

Did you know that Ming Studios in Boise (corner of Myrtle and South 6th) hosts “7 o’clock” — a time to celebrate music, dance, literature, theater and on the first Sunday in November REBECCA EVANS and MARGARET KOGER will share the stage for readings from their work.

Margaret will read from her newly published What These Hands Remember. Rebecca will read from Tangled By Blood, to be published in 2023.

Margaret Koger

She’s a former teacher, librarian, and Poet in the Schools. Study of the interplay of nature and the economy during the settlement of the American West informs Maggie’s writing. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals online and in print.

She’s very active in the Treasure Valley writing community. Here (Soundcloud link) Ken Rodgers and Rebecca Evans quiz her about her writing methods and her advice for new authors

Her most recent publication is What These Hands Remember (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kelsay Books).

Do you have a writing routine? Where and when do you write?

I write for deadlines! A submission window or an upcoming writers group session sends me directly to my computer where I rewrite a shaky draft or fly off on a new idea as suggested by the muse of the day: a river nymph, a robin, or a stranger’s face—it just depends. I write in my office, where I’m surrounded by my husband Grove Koger’s collection of books. They inspire me to keep at it.

Continue reading “Margaret Koger”

Tribal Laws & Justice

The Mystery Writers of America, Northwest Chapter, will be presenting a rich program 15 October for writers wanting to learn about tribal laws and justice. It’s online (Zoom) and only $10 or $25.

You need something unusual and unique for your plot. The protagonist travels to a tribal casino for a little recreational gambling or enjoy a dinner at the casino’s fab restaurant. His server is a Native American woman who later disappears that night. And he becomes the prime suspect? Who has jurisdiction in the case? The Feds, the tribe, or the county? Or your protagonist gets a DUI on tribal lands. Who handles the case?

These and other questions will be addressed by experts dealing with these and other tribal issues during the Chapter Seminar on Tribal Juridiction Matters.  

Register at Eventbrite today!!!

Ticket holders can join us Saturday, OCTOBER 15, from 9 AM to 3 PM – or view the recorded event later – or both!

     MWA-Northwest is thrilled to present five distinguished speakers, serving both local and distant tribal nations, to discuss the impact of jurisdictional issues between the tribes and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

  • Suquamish Tribal Police Chief Mike Lasnier has over 35 years of law enforcement service and experience.
  • Suquamish Tribal Deputy Police Chief Mark L. Williams sits on several tribal, county, and state collaborations focused on helping criminals reentering society upon release from jail or prison in an effort to reduce recidivism. Additionally, he is the sole representative for all U.S. tribes on the Department of Justice Uniform Crime Reporting modernization project.
  • DAN RAAS spent 39 years representing the Lummi Nation in Whatcom County. He served as an Associate Justice and later Chief Justice on the Tulalip Court of Appeals.
  • MIKE MCBRIDE has served as attorney general for the Seminole Nation, as justice of the Pawnee Nation Supreme Court as attorney general to the Sac and Fox Nation.
  • TROY EID currently serves as the elected President of the Navajo Nation Bar Association. He has also served as chair of the Indian Law and Order Commission (the national advisory board to the President and Congress for strengthening public safety for all 573 federally recognized tribes in the United States.

Portland Book Fest 2022

Portland Book Festival returns on Saturday, November 5, 2022. This daylong event features author discussions, pop-up readings, writing workshops for youth and adults, kids’ story time, an extensive book fair, local food trucks, and more!

Click here to view this year’s full author lineup. Day-of Festival schedule will be released in October.

You can find virtual and in-person writing workshops at our downtown Literary Arts space. Passes are only $15-25 (with free admission for high school students). There are also premium add-on events.

Read all about it.