Read-y for fall?
Dark and Stormy Night series brings chilling tales to the coast
What could be cozier as the nights begin to be dark and stormy than to be safely ensconced in Lincoln City’s Driftwood Public Library listening to authors talking about their work at the annual Dark and Stormy Night series?
This will be the 22nd year in which the library invites genre authors to speak about their work, with sessions every Thursday afternoon in October, beginning October 2.
Originaly created as a way to bring Northwest mystery writers to the Oregon Coast, the series has expanded to include writers from other genres, including science fiction, fantasy, romance and horror — sometimes all mashed together.
The Portland-based Keith Rosson is returning to open this year’s series. He is the author of the novels “The Devil by Name,” “Fever House,” “Smoke City,” “Road Seven” and “The Mercy of the Tide” as well as the Shirley Jackson Award-winning story collection “Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons.” His most recent book is “Coffin Moon,” an action-packed and gritty take on vampires set in Oregon during the 1970s.
The series continues October 9 with a visit from Gabriel Urza. He is the author of the novel “All That Followed,” which was a New York Times Editor’s Choice in 2015, a Publishers Weekly “Best of Summer” selection, a Booklist Best Crime Fiction Debut and has garnered starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. He is also the author of the novellas “The Last Supper” and “The White Death: An Illusion,” which was an Oregon Book Award finalist. His creative nonfiction has appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Salon and Slate. His most recent book is the thriller “The Silver State,” which was released this summer.
Urza is a professor of creative writing in the Portland State University Master of Fine Arts program. He is also a former public defender and a licensed attorney.
On October 16, the series presents Neena Viel, a horror writer who lives in a cabin in the Washington woods with her husband. She grew up between Newburgh, New York and Jonesboro, Arkansas. She holds a master’s in Public Service from the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and a bachelor’s in Communication Studies from Arkansas State University. Her debut novel “Listen to Your Sister” was released this past winter and has garnered comparisons to Jordan Peele and Grady Hendrix.
The series will wrap up on October 23 with Don Henwood. Born under the shadows of Mt. Hood and raised to love the pristine rivers in Oregon, he started writing stories when he was 10 years old. Some of his stories were formed sitting next to campfires and told to glowing faces. Henwood is the author of a four-book series of Sherlock Holmes tales that began with “The Anatomy of Sherlock Holmes” in 2017. The most recent entry, “Letters from Jack” was published in 2022. He has also written the satirical tribute to Kurt Vonnegut, “Kilmore Trout” and the books “Oz: An Otter’s Tale” and “Greyda the Great and Other Tails: A Cat’s Tale.” He lives on the Oregon Central Coast.
All Dark and Stormy Nights talks begin at 4:30 pm at Driftwood Public Library, located at 801 SW Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City. For more information, go to driftwoodlib.org or call 541-996-1242