>Upper Valley Writers Show

>I haven’t been good about attending the Upper Valley Writers Show, held once a month at the Beverley Street Studio School in Staunton, but because my friend Logan Ward was reading tonight I made a point of being there.

The program began with Barbara Martin singing three songs from her new CD, which I will definitely be getting. She’s an excellent singer-songwriter and she was playing her new Huss & Dalton guitar, made right here in Staunton.

After Barbara, Ted Grudzinski read a series of poems he’s done about classical composers. And then it was Logan’s turn. I’ve heard Logan read before from his book, See You in a Hundred Years, which comes out in June this year, but tonight he read a new essay about walking through urban sprawl, the germ of a new book. It was a terrific essay and held the crowd’s attention. I can definitely see it as a book.

Then Frank Albrecht read some new poems and older poems to close out the first half of the program and, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay for the open mic segment.

About the author

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.

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