West Seattle’s tradition of literary excellence, as recognized in the annual Washington State Book Awards, continues! This year’s list of finalists is out, and it includes books by two West Seattle writers:
–Steve Duda‘s fly-fishing essay collection “River Songs: Moments of Wild Wonder in Fly Fishing,” waspublished by West Seattle-headquartered Mountaineers Books. The publisher says the book has been hailed as “rich with bracing, authentic, generous stories–writing that revels in language and spirit … pieces that breathe lived experience, reveal vulnerabilities, and convey a broad perspective of what it means to have ‘a long run with a tight crew’.” Duda’s book is a finalist in the Creative Nonfiction/Memoir division.
–Susan Rich‘s poetry book “Blue Atlas” is a finalist in the Poetry division. its launch last year was held at West Seattle’s C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), during one of the occasional reunions of the WordsWest Literary Series collective of which she is a founder. “Blue Atlas’ is described by publisher Red Hen Press as “a lyrical abortion narrative unlike any other … (that) follows a Jewish woman and her ghosts as they travel from West Africa to Europe and, finally, to the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco.” Rich has been a WSBA finalist before, for her book “The Alchemist’s Kitchen.”
The annual Washington State Book Awards, presented by the Washington Center for the Book, honor books published by Washington writers in the previous year. Here’s the full list of current finalists; winners will be announced September 16.
