Ritzville's First Friday events focus on area arts and letters

The Ritzville Art Gallery has begun featuring different artists on the first Friday of each month. On September 7, several local authors will be featured and will be signing their published works and discussing their upcoming books.

Dr. Miles Athey

Miles Athey, Ritzville resident, will discuss his most recent publications, a Western trilogy of historical fiction about Ritzville in 1882 called Crab Creek Chronicles. Dr. Athey spent most of his career as a technical researcher, consultant and college professor. Over the past 20 years, he has focused on writing and theater. He has written 10 books, 10 stage plays, 50 radio spots and over 100 inspirational writings and poems. His poem entitled Shalom led to his being declared Distinguished Poet of 2007 by Poetry.com. He has participated in 28 community theater productions with seven different theater companies, performed in 21 roles and directed nine stage productions. Visit his website at http://www.originalsbymiles.com for additional information.

David Michaelson

David Michaelson, a former Odessa resident currently living in Harrington, is a retired chef/restaurant owner. He has penned seven novels and two cookbooks. His first foray into writing produced a cookbook, The Burntwater Cook’s Kitchen Guide, which won a Silver Medal in 2010 from the Military Writer’s Society of America.

Michaelson’s first science fiction novel, The Centauri Intervention, and its sequel, Bittersweet Colony, have each now also been nominated for an award by the same sMilitary Writer's Society.

The awards will be in September. All of Michaelson’s published books will be available at the signing and are also available through major online booksellers. Locally, the books may be purchased at the Ritzville Art Center and the Times office in Davenport. Odessa Drug and The Odessa Record also carry some, but not all, of his works.

Sharon Coleman

Also attending will be Sharon Coleman who was raised on a horse ranch in Eastern Washington. She has enjoyed writing for over 20 years but has just recently entered the world of published author. While most of her writing has been poetry and devotional material, she has enjoyed venturing into Christian Fiction with her first two published short stories, The Christmas Calf and Andrew’s Gift.

She and her husband of over 30 years enjoy country living in rural Lincoln County, along with three dogs and two cats. They have a grown son and daughter and four grandchildren. Sharon is currently working on her next book, Sunshine and Sage.