(Airdate: August 26, 2025) Jonathan Evison has been assessing America through novels about working-class folks — home health aides, lawn workers. His 2011 novel West of Here seems most in companionship with his latest, Small World: Both are sprawling sagas with dual timelines that follow late-19th-century Westerners and their contemporary descendants. “Small World” opens with a train accident in 2019. The engineer, Walter Bergen, has had a perfect record until this, the final run of his career. The train, heading to Seattle, is “hurtling toward the unavoidable” — both the inevitable crash and, for Walter, an increasing awareness of that final movement in our lives. As ever, an enjoyable conversation about engaging characters.

(Airdate: July 1, 2025) Cris welcomes John Blomgren, the newest owner of our much beloved independent Imprint Bookshop to Booklovers’ Cafe. John continues the tradition of bringing books specifically chosen for our highly bookish population! He talks about his decision to move to Port Townsend with his partner Garrett Jones and pays homage to previous owners Samantha Ladwig and Anna Quinn. Find out what he plans for the future and just what does “Bibliosmia” mean?

(Airdate: June 3, 2025) Barbara Sjoholm visits Booklovers’ Cafe to talk about her latest novel The Reindeer of Chinese Gardens. This is indeed an intriguing novel that brings to life the history of Port Townsend from 1897 to 1907. We meet a trio of immigrants from Norway, China, and Lapland, all women and all strong and unique. This is a story of friendship intertwined with the themes of class, gender, and racial prejudice. This is a fresh and riveting history of our town, with very specific details of everyday life in Port Townsend as well as vivid images of the Klondike Goldrush and Sami camps.

(Airdate: April 8, 2025) Corrin Da Costa visits Booklovers’ Cafe to talk about her novel Dead Daddy Issues: Daughters and Fathers Life and Death – Sometimes it’s Complicated. It certainly is! This novel explores grief, guilt, families and tarot cards. This book takes the main character Leia home again but as Thomas Wolfe famously wrote you can’t go home again. There are many twists in the plot and the reader is along for the ride hoping for the best.

(Airdate: March 11, 2025) Cris Wilson welcomes Joseph Bednarik: speaker, author, editor and philosopher to discuss his new book Invited to Speak. Many of our listeners know Joseph from his long association with Copper Canyon Press and also from his many talks from the pulpit at Unitarian Fellowships around the Puget Sound. This book takes 7 of these talks that bring you into a world of memorable events, intriguing characters, quotes and poetry. This is a book to be savored and it’s funny, too!

(Airdate: February 11, 2025) Visiting Cris on Booklovers’ Cafe this time is Port Townsend’s own shipwright sailor guurl, Diana Talley! We talk about her no-holds-barred memoir, The Center of Buoyancy. This memoir speaks to us about the early years of the Boat Haven and how a young girl learned the wooden boat building trade, sailed fearlessly around the Pacific, and built her own business against the odds. There are people you know or wish you had met in these pages. The stories are tender and humorous, tough and true.

(Airdate: January 14, 2025) Cris Wilson welcomes mystery novelist Margaret Mizushima to Booklovers’ Cafe. She is the author of Gathering Mist, the 9th in the series of her Timber Creek canine mysteries. If you love criminal procedurals mixed with German Shepherd Search and Rescue you will love the stories of Mattie Wray and her sidekick Robo. Margaret has recently moved to Port Townsend from Colorado and she decided to set this book on the very “mysterious and foreboding” Olympic Peninsula. 

(Airdate: December 3, 2024) Rachel Fordham visits Booklovers’ Cafe for a second time to introduce her newest historical novel, Beyond Ivy Walls. Set in Monticello, Iowa in 1903, the story revolves around a farm girl who needs to help support her family by working at the Hoag Family Feather Duster Factory! Yes, this establishment really existed here. Unable to afford rent, Sadie finds shelter in an abandoned building. A dog helps connect Sadie to sympathetic humans who are trying to find a missing niece. The themes revolve around the human concerns of family, acceptance, and love.

(Airdate: November 5, 2024) Scott Wilson, long time editor and publisher of the Port Townsend Leader stops by to talk with Cris Wilson about his book Working Port: 100 years of the Port of Port Townsend. This is a book for everyone as it is filled with so many great stories and characters. Some of these men and women are people still here making Port Townsend the unique and fabulous town we love!