PEORIA MAGAZINE July 2022

W O R D C O U N T

HEALING WITH WORDS Local book signing event connects authors, readers and survivors

BY LAURIE PILLMAN

E very July the Par-a-dice Hotel Casino is flooded with read ers and bestselling authors coming in from all across the United States. They’re there for the books, but Writers On The River is more than just an event, it’s “like going home,” said Amazon bestselling author JM Walker. The New Mexico-based writer has attended the book signing every year. “Besides supporting a wonderful charity, this event has it all. Books, friends, authors, family.”

“Writers On The River is a fabulously well-organized event in the heart of the Midwest,” said Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) medalist and USA Today bestselling author Genevieve Jack, a 20-year resident of central Illinois. “The love of reading is always a reason to celebrate, and the readers I’ve met at WOTR and see year after year never fail to inspire me with their passion for the written word.” It was that love of reading that brought four friends together to create a book event unique to Peoria.

Since 2016, Writers On The River — WOTR for short – has raised more than $43,000 for survivors of abuse, addiction, trafficking and prostitution. Run through the not-for-profit Healing With Words, the event brings together authors, readers and survivors to celebrate how the written word can provide entertainment and escape for anyone. “Essentially eight years ago, Angie (Stanton-Johnson), Anya (Breton), Melinda (Bones) and I sat at a table at the Par-A-Dice Hotel and formulated

86 JULY 2022 PEORIA MAGAZINE