“Beach Noir,” this year’s theme for the Writers Read Celebration, sponsored by the Cannon Beach Library, was quirky enough to result in 79 short stories and poems involving dying crustaceans, ghost ships, slovenly detectives and the women who taunt them.

Sixteen of those entries will be read by writers from Oregon and Washington on March 22. The Writers Read Celebration begins at 7 p.m. in the library, 131 N. Hemlock St. It also will be shown online through the library’s website at cannonbeachlibrary.org.

Writers wrote their “whodunits” from every angle. Some were melancholy, while others found humor. One poet asked, “Where’s the Noir?” Another writer talked to a ghostly bartender. Cats are involved in one mystery, and a variety of sea creatures find their way into several stories. 

This is the sixth year of the library’s Writers Read Celebration. Writers of all ages from anywhere were invited submit entries in any format, and the library received more entries than in any year. Entries were limited to 600 words each; writers could submit three entries. A panel of library volunteers selected 16 entries from 15 writers.

“Beach Noir” was defined as “taking place in a dark or foreboding setting, though the tone and descriptions can be unconventional and playful. Other elements may include flashes of humor, flawed underdog characters or a crime scene.”

Those who were invited to read this year were:

Kyra Blank, Siletz, Oregon, poem, StayAlive

Brad Buckley, Portland, Oregon, short story, Dark Green Waves

John D. Ciminello, Naselle, Washington, short story, Bonnie and Mr. Clyde

Kristin Damon, Seaside, Oregon, flash fiction, A Punishing Place

Destiny Deras, Seaside, Oregon, short story, Dungeness Bisporus

David Dillon, Manzanita, Oregon, short story, The Knife

Pamella S. Gibson, Seaview, Washington, poem, just another beach town murder

Craig Allen Heath, Longview, Washington, short story, Farewell My Sandcastle

Mike Kloeck, Newport, Oregon, short story, Lost in Limbo

Colleen Medlock, Portland/Seaside, Oregon, short story, Anniversary

Jennifer Nightingale, Astoria, Oregon, two poems: Abandoned, Bistro Table

D. Lou Raymond, Neskowin, Oregon, short story, The Bartender

Florence Sage, Astoria, Oregon, poem, Where’s the Noir?

James Tweedie, Long Beach, Washington, short story, Silhouette

Gregory Zschomler, Ocean Park, Washington, short story, Sandy Shores