
David K. Rea
A Seattle native, Dave grew up in a working-class family in White Center. He graduated from Evergreen High School and the University of Washington, where he began his newspaper career at the UW Daily. He worked as a reporter at papers in Central Washington, and later as a copy editor at Bellevue’s Eastside Journal (now gone) and The Seattle Times. A favorite newspaper experience was the few years he spent helping revive a waning, century-old weekly, which became for a while an award-winning and well-subscribed voice in its community. As for editing, his happiest job was helping his wife, Stacey, self-publish her beginner’s guide to American Mah Jongg, which continues to put groceries on their table. He has pursued poetry and short fiction as a regular at the Port Townsend Writers Conference for many years. In retirement he continues to take classes and write, usually just for the pleasure of writing, and to share a little work with friends. His writing “process” tends to be simple: 1) read first, 2) write with abandon, and 3) edit without mercy.