Ah, Spring! It’s nearly National Poetry Month, which means there are lots of things I want to tell you about.
Here’s where you’ll find me:
March 25 at 5p: reading at Darvill’s Bookstore on Orcas Island with Michelle Reed.
March 26 from 10 to 3p: Workshop at the Orcas Island Library: Demystifying the Line Break. Free.
April 14: Pacific Lutheran University Visiting Writers Series. Talk at 3:30, and reading at 7p. Details here.
April 22: Reading with Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 7:30p. $15.
April 23: Workshop at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 1 to 3p; $30. Registration information.
June 24 and 25: Chuckanut Writers Conference. Poetry faculty includes Roberto Ascalon, Elaina Ellis and Nancy Pagh. Early-bird registration through May 15. (I’m teaching a performance workshop.)
A highly subjective and necessarily incomplete list of events around Seattle:
March 28: Nguyen Phan Que Mai and Claudia Castro Luna, Elliott Bay Books, 7p.
March 31: Colleen J. McElroy at the Seattle Public Central Library, 7p.
April 6: Near and Far: Four Poets Read. Maged Zaher, Ryan Eckes, Hailey Higdon and Sherazade Siobhan, Hugo House, 7p.
April 9: Sibyl James and Judith Roche at Elliott Bay Books, 7p.
April 12: Writers Under the Influence: Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Hugo House, 7p.
April 15: Hugo Literary Series with Andrew Sean Greer, Claire Vaye Watkins, Roberto Ascalon and Alex Osuch. Hugo House, 7:30p
April 21: Tess Gallagher and Lawrence Matsuda, Elliott Bay Books, 7p.
April 28: Kevin Young on “Throwing Your Voice.” Hugo House, 7p.
April 24: Christianne Balk and Judith Skillman, Elliott Bay Books, 3p.
April 29: “If You Ain’t No Place You Can’t Go Nowhere” Workshop with Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall. Noon to 2 p.m., Seattle Central Library, Level 4, Room 1. Seating on a first-come, first-served basis.
April 29: Celebrate National Poetry Month with readings by Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall and friends. Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum, 7:30p. Lucia Perillo and Heather McHugh are likely participants.
April 29: Workshop to Help Kids Cope With Grief and Loss
Draw It Out is a creative writing and drawing workshop for anyone who wants to learn how to help school-aged children cope with all types of grief and loss (e.g., loss of home, loved one, community, physical health, trauma, recent move, etc.). Art with Heart, a nonprofit that helps children who are experiencing significant life changes and events, will facilitate this training on Friday, April 29 at Seattle Children’s Hospital. No art or writing experience required. All materials provided. Registration is required.
Call for Submissions for Washington 129 from our state poet laureate, Tod Marshall: “I’m excited to announce Washington 129, an anthology of poems gathered from the people of Washington State. The project will include work from experienced poets and newcomers to the art, young students and lifetime learners. These poems will be published in two formats: many of the poems will be included in an online anthology that will utilize the format of an e-book; one hundred and twenty-nine of the poems (one for every year of statehood up until 2018) will be published in book form. Details (PDF).
More to look forward to:
May 19 – 22: the biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival includes Naomi Shihab Nye and more than 20 other poets. Tickets on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets.
May 20 – 22: Vortext Salon at the Whidbey Institute
June 9 – 12: Writing It Real Writers Conference with Sheila Bender
Friends, just a quick note that this is the week Seattle’s beloved Open Books: A Poem Emporium transitions to its new owner, Billie Swift. You’ll find “A Few Final Words from John and Christine” here.
Though lately it’s felt more like July, it’s still National Poetry Month, with lots of poetry events left to enjoy (or perhaps you’re looking to 