National Poetry Month: What Pacific Northwest poets are doing to celebrate

NPM poster designed by Marian Bantjes.

What are you doing for National Poetry Month?

I’m judging a local limerick contest and reading my Poetry Corners poem, “Fabricland,” at the Flowering Around shop and cafe (Bainbridge Island) on Saturday April 24 at 7pm.  

Here are what some other regional poets are doing…  

 

• Stephanie Lundgren:  “I’m writing a poem for every day of the month and attending the Dead Poets’ Reading in Olympia, WA.”
• Esther Helfgott:  “…reading poems, writing a few, going to poetry readings…”
• Susan Wingate:  “I’m writing poetry.”
• Rachel Dacus:  “I’m going to AWP for the first time, giving two readings, finishing a poetry workshop with Kim Addonizio and writing as many poems as I can.”
• Jesse Minkert: “I will try to upset people. I will try to make people want to say something back. I will try to depress people. I will try to make people laugh. I will try to make people gasp. I will try to dig my fingers into my own half-healed wounds. I will try to be unexpected to myself.”
• Leonard Orr:  “Speaker, Apr 8, 6-7:45p, Ballard (Seattle Public Library)  ●  Reader, Apr 10, 4-5:30p, Green Lake (Seattle Public Library)  ●  Reader, Apr 16, 7-9p, Bookworm Exchange (Seattle) Bookworm Exchange  ●  Why We Have Evening Book Launch, Apr 20, 7-9p, Washington State University (Richland)  ●  Reader and Speaker, Apr 21, Arts Festival, Blue Mountain CC Arts Festival (Pendleton).”
• Seren Fargo: “As coordinator of the Bellingham Haiku Group, I will be holding another one of our monthly haiku meetings at the Firehouse Cafe. I am also organizing a ginko, or haiku walk. In addition, I will be attending several of the poetry readings being presented at Village Books.”
• Alma Alexander: “Going back and re-reading a lot of my poetry books. Many of them are in my ‘cradle language’ and beloved; some are by my grandfather, and
  treasured…”
• Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor: “I’m self-publishing/producing my first poetry chapbook, Pause Mid-Flight, which also features readings of the poetry with music played by local musicians. Cheers!”
• Kimberly Kinser (writing from San Miguel Allende, March 27, 2010):”Mexico City, eastward flight || Middle East || Turks would dispute that || Europe … Istanbul || Blue Mosque || Baklava || Dolmas || more than I can dream today … Cairo || pyramids || Luxor || the Nile … Poem a day? || To remember || see differently || share || maybe || a new idea … seed planted || notebook packed || travel writing in || poetic form || why not?”
• Renée E. D’Aoust:  ‘Taking a walk. Leaving the pen at home.”
• Naomi Ayala:  “I will pull out my ‘it’s been in progress too long’ poetry manuscripts and plot out return visits.  I will sit on a bench and admire the sky and take a deep breath and account for myself. I will speak to one stranger about this taproot that’s inspired my life.”

More to come next week…