This month's Favorite Poem was read by Alexis Acciani of Reading Partners, an organization that connects one-on-one volunteer tutors with kids who struggle with reading. Alexis gave us a lively, lovely reading of Billy Collins' poem "On Turning Ten." Let's hope there are more new volunteers out there for Reading Partners! The evening ended with a Question & Answer session wherein Roberto and Robert talked about how they became poets as well as about their family histories and backgrounds.
WordsWest 29 - Roberto Ascalon and Robert Francis Flor / Favorite Poem by Reading Partners Seattle10/18/2017
WordsWest celebrated Filipino American History Month by welcoming two outstanding, local writers of Filipino descent---Roberto Ascalon and Robert Francis Flor. In trademark WordsWest style, the two writers traded off reading their poetry in five-minute segments, "braiding" their poems together with fascinating connections of common history that branched into current themes of what it means to be "home and away" in this country. Roberto shared long, vivid and rhythmic poems that ranged even into Filipino fish markets, and Robert read from his chapbook "Alaskero Memories" about life in Alaskan canneries in the 1950's and '60s. As co-curator and emcee Harold Taw mentioned in his introduction, the writers are both "Uncle Bobs" in a culture that gives great respect to the words and lessons of previous generations, and that acknowledges the importance of family and sharing amazing food.
This month's Favorite Poem was read by Alexis Acciani of Reading Partners, an organization that connects one-on-one volunteer tutors with kids who struggle with reading. Alexis gave us a lively, lovely reading of Billy Collins' poem "On Turning Ten." Let's hope there are more new volunteers out there for Reading Partners! The evening ended with a Question & Answer session wherein Roberto and Robert talked about how they became poets as well as about their family histories and backgrounds.
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