On May 17, 2017, award-winning poets Laura Da' and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha reflected on "Disruption and Repair" by exploring pain, silence, cartography, and coffee in poems that moved from broken treaties with Native Americans to leaders denying the existence of Palestinian people. Pathfinder K-8 teacher extraordinaire Kelly Riggle Hower offered two Favorite Poems by William Butler Yeats: "The Circus Animals' Desertion" and "Brown Penny." The audio podcast is below.
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On April 19, 2017, WordsWest celebrated National Poetry Month with National Book Award-winning poet Terrance Hayes and award-winning poet Jane Wong. Gabrielle Bates of Open Books: A Poem Emporium pinched hit the Favorite Poem for an under-the-weather Billie Swift; their joint selection was Shane McCrae's "Still When I Picture It the Face of God Is a White Man's Face."
On March 15, 2017---the Ides of March---WordsWest hosted novelist Donna Miscolta and poet/civil-rights attorney Shankar Narayan, who read work on the topic of "Resistance and Immigration." Christie Vukos-Walker of ACLU of Washington presented a Favorite Poem: "Human Family" by Maya Angelou.
Below is the podcast audio of the evening. WordsWest 23 - Sierra Nelson and Ann Teplick / Favorite Poem by Hedgebrook Alumna Susan Rich.2/15/2017
On February 15, 2017, poet Sierra Nelson and poet/playwright/prose writer Ann Teplick shared work about the "Day After Love." Hedgebrook women's writing retreat was the special event sponsor, while Hedgebrook alumna (and WordsWest co-curator) Susan Rich shared a Favorite Poem - "Gate A-4" by Naomi Shihab Nye.
Below are a YouTube excerpt and an audio podcast of the full evening.
Langston Hughes asked America, "What happens to a dream deferred?" On January 18, 2017, the Wednesday between Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Inauguration Day, journalist/memoirist Claudia Rowe and poet/performance artist/writer Anastacia Renee Tolbert delved into the causes and consequences of "Dreams Deferred." Jane Hodges, founder of the writers' retreat center Mineral School, presented the Favorite Poem: "Eagle Poem," by Joy Harjo.
Below you'll find a YouTube excerpt and the podcast ... though, due to technical difficulties, the audio was not recorded in high-definition and dropped several selections.
On November 16, 2016, author Alma García and performance poet Imani Sims provided much needed literary "Nourishment." There were baked goods galore to benefit West Seattle Food Bank, and WS Food Bank volunteer Jean Manwaring presented a Favorite Poem - "Sea Fever" by John Masefield.
Below are a YouTube excerpt and an audio podcast of the full evening.
On October 19, 2016, WordsWest hosted poet Quenton Baker and multi-genre author Lori A. May, who riffed on the theme of "Literary Citizenship." Sam Lunsford of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America shared her favorite poem: "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear. Links to YouTube video and audio podcast are below.
On September 21, 2016, WordsWest kicked off Year 3 with a bang! Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall cut the ribbon on the WordsWest Community Reading Library, which contains books from the authors who've read at WordsWest over the years, and then shared poetry. To commemorate the event, WordsWest alumni also shared short selections: Kathleen Flenniken, Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Claudia Castro Luna, and Lena Khalaf Tuffaha. And to top it all off, Seattle District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold shared her Favorite Poem: "This Be the Verse" by Philip Larkin.
On June 15, 2016, WordsWest Literary Series hosted best-selling novelist Christopher Robinson and award-winning poet Michael Schmeltzer, who riffed on the topic of intoxication. As a special treat, Gavin Kovite, co-author with Christopher of The Encyclopaedists, joined the reading. Adia Mei Jun Bobo of Rain City Forge selected the Favorite Poem: "Fabric" by Don Blanding. A YouTube excerpt and a podcast of the entire evening are below.
On May 18, 2016, WordsWest hosted its annual Kids' Night with novelist Kelly Jones and cartoonist Dana Simpson. To a packed house, Kelly read from her raucous bestseller Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer and Dana delighted with selections from her first collection Phoebe and Her Unicorn. Jenny Cole, co-owner of Burien's Page 2 Books, provided a summer reading table and presented a Favorite Poem: "Eletelephony" by Laura Elizabeth Richards.
YouTube excerpts and podcast audio of the full evening are below. |
WordsWest Literary SeriesHere's where you'll find information about our past events. For a complete list of past featured writers, favorite poems, and sponsors, consult our "About" page. Archives
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