Sunday in Bellingham

Join the authors of the top Whatcom WRITES contest entries as they read their work on this year’s theme: RESISTANCE. The free reading will start at 2:00pm on Sunday, February 4, 2018, at Village Books in Fairhaven.

Whatcom WRITES is an annual feature of the WhatcomREADS program, which this year features the book Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa. Find out more, including other upcoming events related to WhatcomREADS.

on poetry

“I have always wanted to write a book that ended with the word ‘mayonnaise’.”
Richard Brautigan
(January 30, 1935 – ca. September 16, 1984)

more new

Here’s another batch of new and “most anticipated” poetry books, thanks to Craig Morgan Teicher and NPR: The Personal Is Always Political: A 2018 Poetry Preview.

call for youth poets

The Whatcom County Library System invites submissions from teens in grades 6-12 for inclusion in A Forest of Words 2018, a teen poetry anthology, which will be distributed to area schools and libraries.

The entry deadline is Thursday, March 1, 2018. See the guidelines and submission form at WCLS.

winter Clover

Mary Gillilan and Norman Green launched Clover, A Literary Rag in the summer of 2010 with the writing of contributors from the Independent Writers’ Studio — 17 in all. Thirteen editions later Clover has published a total of 234 writers — about half from Washington State, around 40 from Whatcom County, and 11 from international locations.

To see and hear what Clover has become, attend the reading for Volume 14 at Village Books in Fairhaven on Sunday, February 11, 2018, at 4:00pm. Featured contributors are Luther Allen, Janet Bergstrom, James Bertolino, Susan Chase-Foster, David Drummond, John Green, Frances Howard-Snyder, Paul Hunter, Andrew Shattuck McBride, Janet Oakley, Raul Sanchez, Harvey Schwartz, Karen VandeBossche, and Betty Scott. The reading is free and copies of Clover will be available for purchase.

(Submissions for Volume 15 are open until April 30, 2018.)

a different list

We like lists that suggest essential books and authors, and 12 Essential Spanish-Language Female Authors by Cristina Rivera Garza is no exception. The list includes stories, novels, and poetry, all sounding very tempting and most available in translation.

looking back

As Tod Marshall rounds out his last few days of official laureate duties, The Spokesman-Review has published a thoughtful interview in which Marshall reflects on his experience, observations, and ideas about what’s ahead. Read Carolyn Lamberson’s interview with the outgoing poet laureate here: The end of the road: Washington poet laureate Tod Marshall looks back on two years of words, inspiration, and road trips.

good news

Terrific news for Hugo House, which has received a Building for the Arts grant of $1.032 million from Washington state — a significant portion of the funds needed to purchase the new space and turn it into a home for writers.

Thank you to everyone who contacted their legislators and advocated to secure this funding, which will not only fund our new home but also supports many other arts and cultural organizations across the state. Everything we’re most proud of in our city has been realized because of community action, and that includes Hugo House. And thank you to our legislators for investing in the cultural vitality of Seattle.

Seattle needs writers and writers need Hugo House. With UNESCO’s recent designation of Seattle as a City of Literature, it’s fitting that our city will have a new literary destination — a place where people can come any night of the week to hear readers, get feedback on works-in-progress, exchange ideas, and come together over a shared belief in careful attention to language.

Learn more about Hugo House and its tremendous selection of writing programs and events.

on poetry

“If I do not write to empty my mind, I go mad.”
Lord Byron (George Gordon)
(January 22, 1788 – April 19, 1824)

. . . . .
Lord Byron painted by Thomas Phillips in 1813. Venizelos Mansion, Athens

one more!

We thought it was over, but happened across one more best-of list: “Best” U.S. Poetry Books, 2000 – 2020 (a list in progress) by Bill Mohr.