return of the FisherPoets

Once again a lineup of seafaring (or at least sea-loving) poets will grace the stages of Bellingham for FisherPoets at SeaFeast. On Friday, September 22, 2017, four venues will offer poems, stories, and songs of the sea:

• 7 – 10pm – Sea Shanties, Sing-a-Longs & Stories – at Honey Moon Mead & Cider
• 7 – 10:30pm – Videos, Stories & Poems – at Chuckanut Brewery
• 7 – 11pm – Poems, Songs & Stories – at Boundary Bay Brewery
• 9 – 10pm – Poems, Songs & Stories – at Depot Market Square

Get your $5 button (available at Village Books and all venues) for entrance to all locations and visit the Bellingham SeaFeast website for more details on FisherPoets and other seaworthy (and tasty) goings-on.

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the sound of Clover

When Clover, A Literary Rag, launched as a literary journal in 2010, there was no way to predict that it would become more substantial and more respected with each issue in print. Now, with thirteen volumes and a Mayor’s Arts Award under its belt, the Bellingham-based journal of international fine writing will celebrate art as written word at a reading from Volume 13.

Hear a selection of writers, including Susan Chase-Foster, Luther Allen, Christine Kendall, Gary McWilliams, Abbe Rolnick, Garrett Sanford, Laurel Leigh, Jennifer Bullis, Caitlin Thomson, Jim Bertolino, Carla Shafer, and Paul Hunter, in an engaging afternoon of readings on Sunday, September 10, 2017, at 4:00pm, at Village Books in Fairhaven. The reading is free and copies of Clover will be available for purchase.

(And by the way, submissions for Volume 14 are open until September 30, 2017.)

Poetry Festival in Bellingham!

Bellingham, Washington, will be treated to a round of fine poetry and workshops as St Paul’s Episcopal Church hosts its first-ever poetry festival. Events kick off at 7:00pm on Friday, September 29, 2017, as Gregory Wolfe, editor of Image journal, speaks, followed by a reading from poet Luci Shaw.

On Saturday, September 30, beginning at 1:30pm, there will be several poetry workshops to choose from, led by Luci Shaw, Jennifer Bullis, and Caitlin Thomson. This will be followed by an open mic and a 7:00pm reading by Scott Cairns and Jeanne Murray Walker.

The workshop fee is $15 and registration is required. Otherwise, all lectures and poetry readings are free and open to the public.

No prior experience with poetry is required, and indeed one of the hopes of the organizers is that those unfamiliar with poetry will come and be able to connect to it in this venue. All events will take place in the church and the Great Hall.

For the full schedule, to sign up for workshops, and for more information, please see the Poetry at St. Paul’s website.

new Bellingham venue

Poetry has a new home in Bellingham, Washington: Greene’s Corner (formerly at Smith Road and Northwest Avenue, now on James Street where VIS Seafoods used to live). With poetry features coordinated by Betty Scott, Acoustic Wednesdays are hosted by musician JP Falcon Grady and open with music (6:30pm), followed by an open mic (7:00pm) and then the evening’s feature: poetry read by outstanding regional poets.

This Wednesday, August 30, 2017, the featured poets are father and son John Morgan and Jeffrey Morgan.

John Morgan divides his time between Bellingham and Fairbanks, Alaska. He has published six books of poetry and a collection of essays, and his work has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, The Paris Review, and many other magazines. In 2009, he served as the first writer-in-residence at Denali National Park.

Jeffrey Morgan is the author of Crying Shame. His poems have appeared in The Kenyon Review, Rattle, and West Branch. He is a 2017 National Poetry Series Finalist.

Poem Booth update

Bellingham’s Poem Booth, located on the Forest Street side of the downtown Food Co-op, continues to offer fresh poems to go with your fresh produce. The winning poem is selected from submissions to a quarterly contest (some additional submissions are posted on the Poem Booth blog).

The June poem, “What Water Says” by Jim Bertolino, will soon be replaced by “Ode to a Flat Black River Stone” by Sheila Sondik. There will be an unveiling ceremony at 5:30pm on Friday, September 1, 2017. Please join Sheila Sondik and the Poem Booth team at this free event.

Submissions are now open for the next quarter’s poem.

plaques on view!

Plaques displaying the ten Walk Award poems from the 2017 Sue Boynton Poetry Contest are now on view in front of the Bellingham Public Library (Central Avenue between Grand and Commercial in downtown Bellingham). They will remain there until replaced by the 2018 winners. Stop by and read some poetry!

the voice of the journey

John James Reid is an Irish poet, architect, and mediator who lives in Bellingham, Washington. Mid-Atlantic is his third book of poetry. On Saturday, August 26, 2017, the poet will read from his latest collection at 7:00pm at Village Books. The reading is free and copies of Mid-Atlantic will be available for purchase.