Pictures from our May 11 VALA Once Upon a Time Event

I just wanted to post a few pictures from our "Once Upon a Time" Poetry and Art afternoon event at the VALA art center. It was wonderful (but very warm!) - the readers were all lovely and entertaining, the food and drinks were delicious (thanks Matt's Rotisserie and Oyster Bar for the lovely catering!) and the VALA art center a great space to host a reading. The one-day art show by Michaela Eaves - featuring arctic foxes perched on top of apples, a menacing big bad wolf, and a mysterious girl in a red cape, among other pieces - was fantastic, and it was great to hang out with some lovely East siders to talk about art, poetry, and culture in such a welcoming setting. Readers included myself, Liz Hayden, Rebecca Woods Meredith, Kelly Davio, Laura Lee Bennett, Dawn-Marie Oliver, and Pamela Denchfield.

Crowd shot! With art and VALA's name!

Mingling!

Some of the motley crew!

 

Liz Hayden reading

Jeannine Hall Gailey reading

The spread - thanks Matt's!

Where in the World is Your Redmond Poet Laureate in May?

Hello East siders! I had a fairly hectic April, but things are settling down in May - and our final poetry event for the season!

May 11 at 3:30 PM at VALA in Redmond Town Center
Once Upon a Time: A Magical Poetry Reading, Art Show, and Reception
Enjoy art work by Michaela Eaves and poetry by Redmond Poet Laureate Jeannine Hall Gailey from her new book, Unexplained Fevers.
Other readers on the fairy tale theme will include:

• Redmond Poet Laureate Emeritus Rebecca Meredith,
• RASP members Laura Lee Bennett, Pamela Denchfield,  Kelly Davio, Dawn-Marie Oliver and Elizabeth Caroll Hayden.

And, if you want to see something before that...I'm reading at Jack Straw in downtown Seattle at 7 PM Friday May 3rd.

And, if you just want to see something online, I talk with Poet's Market and Writer's Market editor Robert Brewer and three other poets about the job as Redmond Poet Laureate, how to give back to your community, how I decide to read and write, and a bunch of other fun stuff on Google Hangout, which has been archived online at YouTube here:
http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/four-poets-read-poems-and-talk-poetry

Where in the World is Redmond's Poet Laureate During April, National Poetry Month?

So, you're wondering what your Redmond Poet Laureate is up to during Poetry Month? Well, I'll tell you! I'm running all around town (and all around the online) to talk about poetry!

--April 16th, 2013: http://www.fieldsend.org/2013-roundtables3.aspx - 7 PM at Bainbridge Island's Library for Field's End - Discussing how to make a difference in your local poetry community.

--April 17th, 2013: https://plus.google.com/events/c87ft4tolfkkf60runr427oaqas?authkey=CL-VxuTKmY_AkAE - 4 PM Pacific/7 PM Eastern on Google Hangouts - a National Poetry Month Promotion with Poet's Market Editor, Robert Brewer, plus poetry stars Mary Biddinger, Nathan Pritts, and Aaron Belz - live readings and poetry discussions. This event will be streamed so you can watch it afterwards as well. (And I'll put up a link after it's done.)

--April 28th, 2013: At Open Books in Wallingford at 3 PM. I'm reading for my brand new third book, Unexplained Fevers, along with poet and editor Kelly Davio, who is reading from her first book, Burn This House.

If you'd like a copy of my new book, but you just can't afford it? Sign up for the Great Poetry Giveaway!

Saturday at the Redmond Library - Teen Poetry Workshop!

Come out this Saturday at 1 PM to participate in a teen poetry workshop - this time we're writing persona poetry with characters from fairy tales, and creating fairy-tale inspired "found poems" from titles in the library for the Friends of the Library Contest.
Ages 13-18 welcome. Refreshments provided by the library.

Pictures from the Soul Food "Freaks and Geeks" Poet Laureate Event

Some events I do as Poet Laureate are effortlessly fun, and this LA Review reading was one of them. Soul Food was a great host, about sixty people showed up to the event, the readers were wonderful, and LA Review sold out of copies they were so popular among the crowd, which included Redmond folks, and people from Seattle and outlying areas as well!

Some pics from the event:

LA Review editor Kelly Davio reading from her new book:

Seattle-ite poet and LA Review contributor Michael Shmeltzer reading:

Kelly Davio and I with our new books! (She's holding up my new third book, Unexplained Fevers, and I'm holding her new first book, Burn This House.) And a statue of a bear!

Freaks and Geeks: Redmond Poetry Meets The Los Angeles Review

This Friday, March 15, come out to Soul Food Books at 8 PM and let in a little California Sunshine!

"Los Angeles is coming to the City of Redmond with the editor and writers of the Los Angeles Review joining Redmond Poet Laureate Jeannine Hall Gailey to celebrate poetry on the Eastside at 8 p.m. on Friday at Soul Food Books, 15748 Redmond Way.
LA Review editor Kelly Davio will be on hand to read selected works and introduce local writers who have contributed to the Review. Writers will include Janet Buttenweiser, Katherine Eulensen, Jeremiah O'Hagan and Michael Schmeltzer, who will read their work from recent issues. Complimentary refreshments will be served."

http://www.redmond-reporter.com/entertainment/196538461.html

Gala at VALA - reading and art show video

Last night, I got a chance to read a few poems on the theme of "heavy metal" - also the theme of VALA, Redmond's newest art community center's newest exhibit, with wonderful metal jewelry and screened metal paintings of eerie metallic woods. The opening gala had a wonderful crowd, including Redmond's mayor, who you can see a brief glimpse of in the video below, as well as the sketches in the background of the artist's work in progress:

A link here in case the above embed doesn't work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM_j0jcL2UE