RASP was founded in 1997 to promote literary arts and activities in Redmond, Washington, and the surrounding area. We meet on the last Friday of each month, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (Pacific Time). RASP also holds a monthly writing critique group at the Redmond Regional Library on the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30 PM to 8:45 PM (Pacific Time). All events are free. Please join us!.
RASP acknowledges that it meets on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish, Duwamish, and Snoqualmie people.
Click to join* our mailing list and receive announcements about the Reading Series, Poetry & Prose Circle, and other RASP events.Join the Zoom meeting beginning at 7:00 PM (Pacific Time)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87927882488?pwd=S3pqVzZhT1hkd0JXV0twSEdaZzlPZz09
RASP events are free and do not require registration (unless noted).
Meeting ID: 879 2788 2488
Password: 271250
If you are unsure how to use Zoom, read these tips. This page also contains some vital information about courtesy during events.
Janka Hobbs recently joined the RASP board of directors, after being promised that it would require minimal adulting. Spell check helpfully changes the word "adulting" into "adulating." She looks forward to adulating more poets. You can find Janka's poems in Here, There, and Everywhere, 56 Days of August, on www.urbanfantasist.com, and a few other places. She has also released several short stories into the wild.
MCTBD
The Pongo Poetry Project
uses personal poetry as a means for facilitating healing among those coping with devastating traumas, such as abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence. To that end, Pongo runs therapeutic poetry writing workshops inside detention centers, homeless shelters, psychiatric hospitals, and other sites where trauma is a dominant theme for the residents. The Shadow Beside Me is Pongo's 15th collection of poetry, featuring work produced by youth served through its programming at King County Juvenile Detention. The poems describe profound loss, tragedy and sorrow but also capture the self-discovery and resilience that creative expression can bring. Pongo poetry mentors participating in this reading will read from the book and also read selections of their own poetry. You can purchase The Shadow Beside Me for $20 at https://www.paypal.com/instantcommerce/checkout/JQSDA2249SAKW.
Lisette Austin is a web designer, podcaster, traveler, dancer, and former freelance writer. She has volunteered with Pongo for multiple years, mentoring both youth and adults. She's always grateful when poems appear, asking to be written.
Richard Gold is the founder of the Pongo Poetry Project, a 25-year-old nonprofit whose mission is to help marginalized youth heal from trauma through writing personal poetry. In his 2014 book, Writing with At-Risk Youth, Gold codifies the Pongo Method; the uniquely successful trauma-informed technique he created for teaching therapeutic poetry. Gold has been the recipient of multiple honors, including a presentation from Bill and Melinda Gates, recognizing his tireless work in both founding Pongo and championing increased access to trauma-informed expressive arts opportunities for youth and others leading difficult lives.
Emily Holt is the author of Though the Walls Are Lit (Lost Horse Press, 2020). Her poems and essays have appeared in Poetry Ireland Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, Hinterland, and other publications. She received her MFA in creative writing from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University and a Master of Letters in literature from Trinity College Dublin. She lives in Seattle, where she teaches writing.
Nadia Imafidon is an unapologetic Nigerian-American spoken word poet who hosts a virtual poetry series called Reclaiming Inside where she creates a community space for writers to explore what's happening inside as we are forced to stay inside. She also cohosts The Table Podcast, where she and Isaac Sanders have table conversations about black, queer, and femme experiences.
Shaun McMichael, MAT, is Pongo Poetry Project's program manager. He spent the last ten years teaching marginalized youth in the Seattle area. Forty of his short stories and essays have been published online and in print. He lives in West Seattle with his wife and son.
Ashley Noelle Skartvedt is a certified therapeutic recreation specialist, with experience working in residential psychiatric care for children and adolescents. She holds an MFA in creative writing and poetics from the University of Washington Bothell. Her creative work focuses on coping with mental illness, overcoming trauma, and healing through writing.
MCTBD
J. I. Kleinberg has twice been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net awards. She is coeditor of 56 Days of August (Five Oaks Press, 2017) and Noisy Water: Poetry from Whatcom County, Washington (Other Mind Press, 2015), and coproduces the Bellingham-based SpeakEasy poetry series. Her poetry has appeared in One, Pontoon, Pedestal Magazine, Psaltery & Lyre, December, and elsewhere, and more than 400 of her found-word collage poems have been published in print and online. She lives in Bellingham, Washington, and posts frequently at https://chocolateisaverb.wordpress.com/" and https://thepoetrydepartment.wordpress.com/ and occasionally on Instagram @jikleinberg.
MCTBDRead your poetry or prose and then we'll discuss your work and offer ideas for improvement. Take away a new perspective on your creative work.
Day: Second Tuesday of each month
Time: 6:30 to approximately 9:00 PM (Pacific Time
as a virtual gathering using ZOOM (see link and details below).
FREE:, no registration required
Bring: Something written that you're willing to share and get feedback on. You will be able to share your screen so others can read your written words.
Join the Zoom meeting beginning at 6:30 PM (Pacific Time)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83444797592?pwd=cUptMXB3R1g1V3B3S3RKRUNLUEpydz09
RASP events are free and do not require registration (unless noted).
Meeting ID: 834 4479 7592
Password: 372124
If you are unsure how to use Zoom, read these tips. This page also contains some vital information about courtesy during events.
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
This will be a virtual gathering using ZOOM (see link and details above).
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Tuesday, March 9, 2021
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Look for our frequent messages and writing prompts on Facebook. Follow us, share us, enjoy us. Tweet about us, too, and retweet our tweets.
RASP's Open Mic gives you the opportunity to share your work with a receptive audience.
Each month, we open up the microphone to everyone to share their poetry and prose with a receptive audience. You can also participate by relaxing and listening to the words of others.
If you have written something you would like to read, show up early and sign up for a time slot. Time slots are scheduled before and after the featured reader. Details and guidelines are at our Open Mic page.
SoulFood Poetry Night Third Thursday of each month, 7:00 PM (Pacific Time), SoulFood CoffeeHouse and Fair Trade Emporium, 15748 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA
APex - Artists Personal exchange Third Tuesday of each month, 7:00 PM (Pacific Time), SoulFood CoffeeHouse and Fair Trade Emporium, 15748 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA
Duvall Poetry First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 PM (Pacific Time), Duvall Library, 15508 Main St. NE, Duvall, WA
Poetry at the Rainbow Cafe First Monday of each month, 7:00 PM (Pacific Time), Rainbow Café, 112 E. Main St., Auburn, WA
Everett Poetry Nite Every Thursday, 7:00 PM (Pacific Time), Café Zippy, 2811 Wetmore Ave, Everett, WA