RASP: Redmond Association of Spokenword

Once again, this will be a salon-style reading (poems and short fiction in a more casual, conversational atmosphere). We'll take turns reading a single poem or other piece. Then we'll invite spontaneous discussion (not critique) about what the piece means or evokes or prompts. Another person will read and we'll repeat, taking turns as time allows. We love the feedback that this is a relaxed and inviting way to have our open mike.

MC—Michael Heavener; Host—Pamela Denchfield

Armin Tolentino is the author of the poetry collection We Meant to Bring It Home Alive (Alternating Current Press, 2019). He earned an MFA at Rutgers University-Newark and his poetry has appeared in numerous journals including Common Knowledge, Arsenic Lobster, Hyphen Magazine, and Raven Chronicles. He is a phenomenal clapper, a passable ukulele player, and a bumbling, but enthusiastic, fisherman. More info at www.armintolentino.com.

MC—TBA

Judith Adams is an English-born Whidbey Island poet. She has published four books of poetry and recorded several CDs of her work. Her poems have been published in magazines and anthologies and choreographed for dance. Judith has read at museums, libraries, correctional Institutions, retreat centers, and state hospitals, and she regularly conducts poetry workshops. Judith is currently a speaker for the "Humanities Washington" speakers bureau for 2019–20. Her website is www.judithadamspoetry.com.

MC—TBA

Daniel Edward Moore lives on Whidbey Island with the poet Laura Coe Moore. His poems are forthcoming in Weber Review, Cultural Weekly, Tule Review, Poetry South, January Review, Plainsongs, The Cape Rock, Artifact Nouveau, and Panoplyzine. His chapbook, Boys, from Duck Lake Books, and first full-length collection, Waxing the Dents, from Brick Road Poetry, were both recently released. His work has been nominated for Pushcart prizes and Best of the Net. Visit him at danieledwardmoore.com.

MC—TBA

David Patneaude began writing seriously (more or less) in the 1980s. His first novel, Someone Was Watching, was published in 1993. His books have been named to dozens of state young readers’ lists and honored by the New York Public Library, the Society of School Librarians International, the Winnetka (Illinois) Public Library’s "One Book, Two Villages" program, and the Washington State Public Library. His 2010 young adult novel Epitaph Road was a nominee for the 2013–2014 Nebraska Golden Sower Book Award. His 2018 alternative history/sci-fi young adult novel Fast Backward has garnered much praise. When he’s not in a coffee shop writing, or at a school or library or conference discussing writing, or on the trail thinking about writing, he’s home in Woodinville, Washington with his wife Judy, a retired middle school librarian. Visit his website at http://www.patneaude.com/

MC—Michael Dylan Welch