RASP: Redmond Association of Spokenword

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

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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.

MC—TBD

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.

MC—TBD

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.