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Event
Skagit River Poetry Festival: Festival Ticket
Get your ticket before March 1, 2016 and save $25.
Tickets are now on sale for the exciting 2016 Skagit River Poetry Festival, May 19-22 in the historic town of La Conner. The four-day event features some of the most renowned and diverse names in poetry, including Arab-American writer Naomi Shibab Nye, described as "international in scope and internal in focus." She is four-time winner of the prestigious Pushcart Prize. The popular festival opens with a literary bang on May 19, when celebrated spoken word poets take the stage in a program called "Wake Up. Speak Out," challenging and provoking audiences with new poetic ideas and forms. Participants include Jeanann Verlee, who has represented New York City ten times at the National Poetry Slam, Individual World Poetry Slam, and Women of the World Poetry Slam; Jamaal May, Detroit poet and filmmaker; Tarfia Faizullah; Daemond Arrindell, curator of the Seattle Poetry Slam and five-time coach of the Seattle National Poetry Slam Team; and Seattle Grand Slam champion Matt Gano. Over the next two days, the festival presents some of the most thoughtful, diverse voices in contemporary poetry, reflecting cultures from around the world. The lineup includes Aimee Nezhukumatathil, born to a Filipina mother and Malayali Indian father; Natalie Diaz, a member of the Mojave and Pima Indian tribes, and former professional basketball player; Zen Buddhist priest and poet Norman Fischer; American-Bangladeshi poet, educator, and editor Tarfia Faizullah; poet Lorna Dee Cervantes, a major voice in contemporary Chicana literature; Koon Woon, born in a small Chinese village near Canton in 1949; and Detroit poet Jamaal May, nominated by The National Advancement for Colored People for an "Outstanding Literary Work" award in poetry.
Top Northwest poets on the bill include Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellow Richard Kenney from Port Townsend, Canadian musician, philosopher, and award-winning poet Jan Zwicky, and Washington State's new Poet Laureate Tod Marshall, a professor at Gonzaga University dedicated to bringing humanities to underserved populations. "Poetry mattersnot just to poets, professors, and students: poetry matters to everyone," he says.
Events include a Thursday night Soiree extravaganza, a mixer with festival artists that includes wine and delicious locally sourced hors d'oeuvres. The final day of the festival, select poets will offer writing workshops to the public.
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LocationVarious Venues La Conner, WA (View)
104 Commercial Street
La Conner, WA 98257
United States
Categories
Kid Friendly: Yes! |
Non-Smoking: Yes! |
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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