Teen Night at BARN

Friday, April 18th from 6 – 9 p.m. Teens (grades 7-12) gather for a free evening of art, friends, and creativity! Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Michele Bombardier will be the guest artist. https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/assnfe/ev.asp?ID=5320892

WRITING AS RESISTANCE: Art Disrupts Authoritarianism, So Let's Make Art

Join Michele Bombardier, Bainbridge Island's Poet Laureate, in this generative workshop. We will listen to some poems and write poems or prose of our own. Authoritarians have always understood a certain truth: creativity is a threat to their power. The suppression of artists and the creation of state approved art have historically characterized totalitarian regimes. - Human Rights Foundation

Friday, April 18th, 3-4:30 pm at the Bainbridge Public Library Meeting Room. Just bring yourself, paper, and a pen!

Guest reader Rae Armantrout will be joining us for an evening of poetry!

Rae Armantrout has published more than two dozen books, including her recent book Go Figure, which came out from Wesleyan in August of 2024. Armantrout’s poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including several editions of The Best American Poetry series, The Norton Anthology of Postmodern American Poetry, Poetry, The New Yorker, Lana Turner, Granta, and The Nation. In 2010 her book Versed won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. She is the current judge of the Yale Younger Poets Prize.

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+

*Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served.

*Hosted by our poet laureate, Michele Bombardier, and Bainbridge Public Library. Event held at Bainbridge Public Library at 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

ARS POETICA 2025. Artwork Interpreting Poetry. Readings & Receptions:

JG Art – Saturday, April 5. 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Bainbridge Arts & Crafts – Saturday, April 5. 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Bainbridge Island Photography Club – Wednesday, April 9. 7 – 8:30 p.m.

https://www.arspoeticawa.com/

Healing through Creativity: An Afternoon with Pongo Poetry Project. Sunday, April 6. 3 – 5 p.m. at Bainbridge Performing Arts. The community is invited to learn about Pongo Poetry Project, a dynamic non-profit organization inspiring healing among youth in crisis. Enjoy poetry and other creative activities.

Purchase tickets: https://pongopoetryproject.org/healing-through-creativity-bainbridge/

Location: THE BUXTON CENTER FOR BAINBRIDGE PERFORMING ARTS, 200 MADISON AVE N. BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, WA 98110

For more info and tickets: https://pongopoetryproject.org/healing-through-creativity-bainbridge/

ARS POETICA 2025. Artwork Interpreting Poetry. Readings & Receptions:

JG Art – Saturday, April 5. 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Bainbridge Arts & Crafts – Saturday, April 5. 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Bainbridge Island Photography Club – Wednesday, April 9. 7 – 8:30 p.m.

https://www.arspoeticawa.com/

ARS POETICA 2025. Artwork Interpreting Poetry. Readings & Receptions:

JG Art – Saturday, April 5. 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Bainbridge Arts & Crafts – Saturday, April 5. 2:30 – 4 p.m.

Bainbridge Island Photography Club – Wednesday, April 9. 7 – 8:30 p.m.

https://www.arspoeticawa.com/

Guest reader Jane Wong will be joining us for an evening of poetry!

Jane Wong is the author of the memoir Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City (Tin House, 2023), winner of the Washington State book award. She also wrote two poetry collections: How to Not Be Afraid of Everything (Alice James, 2021) and Overpour (Action Books, 2016). She grew up in a take-out restaurant on the Jersey shore and is an Associate Professor at Western Washington University.

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+

*Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served.

*Hosted by our poet laureate, Michele Bombardier, and Bainbridge Public Library. Event held at Bainbridge Public Library at 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

Join us for a reading, conversation, and book signing event with Bloedel Reserve Creative Resident, Cedar Sigo.

For more info and tickets: https://bloedelreserve.org/event/cedar-sigo-event/

Third of three classes in this workshop.

Use poetry prompts specifically curated for their ability to inspire writing from the "belly," not the brain.

To enroll and for more info: https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/AssnFe/ev.asp?ID=5321087

Second of three classes in this workshop.

Use poetry prompts specifically curated for their ability to inspire writing from the "belly," not the brain.

To enroll and for more info: https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/AssnFe/ev.asp?ID=5321087

Guest reader Gabrielle Bates will be joining us for an evening of poetry!

Gabrielle Bates's poems have appeared in the New Yorker, Ploughshares, Poetry Society of America, and the Cascadia Field Guide anthology. Her debut collection, Judas Goat (Tin House, 2023), was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award in Poetry and an NPR Best Book of 2023. Originally from Alabama, Gabrielle is currently based in Seattle, where she helps out at Open Books: A Poem Emporium, co-hosts the podcast The Poet Salon, and serves occasionally as visiting faculty for the University of Washington Rome Center and the Tin House Writers' Workshops.

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+

*Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served.

*Hosted by our poet laureate, Michele Bombardier, and Bainbridge Public Library. Event held at Bainbridge Public Library at 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum, 93 Pike St #307, Seattle, WA 98101

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, poetry lovers everywhere —swing by Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum and prepare to spin and soar as we celebrate the release of Flying: Trapeze Poems by poet and Folio member Lillo Way. Step into the spotlight of daring leaps and breathtaking words with poetry readings by poets Heidi Seaborn and Sandra Yannone, and enjoy a reception to conclude this circus-themed book launch!"

More info here: https://www.folioseattle.org/event-details/flying-trapeze-poems-by-lillo-way

First of three classes in this workshop.

Use poetry prompts specifically curated for their ability to inspire writing from the "belly," not the brain.

To enroll and for more info: https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/AssnFe/ev.asp?ID=5321087

One of two sessions offered.

To reserve a spot and for more info: https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/assnfe/CourseView.asp?MODE=VIEW&clCourseID=52399

One of two sessions offered.

To reserve a spot and for more info: https://www.create.bainbridgebarn.org/assnfe/CourseView.asp?MODE=VIEW&clCourseID=52399

Guest reader Heidi Seaborn will be joining us for an evening of poetry!

Guest reader Heidi Seaborn is a multiple award-winning poet and the Executive Editor of The Adroit Journal. Her third book of poetry, tic tic tic, is forthcoming in 2025 from Cornerstone Press. She holds degrees from Stanford and NYU.

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+

*Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served.

*Hosted by our poet laureate and Bainbridge Public Library. Event held at Bainbridge Public Library at 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

MICHELE BOMBARDIER will be our feature on Nov 21st! Michele is an award-winning poet and author and is Bainbridge's inaugural poet laureate. www.michelebombardier.com

*Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+

*Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served.

*Hosted by our poet laureate and Bainbridge Public Library. Event held at Bainbridge Public Library at 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

This poetry reading and workshop with poet Michele Bombardier and facilitated by Araceli Cruz will include discussion, Q&A, and writing prompts for participants to write their own poems to loved ones.

Find out about the festival here: https://www.biartmuseum.org/event/dia-de-los-muertos-community-celebrations/

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) 550 Winslow Way E.

Guest speaker Brittney Corrigan will be joining us for an evening of poetry!

Brittney Corrigan is the author of five poetry collections: Daughters, Breaking, Navigation, 40 Weeks and most recently, Solastalgia, a collection of poems about climate change, extinction, and the Anthropocene Age (JackLeg Press, 2023). Brittney was raised in Colorado and has lived in Portland, Oregon for the past three decades, where she is an alumna and employee of Reed College. Her debut short story collection, The Ghost Town Collectives, is forthcoming from Middle Creek Publishing in October, 2024. For more information, visit www.brittneycorrigan.com.

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+

*Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served.

*Hosted by our poet laureate and Bainbridge Public Library. Event held at Bainbridge Public Library at 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

DETAILS: Island Theatre Presents First Class at the Bainbridge Public Library

“Theodore Roethke and Bloedel Reserve: A Poet’s Place” will be accompanied by an Island Theatre playreading of First Class by the late poet and Roethke student David Wagoner at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, at the Bainbridge Public Library; both readings are free, with donations welcome. Set in one of Roethke’s legendary poetry workshops, the 75-minute production features Island Theatre founder Steve Stolee as Theodore Roethke.

"This is a poetry workshop, God help us,” begins First Class. In his introduction to the play, David Wagoner wrote: “Most of the teaching methods of artists in all categories have gone unrecorded. We know very little about what great painters and great composers, for instance, said to their pupils. In First Class I've tried to re-create the atmosphere of one of Roethke's poetry workshops, working mostly from my memories of him and a number of examples of the kinds of poems and opinions he admired, some of the near rituals he used both on students and himself, some of his unique spirit, and some of the hectic ways Time and Place would leap over each other for him as if he were in charge of both."

In the process, the audience is swept into not only the exhilarating milieu of Roethke’s classroom, but also the terrible landscape of the mental illness that clouded most of his life.

"Theodore Roethke and Bloedel Reserve: A Poet’s Place” is made possible through by a grant from the Bainbridge Community Foundation and funding from the City of Bainbridge Island. Other Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Program support comes from the Bainbridge Public Library and Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN).

SUMMER SUNDAY READINGS 3-4:30 pm The Garden, Wilderbee Farm & Meadery 223 Cook Avenue Extension Port Townsend, Washington

Poetry Lineup: Rick Barot Melissa Kwasny Spencer Reece

*Seating is limited. Come early, or bring a camp chair or picnic blanket and a couple friends. Spread out on the lawn and enjoy. Free public event and free parking. Donations are welcome.

DETAILS: Island Theatre Presents First Class at the Bainbridge Public Library

“Theodore Roethke and Bloedel Reserve: A Poet’s Place” will be accompanied by an Island Theatre playreading of First Class by the late poet and Roethke student David Wagoner at 7 p.m. on Saturday, September 28, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, at the Bainbridge Public Library; both readings are free, with donations welcome. Set in one of Roethke’s legendary poetry workshops, the 75-minute production features Island Theatre founder Steve Stolee as Theodore Roethke.

"This is a poetry workshop, God help us,” begins First Class. In his introduction to the play, David Wagoner wrote: “Most of the teaching methods of artists in all categories have gone unrecorded. We know very little about what great painters and great composers, for instance, said to their pupils. In First Class I've tried to re-create the atmosphere of one of Roethke's poetry workshops, working mostly from my memories of him and a number of examples of the kinds of poems and opinions he admired, some of the near rituals he used both on students and himself, some of his unique spirit, and some of the hectic ways Time and Place would leap over each other for him as if he were in charge of both."

In the process, the audience is swept into not only the exhilarating milieu of Roethke’s classroom, but also the terrible landscape of the mental illness that clouded most of his life.

"Theodore Roethke and Bloedel Reserve: A Poet’s Place” is made possible through by a grant from the Bainbridge Community Foundation and funding from the City of Bainbridge Island. Other Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Program support comes from the Bainbridge Public Library and Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN).

Anna Odessa Linzer: Season Unleashed

Season Unleashed is a new collection of poems by American Book Award-winning novelist and poet Anna Odessa Linzer. Anna evokes the dramatic yet subtle beauty of the Salish Sea. A Northwest native, her poems reveal a keen awareness born of the familiarity of paths and beaches she walks daily. Memories surface, braiding her heritage with life on the Suquamish Port Madison Indian Reservation, her years on Shaw Island, in the rainforest along the Hoh River, and in the isolation of Dabob Bay. These poems and prose passages are a kaleidoscope of seasons unleashed. A long-distance, cold-water swimmer, Anna glides through the seasons in the cool blue-green waters she calls home, inviting us to join her in her powerful, deep immersion.

Anna will give a reading featuring poems from this new collection, Season Unleashed, published by Empty Bowl Press. Following the reading, she will be in conversation with Holly Hughes, poet, publisher, and Anna’s longtime friend. A reception will be held before the talk, starting at 6:00 PM, with a book signing after the event.

Purchase tickets here: https://www.biartmuseum.org/event/anna-odessa-linzer-season-unleashed/

GUEST BIO

Anna Odessa Linzer has always lived along the Salish Sea. Her deep connection with the Pacific Northwest is reflected in both her poems and her fiction. Her novel Ghost Dancing (Picador/St. Martin’s Press) received an American Book Award in 1999. Her novels Blind Virgil, Dancing on Water, and A River Story were produced as the handbound, limited-edition Home Waters by fine-arts publisher Marquand Books. A River Story was adapted and performed as a two-person play, and her poems have been featured in gallery and museum installations as well as on wine bottles. She has also worked on environmental protection and restoration issues, including founding one of the first land trusts in Washington State.

*Photo and info courtesey of Bainbridge Island Museum of Art

Guest speakers Nancy Miller Gomez and Emily Ransdell will be joining us for an evening of poetry!

Nancy Miller Gomez is the author of Inconsolable Objects (YesYes Books) and the chapbook Punishment (Rattle chapbook series). Her poems appear in Best American Poetry and other journals. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA where she co-founded a program to teach poetry for incarcerated men and women.

Emily Ransdell is the author of One Finch Singing. Her poems appear in Poetry Northwest, Terrain and many others. She lives in Camas, WA and teaches at the Hoffman Center for the Arts.

Sign up to read opens at 6:45pm. Ages 14+

*Cookies, courtesy of T & C, wine, and tea will be served.

*Hosted by our poet laureate and Bainbridge Public Library. Event held at Bainbrdige Public Library at 1270 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

"This poetry workshop is for poets of any stage and background who want to explore the complexity, queerness, and surreality of nature and ecology through poetry. Even if you’re new to nature writing or poetry, this course welcomes you!

In this workshop, we will consider the question of what eco-poetry (also known as natural poetry) is and can be, especially in the current temper of our times, by reading a sampling of contemporary writers of a variety of backgrounds and styles. We’ll look at the ways those writers use specific techniques of poetry and lyricality to engage with the natural world, ecology, and place.

We’ll talk about how to represent the strange wildness inherent in nature and how it can help us connect with the wildness inherent in ourselves. Then we’ll write (with the option to share!) some of our own eco-poems through on-site interactive writing prompts that will get us out into Bloedel Reserve."

WHERE: This event is held indoors at the Japanese Guest House and will involve time outdoors as well. Bloedel Reserve, 7571 NE Dolphin Dr, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

WHEN: Wednesday, September 4, 12:30 PM–4 PM

COST: $15 Purchase tickets here

SUMMER SUNDAY READINGS 3-4:30 pm The Garden, Wilderbee Farm & Meadery 223 Cook Avenue Extension Port Townsend, Washington

Poetry Lineup: Luther Hughes Erin Malone Arianne True

*Seating is limited. Come early, or bring a camp chair or picnic blanket and a couple friends. Spread out on the lawn and enjoy. Free public event and free parking. Donations are welcome.

Hosted by our poet laureat, Michele Bombardier, with our guest poet: Nigerian American poet, Uche Nduka, is the author of eight books of poetry, the most recent of which is Bainbridge Island Notebook. A winner of the Nigerian Authors' Poetry Prize, he lectures and reads all over the world and teaches at CUNY Queens College. Uche lives in NYC and likes to summer on Bainbridge with his family.

Join us for our third Thursday Poetry Reading and Open Mic series at the Bainbridge Public Library, 1270 Madison Ave. N. Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

Sign-up opens at 6:45pm, reading begins at 7 sharp. Wine, tea, and cookies will be served. *All are welcome, ages 14+