Sample two beers for $1, 4-9 p.m., 99 Bottles, 35002 Pacific Hwy. S., Federal Way, 253.838.2558.
Half-price Wine Night, 4-9:30 p.m., Primo Grill, 601 S. Pine, Tacoma, 253.383.7000.
Half-price Wine Night with every bottle on regular wine list is half price, 5-9 p.m., Il Fiasco, 2717 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.6688.
Half-price Wine Night, 5-10 p.m., Woody’s On The Water, 1715 Dock St., Tacoma, 253.272.1433.
Wine tasting, noon to 6 p.m., complimentary, Walter Dacon Winery, 50 S.E. Skookum Inlet Road, Shelton, 360.426.5913.
Future Things Are Coming
Vinum Coffee and Wine Lounge in downtown Tacoma host Justin Basel of Basel Cellars and his six different wines Thursday, April 2. Vinum will offer a four-course meal and a flight of wine for $18. Call 253.572.8215 for details.
TAMMY ROBACKER:POETRY DITTIES FROM THE SOUTH PUGET SOUND >>>
Each April brings a shower of poetry to the South Puget Sound. Inaugurated as National Poetry Month by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, the entire month is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating poets, poetry, libraries, bookstores, and the literary arts community across the nation. Tacoma is truly no exception to participating in the poesy festivities. The South Sound has its own praiseworthy poets with words to spit about our own place in the American poetry scene.
All over the South Sound, there will be poetry events, readings, performances and guest poets.
And you won’t miss a stanza.
I’ll be posting about the South Sound poetry scene every Monday, Wednesday and Friday right here on Spew.
Ravenous Readers Book Club For starters, King’s Books in Tacoma's Stadium District will be hosting: Ravenous Readers Book Club Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. Folks are encouraged to join this community book group focused on reading books about food and sustainability. April’s book is Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky.
The Ravenous Readers Book Club meets the first Thursday of every month at King's Books.
Rick Barot Also Thursday, April 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Garfield Book Company in Parkland by Pacific Lutheran University, poet Rick Barot will host a poetry reading to celebrate National Poetry Month and the publication of his poetry collection, Want.
Barot was born in the Philippines and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. His first book, The Darker Fall, was the winner of the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry and was published by Sarabande Books in 2002. Sarabande published his second book, Want, in 2008. His poems and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including New England Review, The New Republic, Poetry, and Virginia Quarterly Review. His work has also appeared in many anthologies, including The New Young American Poets, Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation, and Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Stanford University, where he was a Stegner Fellow in Poetry and a Jones Lecturer in Poetry.
He lives in Tacoma and teaches both in the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College and at Pacific Lutheran University.
Below is a sonnet from his book, Want.
ELEGY By Rick Barot
In this rain we are moved to anecdotes. That people float candles out to the river. That in a field there is the crickets’ grief. It could be colder just now but it isn’t. Though there are the posters’ missing faces. Though a car is upside down, wheel turning. The day will only want to keep arriving. We will startle for the clothes by the bed. For the vein glowing green on the thigh. The coffee will come black inside its cup. The bread will be made of something clean. This will not seem enough and it isn’t: The white nouns of the moon, the paper. The handkerchief pulled from an empty fist.
That’s it for today. I'll bring you more poetry ditties Friday.
TAMMY ROBACKER is a poet and writer living, breathing, typing and spitting words in Tacoma. She owns a freelance writing and marketing communications company called Pearle Publications. Her poetry has appeared in Plazm, Women's Work, The Wild Goose Poetry Review, and the Allegheny Review. A recent recipient of the 2009/10 TAIP grant, she will be publishing her first book of poetry, The Vicissitudes, through the generous support of this funding made possible by the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Arts Commission.
RON SWARNER: A HOT TIME COMING TO THE FREIGHTHOUSE SQUARE >>>
Can't decide whether to stay home and hazily puzzle over your iTunes visualizer or immerse yourself in the sweaty thumping crowd of a DJ/art happening? No need to deliberate any longer. Matt Eklund of Pacific Fusion Productions and Dave Curtis of South Sound Collective â€" the maestros who brought the element-based party “Fresh Air†at the Robert Daniel Gallery in January â€" will light a spark under the Freighthouse Square when they present “Playing With Fire†Saturday night. Held in the Rainier Room, the two producers will synchronize visuals with music â€" 10 DJs, 15 local artists, fire dancing, jugglers, stilt walkers and a fashion show â€" for full fiery, sensory stimulation. So whether your idea of a good night involves cheap beer and zoning out or drinking good beer and jumping up and down to beats, here's a damn good bet.
I caught up with Curtis and Eklund to light a fire until their asses for the scoop on Saturday’s show.
WEEKLY VOLCANO: Why the title “Playing With Fire� DAVE CURTIS: “Playing with Fire†is the second in a series of four events depicting the elements. In January we held "Fresh Air" at the Robert Daniel Gallery. The fresh air must have fueled the fire for this Saturday because many great ideas and tons of energy and community participation have melted together to bring what we expect to be a night of utter amazement and pure sensory overload. We are planning our "Water" event for July and have “Earth†on our minds for later this year.
VOLCANO: You are bringing Seattle DJs down to T-town. Are they worthy?
CURTIS: Eva has headlined clubs around the world and has toured the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America. I think she is worthy of Tacoma's attention, and there is no doubt she will have it with her presence on the decks. For 12 years Zacharia has been one of the biggest influences in the Northwest drum ‘n’ bass community, representing the 360 BPM crew. He will bring it. You may have seen Jimmy Hoffa at “Fresh Air†â€" He'll be back again. And Mike Check is another Drum ‘n’ Bass guru who will be spinning in the outdoor tent during PURE Cirkus' fire performance. The T-Town DJs will be meshing quite well with the "outsiders."
VOLCANO: How will the art and fashion play out with the music?
CURTIS: The art will be shown all night. You won't be able to miss it. Everything will be fully integrated throughout the night in the two rooms. The music will be continuous throughout the event, not dropping a beat.
VOLCANO: Did Freighthouse Square freak out over the fire theme?
MATT EKLUND: We had a smooth time with working with the Frieghthouse Square staff and merchants. They were friendly and very open to our ideas for “Playing With Fire.†We would like to say a personal thank you to Kate Malady of Northwest Unique and Angela Wehnert of Crescent Moon Gifts for being more than helpful throughout our planning.
VOLCANO: Explain the concept behind the “Illuminated Art Show†feature?
EKLUND: For “Playing With Fire†the artists were challenged to create a piece of art that must self illuminate to truly be appreciated by its viewer. The art will also represent the element of fire. From its compound, beauty, gift and damage, the element of fire will come alive through their work. More than 18 local artists will be displaying their illuminated work in the main room.
VOLCANO: Will the body fashion show incorporate the fire theme?
EKLUND: Yeah, the models will be painted in fire-themed designs. The body fashion and shoes are represented by The Show Shoe on Sixth Avenue.
Has that sparked your interest? Will house and drum ‘n’ bass tracks on two stages throughout the night with fashion, art, food, drinks and fire enough to drag you away from your computer?
MATT DRISCOLL: COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE CLINIC TO AVOID CUTBACKS THANKS TO STIMULUS >>>
Whether you agree with “the stimulus†or not â€" or whether you refer to it by its birth name, the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 â€" the fact is the money’s starting to flow, and some of the beneficiaries will be local community health centers, which, in turn, means those with limited incomes, a lack of health insurance and medical needs may soon be breathing a little easier in these rocky and uncertain economic times.
Last Friday, March 27, it was announced that Washington state is in line to receive $10 million to expand services at community health services across our state. Locally, Community Health Care â€" a private, nonprofit organization with low cost clinics throughout Pierce County â€" will receive $482,860; and the Metropolitan Development Council, a nonprofit community action partnership that offers programs in education, drug and alcohol treatment, housing and homeless services stands to get a check for $156,087.
That money, and, of course, about $9.4 million more distributed to similar organizations across Washington, is all part of $338 million included in the Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Increased Demands for Services grants (IDS). In times like these, it’s safe and prudent to assume demands for services will increase.
“We’re moving quickly to get Economic Recovery funding working in Washington state communities,†said Senator Patty Murray in a press release touting the spending. “This funding will allow health centers to protect jobs, keep overall health care costs down, and keep their doors open to the local community.â€
So how will this translate locally, specifically at Community Health Care â€" a safety net for thousands of low-income patients?
According to Russ Sondker, who works in the marketing and resource development department of Community Health Care, the money will go directly to the agency’s Tillicum clinic â€" which in 2008 served 1,664 patients, half without insurance, and about 1,000 of whom lived at 200 percent of the poverty line or below. Over the next two years the stimulus money will keep the Tillicum clinic in the black.
“What we’re using the money for is operating costs to pay for daily operations,†says Sondker. “The money will fill in that budget deficit (at Tillicum) so we don’t have to make cutbacks.â€
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