TACOMA'S POET LAUREATE HAS A WORKSHOP FOR YOU >>>

Not to be morbid, but I always wanted to write book before I died.

So I did.

The year before I turned 40, I committed to write poetry for a year straight until I had enough poems to make up a manuscript. Then, last November, I published that first collection of poetry, The Vicissitudes (Pearle Publications 2009) with funding made possible by a TAIP grant I won through the Tacoma Arts Commission.

Since being awarded Urban Grace's 2010 Soul of the City Poet Laureate of Tacoma title, I'm learning that I'm not the only writer that dreams of this achievement. I have found, in my own literary circles of friends in Tacoma - by volunteering for several local poetry organizations, and as serving as poet laureate this year - that there are writers and poets of all skill levels who always come up to me after a reading and tell me how bad they want to write a book.

As poet laureate, it is a very important task for me to share the world of poetry and writing with Tacoma from many angles. In addition to poetry readings and literary events, one of the goals of the poet laureate program for me is to outreach not just to poets but also to all people in our community who want to write or who do write and support and encourage them to reach their own personal literary goals.

In addition to the hunger many people have to publish their collection of poems, or write their first novel, they simply do not know where to start once the manuscript takes shape. It is daunting for writers and poets to consider the overwhelming world of publication options. Can you self-publish? Should you get an agent? What is the benefit of working with small presses?

To help answer these questions and offer publishing inspiration to Tacoma's writers and poets, I will be offering a class called, Indie Lit Chicks on Publishing: A Writers Workshop on Sunday, Aug. 1 from 2-4:30 p.m. at Urban Grace Church. Joining me to co-teach and host a Q&A session on topics such as self-publication, literary agents, funding, marketing and independent press publication will be two guest authors, Gina Frangello and Zoe Zolbrod. The authors will also read from their latest novels and books will be available for purchase and signing.

Gina Frangello is the author of the books My Sister's Continent (Chiasmus 2006) and Slut Lullabies (Emergency Press 2010.)  The long-time editor of Other Voices magazine, she co-founded its book imprint, Other Voices Books (www.ovbooks.com) in 2005, where she serves as executive editor.  Frangello is also the fiction editor at the popular online literary collective The Nervous Breakdown (www.thenervousbreakdown.com). Visit the author at: www.ginafrangello.com.

Following her debut novel, My Sister's Continent, which delved "fearlessly into questions of identity, abuse ... trust, trespass, and delusion" (Booklist), Frangello continues her exploration of the power dynamics of gender, class, and sexuality in this collection of diverse, vibrant short fiction. Slut Lullabies is unsettling. Like the experience of reading a private diary, these stories leave one feeling slightly traitorous while also imprinting a deep recognition of truths you did not know you felt (Emergency Press).

Other Voices Books 2010 recently released Zoe Zolbrod's new novel, Currency. Inspired by her personal experiences backpacking in Asia in the mid-'90s, itis a literary thriller set in Thailand that tells about a Thai man and an American woman backpacker who get involved with each other and an endangered animal smuggling ring. Ladette Randolph, author of A Sandhills Ballad and editor-in-chief at Ploughshares, writes, "Currency is an impressive debut, a spellbinding novel of international intrigue and a heartbreaking love story between a naive young American woman and a sweetly ambitious Thai man. Zoe Zolbrod writes with authority about little known parts of Thailand in prose so beautiful I found myself conflicted between savoring every word and rushing to see what would happen next."

Zolbrod has published short stories and some of her essays appeared in Maxine, a zine she co-published in the 1990s. Born in Meadville, Penn., Zolbrod attended college in Oberlin, Ohio, and received a MA from University of Illinois at Chicago. Currently, Zolbrod works in educational publishing and lives in Evanston, Ill., with her husband, the artist Mark DeBernardi, and their son and daughter. Visit the author's blog: http://zoezolbrod.com/

Indie Lit Chicks on Publishing: A Writers Workshop

Sunday, Aug. 1, 2-4:30 p.m., $10 suggested donation
Urban Grace Church, 902 Market St., Tacoma
Cost: $10 suggested donation
To RSVP, email: tamsugah@aol.com

LINK: Tammy Robacker knows this blog

THE 2010 SOUL OF THE CITY POETRY PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP >>>

You know you want to. Write a poem, that is. You've got that half-finished prose rotting away in a box in your basement and a house full o' kids to look after. Or you've simply told yourself that you'd like to, but you just don't think you have it in you.

Rubbish!

What you should do instead of self-deprecate is head over to the Urban Grace Church for the 2010 Soul of the City Poetry Performance Workshop: Reading Your Work Aloud in Public tomorrow afternoon. Hosted by Tacoma Poet Laureate Tammy Robacker, the workshop features great advice from teacher, writer, playwright and actress Kisha X. Palmer, as well as local wordsmiths Josh Rizeberg and Quincy "Q Dot" Henry.

Let your creative juices flow, unleash your poetry itch, rid yourself of public speaking fears and get down with the sickness (without getting down with Disturbed, of course).

You should bring your half-written poem to practice speaking aloud.

Reading Your Work Aloud

Sunday, July 18, 2-4:30 p.m., $10 donation
Urban Grace Church, 902 Market St., Tacoma
253.272.2184
RSVP required: tamsugah@aol.com

YEE-HAW! >>>

Cowboy poets will gather at the Puyallup Fairgrounds today as part of the American Cowboy Days Roundup inside the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage & Art Center. Stop laughing. Can you do it? OK, then. Cowboy poetry is cool. You live in the West, you should learn to appreciate it.

Come hear tales told by some of today's finest cowboys, storytellers, poets and songwriters and see some pretty cool roping and horse demonstrations.

More details, kind of, are on the Heritage Center website.

American Cowboy Days Roundup

Saturday, July 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Fred Oldfield western Heritage & Art Center, Red Gate, Puyallup Fairgrounds, Ninth and Meridian, Puyallup

FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010 >>>

1. Yeah, we're going to be all snobby and use the film's original name, Hausu, instead of the probably better known but still underground House, a 1977 Japanese should-be cult classic premiering at 8 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema. We're those kind of people. Described as a psychedelic ghost tale, a stream-of-consciousness bedtime story, and "an episode of Scooby Doo as directed by Dario Argento," if you're into bizarre cinema and subtitles, House's one-week run at The Grand should not be missed.

2. If you delight in glass beadwork's minute details, you'll be dazzled by the Puget Sound Bead Festival this weekend inside the Hotel Murano Bicentennial Pavilion, where beads, jewelry and sculpted beadwork will take center stage. Daily demonstrations and more than 70 lectures and workshops are on the docket. Get small today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3. One of our fave parts about summer is the Friday Frost Park Chalk Off: so beautiful, so ephemeral, so much funnier when atheists sponsor it - as in today's challenge, which goes down from noon to 1 p.m. in the downtown Tacoma park.

4. Open mics offer the most effective means of social control since the demise of public hanging or (at least) since the advent of satellite TV. The Distinguished Writer Series Open Mic, open to all poets, begins at 7 p.m. inside King's Books in Tacoma. And remember, whoever walks a mile full of false sympathy walks to the funeral of the whole human race, or something.

5. Hey kids, do you like the punk rock? Broken Oars, My Life In Black & White, South 11th, C.F.A., and Artimus Maximus invades Hell's Kitchen beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: New movies open today

LINK: Concert go on sale today

FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2010 >>>

1. Burn Idols out of Long Beach join White Wards, Malice, and The Kingsford Run for an all-ages 7 p.m. show at The Viaduct.

2. Marisha Auerbach of Wild Thyme Farm and Herb'n Wisdom will discuss the benefits and activist nature of seed saving (quite literally, saving seeds from your garden to ensure genetic diversity in the food we eat) at 7 p.m. inside King's Books. Stop laughing. It's important. Considering the corporatization of our food supply and the fact that the genetic diversity of our fruits and vegetables is being crushed by capitalism and mass production, this is a talk to take note of.

3. Theater Artists Olympia (or TAO) is doing some of the most forward theater out there, from last year's Poona the Fuckdog, to their interpretation of Shakespeare's classic, Othello, which hits the Olympia Little Theatre stage at 8 p.m. Set in 1968 in crime-riddled New York - in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement - TAO's Othello is described as a tragedy that "takes us on a journey where we can confront our greatest hopes and fears." Basically, TAO's Othello sounds destined to brilliantly play off the original, only with a lot more guns.

4. The Tacoma Speak Your Soul Open Mic - open to all styles of poetry, especially poems intended to build a better world - begins at 8 p.m. inside The Den @ urbanXchange.

5. Hell's Kitchen hosts Tool tribute band 46 & 2 and Lurid at 9 p.m. There will be a raffle for a pair of tickets to the July 10 sold out Tool show at KeyArena.

LINK: Concerts will go on sale this morning

LINK: New movies open today

TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2010 >>>

1. Pecha Kucha Night V. 06 is all about a day in the life of the great people of Tacoma featuring guest hosts Antonio Edwards and Jeremy Gregory. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. inside Shakabrah Java, Stella Haioulani, Leilani Williams, Julie Bennet, Allan Boothe, Tobin Ropes, Patricia Lecy-Davis, Jonathan Kellett, Brad Brown, Michael Johnson, Timothy Pinchney, Kit Evans, and Zach Marvick will show 20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds each.

2. The D.A.S.H. Center for the Arts holds a Ladies Hip Hop dance class every Tuesday at 6 p.m. for those 25 and older.

3. An open mic featuring poetry by Olympia poet Don Freis will be held at 6:30 p.m. inside The Loft on Cherry in downtown Olympia. The $3 suggested donation goes to support the Art Kitchen.

4. Our Only Escape out of Denver will rock The Viaduct with Seeking Skylight, Enthused, To Kill A Genre, West On 18, and Temporary Heroes beginning at 7 p.m.

5. Honeybear, Letters, and Fauxbois play an 8 p.m. all-ages show at Northern.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2010 >>>

1. Doyle's World Cup Jazz Thing featuring Cliff Colon's Motherfunkers, Kareem Kandi Trio, and All Night Yard Sale begins at 8 p.m. inside the Doyle's tent.

2. Local artists and community members create works of chalk art on the sidewalks and walls of Frost Park in downtown Tacoma during Episode 12, Season 3 of Frost Park Chalk Off running from noon to 1 p.m. Afterward, the world votes for the best chalk creation on Feed Tacoma.

3. The Tacoma Etsy Craft Party featuring handcrafted items from Etsy sellers, giveaways, prize drawings and cupcakes will be held from 3-6 p.m. at hello, cupcake.

4. Renowned theologians, religious scholars and advocates for social justice have shared their thoughts and experiences with participants in order to inspire awareness, challenge preconceived notions, and shed light upon the spiritual journey during the 28^th Annual Spiritual Life Institute "Religion and Violence" Symposium that ends today with a keynote address by Dr. Reza Aslan, associate professor from the University of California, Riverside. Aslan's topic will be "How To Win a Cosmic War" at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Martin's University.  

5. The Tempest Lounge presents Beat Box, a night of '80s New Wave, funk, pop and club classics by resident DJs dAb, Suga Jones and guests beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: New movies open today

SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2010 >>>

1. Tacoma Is For Lovers presents a special Artist Craft Fair fundraiser for King's Books featuring a multitude of local artists will have tables featuring arts, crafts, jewelry, letterpress prints, T-shirts, poetry and more from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at King's Books. Tacoma Poet Laureate Tammy Robacker will be hosting a "poetry station'" at the event where, for a small donation to benefit Kings, attendees can have a personal hand-written poem created for them. There's also a raffle and silent auction.

2. The Booze and Booty Scavenger Hunt - a day of capers, treasure-hunting, photo-missions and bar-hopping for treasure and rewards around downtown Tacoma - will kickoff at 2 p.m. at the Speakeasy Arts Cooperative. At the 6 p.m. finish line, everyone meets back up at Speakeasy for drinks, mingling, and counting your loot as all the photos of the day are projected in a larger than life slide show, points are tallied and prizes awarded.

3. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club hosts "Kids Do The Darndest Things" movie night in honor of The Rev. Colin becoming a new uncle featuring free movies, popcorn and special drinks at regular prices at The Acme Grub Cage in Tacoma.

4. Yellow Cross and Christian Mistress will perform at 8 p.m. inside The Brotherhood Lounge in Olympia.

5. Jazzbones presents Black & Blue Sundays with Gackstatter, Evolucid, and Birch Riley at 8 p.m.

LINK: More art and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2020 >>>

1. Thirty-five years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  It's tough to fathom, but it's true.  Today and Saturday, T-town's "oldest and only Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow cast," the Blue Mouseketeers, will help celebrate the momentous birthday - and the Mouseketeers own 10th birthday - with an extravaganza deemed "Northwest Rockypalooza," to be held (quite naturally) at Proctor's Blue Mouse Theatre.  Expect all-day festivities, dancing, partying, scavenger hunts and lots of drag from 4 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. today.

2. Rainier League of Arts and Lakewold Gardens are presenting the art show A Walk in The Gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show features artists George Zantua, Michael Corcoran, Aletha Deuel, Tanya Lemma, Paul Langston and many more along with glassblower artist, Dalin Wiffler.

3. King's Books hosts the Distinguished Writer Series and Open Mic with featured poet Carolyne Wright, whose latest collection of poetry, A Change of Maps, won the 2007 Independent Book Publishers Bronze Award for Poetry, the Blue Lynx Prize, the American Book Award. The words flow beginning at 7 p.m.

4. The Barefoot Collective stages the contemporary dance concert Extension at 8 p.m. inside the Jan Collum Studio at the Merlino Arts Building, 508 Sixth Ave. in Tacoma. Arrive by 7:15 p.m. tonight for a pre-show presentation called "Reading Dance." an engaging lecture/demonstration format with dancers from The Stone Dance Collective and Artistic Director Eva Stone.  

5. If you're down with the bizarre, you're probably down with the annual Olympia Experimental Music Festival, which will impregnate Northern and the Capitol Theater with three days of sonic meanderings and audio oddities this weekend.  Year in and year out - the Oly Experimental Music Festival draws the finest and biggest collection of sound-art pioneers you'll see anywhere. The Festival kicks off at 7 p.m. inside Northern.

LINK: New movies open today

FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2010 >>>

1. While you may never become America's Next Top Poet  - maybe you would enjoy checking out the monthly Speak Your Soul open mic - this month setting up shop at the event's new location, The Den @ urbanXchange. Held the first Friday of every month - tonight's Speak Your Soul poetry open mic will feature Speak Your Soul founder Zach Street, host 6 Deep the Messenger, and whoever signs up. The all-ages event begins at 8 p.m.

2. Downtown: On the Go! and partners will introduce five new Walk Tacoma downtown walking maps during a lunchtime walking event from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Waterfront Amphitheater on the waterfront side of the Museum of Glass and Albers Mill. Enjoy a healthy lunch (free for the first 50 pedestrians), music, a goodie bag full of giveaways, and a brief interpretive walk along one of the five new walking map routes.

3. The Harmon Tap Room's Grand Opening Party features live music (4-7 p.m.) and drink specials from 4-10 p.m.

4. When Olympia and public access television combine, well, the results can be downright spectacular - or, at the very least, pretty entertaining to watch when you're high. So is the story of Dance Oly Dance, the famed Thurston County TV (TCTV) show that features gyrating, Olympia absurdity at 8 p.m. Basically, TCTV invites people down to dance, DJ PhilosoBitch spins music, and captures what happens next on film - broadcasting it out to the masses via cable television. It's awesome.

5. Hell's Belles, The Day Brothers and Bug Girl play Hell's Kitchen beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: New movies open today