The Salish Sea Poetry Festival

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​Salish Sea Poetry Festival

Schedule and Event Guide

 

VILLAGE BOOKS in Fairhaven will have a display of books for sale from many of the festival poets. Also, it’s an awesome place to explore and browse anytime during the festival weekend. While you’re there, get some amazing soup and sandwiches at the Colophon Cafe, wander up 12th and check out Eclipse Books (chaos! Beautiful, wonderful chaos!) visit the Black Cat for a drink and an excuse to see the inside of one of the most iconic buildings in Washington, grab a pint at Stones Throw, or take a walk down to Taylor Dock and feel the fresh sea breeze.

 

Friday, Nov. 7

 

Plenty of fun to be had for the adventurous poet! A poetry crawl through downtown Bellingham, as well as improv theatre with a poetry influence. In addition to our poetry shenanigans, it’s First Friday, when many folks are out and about in the same part of Bellingham visiting art galleries and museums - it’s free, so feel free to choose a side-adventure into an art gallery or museum space and get inspired! 

 

READY… SET… POETRY!

• 4pm: Meet and greet at Brandywine Kitchen, upstairs in the mezzanine. Buy some good food and beverages to fortify yourself for the evening ahead. 

• 5pm: SSPF folks introduce/talk about festival

• 5:30pm: Stefan Freelan, mapmaker, Salish Sea presentation

 

THE POETRY CRAWL

• 6pm:  1st poetry group - at Brandywine Kitchen in the mezzanine. Village Books Open Mic group hosted by Sean Dwyer

• 6:45pm: Walk to Horseshoe Cafe and Ranch Room

• 7pm: 2nd poetry group - at Horseshoe Cafe and Ranch Room. Western Washington Poets Network hosted by Chris Jarmick

• 7:45pm:  Walk to Cafe Akroteri

• 8pm: Mark Anderson, Spokane Poet Laureate, reads at Cafe Akroteri

• 8:45pm: Walk to Wink Wink event space.

• 9-11pm: Rainah Miqueli reading, followed by a “Nitty Gritty” Open Mic at WinkWink

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UPFRONT IMPROV - Tickets required, purchase via the UpFront Theatre website

UpFront Theatre, 230 Prospect - enter around back off Central. Check out their site for a map.

• 7:30pm: Poetry Pandemonium! Improv theatre with Poetry added!

• 9:30pm: Improv, Dungeons and Dragons Theme, with a poet as an additional ‘player’

 

COOL PLACES

Not feeling it? Looking for a spot to hang out and write? Looking for inspiration? Why not check out these cool places and events happening in the area?

 

• Make.Shift (306 Flora St.) will be showing a powerful exhibit on resistance, bodily autonomy (insert their descriptions for this)

• Mallard (1323 Railroad Ave) isn’t a gallery, it’s an incredible ice cream parlor! Don’t be intimidated by the line out the door, it’s worth the wait, and it’s always the right time for a cool treat.

• Rumors Cabaret (1119 Railroad Ave) Open since 1984, Rumors Cabaret is one of the longest running clubs in Bellingham. Rumors is a dance club that embraces & celebrates LGBTQIA+ culture!

 

Saturday, Nov. 8

 

A brisk walk with poetry, readings by incredible poets, workshops, a children’s choir and a poetry slam! 

 

DOWN BY THE BAY

• 9am: Start at Boulevard Park and take a walk along Taylor Dock with poets from Floating Bridge Press! Poetry will be posted along the way, and poets will brave whatever weather is in store to read their poems to you, right there on the Salish Sea. 

• Woods Coffee is nearby - duck inside for a warm-up!

 

WORKSHOPS

• 10am: Workshop at Bellingham Public Library with Eric Greenwell.

  • What Kind of Times Are These: Why Place and Poems Matter, Especially Now - In Adrienne Rich’s poem, “What Kinds of Times Are These,” her alluring and haunting words echo our present moment. She writes about two places: a “country moving closer to its own truth and dread, its own way of making people disappear,” and a place within that place, “between two stands of trees where the grass grows uphill,” a “dark mesh of the woods,” a “ghost-ridden crossroads, leafmold paradise.” In this workshop, we’ll discuss poems by Rich, Ross Gay, W. S. Merwin and others whose words have touched and motivated generations to preserve the inspiring world around us. We’ll talk about what poems and art can do, about hope and beauty, and through our own writing, we’ll recall places that have moved us to reverence. Ideally, your reflections during this workshop will become beginnings of your own poems you can take with you after we part.

• 2pm - 4pm: Collage/Poetry workshop at Bellingham Public Library with Crash Solo

  • Combine collage techniques with poetry and make one or more pieces of art to take home in this workshop with local collage artist and poet Crash Solo. Bring a poem to cut up if you'd like, or just show up and get inspired as Crash showcases various found poetry and collage techniques that you can use to relax, get inspired, and make cool poetic art pieces. You'll explore hands-on techniques to make cut-up poems, blackout poetry, and poetry collages. Tools and materials will be provided, but you're welcome to bring your own as well. Fun, casual, and relaxing!

 

POETS

• 1pm-2pm: Eric Greenwell and Robert Lashley at Structures Brewing at 601 W Holly, in the back area - it’s covered, there’s heaters and a bar.

• 3:30- 5pm: Tess Gallagher & Gary Copeland Lilley at the New Prospect Theater at 207 Prospect St. (front door on Prospect, front lobby is also called the Ghost Light Cafe) Tess will be signing and selling books from 3:30-4, and then Tess and Gary will read until about 4:40. Get snacks and drinks at the Ghost Light Cafe.

 

AT THE WHATCOM MUSEUM, THINGS ARE FAR FROM SUBDUED

• At the Whatcom Museum - Old City Hall - 121 Prospect St.

• 6pm: Welcome and… a children’s choir?!?! That is correct.

• 6:10pm: Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield with daughter Zoe Sheffield

• 7pm: Dinner or snacks on your own - there are lots of great eateries nearby!

• 8pm: POETRY SLAM! These usually take 2-3 hours, there’s tons of audience participation, and it’s a lot of fun. Poets will be travelling from Spokane, Seattle, and Portland Oregon to participate and compete for a cash prize!

 

UPFRONT IMPROV - Tickets required, purchase via the UpFront Theatre website

UpFront Theatre, 230 Prospect - enter around back off Central - check out their site for a map.

• 7:30pm: Poetry Pandemonium! Improv theatre with Poetry added!

• 9:30pm: Improv, Saturday Night High, with players and a poet getting crispy and trying to act/make poetry.

 

COOL PLACES

So many great bars, pubs, eateries, and cafes have little bits and pieces of poetry on display - if you’re hungry, thirsty, or looking for a place to chill for a bit and do some writing, check out these great locations:

 

We’ll update this list as we go with locations with poetry table tents, poetry on display, etc

• Horseshoe Cafe & The Ranch Room

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Sunday, Nov. 9

 

A nature walk, your favorite movie, some workshops and more lovely, legendary poetry! 

 

WE LOVE YOU, NATURE!

• 9am: Poetry and nature walk with Dayna Patterson - meeting location and description coming soon.

 

POETRY CHURCH

• 11am - Rena Priest, Robert Lashley, and Ryler Dustin / UpFront Theatre 230 Prospect - enter around back off Central - check out their site for a map.

  • Explore the spiritual side of writing and reading poetry

 

POETS / POETRY

• 12pm - Reading w/ Laura Read, Maya Jewell Zeller, and Kathryn Smith / UpFront Theatre 230 Prospect - enter around back off Central - check out their site for a map.

• 4pm - Poetry reading with Hannah Yearington and Aiyanah Masla / Structures Brewing at 601 W Holly, in the back area - it’s covered, there’s heaters and a bar.

• 5pm - Fresh Festival Open Mic / At Structures after Hannah and Aiyanah - Share fresh, raw, first draft poems written at the festival, thumbed into your phone or scrawled on wet napkins at 1am. 

• 6pm - Bellingham’s Exquisite Corpse - At Structures after the open mic - a reading of the poetry made by festival participants and members of the public over the course of the Salish Sea Poetry Festival, one line at a time! Over the course of the festival, most events will have a submission box where folks can write a single line of a poem and put it in the box. We’ll gather everything together and turn it into some poems to share, and close out this lovely beautiful bonkers festival.

 

I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING

• 1pm: Dead Poet Society at the Pickford on Bay.

COOL PLACES

Some cool places to explore around Bellingham and make your visit extra touristy!

Elizabeth Station, Goods, Roam, Menace, Greene’s Corner, 20th Century Bowling, Penny Lane Antiques, Black Noise Records, Old World Deli, Pure Bliss Desserts, and of course Village Books!

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​If you'd like to be involved with this festival behind the scenes, contact us about volunteering, or consider offering a tax-deductible donation to support writers and artists.