RASP: Reading Series
Gallery of past Featured Readers

The Redmond Association of Spokenword (RASP) hosts a featured reader every month. Here is information about our special guests from RASP's rich past. Over the years, RASP has presented a diverse, scintillating, and erudite program of leading writers, artists, and humanists.

AND — we're still going strong! We invite you to join us as the Reading Series continues to thrive …

July 2010 — featuring Brenda Cooper

Brenda Cooper has published fiction in Analog, Asimov's, Nature, Daybreak, Strange Horizons, and in multiple other magazines and anthologies. She is the author of the Endeavor award winner for 2008: The Silver Ship and the Sea, and of the sequels, Reading the Wind and Wings of Creation. She coauthored Building Harlequin's Moon with Larry Niven. Her next book, Mayan December, is coming soon from Prime Books. By day, Brenda is the City of Kirkland's CIO, and at night and in early morning hours, she's a futurist and writer. Learn more about Brenda at her blog.

June 2010 — featuring Denise Calvetti Michaels and Louise Spiegler from the Jack Straw program

Denise Calvetti Michaels was awarded the Crosscurrents Prize for Poetry by the Washington Community College Humanities Association for her prose poem “Notes on New Orleans.” Her work is in anthologies such as In Praise of Farmland (Whit Press), Mute Note Earthward (Washington Poets Association), Between Sleeps (En Theos Press), and Beyond Forgetting (Kent State University Press). Polenta, a memoir, is included in The Milk of Almonds: Italian American Woman on Food and Culture (Feminist Press, 2002). Denise teaches psychology at Cascadia Community College where she also coordinates community service projects. She earned an MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College and received the Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award, along with her colleagues, for their work to address institutional racism.
Louise Spiegler writes fiction for young adults though she knows the future may bring change (travel brochures? blues epics? get-well cards?). Her first novel, The Amethyst Road, was published by Clarion in 2005. Set in an alternative Pacific Northwest, it was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award (Hugo-Nebula Awards Program). Her next novel, The Jewel and the Key, will be published by Clarion in 2011, should the stars align properly and revisions progress well. It is set both in modern-day Seattle and Seattle of 1917, as America enters World War I and the Pacific Northwest is convulsed by free speech and workers’ rights battles. The Jack Straw program is providing support and encouragement for her new novel, The Lares, set in Ancient Rome. She teaches history and English at Cascadia Community College, and lives in Seattle with her husband and two sons.
Learn more about the Jack Straw program.

May 2010 — featuring Gerri Russell

Gerri Russell Gerri Russell has done it all when it comes to writing; she’s worked as a broadcast journalist, newspaper reporter, magazine columnist, technical writer and editor, and instructional designer, which all finally led her to follow her heart’s desire of being a romance novelist. A two-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart award, and winner of the American Title II competition sponsored by Dorchester Publishing and Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine, she resides in Bellevue, Washington with her husband and three children.

April 2010 — featuring Martha Silano

Martha Silano is the author of two poetry collections, What the Truth Tastes Like and Blue Positive. Her poems have appeared widely in such places as Paris Review, AGNI, TriQuarterly, and American Poetry Review, and in more than a dozen anthologies, including American Poetry: The Next Generation and Starting Today: 100 Poems for Obama’s First 100 Days. Martha has been a fellow at the Millay Colony for the Arts, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and the University of Arizona Poetry Center, and she was the 2004 Margery Davis Boyden Writing Resident. Martha teaches at Bellevue College, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize seven times. Martha has a website, and a blog.

March 2010 — featuring Jared Leising

Jared Leising is the author of a chapbook, The Widows and Orphans of Winesburg, Ohio, and his poems have appeared in various Washington publications, such as Pontoon, Crab Creek Review, StringTown, as well as on Metro Buses and local radio. He has worked as a writer-in-residence for Ballard and Nathan Hale High Schools, been a nominee for Seattle Poet Populist, and before moving to Seattle, he received his M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Currently, he teaches English at Cascadia Community College, serves on the board of directors at 826 Seattle, and is the curator for the 2010 Jack Straw Writers Program.

February 2010 — featuring Rebecca Meredith

RASP features the City of Redmond's first poet laureate, Rebecca Meredith.

Rebecca Meredith is a poet, writer, and psychotherapist, as well as a RASP cofounder, who served as its coordinator and president for years. Her work has been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, and performed in such venues as the Burning Word Poetry Festival, the Seattle Moon Viewing Festival, Redmond's Arts in the Park, and on KUOW's The Beat. Her chapbook, Intergenerational Delta Blues, was published by Pudding House Press. She is a fellow of the Jack Straw Writers' Program, an alumna of Hedgebrook Women Writers' Colony, and was recently appointed the first Poet Laureate of the City of Redmond.

Read about Rebecca's appointment in the Redmond Reporter.

January 2010 — featuring Cat Rambo

Cat Rambo's work has appeared in such places as Asimov’s, Weird Tales, and Strange Horizons. Her collection, Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight, appeared in 2009, following her collaboration with Jeff VanderMeer, The Surgeon’s Tales and Other Stories, in 2007. She is the managing editor of the online publication, Fantasy Magazine. Laird Barron said of her work: "Cat Rambo possesses a rare and enviable eye for the sweet intersection of melancholy and bliss, of darkness and light. Crisp, deft, and remarkably nuanced, these tales are exquisite in their richness and beauty. Rambo has, in one stroke, established herself as a formidable presence among contemporary fantasists."

November 2009 — featuring Jack McCarthy

Jack McCarthy calls himself a "standup poetry guy." Others have called him "legend." The Boston Phoenix named him "Best Standup Poet." The Boston Globe said, "In the poetry world, he's a rock star." Stephen Dobyns calls him, "one of the wonders of contemporary poetry." He's an engaging minor character in the film Slamnation, was a semifinalist for the Individual Slam Championship in 2000, and won the haiku championship at the Individual World Poetry Slam in 2007. His work has appeared in the anthologies The Spoken Word Revolution, The Spoken Word Revolution Redux, Poetry Slam, and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry (The adjective "Complete" is thought to modify the noun "Guide," not the noun "Idiot's"). Now living in Everett, Washington, he brings books and CDs to his readings on the off chance that someone might want to take some of him home. His website is www.standupoet.net.

October 2009 — featuring Raúl Sanchez

Raúl Sanchez is a working Seattle poet. He has been published in a handful of journals and online. Raúl's most recent publications include appearances in The Sylvan Echo (online, spring 2009) and in Floating Bridge Review, Volume 1, Poetry from the left corner. In November 2008, he conducted the Day of the Dead celebration at the Mighty Tieton Poets Workshop in Tieton, Washington. He has been published in Mexico City by the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México in Speaking Desde las Heridas: Cibertestimonios Transfronterizos/Transborder Testimonies, an anthology published by CISAN. Keeping ties to his native land, Raúl's poems may be splattered with words in Spanish or Nahuátl. He volunteers as a DJ on Sabor! for KBCS 91.3 FM, a community radio station.

Raúl's reading is participatory and you can "help" by bringing a photo of a loved one who has passed away. It doesn't have to be recent. Bring the photo to be set on the small "Day of the Dead" altar that will be set up at the reading location that will include some of the traditional elements used in the offering. If you are willing to share a memory about your loved one with the audience, you are welcome to do so. Your memory doesn't have to be in the form of a poem, just something simple to bring the name of the person back to life.

Raúl said, "There are three kinds of death. One is when the body's functions cease, two is when we are buried or incinerated, and three is when no one remembers your name. Therefore, the Day of the Dead is a day of remembrance."

September 2009 — featuring Barbara Carole

Barbara Carole is a Fulbright scholar with an M.A. in comparative literature. She lived in Paris as a translator and assistant editor of the Paris Review before returning to the United States to teach French and French literature at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also worked as a writer and researcher for explorer Jacques Cousteau's televised undersea expeditions, and was ghostwriter on two of his books. Her other publications include a short story in The Paris Magazine, literary reviews for The French Review and FM Magazine, dance-concert reviews for the Los Angeles Times; and numerous articles for the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers. Barbara now lives with her husband and pets on a forested mountain in the Pacific Northwest where she continues writing. Barbara Carole's memoir, Twelve Stones: Notes on a Miraculous Journey, was just published by Regal Books, and her Web site is www.barbaracarole.com.

August 2009 — Island Style Slam makes comeback

As an international art form, the Island Style Slam may rank as the world's most quickly written poetry. As entertainment, the Slam has elements of the 100-meter sprint and the tortoise's victory. As a competition … well, let's say everyone has a lot of fun. In an Island Style Slam, competitors are offered three words (or six, or nine, depending on the host). As fast as they can, they write a poem that contains all three/six/nine words and conforms to any poetic form.

As described on Wikipedia, this is a "competition at which poets read or recite original work […] These performances are then judged on a numeric scale by previously selected members of the audience." Former RASP President Allan Rousselle describes a RASP Slam on his blog — House of Cards.

The Slam has been a regular feature at RASP since our beginnings, and it's always a rewarding experience, in the sense of being fun, or—for winners—a few dollars more than you started with. (Since it's based on writing skill and a judged process, the Slam isn't gambling.) Rules are explained at the beginning of the session.

July 2009 — featuring William Scott Galasso

William Scott Galasso is the author of eleven books of poetry, including his latest, Laughing Out Clouds, published in 2007. He's won numerous awards, has published more than 1,100 poems, and his work has appeared in more than 130 journals and magazines in Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, Croatia, Romania, and throughout the United States. In March 2006, he participated in the reading of Eliot Weinberger's "What I Saw in Iraq," as the voice of Gen. Colin Powell. In January of 2007, he collaborated with the University of Washington group Earth Now, which sponsored a reading on ecology and the environment. In March of 2008, he was a featured reader for the PoetsWest poetry series on KSER 90.7 FM in Everett, Washington. His next book, Collage (New and Selected Poems), is due out in 2009.

June 2009 — featuring Michael Schein

Michael Schein is recognized as a 20th Avenue Northwest Treasure by a guy who hangs out in Seattle's Salmon Bay Park. He is the author of Just Deceits: A Historical Courtroom Mystery (Bennett & Hastings, 2008), described as "the perfect book for lovers of courtroom thrillers, historical fiction, mysteries, or anyone looking for an exciting page-turner that also stimulates the mind." His Web site is http://www.michaelschein.com/. Michael is director of the LitFuse Poets Workshop, and former executive director of Tieton Arts & Humanities. His poetry has been widely published, twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and stuck to refrigerators by magnets.

May 2009 — featuring Katherine Grace Bond

Katherine Grace Bond is the author of the bestselling Legend of the Valentine (Zonderkidz) and of three collections of poetry, The Sudden Drown of Knowing, Yielding to Calliope, and Considering Flight (Brass Weight Press). She has contributed to more than twenty additional books, including Gayle Brandeis' Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write (HarperSanFrancisco) and Peculiar Pilgrims: Stories from the Left Hand of God (Hourglass Books). A certified K-12 teacher, Katherine offers writing classes for youth and adults. She is the creator of Teen Write, an acting/writing camp modeled on the Hero's Journey. She is currently at work on a Young Adult novel. Find Katherine at www.KatherineGraceBond.com.

April 2009 — featuring Kunle Oguneye

Kunle Oguneye was born and raised in Nigeria. He has lived in the United States for the last thirteen years, spending the last four of those years in the Puget Sound Area. He gave up a career in technology in order to pursue his love for children's storytelling. Sikulu and Harambe by the Zambezi River is his first book. More information about Kunle and his book is available at http://www.sikulu.com/.

March 2009 — featuring Rebecca Hoogs

Rebecca Hoogs is the author of a chapbook, Grenade (2005), and her poems have appeared Poetry, Agni, Crazyhorse, Zyzzyva, The Journal, Poetry Northwest, The Florida Review, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony (2004) and Artist Trust of Washington State (2005). She is the director of education programs and the curator and host for the Poetry Series for Seattle Arts & Lectures.

February 2009 — featuring Anu Garg

Anu Garg is the founder of Wordsmith.org, a community of more than half a million readers in some 200 countries. He has authored three bestseller books on words: A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English (Wiley, 2002), Another Word a Day: An All-New Romp through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English (>Wiley, 2005), and The Dord, the Diglot, and an Avocado or Two: The Hidden Lives and Strange Origins of Common and Not-So-Common Words (Penguin, 2007). Garg grew up in rural India. He learned the English language and moved to the United States to study computer science in graduate school. He worked as a software engineer at a number of corporations including AT&T Labs. Eventually, he gave up his career in software for the love of words and founded http://wordsmith.org to spread the magic of words. He has been profiled in The Smithsonian, The New York Times, Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Guardian, and on NPR and the BBC, among others. For news clippings, see http://wordsmith.org/awad/articles.html.

January 2009 — featuring Richard Gold

Richard Gold founded and runs the Pongo Teen Writing Project, a nonprofit that offers therapeutic creative writing programs to adolescents who are homeless, in jail, in psychiatric care, or in other ways leading difficult lives. Many Pongo authors have suffered early childhood trauma, such as abuse and neglect. And many Pongo authors use poetry to communicate for the first time about their feelings and experiences. To do its work, Pongo sends teams of trained volunteers inside institutions and agencies to run extended writing projects. In its 13-year history, Pongo has worked with 4,000 teens, published 12 anthologies, and given away more than 13,000 books. The Pongo Publishing web site is www.pongopublishing.org. Before founding Pongo, Richard was managing editor of Microsoft Press. A book of Richard's own poetry, The Odd Puppet Odyssey, was published by Black Heron Press in 2003.

November 2008 — featuring Louise Marley

Louise Marley began her artistic life as a concert and opera singer. When her first novel, the fantasy Sing the Light, was published in 1995, she was in performances with Seattle Opera. Since then she has made the transition from being a fulltime singer to being a fulltime writer. Her novels The Glass Harmonica and The Child Goddess won the Endeavour Award for excellence in science fiction. Her novel The Terrorists of Irustan was shortlisted for the Nebula Award, the Tiptree Award, and the Campbell Award. Her first young adult novel, Singer in the Snow, was on the one hundred best books list for the American Library Association. Louise is also the author of a fantasy trilogy, The Horsemistress Saga, which is written under the pseudonym Toby Bishop. Louise lives in Redmond with her family and her wheaten Scottish terrier, Piper. More information, audio selections of some of her work, and a schedule of appearances is available on her website: www.louisemarley.com.

October 2008 — featuring Martha Brockenbrough

Martha Brockenbrough is the author of Things That Make Us [Sic], a hilarious guide to grammar. She's the founder of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. She writes an educational humor column for the award-winning online encyclopedia Encarta. She's also the Cinemama for MSN Entertainment, where she writes about family movies, pop culture, and various celebrity foibles. Martha is the former editor-in-chief of MSN.com, and author of It Could Happen to You: Diary of a Pregnancy and Beyond (AndrewsMcMeel Universal). Her work has also appeared in Parenting and Writer's Digest.

September 2008 — Mary K. Whittington

When bookworm Mary K. Whittington was 11, her mother handed her a collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories, which she devoured, committing certain terms to memory (i.e., "ichor"). At 14, she saw her first published poem, "Dead Tree," in the Girl Scout's magazine, The American Girl (she was not a member).

She figured she'd someday be a writer, but maybe an entomologist or a marine biologist. However, after attending the University of California, Santa Barbara, she had to admit that science and her right brain didn't mix. She has taught creative writing to children and adults for more than 35 years.

Mary has published children's picture books (Carmina, Come Dance!; Troll Games; Winter's Child; and The Patchwork Lady) and scary stories in anthologies edited by Jane Yolen and Martin Greenberg ("Wolfskin" in Werewolves; "Leaves" in Things That Go Bump in the Night; "Ahvel," in Vampires; and "Somewhere a Puppy Cries" in The Haunted House). She lives in Kirkland with her long-time friend, Wini Jaeger, Pacho the Dog, and Maya the Cat.

September 2008 — David Horowitz

David Horowitz is the founder and manager of Rose Alley Press and the author of numerous poetry collections including Wildfire, Candleflame; Resin from the Rain; and Streetlamp, Treetop, Star. Those who have seen David read will recall the accessibility of his poetry, as well as his humorous and entertaining style.

David earned bachelor's degrees in philosophy and English from the University of Washington and a master's degree in English from Vanderbilt University. Many of his poems are published in fine literary journals, and won the 2005 PoetsWest Achievement Award. In 2007, he edited and published, the Rose Alley Press anthology: Limbs of the Pine, Peaks of the Range. His new poetry collection, Stars Beyond the Battlesmoke, is due out this autumn.

April 2008 — Lana Ayers

Lana Hechtman Ayers, originally from New York, makes the Pacific Northwest her home after a dozen year sojourn in New England. She works as a manuscript consultant, workshop facilitator, poetry editor of Crab Creek Review and publisher of Concrete Wolf Poetry Chapbook Series and Late Blooms Poetry Postcard Series.

Lana is a sushi enthusiast, movie addict and mom to several black & white cats. Her poems can be found in literary journals such as Rhino, Court Green and Cider Press Review, and in her published collections, Dance From Inside Her Bones (Snake Nation Press 2007) and Chicken Farmer I Still Love You (D-N Publishing 2007).

Stop by Lana's website http://LanaAyers.com for more info.

February 2008 — featuring Ron Starr

Ron Starr does technical writing for money and other writing for pleasure. He is an editor at Floating Bridge Press. His work has appeared most precently in Anemone Sidecar and Drunken Boat 8. His chapbook, A Map by a Dim Lamp, was published last year by Ravenna Press.

Review

January 2008 — featuring Monica Schley

Monica Schley's poems appear in Burnside Review, Cranky, Cream City Review, Naked Joy, Raven Chronicles, Wandering Hermit Review, and a forthcoming Seattle Review issue. Schley's work has been acknowledged by support from the Espy Foundation, and she has performed at the 2007 Seattle Poetry Festival.

A classically trained harpist, Monica appeared with Puget Sound Symphony Orchestra and the Degenerate Art Orchestra. She plays in the jazz/funk ensemble Threat of Beauty, the trio Siendo with bassist Evan Florey-Barnes and percussionist Lalo Bello, teamed with entertainer Kanye West and worked with many of Seattle's well-regarded improvisers. She is president of the Seattle Harp Society

December 2007 — Holiday Carol Parody Contest

It's time to start thinking about the December get-together. On paper, it looks like this:

Holiday Carol Parody Contest

Jingle bells and jingle smells Are you the next Weird Al Yankovitch? Maybe, if your our age, the next Allan Sherman? If you've never heard of him, he wrote the Twelve Days of Christmas— On the Twelfth day of Christmas, I'm going to exchange ... (a whole bunch of weird stuff from relatives).

We're guessing that you should write parodies of popular seasonly songs, whether traditional carols, hymns of the season, or modern songs (i.e. Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and so is Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer). And then, if you're comfortable, you can read your parody at the December Open Mic (or get one of your friends to read it for you). And if you're really brave, you can SING your parody. if you're timid, just come, listen, and enjoy.

It's likely there will be seasonal (hot but non-alcoholic toddies, and apple cider, etc.), and you can bring your own cookies and such.

We originally discussed pleading extreme seasonal busy-ness, since we don't have a featured reader. But on reflection, we'll still meet and have fun together.

October 2007 — featuring Kevin Mooneyham

Kevin Mooneyham lives in a swamp southwest of Eugene, Oregon. He was a cofounder of the Eugene Poetry Slam and a member of the Experiment,a Eugene/Portland based cooperative of artists whose aim was to create wild multimedia sensations wherever and whenever possible. This urge culminated in the Inside/Out Festivals, the second of which was held over two days at the 800 seat McDonald Theater in downtown Eugene. For the second festival, Mooneyham served as poetry director.

He has performed at bookstores, coffee houses and bars in Eugene, Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco. His poetry has appeared in print and online. In addition to publishing several Eugene area poets, he has published three chapbooks and one c.d. on his American Mongrel Micropress imprint.

His current interest is in exploiting MS Powerpoint to create multimedia presentations of his work that can be used both in live performance and purchased and enjoyed on home computers. He hopes to have his first such project completed by early 2008.

Casey Robbins, a.k.a the Kyd, is the drummer from the Ol Howl and Smash an up and coming Eugene area rock band. He is also the one man sensation behind Mr. K's Orchestra, through which he recorded over 40 albums, which are available for purchase at http://www.mrksorchestra.com His artistic association with Kevin Mooneyham began in the summer of 2005 when he recorded and collaborated with Mooneyham on the Trainyard c.d.

WRITEGALLERY

September 2007 — featuring Cora Goss-Grubbs

Cora Goss-Grubbs is cofounder and advisory council member of the Redmond Association of Spokenword. She is a Hedgebrook alumna and 2003 Jack Straw artist-in-residence. Her essay "Becoming Mother" was published in the Winter '05 issue of Calyx. Other publication credits include String Town, hipMama, Synapse, Silver Quill, and a monthly column in Victory Review. Awards include first place in the Eastside Writers Association short fiction contest and a work-in-progress grant from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She is seeking a publisher for her two young adult novels. Cora lives in Woodinville, with her spouse David her sons Henry and Simon.

Life and Work.

August 2007 — featuring Dobbie Norris

Dobbie Norris Dobbie Norris is a Former Seattle Poet Laureate. He has read his work in a variety of venues, including Poets West and the Seattle City Council's Words' Worth Poetry program, where he has also served as guest poetry curator. His work has appeared in numerous journals. Mr Norris coordinates and hosts the poetry readings at Barnes and Noble, University Village, providing opportunities for aspiring and established poets, and promoting Art as an essential element of Life.

August 2007 — featuring Deb Caletti

Deb Caletti grew up in the San Francisco Bay area. After moving to the Pacific Northwest as a young teen, she graduated from Lake Washington High School in Kirkland, and later earned her B.A. in journalism at the U of W. Her first novel, The Queen of Everything was chosen for PSLA's Top Forty of 2003 and the International Reading Association's Young Adult Choices for 2004. Deb's second book, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, won a PNBA Best Book Award, the Washington State Book Award, and School Library Journal's Best Book award, and was also a 2005 IRA Notable Book. Wild Roses, won acclaim with starred reviews in Publisher's Weekly; Deb's fourth book, The Nature of Jade, was just released. She lives in the toolie weeds in Issaquah with her TV watchin' dog and book readin' kids.

Deb Caletti

July 2007 — featuring Rebecca Loudon

Rebecca Loudon lives and writes in Seattle. She is the author of two collections of poetry, Tarantella and Radish King, both from Ravenna Press, and a chapbook, Navigate, Amelia Earhart's Letters Home from No Tell Books. She teaches violin lessons to children and maintains a blog at http://radishking.blogspot.com

http://www.typomag.com/issue09/loudon.html

June 2007 — featuring Clarice Keegan

Clarice Keegan has faith in poetry as a magical interaction between the poet and audience. She is the winner of the first annual Bart Baxter Award for Performance Poetry from the Washington Poets Association and was a board member of Red Sky Poetry Theatre. Clarice was born in Saratoga Springs, NY, but has spent most of her life in Seattle, where she attended the U of W. She has a masters degree in Philosophy, but earns her living as a freelance writer. Although she has written most of her life — everything from novels to environmental impact statements — Clarice only began to write poetry in 1994. Her first chap book, Seat of Desire, presents her vivid images of love, desire, and freedom. Her second book, Why I Was Adopted, explores the tensions of family. Keegan sits on the WPA board.

May 2007 — featuring Jennifer Munro

Jennifer D. Munro grew up in Hawai'i as a fourth generation islander and now makes her home in Ballard. Her credits include Zyzzyva, Massachusetts Review, and inclusion in Seal Press anthologies on body image, women's friendships and motherhood. As Dawn O'Hara, her erotica has appeared in "Best American Erotica," "Best Women's Erotica," "Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica," "Shameless: Women's Intimate Erotica," "Ripe Fruit: Erotica for Well-Seasoned Lovers" and many others. She was a Hedgebrook resident and an Artist Trust GAP grant recipient.

Bio

April 2007 — featuring Corrina Wycoff

Corrina Wycoff's fiction and essays have appeared in Other Voices, New Letters, Coal City Review, The Oregon Quarterly, Brainchild, Out of Line, Golden Handcuffs, and the anthologies: Best Essays Northwest and The Clear Cut Future. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Oregon, and an MA in English from the University of Illinois, Chicago. She lives with her son in Seattle, Washington, and teaches English and writing at Pierce College.

O Street

March 2007 — RASP RETURNS TO REDMOND

The "RASP RETURNS" Celebration
and St. Patrick's Day party

March 17^th – 7:00 until Closing
The Stone House Cafe, Redmond

Redmond Association of Spokenword is delighted to announce its return to Redmond, and proud to call the Stone House Café in historic Old Redmond our new home.

Join us for revelry, ribaldry, and a rousin' good time to be had by all — to celebrate the
RETURN OF RASP TO REDMOND!

Join us for an Irish celebration, including the
First Annual RASP TEAM LIMERICK WRITING CONTEST

February 2007 — featuring Carolyne Wright/Eulene and James Parrott/Al Q Kaedah

MOI (aka "Eulene")
Carolyne Wright has published eight books and chapbooks of poetry; a collection of essays; and three volumes of poetry in translation from Spanish and Bengali, which have won awards from the NEA, Seattle Arts Commission, and Witter Bynner Foundation. Her new collection is A Change of Maps (Lost Horse Press, 2006), finalist for the Idaho Prize and the Alice Fay di Castagnola Award of the Poetry Society of America. Her previous book, Seasons of Mangoes and Brainfire, (Eastern Washington U Press/Lynx House Books, 2nd edition 2005), won the Blue Lynx Prize and the American Book Award. Forthcoming are an anthology of translations from Bengali, Majestic Nights: Love Poems by Bengali Women (White Pine, 2007); and Woman, Money, Watch, Gun (another Idaho Prize finalist), a book-length sequence of poems featuring the culturally challenged alter-ego "Eulene." Carolyne Wright teaches for the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Program and for Hugo House, and serves as Translation Editor for Artful Dodge, and on the Board of Directors of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs.

JAMES PARROTT (aka "Al Q. Kaedeh")
Born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa, James Parrott was educated at the University of Iowa (East Asian Languages and Literature) and has lived and worked in San Francisco, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, among other far-flung locales.  Disguised as a mild-mannered paralegal during the day, at night he transforms to artist, activist for peace and social justice, film buff, and more recently, composer of poetry, some of it featuring his subversive alter-ego, "Al Q. Kaedeh."  He and Carolyne Wright met in 2003 in Ohio, got tied up in a metaphorical knot in 2004, and moved to Wright's native Seattle in mid-2005.

December 2006 — featuring Vicky Edmonds

A poet and teacher, Vicky Edmonds uses written and spoken word in an ongoing therapeutic and spiritual practice. Host of a series of radio shows on Straight Talk/Recovery Radio, she has presented at the National Association for Poetry Therapy and the International Expressive Arts Therapy Annual Conferences. Ms. Edmonds has worked nationwide as an educator, developing CD-ROM magazines written and produced by youth.

Her published books include the poetry collections, Inside Voices, used to the dark, once drunk / opening, unpredictable as breathing, and two volumes of the ongoing writing curriculum series, Writes of Passage. Vicky has compiled over 100 collections of writings from her workshops taught in schools, treatment centers, youth-at-risk programs and a children's prison near Seattle.

Vicky's website, http://www.ealloftheabove.com/index.html, is a repository of her poetry, as well as details about her classes, her books, and … her.

November 2006 — featuring Priscilla Long

Priscilla Long writes and publishes poetry, essays, fiction, and history. She is author of Where the Sun Never Shines: a History of America's Bloody Coal Industry. Her work appears in The Southern Review, Raven Chronicles, North Dakota Quarterly, The American Scholar, Ontario Review, Seattle Review, Chattahoochee Review, Passages North, Painted Bride Quarterly, Under The Sun, Michigan Quarterly Review, and other journals and periodicals.

In 2006 The American Scholar, was honored for her piece "Genome Tome" with a National Magazine Award for Best Feature Writing. Her awards include the Richard Hugo House Founders' Award, and honors from the Seattle Arts Commission and the Los Angeles Arts Commission.

Ms. Long serves as Senior Editor of www.HistoryLink.org, an evolving, online encyclopedia of Washington state history.

October 2006 — featuring Rebecca Meredith

Rebecca Meredith is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and writer, with a private practice in Seattle. As an analyst she helps people explore how they are shaped by earliest relationships and events, and understand how these early experiences affect them now. As a writer and poet, she writes about her own love/hate relationship with her Southern heritage, and her own questions about childhood, mortality and what it means to be human.

A long time RASP reader and tireless supporter, Rebecca is a past president of RASP board of directors, and member of the scrappy RASP Super Bowl of Poetry team.

September 2006 — featuring Penny Orloff

August 2006 — featuring Fred Jesset
with special guest Galit Oren

Born in Wenatchee, grew up in Olympia, Everett and Seattle.

Graduated UW '56. Lived in Colorado, California, South Dakota and Montana before returning to Cheney WA in '73. Moved to Sammamish in '89 to start a new congregation of the Episcopal Church there. Married Kris Olson in '60 and we have two sons and two daughters and seven grandchildren. Began taking writing courses just before I retired in '98.

My little paperback, Remembering Grace, was published this year, It's a collection of 13 true stories of God's grace appearing in the lives of ordinary people.

Since 1999 I've been writing a column, Grace Happens for some Episcopal newspapers (circulation around 20,000) and I've had some short stories, both fiction and creative non-fiction published. In 2003 my unpublished novel When Drummer Loved Dancer was a finalist in the PNWA Literary contest. Death on the Rez: A Quartet of Scenes won second place for excellence in creative non-fiction in the Maryland Writers' Contest.

A short story, The Preacher's Gift will be published in the January 2007 issue of Ancient Paths, and three true short stories in an anthology by the South Dakota Humanites Council late this year.

June 2006 — featuring Carol Morrison

Carol J. Morrison—an instant favorite reader last summer—again favors RASP with her winsome brand of prose. Author of Catching On: Love with an Avid Fly Fisher, Morrison is a Mississippi native transplanted to the Northwest. She lives in North Bend, and shares a therapy practice with her husband Ed—the avid fellow referred to above. As a fly-fisher's wife, she knows fishermen. As a therapist, she knows relationships.

"People want to be loved. They want to believe they're lovable.. They want to believe they're important to others. Readers have seen themselves in my journey and have been inspired by my coming to believe all these things."

April 2006 — featuring John and Roberta Olson

John Olson is the author of four collections of prose poetry. His essays, poetry, short stories and literary criticism are published in many respected journals. In 2004, he received The Stranger's Genius Award. Open Books called Roberta Olson's collection, All These Fair and Flagrant Things," a delightful collection of distinctive and whimsical poems." Her poetry appears in distinguished periodicals, and she is a frequent featured reader at local and regional arts venues. In her other life, Ms. Olson is a cake designer. No one knows what Mr. Olson does. John and Roberta live in their cat Toby Olson's house, in Seattle.

More about John Olson.
More about Roberta Olson.

March 2006 — Island Style Slam—Twenty-five minutes of inspired panic

Twice a year, RASP features a competitive event we call an "Island Style Slam." Writers compose poems on the spot and perform them for an audience and panel of judges. Winners are judged on performance, adherence to criteria, and originality. First, second and third place winners divide a cash prize pot. Sounds scary, but it is great fun.

January 2006 — featuring Stacey Levine

Stacey Levine is a Seattle-based author. Her books include *My Horse and Other Stories* (winner of 1994 PEN/West Fiction Award) and *Dra--,* a novel, both published by Sun & Moon Press. Her novel *Frances Johnson* was recently published by Clear Cut Press. She has written for the *American Book Review,* Fodor's travel guides, *Nest* magazine, the *Seattle Times,* the Seattle Weekly,* *The Stranger,* and even scarier venues.

Formerly a creative writing instructor, Stacey is now working on a second collection of short fiction.

The Seattle Times said this about Stacey's second novel:
A quirky heroine … (see for yourself)

December 2005 — featuring The Three Graces: Wini, Beth, & Mary

Elizabeth Atwood discovered words as an infant when her mother read the Oxford Book of Poetry aloud. That love affair has continued ever since, which is a VERY long time, O Best Beloved! Her literary inspirations include Dylan Thomas, Homer, Tolkien, Connie Willis, and the Brontes. Her poetry has appeared singly and in chapbook form. Among Elizabeth's other written works are newsletters, essays, articles, song lyrics, and a Mount Everest of unpublished novel manuscripts, not to mention the ever-popular aircraft maintenance manuals. For now, she thinks that is quite enough.

Winifred Jaeger came to her interest in poetry in her mature years, most of her creative outlet having been in music. She attended a number of Centrum writers' conferences and learned poetry from William Stafford, Stephen Dunn, Marvin Bell, and Jane Hirschfield, a.o. At the Victoria (B.C.) School of Writing, she was influenced by Susan Musgrave. More recently, Wini has become involved in writing haiku and senryu (which now tend to have fewer than 17 syllables), and she is a member of the Haiku Society of America.

At 14, Mary K. Whittington saw her first published poem, "Dead Tree," in the Girl Scouts magazine, American Girl. At Hollywood High School, she discovered marine biology, working weekends and summers in a USC lab, recording data and washing mud. Unfortunately, her right brain and science did not mix. Writing did. But it wasn't until 1985, when she attended Jane Yolen's children's book workshop at the Centrum writers' conference, that Mary found she was on the right track. Today she is an author of children's picture books and scary stories. She also teaches writing and music to children and adults.

Basic information regarding "the three graces."

What we call "collaborative poetry" started unintentionally with Mary writing a line on a melamine board and Wini adding another line. We wrote three poems in this way. One afternoon, when Beth was at the house, she joined in the fun. Wini was working in the garden, and when it was her turn, the melamine board appeared in front of her.

We write without discussing what we are trying to do or where we are "going." As a result, some of the pieces we have written "arrive" better than others. Some are created by the process of occasional e-mail mutterings; other times we may be taking turns scribbling on a napkin in a restaurant with a slow kitchen.

A sample of the Three Graces poetic style:
The fool has gone … (see for yourself)

November 2005 — featuring Kevin Mooneyham
and his Multimedia Project

Kevin Mooneyham is a co-founder of the Eugene Poetry Slam. He is a member of the experiment, a collective of like minded artists operating in Eugene and Portland, Oregon, whose aim is to produce multi-media shows and publications that combine as many artistic forms as possible. In 2002 he served as poetry director for Inside/Out, a two day multi-arts festival held at the McDonald Theater in Eugene.

Kevin performed at both the 2001 and 2002 Inside/Out festivals. He also performed at the 2002 Seattle Poetry Festival. His poetry has been published in many print and online journals including Fireweed: Poetry of Western Oregon, Wings Online, The Write Gallery, (this), vox populii, and free zone quarterly. He was a featured performer at the Northwest Spoken Word Lab's 2004 Super Bowl of Poetry.

Once a month Kevin journeys to the Seattle area to perform poetry—formerly at Red Sky Poetry Theater—but now at the much more interesting and welcoming RASP.

Kevin lives southwest of Eugene, Oregon, on 5.2 acres of wetland with his wife and four dogs. He earns a living as a Custodial Supervisor for the City of Eugene.

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