Poetry

Arts & Life

Poet Samar Abulhassan on a historic beauty salon in Seattle's Central District

In "Sacred Bowl", Samar Abulhassan contemplates the living history of the the DeCharlene Salon, a Black-owned shop with more than 50 years of being in business within Seattle's Central District. During the pandemic, the rapport that Abulhassan established with the granddaughter of the salon's original owner helped her to feel connected to others and herself.

Arts & Life

E. Briskin on navigating Seattle drivers

In "Seattle, this poem isn't real—", E. Briskin delves into the habits of Northwest drivers who have been found in a recent independent survey from PEMCO Mutual Insurance to be less courteous and more aggressive than in recent years.

Arts & Life

Poet Lorna Dee Cervantes on the literary history of The Blue Moon Tavern

Lorna Dee Cervantes celebrates the rich literary history of The Blue Moon Tavern, favorite watering hole of poets like Carolyn Kizer, Allen Ginsberg, Theodore Roethke, Richard Hugo, and Dylan Thomas in her poem "Dancing with Roethke."

Gratitude and poetic riffs: 5 tanka poems from Joël Tan

Every day, Joël Barraquiel Tan posts a 5-line tanka poem to his Instagram. Approaching poetry as a daily practice that intermingles with mindfulness, gratitude, and joy, Tan's short poetic riffs give insight into the poet's perspective and his care for the world.

Arts & Life

Blues for Piper's Creek from poet Rasheena Fountain

Rasheena Fountain's work mainly focuses on Black environmental memory. Her creative practice is rooted in a place-based, ecological, and environmental justice approach, as is reflected in her poem below on Carkeek Park.

Arts & Life

Poet Ching-In Chen pens a spell for migrant laborers

In "Another Spell for the Living", Ching-In Chen writes with tenderness and care about the community of migrant massage parlor workers, sex workers, and care workers in the Chinatown-International District and greater Seattle area to humanize these women.

Arts & Life

Poet Troy Osaki on the Filipino diaspora in the Pacific Northwest

Spoken word poet Troy Osaki writes eloquently and tenderly of Filipino workers on the frontlines to bring visibility to their labor throughout the Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Reflecting on the global economy that creates the circumstances for human trafficking and the labor diaspora, Osaki's poem speaks deeply to identity and the longing for home.

National

Denise Lajimodiere is named North Dakota's first Native American poet laureate

A citizen of the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa Indians, Lajimodiere has written several award-winning books of poetry and is an expert on the history of Native American boarding schools.

Arts & Life

Poet Luther Hughes remembers Dwone Anderson-Young and Ahmed Said

Poet Luther Hughes writes about the Black experience in the context of trauma and national violence. Remembering the lives of two gay Black men who were murdered on Capitol Hill in 2014, Hughes' poem "In Seattle" places a local tragedy in the context of its impact on the poet's lived experience.