Ann Spiers
Vashon Island Inaugural Poet Laureate
Writer, Naturalist
Readings 2023
**Poetry Reading/Art Closing Reception/Tacoma/This Saturday April 15, Saturday, 5-7 p.m
Honor: People & Salmon , Closing Reception for Art Exhibit with Poetry Reading, Kittredge Gallery, 1500 N Warner St, Tacoma, U of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA. Free and public welcome. As a grand finale for the Honor: People & Salmon exhibit, Save Our wild Salmon Coalition and U of Puget Sound’s Kittredge Gallery. The poetry reading will feature the newly released anthology, I Sing The Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State, edited by Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest. She won’t make the reading as planned. Empty Bowl Press publisher/editor/poet Holly J. Hughes will host. Reading from the anthology are Tacoma-area poets plus Vashon Island poets Kathryn True, Linera Lucas, Ann Spiers. If you miss the reading, you can order the anthology: https://www.emptybowl.org/storehttps://www.vashonbeachcomber.com/life/honor-people-an-art-show-hosts-closing-reception/
**June 15, 2023, Thursday, 7 p.m., BARN, Bainbridge Island. Guest Ann Spiers with Open Mic (6:45 sign-up), Bainbridge Poet Laureate Michele Bombardier.
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**February 14, 2023, 5-6 p.m., Valentine Day, Voice of Vashon, KVSH Radio FM 101.9. Ten Vashon Poets on Love: Lost, Found & Everlasting.
**March 11, 2023, Noon, Thursday, AWP Black Heron Booth. Book Signing, Book Fair.
**March 11, 2023, 5 p.m. Saturday, Seattle U., Empty Bowl Press Offsite Reading, AWP with Holly J. Hughes, Kate Reavey, Rebekah Anderson and others. Sponsored by S.U. Philosophy Dept. Details later.
**March 19, 2023, 4 P.M. Sunday, New Books! Black Cat Cabaret, Snapdragon, 17817 Vashon Hwy. SW. Poets Margaret Roncone, Katy Ellis, Ann Spiers (contact 206 795 3069) and Vashon Poet Laureate Sandra Noel. There will be cake.
**March 21, 2023, 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, Lodge at St. Edwards State Park. Reading, Meet and Greet, Book Signing with Vashon and Whidbey Islands women poets, World Poetry Day,.
**April 3, 2023, Monday, 6-7 p.m., University Book Store (UW). Reading with Arlene Naganawa and Susan Landgraf. Celebration of Ravenna Press’s Triple Series, triads of chapbooks in one volume.
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**February 14, 2023, 5-6 p.m., Valentine’s Day Poets on Lost, Found & Everlasting, Tuesday, KVSH 101.9 FM Voice of Vashon, Island Poets read about Love: Ann Spiers is joined by Laurie Lessen, Hunter Davis, Margaret Roncone, Claudia Hollander-Lucas, Amanda Knox & Chris Robinson, Jessika Satori, Sandra Noel.
**See ArtSteps, AGU. Science/Art online gallery. Dec. 12-16, 2022, American Geophysical Union (AGU) Convention, Chicago. Rain Violent (Empty Bowl Press), animated pages
**March 10, 2023, Noon, Friday, AWP Empty Bowl Booth. Book Signing, Book Fair.
****************************************************************************************************New Books 2021-2022
News! Rain Violent, poetry from Empty Bowl Press.
Poet: Ann Spiers and Calligrapher: Bolinas Frank.
Ann Spiers’ full-length book of poems, Rain Violent, views the earth and its creatures in climate crisis’ smaller gestures. Each page holds a four-line poem paired with an International Weather Symbol. The symbols inject the poems with a counterpoint, a link to specific climate phenomena. These weather symbols are used globally by citizen scientists and weather professionals to visually record local weather conditions.
For Rain Violent, artist Bolinas Frank drew the International Weather Symbols with a brush, then digitally forged a font to use in printing the book.
Order from Empty Bowl Press http://www.emptybowl.org or your local bookshop
78 pp. paperback, ISBN 978-1-7341873-9-7, $16 See annspiers.com or linktr.ee/Bolinas
Click banner for more on Rain Violent: Reviews and pages with Weather Symbols and Quatrains.
News! Back Cut, Sept. 6, 2021, poetry from Black Heron Press a full-length cycle of poems. Available Sept. 6, 2021.
In falling a tree, the initial deep undercut is wedge shaped. This cut determines the direction of fall. Opposite and higher than the initial cut is the back cut, the first of the felling cuts. The labor varies with tree, axe or saw, and with the crew’s strength and smarts.
These poems detail the ocean edge of Washington State immediately after WWII and after the forest’s big cut and last commercial razor clam digs when folks eked out a living on the dwindling supply of these natural resources.
Husband and wife present monologues detailing the stress and joy of living on the edge of their own comfort, of their community’s interaction, of their bonding, and of the large ocean and woods.
This is a love story.
News! Harpoon, chapbook, Ravenna Press’s Triple Series No. 16, 2022
Other meets Other. Words lost in translation. Figs and tongue and Cheetos eaten. Hunted are Grey Whales in Scammon’s Lagoon; butterflies in the mangrove; big-horn sheep on Tres Virgenes volcano.
In Baja I learn to fan my money on the counter, and with the left hand, hold a handful of coins. Take what I owe you. Take what you need...
I respond Sí to all he says. I find repeating Sí. Yes, Sí. is the quickest ticket for an exit...
My skirt is orange. My shoes are orange.
Reviews
News! Mondays at Three/Portage celebrates Vashon’s haiku group.
Colophon: These haiku are selected from 17 years of monthly meetings on Vashon Island, Puget Sound. This chapbook is our second collection. The first, Mondays at Three, Paradise Cove was printed in 2003, the haiku chosen from our first five years of meetings. To date, we have shared our haiku for 22 years. This year in March 2020, the pandemic arrived. We abide by Governor Inslee’s mantra: Wash your hands; Wear a mask; Stay at home. We meet virtually on Zoom, each of us to our own square on-screen. Creating and sharing our haiku sustain us. As did our 2003 collection, this chapbook uses the design created by Mike Feinstein. This year, we chose vivid red for the cover and glacial white for the paper. The font is again Sabon. We didn’t meet to fold the covers and stitch the binding as we did in 2003. Sequestered, each at home, we accomplished those exacting and meditative tasks.
This is number __1___ of __52__
Event Updates
Reading:
Reading: Earth Day, April 2021
Northwind Gallery, Port Townsend Reading and Discussion with Rob Lewis, Ann, and others.
Rob Lewis: “Our notion of wilderness is marked by the absence of fences.” Ann Spiers: “In your hands, bird bones again learn flight.”
Reading: It’s About Time Series
Artist: Bolinas Frank
6 to 7:45 p.m., Thursday March 12, 2020, Ballard Public Library, Seattle. Featured readers+ Ann) + Open Mic
Reading:
7 p.m., Sat. March 14, Tsuga Fine Art and Frame, 10101 Main St., Bothell
Featured readers Griffith H. Williams + Ann Spiers + Open Mic
Reading: Vashon Poets
Reading: Phoenix Tea Shop
7 p.m. Fri. April 3, 2020. 447 SW 152nd, Burien.
Featured Readers: Oliver Amatist + Ann + Open Mic
Rescheduled for July 2021
Vashon Poets Take the Stage Poets in the Park, Redmond “Vashon: Island of 1000 Poets”
Past Events
Book Launch: Anthology
Heart of Vashon: Sharing our Stories in Pictures and Words
6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020, Vashon Book Shop
From Ann’s poem
Next to you, the soft forms are ghosts
hunched over, digging with sticks,
filling baskets with clams.
Radio Reading
Poetry reading on Vintage J&B, Radio VOV at KVSH 101.9FM, Tues. May 27, 2019, 1:45-2:15 p.m.
Mr. Capone’s Iris Ink
Two Readings for Vashon LitCon
A 4-day celebration of Literary Arts at Vashon Center for the Arts and other Vashon Island venues. April 11-14. 19600 Vashon Hwy SW.
Lit Crawl, Friday, April 12, 2019, 2-5 p.m Venues in Vashon Town
Reading, Saturday, April 13, 5:30-6:15, Kay White Hall, Poems for the Planet: Elegy and Witness Featured Reading, Ann joins Holly Hughes.
On Exhibit
March 2019 Volcano Blue, Artist Book, May Day Press
Design/Letterpress: Catherine Michaelis, Linoleum cuts: Kim Newall, Poems: Ann Spiers.
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) Free
Poetry Reading & Open Mic
What is it Then Between Us?: Poetry & Democracy
March 27, 6 p.m. Vashon Book Shop
Academy of American Poets celebrates Walt Whitman’s 200th Birthday by inviting communities to host readings with Whitman’s line “What is it then between us?” as inspiration. Ann joins Jessika Satori, Linera Lucas, Yvonne Leach, Sandra Noel, Hunter Davis, Lynn Carrigan with Myrna Hecht, Vashon Poet Laureate emceeing.
Poetry + Photography/ Reading + Art Opening and Reading
Lexicon of Light
Opening: Friday, April 5, 2019, 6 p.m. Photographers and Poets.
Reading: Thursday, April 25, 2019, 7-8 p.m. Photographers with comments and Poets with poems that inspired the photographers.
Vashon Center for the Arts, 19600 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon Island.
19600 Vashon Hwy SW, Vashon Island.
Conference etc. Meet-ups
To meet-up at conferences, email Ann at spiers@centurytel.net
Whiteley Center, Friday Harbor Labs, San Juan Island Feb. 24-March 6, 2020
Seattle, Suzan Cascadia, Seattle University, Feb. 13-14, 2020
Seattle, Judith Roach Memorial, Hugo House, Feb. 23, 2020.
Portland, AGU, May 14, 15, 2019
Portland AWP, March 27-30, 2019