The Seattle poetry scene has changed as often in the past 20 years as an aging matinee idol's hairstyle.In the mid-'80s, if you wanted to read poetry in public, there was Red Sky in and around Belltown and not much else.The ladies (mostly) were joined by the motley crew of  Radio Free Leroy's in 1987. Then came the Two Bells' Spoken Word Series, initially hosted by the late Mark McDonald, and the city's golden age of performance poetry had begun.From about 1988 until 1993, poetry readings, buttressed with musical accompaniment, seemed to be everywhere in the city. Saturation point was soon reached, although nobody told Title Wave Books' owner Nickie Jostel, whose series started its 10-year run in 1994.Poets, good and bad, will always write, but fashions change. Although there are still elderly Wordsworths and middle-aged Bukowskis declaiming around the city, Slam forged to the front of the "scene" next, and Seattle has fielded some poetry "teams" (this isn't your father's poetry) that did well on the national stage. Now, in the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, slam is beginning to share the mic with a hybrid called Street Beat poetry.
Tom Joselyn has just rounded out his second year as managing librarian at the Kirkland Library. The staff enthusiastically recommended Tom as the subject of a story. "We're trained as librarians to be able to find things," he'll explain to you when some obscure bit of knowledge is discovered. He has organized this branch so well, that seldom does one need to request materials from another source. "582,936 items were checked out last year," he adds.
We thought this was a funny story worth passing along. It was written by Lake Washington Saddle Club member, Jane Paige, who keeps two horses in Bridle Trails. If you are a horse owner, you have manure and often must be creative to ensure its timely removal. You will appreciate the following
I hope that everyone received their Neighborhood Connections ballot, and had a chance to vote on how our neighborhood will spend the $25,000. The results will be announced at the May 19 general meeting, as well as in this column. If you have any questions or comments about this program, please send them to the Kirkland's hardworking neighborhood services coordinator, Kari Page, at kpage@ci.kirkland.wa.us.
This month, Parklane Gallery will feature three artists: watercolorists Maggie LeMoine and Linda Hulce and photographer Larey McDaniel. Because Parklane is an artist-owned cooperative, it rotates its featured artists based on when they joined; in general, the rotation is 18 months. Each month two new prospective artists are evaluated by the now 36-member gallery and are voted in by a two-thirds decision. According to board president and featured artist, Larey McDaniel, "as the gallery gets more full, we might be a little more choosy. There was a time when a simple majority brought in a new artist."
The latest news on upcoming arts events in Kirkland
The frightfully thin snowcaps on the majestic mountains surrounding the Puget Sound Basin speak louder to us than the voices of our elected officials. We see the drought and with close observation, the plants in our gardens are also showing the effects of this climatic change. Even if we were to get drenching rains this spring, the effects of the unseasonably warm winter weather have made their impact on our garden plants
On March 11, Carol Fletcher's Middles class was transformed into a "living museum" of famous personages from past and present. George Washington was rubbing shoulders with baseball legends Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. Gymnast Mary Lou Retton and skater Michelle Kwan got to hang with Dr. Seuss. And Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman, anti-slavery champions, were gloriously reunited.
On March 10, Ben Franklin Elementary School held its first International Night. Students, families and staff alike attended the event. Everyone helped set up food booths, exhibits and entertainment from various countries
Juanita High School Drama, under the direction of Elizabeth McMurray-Hauk, presents "The Brick and the Rose," a profound and compelling vocal collage brought to life by 11 actors in a form of expressionistic theater.
The BEST High School food service class met at Fare Start in Seattle to volunteer with their organization. Fare Start is a program which empowers homeless individuals through culinary and life skills training. Each Thursday is Guest Chef Night when the community can make reservations to eat dinner prepared by Fare Start students who have been trained by local chefs
The BEST Citizenship Forum, which is a popular part of the citizenship class, has officially entered the "blogosphere" and has been invaded by "bloggers." Taken from the term, "Web log," this new paradigm has empowered the students, who were once happy-go-lucky surfers on the information superhighway, to become critical thinkers (bloggers) with opinions on everything and represent every point of view.
The International Community School's student-run Drama Club chose to challenge their memories and their "old English" skills with the major Shakespearean play "Romeo and Juliet" for their last production of the year. They gave their adoring public four fabulous and very emotional performances (March 9 - March 12).
A group of seven dedicated fifth grade girls have won the King County Library Global Reading challenge representing Lake Washington School District on March 4 at the Redmond Regional Library. We read and studied 10 specially selected books and answered detailed questions about them in a group competition against other reading teams from other Lake Washington schools
Following the success of the film, "A League of Their Own," women hardball players over the past two decades have rallied all over the country to put together leagues of their own. They did so with varying degrees of success. Bellevue resident Jeneane Lesko, who was one of the original players in The All American Girls Professional Baseball League, is again summoning the troops and has created eight Western Washington women's baseball teams for women age 14 to 55 and up.