How WWPN Began

The Western Washington Poets Network wants to help you find your seat at poetry readings to share your poetry, or to help organizers fill seats at their poetry events.

During summer planning sessions for an event held on October 14, 2023 at BookTree in Kirkland, Washington with a featured reading by Jayden Chang, Kenmore youth poet laureate, a collection of poets expressed the need for a service that could communicate schedules of Western Washington poetry readings and related events and groups to improve regional awareness and participation. The following poets attended one or more of these sessions and supported this proposal:

• Terry Busch, emcee of Tsuga Poetry Group, Bothell

• Mary Eliza Crane, an organizer of Duvall Poetry, Duvall, and on the curating committee for Easy Speak Seattle, Seattle

• David D. Horowitz, publisher of Rose Alley Press, Seattle

• Christopher J. Jarmick, owner and host of BookTree, Kirkland

• Georgia S. McDade, coordinator for the African-American Writers Alliance, Seattle

• David Post, emcee of Tsuga Poetry Group, Bothell

• Julie Robinett, representing Everett Poetry Night, Everett

• Raul Sanchez, poet laureate for the city of Redmond from 2020 to 2021, host of Poetry in the Park, Seattle

• Bruce Stewart, president of Black Dog Arts Coalition, Snoqualmie

• Michael Dylan Welch, poet laureate for the city of Redmond from 2013 to 2015; curator and emcee of SoulFood Poetry Night, Redmond; president of the Redmond Association of Spokenword (RASP), Redmond; director of Poets in the Park, Redmond; and web manager for Haiku Northwest, Bellevue

• Griffith H. Williams, publisher of East Point West Press, Kenmore, and liaison for Arts of Kenmore, Kenmore

Ten of the preceding and all of the following poets attended the October 14, 2023 event in Kirkland, where they spoke about their groups:

• Chris Dahl, newsletter editor for the Olympia Poetry Network, Olympia

• Sean Dwyer, host of Open Mic Night with Sean Dwyer, Bellingham

• Susan Frederick, membership vice president of EPIC Group Writers, Edmonds

• Josh Hansen, host of Seattle Poetry Meetup Group, Seattle

• Brandon Mead, host of Local Author Open Mic, Lake Forest Park

• Darren Nordlie, vice president of the Redmond Association of Spokenword (RASP), Redmond, and a representative of the WUUC Poetry Group, Woodinville

• Cynthia Pratt, inaugural poet laureate for the city of Lacey; founding member and treasurer of the Olympia Poetry Network, Olympia

• Melanie Reed, host of Couth Buzzard Writers Group, Seattle

Unable to attend, but having others who were present to speak on behalf of their groups, were the following:

• Eric Acosta, curator of Unpoetry, Seattle

• Anthony Brock, host of First Friday Open Mic — Poetry and Singer/Songwriter Night, Everett

• Jim Cinney, host of Open Mic at Kiss the Sky, Sultan

• Molly Crocker, events manager for Open Mic at Bulldog, Seattle

• Pamela Denchfield, facilitator for the WUUC Poetry Group, Woodinville 

• Jackie Fender, host of Creative Colloquy, Tacoma

• Barracuda Guarisco, host of Chat Rooms Open Mic, Everett

• Georgia Johnson, organizer of Madrona Poetry Readings at Pelican Bay Books, Anacortes

• Duane Kirby Jensen, host of Everett Poetry Night — Spoken Words, Everett, and host of Ghost Mic — Poetry in the Park, Everett

• Kathryn Hunt, artistic curator of Poetry on the Salish Sea, Port Townsend

• Cami Ostman and Lisa Dailey, hosts of Red Wheelbarrow Writers: Writers Happy Hour, Bellingham

• Raul Sanchez, host of Poetry in the Park, Seattle

• Leopoldo Seguel, host of PoetryBridge Association of West Seattle, Seattle

• Carla Shafer, facilitator for Chuckanut Sandstone Writers Theater Poetry Open Mic, Bellingham

• Peggy Sturdivant, curator of It’s About Time Writers Reading Series, Seattle