2017 Appearances
13 January 2017: Featured poet, talking mostly about National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) on Tom Maxedon’s “Word” literary radio hour on NPR affiliate 89.3 KPRG-FM, Public Radio Guam. Listen on SoundCloud (first 30 minutes of Tom’s show).
February 2017: Coordinating the seventh annual National Haiku Writing Month (NaHaiWriMo) and providing daily writing prompts on the NaHaiWriMo page on Facebook, with more than 2,500 participants. Please join us in writing at least one haiku a day in the month of February—the shortest month for the shortest genre of poetry!
9 February 2017: Featured Haiku Northwest poetry performance on the Poets West radio show, hosted by J. Glenn Evans, KSER radio, 90.7 FM. Originally recorded in 2008, and introduced by Michael Dylan Welch, with poems by various Haiku Northwest members. To listen, go to the KSER Radio Player, look for February 9, then look for the Poets West show at 6:00 p.m. After you click to listen to that hour, advance to 32:12 mark for the poetry performance.
18 February 2017: “How to Haiku” workshop at the Terry Salmon Branch of the Vancouver Public Library at Hillcrest Community Centre, 4575 Clancy Loranger Way in Vancouver, British Columbia. 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., starting with a walk to nearby Queen Elizabeth Park and Bloedel Conservatory, then a PowerPoint presentation at the library, plus a craft workshop to create haiku-decorated “fish scales” for the VCBF koinobori installation (for the Japan Days festival in April). Free registration at VPL Classes & Workshops, email info@vpl.ca, or phone 604-665-3964. See also the Facebook event invitation. Sponsored by the library and the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival. See the Vancouver Sun story.
19 February 2017: Presentation on chapbook publishing at the monthly meeting of the Vancouver Haiku Group, Britannia Community Services Centre, 1661 Napier Street (near Commercial Drive), Vancouver, British Columbia. 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Free.
27 February 2017: “To Say the Least: An Introduction to Short Poetry Forms” workshop (covering haiku, senryu, tanka, triolet, cinquain, double dactyls, and more), at Kirkland Library, 308 Kirkland Avenue, Kirkland, Washington. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free.
28 February 2017: Poets Wanted, Dead or Alive: Celebrating Famous Poets. Presentation, reading, and discussion of poetry by Japanese haiku Issa. Redmond Regional Library, 15990 NE 85th Street in Redmond, 6:30 p.m. Free.
1 March 2017: Celebrating Dr. Seuss, free presentation for children and families at the Redmond Regional Library, 15990 NE 85th Street in Redmond, 7:00–8:00 p.m. Free.
6 March 2017: Featured reading with Tanya McDonald from our book Seven Suns / Seven Moons for the Poetry at the Rainbow Cafe series at the Rainbow Cafe, 112 East Main Street, Auburn, Washington. 7:00 p.m. Free. See the Auburn Reporter story.
7 March 2017: Poets Wanted, Dead or Alive: Celebrating Famous Poets. Presentation, reading, and discussion of poetry by American poet William Carlos Williams. Redmond Regional Library, 15990 NE 85th Street in Redmond, 6:30 p.m. Free.
15 March 2017: Featured reading with Tanya McDonald (reading from our book Seven Suns / Seen Moons and other poetry) at The Creekside, 18200 Woodinville-Snohomish Road NE, Woodinville, Washington, 7:00 p.m., followed by an open-mic reading. Free. +
21 March 2017: Poets Wanted, Dead or Alive: Celebrating Famous Poets. Presentation, reading, and discussion of poetry by Seattle poet Denise Levertov. Redmond Regional Library, 15990 NE 85th Street in Redmond, 6:30 p.m. Free.
28 March 2017: Poets Wanted, Dead or Alive: Celebrating Famous Poets. Presentation, reading, and discussion of poetry by British poet Dylan Thomas. Redmond Regional Library, 15990 NE 85th Street in Redmond, 6:30 p.m. Free.
1 April 2017: “Quick as a Wink: Defining Moments in Haiku” workshop for the Haiku Arbutus meeting at Monterey Community Centre, 1442 Monterey Avenue, Victoria, British Columbia. Also leading the kukai and giving a short reading. 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., free.
2 April 2017: Guest poet for Planet Earth Poetry at Silk Road Tea Store, 1624 Government Street, Victoria, British Columbia. 4:45 to 6:00 p.m. Reading with Sidney Bending, Dan Curtis, and Jim Force (Nika). Free.
3 April 2017: My poetry writing prompt featured on the Poetry Super Highway website (and on their Facebook page), encouraging the use of a random word generator to write a poem using all of ten random words, plus five haiku using five individual random words.
8–9 April 2017: Leading haiku walks and workshops, giving readings, installing “Haiku on Sticks,” haiku chalk art, my Haikuseum, and more, at the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s “Sakura Days Japan Fair,” VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia ($12.00 garden/event admission charged).
13 April 2017: Launch reading for Tod Marshall’s WA129 anthology, published by Sage Hill Press, which includes my “Rain into River” rengay written with Tanya McDonald. Free, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., State Reception Room, third floor, Legislative Building, State Capitol Campus, Olympia, Washington. More than 2,000 poems were submitted, so it’s a great honour to be included.
22 April 2017: Guided haiku walk in celebration of Earth Day at Lower Commons Park in Sammamish, Washington, presented by Sammamish Walks and the Sammamish Arts Commission. 10:00 to 11:00 am. Free. Meet at the top of the stairs, in the center of the plaza between the library and city hall. We’ll amble through the park, stopping at haiku poems on display (weather permitting) for the “Haiku on Sticks” installation featuring poems by members of Haiku Northwest. You’re also invited to write and share your own haiku for the earth. Registration encouraged. See my event report.
24 April 2017: Featured poet, along with Garry Gay and Patricia Machmiller, in a California State Library podcast featuring the American Haiku Archives, with my poems read by podcast host Gene Larson.
30 April 2017: Serving as judge for the international category of the ukiaHaiku Festival. Results announced at 2:00 p.m. today at the Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Avenue in Ukiah, California, free. Read my commentary on the winning poems. + +
6 May 2017: Haiku and haibun workshop for the Writer’s Workshoppe, Port Townsend, Washington, plus evening reading. Event CANCELLED. +
26 May 2017: MC for the Redmond Association of Spokenword, featuring children’s book author Curtis Manley, VALA Art Center, 7525 166th Ave NE, Suite D140, Redmond, Washington. 6:30 p.m. socializing, 7:00 p.m. reading, plus open-mic reading, free.
3 June 2017: “Discovering Haiku” presentation at the 2017 Haiku Northwest annual meeting in Seattle. Meet at the Discovery Park Environmental Learning Center at 3801 Discovery Park Boulevard in Seattle at 10:00 a.m., and then at the Magnolia Library, 2801 34th Avenue W, Seattle, for presentations and readings.
10 July 2017: Rattle magazine features my haiku sequence, “Separation,” on its website, with my audio recording.
13 July 2017: Featured poetry reading (plus open-mic reading) at Everett Poetry Night, Café Zippy, 1502 Rucker Avenue in Everett, Washington, 6:30 p.m. Free.
15 July 2017: Directing the Poets in the Park festival, book fair, and poetry picnic at Anderson Park in Redmond, Washington, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Redmond Association of Spokenword. Free, full-day poetry festival with readings, workshops, vendors, installations, and more (mini golf, chalk poetry, Haiku on Sticks!), featuring Tod Marshall, Washington State poet laureate and many others.
28 July 2017: MC for the Redmond Association of Spokenword, featuring David Jacobson (children’s book author, translator) and Dan D Shafer (book design), VALA Art Center, 7525 166th Ave NE, Suite D140, Redmond, Washington. 6:30 p.m. socializing, 7:00 p.m. reading, plus open-mic reading, free.
12 August 2017: Featured poet for AuburnFest, Les Gove Park, 910 9th Street SE, Auburn, Washington. Poetry reading at 6:00 p.m., panel discussion participant at 7:00 p.m. (on writing craft). Free.
8 September 2017: “The Joy of Haiku” workshop at East West Bookshop, 6407 12th Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington. 7:30 to 9:00 pm, $20. Sign up here.
9 September 2017: Judging a free haiku contest, and reading the winners, at the Seattle Japanese Garden Moon Viewing Festival, 6:00 p.m. ($20 admission to the event). See the garden website.
13–17 September 2017: Haiku North America conference at the Hotel Santa Fe Hacienda & Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’ll be giving a presentation on “Haiku and the Art of Forest Bathing,” giving welcome and closing speeches, and leading the conference anthology reading. See the conference schedule. (I’m a director of the nonprofit corporation that runs this biennial event.) See the Santa Fe Reporter story on the conference.
17 September 2017: Codirecting the Tanka Sunday event for the Tanka Society of America, at the Hotel Santa Fe Hacienda & Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’ll be giving a presentation on “Tanka Is _______” and acting as MC for the day. See the schedule.
4 October 2017: “Japanese Influence: Haiku in America” presentation for Japan Week at Bellevue College, Bellevue, Washington. 10:30 a.m. and 12:50 p.m.
5 October 2017: “Haiku Targets” workshop at Auburn Community & Event Center, 910 9th Street SE in Auburn, Washington, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. $45 for Auburn residents, or $60 for nonresidents. Register online.
6 October 2017: Coordinating a WA129 Washington State poetry anthology reading at Brick and Mortar Books in Redmond, Washington. 7:00 p.m., free. Featured readers: Bill Carty, Laura Gamache, Jasleena Grewal, Vikram Madan, Tanya McDonald, Ross McMeekin, Judith Skillman, and Michael Dylan Welch.
26–29 October 2017: Directing Haiku Northwest’s tenth annual Seabeck Haiku Getaway at the Seabeck Conference Center in Seabeck, Washington, with Scott Mason as our featured guest and with numerous special events (our theme for the weekend is the sense of taste). Click to register (after 1 August 2017).
4 November 2017: Free public haiku workshop and haiku stroll amid fall colours at the Seattle Japanese Garden (free Family Day at the garden).
11 November 2017: Haiku book discussion group, Seattle Japanese Garden, focusing on my book Becoming a Haiku Poet. 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, for the Seattle Japanese Garden Reading Discussion Group.
11 November 2017: Reading from the WA129 Washington State poetry anthology at the Georgetown Steam Plant, 6605 13th Avenue South, Seattle, Washington. 2:00 p.m., free. Featured readers: Elizabeth Austen, Arlene Naganawa, Shin Yu Pai, Carl Palmer, and Connie Walle.
17 November 2017: MC for the Redmond Association of Spokenword, featuring Paul Barach (comedian, memoirist), VALA Art Center, 7525 166th Ave NE, Suite D140, Redmond, Washington. 6:30 p.m. socializing, 7:00 p.m. reading, plus open-mic reading, free.
Click to see current appearances.
