by Christina Butcher for OLY ARTS
What would the holiday season be if it didn’t include a bit of winter poetry, read under the warm glow of a lamp in a cozy room? The Olympia Poetry Network (OPN), a nonprofit organization with 25 years of history in the South Sound, invites community members to join in an evening of exactly that: seasonal poetry readings to embrace the winter holidays at Traditions Café and World Folk Art.
“The Olympia Poetry Network has been presenting Season’s Readings each December for as many years as I can remember,” said OPN board member Terri Cohlene. “Through an extended open-mic, we…celebrate winter and the holidays as only our poetry community can. Our board, in turn, gifts back with seasonal poetry of our own.”
Besides Seasons Readings, OPN spreads appreciation of poetry and literary awareness in the South Sound region through monthly readings and open-mic sessions. Since it began in 1991, it quickly gained a reputation for featuring well-known, local authors, including photographer and writer Patrick Dixon, poet Thomas Aslin, the late poet and author Lucia Perillo and Tacoma schoolteacher and administrator Tim Sherry. Bill Yake, a notable poet, naturalist and photographer in Olympia, also serves on the OPN board of directors and often stands in as an unofficial spokesman for the organization.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, OPN hosted a night of extended readings with an open-mic session to commemorate founders, supporters and past and present board members last January. Currently, monthly readings are held every third Wednesday at Traditions Café and are usually well-attended by writers and literature enthusiasts.
What: Seasons Readings
When: 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21
Where: Traditions Café and World Folk Art,
300 Fifth Ave. SW, Olympia
How much: free
Learn more: 360-705-2819 | OPN