SPLAB

The readings start at 7 p.m. in the Northwind Arts Center, 2409 Jefferson St.

Gary Lemons worked most of his life with his hands.  Along the way he discovered the act of writing poetry is little different than building any structure.  Poets, like farmers for instance, contour a field that is both imaginary and real and shaped with the instruments at hand.  The expectations at harvest are similar.  He spent two years at the University of Iowa in the Undergraduate Poetry Workshop and has published two books of poetry with a third, Snake, scheduled for publication in the Fall of 2013 with Red Hen Press.  Lemons is part Oneida and lived for 6 years on the Assiniboine reservation near Wolf Point, Montana.  He now teaches yoga with his beautiful life partner, the sculptor, Nöle Giulini in their studio, Tenderpaws.

Paul Nelson, is a Chicago native, founder of SPLAB (SPokenword LAB), author of a book of essays on poetics, Organic Poetry and author of a serial poem re-enacting the history of Auburn, Washington, A Time Before Slaughter.  He worked in radio for 26 years, interviewing Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Anne Waldman, Sam Hamill, Robin Blaser, Wanda Coleman, Eileen Myles, Jerome Rothenberg, George Bowering & others. Publication credits include: Golden Handcuffs Review, The Argotist, Raven Chronicles, Blackbox, Big Bridge, Fulcrum, Rattapallax & others.  Shortlisted for the Stranger’s Genius Award in Literature in 2010, he earned his M.A. from Lesley University in Organic Poetry, a study of North American poets writing (to different degrees) spontaneously, writes one American Sentence every day & lives in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood with his wife, Meredith.

Northwind readings are free, though donations are gladly accepted to support Northwind Arts Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the arts to our community.  For more information contact Bill Mawhinney 437-9081.