Mike Hickey's Poet Populist candidate statement
Less that 2% of Americans read poetry. And I ask myself WHY? Why would a medium so dynamic and powerful be so widely ignored? Is it because many contemporary poets have relieved themselves of the obligation to have a point, to advance some insight to their readers regarding love, politics, the human animal, the world in which we live? The poet Thomas Lux once told me that a large number of today's poets aren't worried about being misunderstood, they're worried about being understood, because essentially they don't have anything very important to say. Since 1995, I have been teaching students that one doesn't have to sacrifice clarity for creativity. And when a fourth grader writes, "A dress walked by with a woman inside..." I know that poetry is still very much alive and well. This is the message I would like to deliver if elected Poet Populist!
Mike will be reading with Poet Populist candidates on MON, OCT 27, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, at 4408Delridge Way SW
Special Guest: Pesha Joyce Gertler, Poet Populist 2005-2006
Don't forget to vote in this election and that other one.
Thanks for supporting the It's About Time Writers Reading Series
Esther
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Thurs. Oct. 9, 2008 #231
6-7:45
Ballard Library
Carolyne Wright will emcee tonight's reading.
Thank you Carolyne.
Craft Talks continue next month
Elizabeth Socha Davis retired from two careers – zoology, then family therapy. She took a series of write-your-life-story classes, including ones from Esther. Elizabeth began writing poetry, has been published in Spindrift, The Oak, The Crone Connection, and has given readings at many locations in Seattle.
Susan Blair was a computer systems analyst, a salesperson, a Personnel Liaison Specialist with the federal government, and an aerobics instructor. Now she's a poet, a certified Nia instructor, a professional speaker --- and a whole lot happier! Seven of her poems have been published in Las Cruces Poets & Writers Magazine.
Brian McGuigan is a poet, performer, arts administrator and raconteur. He works at Richard Hugo House and is the co-founder and curator of "Cheap Wine and Poetry," Seattle's coolest reading series. Currently, Brian is at work on a
full-length manuscript of poems about gentrification entitled "Eat the Rich" and writes a regular column, "Bus Bitch," for The Rainier Valley Post. For more Brian: brianwithani.com.
Kate Lebo was raised in southwest Washington and lives in Seattle, where she works for Richard Hugo House, Seattle's literary arts center. Her poetry has been published in Filter, Knock, and the Seattle Public Library's "Lines on a Spine" project, and she was a senior editor for Rivet Magazine. She's working on her first chapbook.
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Don't forget to vote for Poet Populist
It's About Time Poet Populist nominee, Mike Hickey is from Belleville, IL., and the oldest of eleven children. He received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, 1987, an MFA from the University of Washington, 1992, and is currently working on a sequel to his first novel, Counterclockwise. He has also published a poetry chapbook, In Defense of Eve. as well as won awards for poetry, teaching, and as a labor leader for the American Federation of Teachers. In addition to being a tenured creative writing instructor at South Seattle Community College, he has taught as a volunteer to children at summer bereavement camps, to at-risk youth in White Center, and to prisoners at the Monroe Correctional Complex. He lives in West Seattle with his wife, Mona, and their two-year-old son, Nathan.
It's About Time nominated Mike Hickey for Poet Populist because: He has been participating in the It’s About Time Writers Reading Series for over a decade. Not only has he read his own work and presented a popular Writer’s Craft talk, he brings his students from both South Seattle Community College and UW Experimental College to participate, either through reading themselves or listening to others read. Mike’s years of teaching, as well as his involvement with the wider community, reflect his devotion to furthering fairness and justice in the public sphere. He represents It’s About Time's vision.
Vote for Poet Populist
Ballard Library
Carolyne Wright will emcee tonight's reading.
Thank you Carolyne.
Craft Talks continue next month
Elizabeth Socha Davis retired from two careers – zoology, then family therapy. She took a series of write-your-life-story classes, including ones from Esther. Elizabeth began writing poetry, has been published in Spindrift, The Oak, The Crone Connection, and has given readings at many locations in Seattle.
Susan Blair was a computer systems analyst, a salesperson, a Personnel Liaison Specialist with the federal government, and an aerobics instructor. Now she's a poet, a certified Nia instructor, a professional speaker --- and a whole lot happier! Seven of her poems have been published in Las Cruces Poets & Writers Magazine.
Brian McGuigan is a poet, performer, arts administrator and raconteur. He works at Richard Hugo House and is the co-founder and curator of "Cheap Wine and Poetry," Seattle's coolest reading series. Currently, Brian is at work on a
full-length manuscript of poems about gentrification entitled "Eat the Rich" and writes a regular column, "Bus Bitch," for The Rainier Valley Post. For more Brian: brianwithani.com.
Kate Lebo was raised in southwest Washington and lives in Seattle, where she works for Richard Hugo House, Seattle's literary arts center. Her poetry has been published in Filter, Knock, and the Seattle Public Library's "Lines on a Spine" project, and she was a senior editor for Rivet Magazine. She's working on her first chapbook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't forget to vote for Poet Populist
It's About Time Poet Populist nominee, Mike Hickey is from Belleville, IL., and the oldest of eleven children. He received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, 1987, an MFA from the University of Washington, 1992, and is currently working on a sequel to his first novel, Counterclockwise. He has also published a poetry chapbook, In Defense of Eve. as well as won awards for poetry, teaching, and as a labor leader for the American Federation of Teachers. In addition to being a tenured creative writing instructor at South Seattle Community College, he has taught as a volunteer to children at summer bereavement camps, to at-risk youth in White Center, and to prisoners at the Monroe Correctional Complex. He lives in West Seattle with his wife, Mona, and their two-year-old son, Nathan.
It's About Time nominated Mike Hickey for Poet Populist because: He has been participating in the It’s About Time Writers Reading Series for over a decade. Not only has he read his own work and presented a popular Writer’s Craft talk, he brings his students from both South Seattle Community College and UW Experimental College to participate, either through reading themselves or listening to others read. Mike’s years of teaching, as well as his involvement with the wider community, reflect his devotion to furthering fairness and justice in the public sphere. He represents It’s About Time's vision.
Vote for Poet Populist
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