Poetry on Buses is returning this year, with an expansion of the program’s multilingual outreach.
Workshops this year will focus on Chinese, Ethiopian, Punjabi, Spanish-speaking, African American and Tlingit communities, and involve writers, artists and volunteers active in the communities.
This year’s poet planner is Jourdan Keith, and the program will focus on the theme “Your Body of Water.”
According to a press release, “Your Body of Water” is a poetic exploration of the meaning of water and its local stewardship by King County and Seattle Public Utilities:
“We are all bodies of water, connected to one another through the water web,” says Keith. “Your body of water is connected to streams, rivers, lakes, tides, waterfalls, toilets and faucets…to present homes, childhood homes and ancestral ones by memory, by the water cycle, and by stories. Come tell your story through poetry.”
Poems will appear on buses, in rail and at transit stations. Poetry on Buses will accept submissions from May 15 through Sept. 30. Anyone who resides in King County, Washington is eligible to submit one poem up to 50 words in length on the theme of water.
Workshop dates are:
- May 1, Punjabi Workshop, Khalsa Gurmat Center, 1:30-4 p.m.
- May 15, Ethiopian Workshop, Ethiopian Community Center, 1-3:30 p.m.
- May 27, Tlingit Workshop, NW Film Forum, after party at Vermillion, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
- June 4, Spanish workshop, Seattle Central Library, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
- June 5, Tlingit Workshop, Cedar River Watershed, 12-4 p.m.
- July 29, Chinese Workshop, Redmond Senior Center, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
- August 12, Chinese Information Services Center, 3-5 p.m.
- August 13, English/African American Workshop, Life Enrichment Bookstore, 6-8 p.m.
- August 20, Spanish Workshop, Burien Community Center, 1-4 p.m.
- September 11, Punjabi Workshop, Khalsa Gurmat Center, 1:30-4 p.m.
- September 18, Ethiopian Workshop, Assimba Ethiopian Cuisine, 1:30-3:30 p.m.
For more information see poetryonbuses.com.
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