We’re excited to offer this Open Mic for poets of all experience levels to read their work to an appreciative audience. This is a great opportunity to reach new readers and meet people who love words as much as you do. It takes courage to share your work with others. Be brave!
Open to the public, and everyone is welcome. No need to register in advance. Signup for the open mic will start at 6:45 pm at BARN. Poets will be asked to keep their readings to four minutes or less.
Featured Reader: Kathryn SmithHost: Michele Bombardier, Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate
Kathryn Smith's poetry is deeply rooted in the natural world, often wrestling with humans’ relationship to the environment and examining what it means to live in this precarious anthropocene moment. Her most recent poetry collection, "Self-Portrait with Cephalopod," was a finalist for the 2022 Washington State Book Award. She grew up on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and currently lives in Spokane. She is the Bloedel creative resident for January, and is working on her next book.
Michele Bombardier is Bainbridge Island’s first poet laureate. She is author of "What We Do," a Washington Book Award finalist; has published more than a hundred poems and reviews; holds an MFA in poetry; and is the founder of Fishplate Poetry, offering retreats and workshops.
This free event is sponsored by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge, the city of Bainbridge Island, Bloedel Reserve, and BARN. Join us every third Thursday for featured and open mic readings.
Bloedel Reserve Creative Residency Program hosts 10-12 Creative Thinkers each year who are exploring man's connection to nature. Residents stay at the 150-acre Forest Garden for three weeks to immerse themselves in the environment and their work. Kathryn Smith is the first Creative Resident of 2023.
BARN's mission is to grow and inspire a creative community through craft, learning and service.
