RASP: Redmond Association of Spokenword
Celebrating literary arts and poetry in Redmond for more than 20 years
RASP was founded in 1997 to promote literary arts and activities in Redmond, Washington, and the surrounding area. We meet on the last Friday of each month, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Open mic signup begins at 6:30 PM. RASP also holds a monthly writing critique group at the Redmond Regional Library on the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30 PM to 8:45 PM. All events are free. Please join us!.
Coming This Month
October 26, 2018—Kevin J. O'Conner (poet)
Signup starts at 6:30 PM; reading/open mic starts at 7:00 PM
Kevin J. O'Conner, according to his phone's auto-complete function, "is a poet who is not sure what he does, but doesn't have any other way to make sure he has a more appropriate experience with his own story." This is not far from the truth. What Kevin is sure of is that his latest poetry collection is The Lilac Years. You can also read his blog, "Ordinary Average Thoughts," at https://ordinaryaveragethoughts.com/. Kevin lives near Seattle with his cat, Trixie, who likes to sit on top of the refrigerator.
MC—Janka Hobbs
The address
is 7950 Willows Rd, Redmond, WA 98052, at the intersection of Redmond Way and Willows Road. From downtown Redmond—turn right from Redmond Way almost immediately after you cross the bridge over the slough and then drive until you see the building with the large columns in front. From Kirkland—turn left onto Willows Road and go about a quarter mile. Then turn right into the driveway and head to the columns. Plenty of free parking. For directions and Google map, click here, or look at the Redmond Heights website.
Mark your calendars for these dates, too!
Featured readers for 2018
November 30, 2018—Kate Walton (storyteller)
MC—Michael Dylan Welch
December 28, 2018—Laura Lee Bennett (poetry and fiction)
Laura Lee Bennett received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Oregon in 1982. In the 1990s, she discovered Red Sky Poetry Theatre in Seattle, and was embraced by that community. Today she actively supports written and spoken arts in her Eastside community, including past service as president of the Redmond Association of Spokenword (RASP). Snake Medicine (First Step) is Laura Lee's first chapbook.
MC—Pamela Denchfield
Featured readers for 2019
January 25, 2019—Melanie Noel (Redmond poet laureate)
Melanie Noel is the author of The Monarchs (Stockport Flats, 2013) and The Ringing, a chapbook forthcoming from Goodmorning Menagerie. Her poems have also appeared in Thermos, Spiral Orb, Weekday, The Volta, and The Arcadia Project. She's written poems for installations and as live scores for short films. She was a co-curator of the dance, music, and poetry series "Apostrophe," and curated "Impala," a reading series that took place in her grandmother's car. She's taught classes in parks, schools, hospitals, and community centers (lovepossum.com/teaching.html), and enjoys doing creative engagement work with older adults who have memory loss (www.melanienoel.com). She's honored to serve as Redmond's poet laureate for 2018–2020.
MC—Michael Dylan Welch
February 22, 2019—Gloria Burgess (new children's book is Pass It On)
March 25, 2019—BookClub Seattle: Helen Harris, Doris Jean Hill, and Jackie Roberts
April 26, 2018—TBD
May 31, 2018—Joan D. Stamm (memoir)
Poetry and Prose Circle
Discuss and improve your poetry & prose! Bring 10 to 15 copies of your poem or story to our Poetry & Prose Circle. We'll gather to share our writing, then offer ideas for improvement. Take away a new perspective on your creative work.
Day: Second Tuesday of each month
Time: 6:30-8:45 PM
Admission: Free, no registration required
Place: Redmond Regional Library
Bring: Something written that you're willing to share and get feedback on. Bring paper copies for others to provide comments back to you.
Circles for 2018
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Facilitator: Chi Chi Stewart
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Look for our frequent messages and writing prompts on Facebook. Follow us, share us, enjoy us. Tweet about us, too, and retweet our tweets.
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/ RedmondAssociationOfSpokenword/
- Twitter: @RedmondRASP
- Contact us: contact@raspread.com
Our Monthly Open Mic
RASP's Open Mic gives you the opportunity to share your work with a receptive audience.
Each month, we open up the microphone to everyone to share their poetry and prose with a receptive audience. You can also participate by relaxing and listening to the words of others.
If you have written something you would like to read, show up early and sign up for a time slot. Time slots are scheduled before and after the featured reader. Details and guidelines are at our Open Mic page.
Other events you will enjoy
SoulFood Poetry Night — Third Thursday of each month, 7:00 pm, SoulFood CoffeeHouse and Fair Trade Emporium, 15748 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA
APex - Artists Personal exchange — Third Tuesday of each month, 7:00 pm, SoulFood CoffeeHouse and Fair Trade Emporium, 15748 Redmond Way, Redmond, WA
Duvall Poetry — First Wednesday of each month, 7:00 pm, Duvall Library, 15508 Main St. NE, Duvall, WA
Poetry at the Rainbow Cafe — First Monday of each month, 7:00 pm, Rainbow Café, 112 E. Main St., Auburn, WA
Everett Poetry Nite — Every Thursday, 7:00 pm, Café Zippy, 2811 Wetmore Ave, Everett, WA
RASP promotes written and spoken arts in Redmond and East King County through inclusive performance events and educational programming.
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