RASP: Redmond Association of Spokenword
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 at VALA Eastside in Redmond Town Center—7525 166th Ave NE, Suite D140 (directions). 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!.
July 7, 2018, Anderson Park, Redmond
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Coming This Month
Laura Allen (poet, book artist)—April 27, 2018
Signup starts at 6:30 PM; reading/open mic starts at 7:00 PM>
Laura Allen (formerly Laura Walton) is a visual artist, writer, and instructor. Laura’s visual art has been exhibited in numerous regional and national exhibitions, and her poetry has been featured in many journals, including Glitterpony, S/tick, and Pontoon. She recently published a chapbook of poetry and art, The Quiet Year, through Two Ponies Press. She lives with her husband and other assorted mammals in West Seattle, Washington.
MC—Michael Dylan Welch
Mark your calendars for these dates, too!
Featured readers for 2018
Jay Rubin (novelist, translator)—May 25, 2018
Signup starts at 6:30 PM; reading/open mic starts at 7:00 PM
Jay Rubin taught at the University of Washington for eighteen years. He is an emeritus professor of Japanese literature at Harvard and a translator of Haruki Murakami and other modern Japanese writers. Jay is the author of Making Sense of Japanese, Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words, and The Sun Gods, and editor of The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories (June, 2018).
MC—Michael Dylan Welch
Sheely Mauck (memoirist)—June 29, 2018
Signup starts at 6:30 PM; reading/open mic starts at 7:00 PM
Sheely Mauck was born in Bangalore, India and was adopted in 1986 by two loving parents. Sheely lives in Des Moines, Washington and works for a statewide nonprofit that supports youth programs across Washington. In her free time, Sheely enjoys swimming, spending time with family, and writing. She has begun writing her next book, which explores the intersections of race, ability, and gender through a collection of personal experiences, obstacles, and relationships. Her first book, Grabbing a Spoon, is available on Amazon.
Jack Straw Writers—July 27, 2018
Renee Beauregard Lute (children's literature)—August 31, 2018
Signup starts at 6:30 PM; reading/open mic starts at 7:00 PM
Renee Beauregard Lute is the author of the “Winicker Wallace” children’s chapter book series (Calico, 2017). She is a member of SCBWI, and a graduate of the MFA program at Hamline University. Renee lives in Renton, Washington with her husband, three young children, and two cats. For more about Renee or Winicker, visit www.reneebeauregardlute.com.
Rose Gamble (poet)—September 28, 2018
Kevin J. O’Conner (poet)—October 26, 2018
Kate Walton (storyteller)—November 30, 2018
Holiday Party Celebration—December 7, 2018
Laura Lee Bennett (poetry and fiction)—December 28, 2018
How to find RASP and VALA in Redmond Town Center
RASP events are held at VALA Eastside at Redmond Town Center, at 7525 166th Ave NE, Suite D140 (directions). That's on the east side of the building across the street from Macy's (in the old Bergman Luggage location; see RTC directory) between T-Mobile and Subway. "The space has nice wood floors, restrooms, [and] running water," said Dawn Laurant, VALA's executive director.
VALA stands for Venues for Artists in the Local Area. It is an artist-friendly place (and we all agree that poetry and writing are major arts) and offers more flexability that our previous location.
We thank the leaders, staff and volunteers at VALA for their generous support of RASP and for the use of their artist-centric location.
Be sure to read the article in the Redmond Reporter about RASP and VALA——"RASP to blend its written, spoken art with the visual arts."
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, April 10, 2018
Facilitator: Carolyne Wright
Photo by Jim Parrott
Carolyne's new book is This Dream the World: New & Selected Poems (Lost Horse Press, 2017), whose title poem received a Pushcart Prize and was included in The Best American Poetry 2009. Her co-edited anthology, Raising Lilly Ledbetter: Women Poets Occupy the Workspace (Lost Horse Press, 2015), received ten Pushcart Prize nominations and was a finalist in the Foreword Review's Book of the Year Awards. She has nine earlier poetry volumes, five books of poetry in translation from Spanish and Bengali, and a collection of essays; and has received NEA, 4Culture, and Seattle Arts Commission fellowships, among others. She teaches for Richard Hugo House and for national and international literary conferences and festivals. Wright lived in Chile and traveled in Brazil on a Fulbright Grant during the presidency of Salvador Allende; and has been regaining fluency in Brazilian Portuguese in preparation for a return visit to Bahia on an Instituto Sacatar residency fellowship in 2018.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
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
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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