Can’t Get Enough Poetry? Checkout Some of the Goings on Around the Island During April’s National Poetry Month. Film: Untold Story of Women Farmers Sunday

The poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti famously said, “Poetry is the shortest distance between two humans.”

If that holds true, it will be standing room only on Bainbridge during the rest of April as National Poetry Month hits the island. Now in its 13th year, National Poetry Month was launched by the Academy of American Poets to celebrate the integral role that poetry plays in American culture.

Here is a sampling of the many poetry events happening on Bainbridge this month:
1. POETRY CORNERS: Enjoy forty poster poems by local poets of all ages in Winslow Way storefront windows during April. This year’s theme: Music.

2. PLUM ANNUAL HAIKU CONTEST. The winning entries flutter above the Plum deck throughout April.

3. POETRY READING & OPEN MIC. Thursday, April 16, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the Bainbridge Public Library. Featured poet Kary Wayson is followed by open mic.

4. INTERMEDIATE POETRY WORKSHOP. April 15 – May 6, 6 – 8 p.m. Taught by Carrie Aberle and hosted by Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District at Prue’s House. Join fellow poets for encouraging and constructive review of your own poems. Class includes weekly prompts and lessons on poetic craft.

5. FINDING YOURSELF IN ART: Sunday, April 19, 2 – 3:30 p.m. Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop with Tara Campbell. Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.

6. BOOK READING: “THE ANDREW WYETH CHRONICLES” Tuesday, April 21. 6:30- 8 p.m., Eagle Harbor Book Co. Poet Janee Baugher reads from her book-length narrative of ekphrastic poetry that imagines the painter’s creative life.

7.  POETS LAUREATE DEREK SHEFFIELD AND ERIN MALONE: Reading, Conversation, and Book Signing. Saturday, April 25, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Bainbridge Island Senior & Community Center. Washington State poet laureate Derek Sheffield joins Bainbridge Island poet laureate Erin Malone in poetry and discussion followed by a Q&A, book signing, and a Waterfront Trail poetry walk with the poet’s laureate.

8. Poetry Corners LIVE. Sunday, April 26, 2 – 4 p.m. Bainbridge Island Senior & Community Center. Poetry Corners poets read their works, followed by an anthology
book sale and reception.

9. PORTALS OF THE POETIC SELF: THE FIVE SENSES. April 27 – May 1, 1 – 5 p.m. Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network (BARN). Join acclaimed poet Ricardo Ruiz for a transformative workshop on storytelling through vivid sensory detail.

10. RICARDO RUIZ: POETRY READING AND RECEPTION. April 30, 6 – 8pm. Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. At this free evening of poetry and storytelling, poet Ricardo Ruiz will explore the lived experiences of his Mexican farmworker community in Eastern Washington.

11. FRIENDSHIP THROUGH POETRY & PAINTING. An exhibit of artwork by Fatima Young and poetry by Mary Lou Sanelli at Blackbird Bakery through April 30. More detail and links to Bainbridge Poetry Month events can be found on the Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate website, https://www.bainbridgeislandpoetlaureate.org/.

Emmy-nominated Film Celebrating Local Women in Agriculture at Lynwood Theatre Sunday

Friends of the Farms is hosting a screening of the Emmy-nominated documentary “Women’s Work: The Untold Story of America’s Female Farmers” on Sunday, April 19th at 7 p.m. at the Lynwood Theatre, and we’d love to see this moment spark a broader conversation about the female farmers in our own community — women whose resilience and inherent worth are on full display every single day.