What it is
Prose in the Park is a new outdoor reading series in Seattle which I hope will take place annually each autumn. It aims to build community through a shared love of words and an appreciation for green spaces.
I intend to gather at a different park each time, both to experience the vastness of the city’s natural beauty and so that people who live in different areas will not always have to travel far. I also think it can be nice to visit new neighborhoods and engage with/invest in areas we may not have otherwise.
To my knowledge, an ongoing series that exists specifically for this purpose (especially for prose) did not exist in the city of Seattle. While I did not invent the concept of live outdoor readings, I felt that there was an opportunity to develop this idea here.
Each event will have 3-4 featured writers who will read their works of prose/hybrid works, after which we will enter into open mic-style readings for the duration of the event. Anyone from the audience is then welcome to read in any genre during the open mic for up to five minutes. I also want to note that Poetry in the Park will take place in the month of April, which will have 3-4 featured poets headlining the event, followed by the same open mic opportunity for audience sharing.
These events will take place on two back-to-back Sundays. Poetry in the Park will always be free and open to all. It is also my intention to have an ASL interpreter present at each reading. If you have other access needs, please do not hesitate to reach out.
How it works
Sunday, September 15, 2024 3-4:30 p.m. Location: Seward Park Amphitheater
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Ruth Schemmel
Ruth Schemmel’s stories and essays have appeared or are forthcoming in Bellevue Literary Review, Fiction, New Orleans Review, North Dakota Quarterly, swamp pink, Sonora Review, and elsewhere. She has received a Jack Straw fellowship and a Pushcart Prize nomination. A former Peace Corps volunteer and current community college instructor, she has taught English learners in Ukraine, New York, and the Seattle area.
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Kweli Vuur
Kweli Vuur is an author, artist, and a poet who enjoys using these creative mediums to inspire youth and families to prioritize their spiritual grown and evolution. From spoken word performances, to youth poetry sessions, healing events, and community plays, Kweli uses her talents to foster community. She is the owner of Heal The Poetic Soul L.L.C., on online platform that offers many poetic gifts and services. Visit www.healthepoeticsoul.com
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Cara Diaconoff
Cara Diaconoff is the author of Unmarriageable Daughters: Stories and a novel, I’ll Be a Stranger to You, which won first prize in a Utah Arts Council competition. She has recently completed another novel, Marian Hall. She has taught writing at colleges from Russia to Texas and currently at Bellevue College, near Seattle.
Sunday, September 22, 2024 3-4:30 p.m. Volunteer Park Amphitheater
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Gail Folkins
Gail Folkins often writes about her roots in the American West. She is author of the memoir Light in the Trees, a 2016 Foreword INDIES nature finalist, and Texas Dance Halls: A Two-Step Circuit, a 2007 INDIES popular culture finalist. Her novel Summer Farm is forthcoming with Trafalgar Square Books. She teaches at Hugo House and is a prose editor at Wandering Aengus Press.
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Tara Campbell
Tara Campbell is a writer, teacher, Kimbilio Fellow, and fiction co-editor at Barrelhouse Magazine. She teaches flash fiction and speculative fiction, and is the author of a novel, two hybrid collections of poetry and prose, and two short story collections. Her sixth book, City of Dancing Gargoyles, was released by Santa Fe Writers Project (SFWP) in September 2024. Find out more at www.taracampbell.com
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Sierra Nelson
Sierra Nelson is a Seattle-based poet, lyric essayist, and multimedia performance artist. Nelson’s books include poetry collection The Lachrymose Report (PoetryNW Editions), collaborative lyrical adventure I Take Back the Sponge Cake with visual artist Loren Erdrich (Rose Metal Press), and she is editor of the cephalopod-inspired anthology Three Hearts (World Enough Writers). Her work has appeared in the Cascadia Field Guide, I Sing the Salmon Home anthology, as well as on Metro buses, in the Seattle Aquarium, and at the Slovenian Natural History Museum. For more: songsforsquid.com
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Kitty Caveat
Kitty Caveat (she/they) is a multimodal artist who encourages collective liberation through trauma healing and somatic experiencing. In addition to offering care as a coach and therapist, Kitty shares her unique magick through poetry and storytelling. Join us as they create a portal for deeper feeling and connection.
