Sunday, July 22, 2007

South Sound Voices: Healing the Wounds of War

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Molly Gibbs, Program Coordinator
South Sound Voices Education Project
Ph: 360-412-1519
Contact Molly at kayck@olywa.net
Sponsors at www.voicesinwartime.org; www.SpLAB.org

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/18376

South Sound Voices: Healing the Wounds of War

Sam Hamill andDunya Mikhail Headline September 26th
Evening of Poetry and Community Discussion

Olympia, WA. The South Sound Voices education project, in collaboration with Voices in Wartime and the Northwest SPokenword LAB (SpLAB,) presents five outstanding poets who articulate the effects of war and invite reflection on these losses and prevention of future wars. This memorable event is scheduled in the beautiful Meinnaert Performing Arts Center:

Date: Wednesday, September 26 at 7 p.m.
Place: South Puget Sound Community College, Minnaert Center for the Performing Arts
2011 Mottman Rd SW, Olympia, WA 98512
Tickets $11.24; students with ID free. Donations welcome. Go to www.brownpapertickets.com/event/18376
Website http://www.voicesinwartime.org; http://www.SPLAB.org
Phone: 360-412-1519

We are honored to present outstanding poets with diverse backgrounds. This fundraiser launches the Voices in Wartime program in South Sound colleges, universities and high schools. Funds will support faculty workshops, which have been well received by schools at Bellevue Community College, Aviation High and other locations. Voices in Wartime Executive Director, Andy Himes, will introduce a clip from the powerful film of the same title.

“We use art, poetry and education to transform the consciousness of communities. Teachers and students seek ways to explore the most important issues of our day. We create a dialogue in which all voices can be heard, and all points of view included, without engendering fear, hatred or anger,” explains Himes.

Poets

Dunya Mikhail speaks and writes in Arabic, Aramaic, and English. Facing increasing threats from the Iraqi authorities, she fled first to Jordan, then to the U.S. In 2001, she was awarded the U.N. Human Rights Award for Freedom of Writing. She has published four collections of poetry in Arabic, and one lyrical, multi-genre text, The Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea. Her book of poems, The War Works Hard, was published by New Directions in 2005.

Bill Ransom, prior to teaching at The Evergreen State College, was a firefighting basic training and CPR instructor; and Emergency Medical Technician for ten years. He volunteers with humanitarian groups in Central America. He has published novels, poetry collections, numerous short stories and articles. Three of his short stories were selections of the PEN/NEA Syndicated Fiction Project: “Uncle Hungry,” “What Elena Said,” and “Learning the Ropes.”

Sarah Zale's poems have appeared in Comstock Review, The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, Wind Publications, and on the Poets Against War website. Zale traveled to Palestine and Israel in November, 2006. The experience resulted in The Art of Folding, a collection of poems in her multimedia presentations about the trip. She works with Voices In Wartime.

Roy Seitz' poems have been published in Voices in Wartime and on the Poets Against War website. Seitz is a Vietnam Veteran and lives in Washington. R.R. Setiz’s debut collection, Right Here Right Now (Brass Weight Press, 2006), is based on his experiences as a sniper in Vietnam. He appears frequently at readings throughout Puget Sound and read at the Veterans for Peace conference in August, 2006.

Before the readings, moderator Paul Nelson of SPLAB will facilitate a panel discussion, open to audience questions. The panel members will address questions about the ripple affect of war across generations and the poet’s role in addressing war.

Sponsors of the event or materials include:

• Northwest Social Justice Fund
• Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Fund

Endorsement:
• Voices in Wartime
• Poets Against War
• SPLAB!
• Veterans for Peace
• South Puget Sound Community College and BRICK