Events
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Start: 7:00 pm
The author or editor of fifteen books—some fiction, some non-fiction—Seattle writer Brenda Peterson has in some of her work touched on her unusual family upbringing. Her childhood included time spent in the deep forest as the daughter of a forest ranger. Her childhood also included time with Southern Baptist relatives whose enthusiasm for what they believe to be the coming rapture gave them very little cause for attention to the beauties of the world around them. The complexities and contradictions are chronicles and contemplated more fully in her newest book, I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth (Merloyd Lawrence/DaCapo). "A mesmerizing treat, at turns inspiring and hilarious ... Keen-eyed descriptions of the natural world, and a delicious sense of fun, combine beautifully with [Peterson's] tales of protecting seals, whales, hope, and other wild things." – Diane Ackerman. "A loving, luminous portrait ... the story is told with such truth but such tenderness that you can't help loving the whole family." – Sy Montgomery.
Start: 7:00 pm
Presented by COPPER CANYON PRESS. A special evening this should be, marking the return of esteemed, award-winning poet and translator W.S. Merwin—his first Seattle appearance since receiving the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for his most recent collection, The Shadow of Sirius (Copper Canyon Press). To highlight and accentuate the occasion, and to give some idea of the degree of W.S. Merwin's influence and importance to the current literary landscape, four younger poets published by Copper Canyon will also read work, and speak to that influence. These include Erin Belieu (most recently author of Black Box), Ben Lerner (Angle of Yaw), Valzhyna Mort (Factory of Tears), and Matthew Zapruder (The Pajamaist). Following their portion of the evening, W.S. Merwin, now author of over twenty-five collections of poetry and as many books of prose and translation, will read from new and recent work. Copper Canyon's publication of his work include the poetry collections Present Company, the National Book Award-winning Migration, New & Selected Poems, The First Four Books of Poems, The Second Four Books of Poems, The Book of Fables; and translations: East Window: The Asian Translations, Transparence of the World (Jean Follain), Voices (Antonio Porchia), and Spanish Ballads. "A collection of luminous, often tender poems that focus on the profound power of memory." – Pulitzer Prize committee on The Shadow of Sirius. Tickets ($15/$10 students are available through www.brownpapertickets.com (or 1-800-838-3006). For more information, please see Copper Canyon Press at www.coppercanyonpress.org or call (360) 385-4925.
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