Poetry reading at Pelican Bay Books in Anacortes, WA. On Saturday, April 26th, 2025 this poetry reading took place at Pelican Bay Books in Anacortes, Washington. It featured poets Holly Hughes, and Gary Thompson reading their own poetry and the poetry of deceased poet, Tom Crawford. The evening also included a musical performance from Steve and Kristi Nebel.
Poetry reading at Pelican Bay Books in Anacortes, WA. On Saturday, April 26th, 2025 this poetry reading took place at Pelican Bay Books in Anacortes, Washington. It featured poets Holly Hughes, and Gary Thompson reading their own poetry and the poetry of deceased poet, Tom Crawford. The evening also included a musical performance from Steve and Kristi Nebel.
Peter Jung, Tacoma poet interviewed by David Gilmour. Peter Jung who was featured in “Voices of Tacoma” poetry anthology, is a disability advocate, autism consultant, and public speaker with over 16 years of experience working with autistic clients, and 11 years of facilitating social skills groups with neurodivergent teens and adults. He has a BA in Psychology and a M.Ed in Curriculum Design and Instruction from the University of Washington, Tacoma. As an autistic self-advocate and co-chair of the Pierce County Accessible Communities Advisory Committee, Peter brings both professional expertise and lived experience to their work in advocacy and education.
Peter Jung, Tacoma poet interviewed by David Gilmour. Peter Jung who was featured in “Voices of Tacoma” poetry anthology, is a disability advocate, autism consultant, and public speaker with over 16 years of experience working with autistic clients, and 11 years of facilitating social skills groups with neurodivergent teens and adults. He has a BA in Psychology and a M.Ed in Curriculum Design and Instruction from the University of Washington, Tacoma. As an autistic self-advocate and co-chair of the Pierce County Accessible Communities Advisory Committee, Peter brings both professional expertise and lived experience to their work in advocacy and education.
Kristi Nebel interviews Tacoma’s Michael Magee - Michael Magee’s plays and poetry have been produced and published in the U.S., England, and Greece. His chapbooks include: Ireland’s Eye, A Trip to Jerusalem, and the recently published Dementia: Love is a Blur and Vanishing Points (Beaux Arts Press, 2017). His play Shank’s Mare was produced at Northwest Actor’s Studio and later became a movie that won a best actor award at the Bare Bones, Script to Screen Film Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A Night in Reading Gaol With Oscar Wilde was produced here, and in Derby, England. He was co-editor of 2020 Tacoma: In Images and Verse and is editor and publisher of Beaux Arts Press. Recent work has been published in Cirque and Journal of Wild Culture. He has lived in Seattle, San Francisco, London, Nottingham, England, and now in Tacoma, Washington. These poems are a culmination of work dating back to the 1970s when he was a student of David Wagoner and Bill Matchett at the University of Washington. He has written scripts for radio and dance, won first prize in the Dancing Poetry Contest in San Francisco, and second prize in KindofaHurricainePress’ Editor’s Choice Awards. Michael has read at Shakespeare and Company, Paris, and on BBC Radio 1, as well as being a participant in the Jack Straw Writer’s Program for radio in Seattle. He wrote several songs for the CD Vaudeville. He has been an Artist-in-the-Schools in Washington, Seattle Artist-in-Residence with the Seattle Arts Commission and Arts and Aging Team.
Kristi Nebel interviews Tacoma’s Michael Magee - Michael Magee’s plays and poetry have been produced and published in the U.S., England, and Greece. His chapbooks include: Ireland’s Eye, A Trip to Jerusalem, and the recently published Dementia: Love is a Blur and Vanishing Points (Beaux Arts Press, 2017). His play Shank’s Mare was produced at Northwest Actor’s Studio and later became a movie that won a best actor award at the Bare Bones, Script to Screen Film Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A Night in Reading Gaol With Oscar Wilde was produced here, and in Derby, England. He was co-editor of 2020 Tacoma: In Images and Verse and is editor and publisher of Beaux Arts Press. Recent work has been published in Cirque and Journal of Wild Culture. He has lived in Seattle, San Francisco, London, Nottingham, England, and now in Tacoma, Washington. These poems are a culmination of work dating back to the 1970s when he was a student of David Wagoner and Bill Matchett at the University of Washington. He has written scripts for radio and dance, won first prize in the Dancing Poetry Contest in San Francisco, and second prize in KindofaHurricainePress’ Editor’s Choice Awards. Michael has read at Shakespeare and Company, Paris, and on BBC Radio 1, as well as being a participant in the Jack Straw Writer’s Program for radio in Seattle. He wrote several songs for the CD Vaudeville. He has been an Artist-in-the-Schools in Washington, Seattle Artist-in-Residence with the Seattle Arts Commission and Arts and Aging Team.
David Gilmour Interview with Burl Battersby – For my entire life I have known that I was an artist and a writer; I could never deny the truth to myself or to others, but I lived a dual life. It took many years for my passion & my skill to be brought together – for me to decide that I had to follow my dream no matter what & no matter where it would lead me. The breakthrough in my life started with sobriety. Although I had been involved in the literary arts scene since first moving here, it was during the pandemic when I began thinking of ways that I could help nurture the already vibrant community of writers in Tacoma. Thus began the journey which eventually led to the Voices of Tacoma: A Gathering of Poets.
Mary Anna Scenga Kruch is a lifelong educator, writer, and photographer inspired by her Italian heritage, family, spirituality, and the natural world. Recent poetry has been inspired by Mary Anna’s Italian family near Rome, the family farm in Northern Michigan, long-term relationships, family history, travel, social justice issues, and nature. Her poetry has most recently been published in The Awakenings Review, Quatar House, Litmore, Panoplyzine, Ovenque Siamo, Blue Heron Review, Lothlorian Poetry Journal, and Meat for Tea. Along with several professional papers, Mary Anna has previously published a textbook, Tend Your Garden: Nurturing Motivation in Young Adolescent Writers (Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing Ltd., 2012), Mary Anna has published a chapbook, We Draw Breath from the Same Sky (2019), and a full-length hybrid collection, Grace Notes: a Memoir of Poetry and Prose (2021), and her most recent collection is Water Marks (2024). She is currently studying Italian to prepare for a return trip to Italy to visit with family in the Lazio region. She lives with her husband in a small town in Michigan.