Get Out: Seattle Events, February 25 – March 2

Posted on February 25, 2014, 3:10 pm
12 mins

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Winter is gradually leaving us in the city, so more than ever it is time to come out of hibernation. If you are itching to stretch your legs and take in some culture, this is a good week to do it. Music, poetry, art, theatre, even a little urban run with poetry—you name it, Seattle has it going on.

[divider]MUSIC[/divider]

Tuesday, February 25

9PM: Stop Biting Beatmakers’ Showcase at the Lo-Fi

Stop Biting’s weekly party at the Lo-Fi features a bevy of fantastic local and northwest-based producers this week, including Zeta Barber, Slow Year and IG88. (You can read more and hear a little from IG88 in our article on last year’s Tag showcase at Vermillion.)

21+, $5.00 at the door. Stop Biting on our event calendar.

9PM: RARE AIR Debut Night at Q Nightclub

Another great music event on the same night, this one is decidedly more chill. RARE AIR will feature ambient music selected and presented by DJ Explorateur and DJ Veins, sandwiching a live set by Panabrite from 10:30 to 11PM. Visuals will be provided by artist and designer Christian J Petersen. (I recently featured a darker piece of video from him, but you can expect high quality sensory delights at the party.)

21+, FREE. RARE AIR on our event calendar.

Friday, February 28

7PM: The Ancient Present, Honey.Moon.Tree, Dawn Clement at Good Shepherd Chapel Space

Three ensembles perform on Friday evening at the gorgeous Good Shepherd Center Chapel Space. The Ancient Present is a new and emerging ensemble of exceptionally talented composers and musicians. This is modern chamber music performed by soprano Taylor Regnier, Sierra Glessner on violin, Ebony Miranda on cello, Samantha Bosch on flute, Beth Fleenor on bass clarinet, and Michaud Savage on electric guitar. Honey.Moon.Tree will be debuting their eponymous album with a performance of their own, followed by Dawn Clement, accompanied by a string trio and bass clarinet.

All ages, $5.00. Chambers on our event calendar.

Sunday, March 2

8PM: SXSW Send Off: Midday Veil, NighTraiN, Airport at Chop Suey

Three local genre-defying bands are heading to SXSW and playing together this Sunday at Chop Suey for their big send off. Midday Veil will be on a longer tour in the following weeks and have a sound that ranges from dark ambient to driving rock. As buzz builds elsewhere for these acts, it’s a good chance to see them here first.

21+, $8.00. SXSW send off show on our event calendar.

 

[divider]ART[/divider]

Tuesday, February 25

6PM: Mobile Showing 8 with Ellen Ziegler at the Polar Bar

Beth Cullom continues her social, casual and delightful mobile showing series at the Polar Bar in the Arctic Hotel. Guests can drink, mingle and admire new works by artist Ellen Ziegler in the historic and beautifully restored lobby of the hotel. It’s an accessible way to see and learn a little about art from a dedicated dealer and accompanying artists.

FREE. Mobile showing on our event calendar.

7PM: Artist Q&A for “Touch Me: I Am Violent” at Vermillion

The current show at Vermillion has had a mixed reception, but the attempt to create a more engaging art experience than the usual gallery show has been welcomed and the artists have felt challenged by the call. The artists and curator Yonnas Getahun will discuss the show as a panel with the public at Vermillion with Amanda Manitach moderating.

21+, FREE. TMIAV Q&A on our event calendar.

Saturday, March 1

11:45 PM: Miko Kuro’s Midnight Tea at Taoist Studies Institute

Performance artist Miko Kuro and company host the traveling art happening Miko Kuro’s Midnight Tea at the Taoist Studies Institute this weekend. The performance series is hard to describe and every iteration is different, as performances are often site-specific and involve guests who sign up in advance and co-create with the artists. Observers pay at the door and are often involved in the performance and creation as well. It’s an adventurous sort of experience.

21+, $20.00 at the door. Midnight Tea on our event calendar.

 

[divider]POETRY & LIT[/divider]

There are a LOT of poetry readings happening this week because Seattle is happily hosting the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference. Publishers, writers, journalists and bookworms galore will be crawling the city and so there will be national and international talent sharing a range of readings and panel events. A full list of official events is on the AWP Web site. Below are some official and unofficial readings happening around the city that we picked out as a mix of eclectic, solemn, casual and thought-provoking.

Tuesday, February 25

8PM: Seattle Poetry Slam Invitational at Re-Bar

SPS has its regular showcase, this time with guest performers from around the world.

21+, $5.00 at the door. Seattle Poetry Slam on our event calendar.

Wednesday, February 26

5PM: Festival of Language at Rock Bottom Brewery

Dozens of diverse writers present three ninety-minute sets of rapid-fire readings that celebrate language and the artists who turn language into art.

FREE. Festival of Language on our event calendar.

7PM: The Breadline (poetry readings and music) at Vermillion

The Breadline monthly performance series closes out 3 years of ‘poetry for the people’ with poets Roberto Carlos Ascalo, Michelle Peñaloza, Sarah Heady, Hannah Stephenson and Arlene Biala. Music by Pears.

FREE. More info on the Breadline site.

Thursday, February 27

6PM: Cave Canem & Copper Canyon All-Stars at the Sorrento Hotel

A poetry organized by Cave Canem, an organization devoted to the cultivation of African American poetic voices, featuring Mark Bibbins, Jericho Brown, Cyrus Cassells, Natalie Diaz, Fady Joudah, Deborah Landau, Lisa Olstein and Roger Reeves.

FREE. Sorrento Hotel, 900 Madison St, Seattle, WA 98104

6PM: Literary Magazine Happy Hour at Linda’s Tavern

Join A Strange Object, Electric Literature, Guernica, and The Paris Review for Happy Hour, and drink to all things literary. $3 ‘Strange Object’ cocktails from 6pm – 7pm. $4 well drinks all evening.

FREE. More info on the Facebook event page.

7:30 PM: Sanctuary Poetry Reading at St Mark’s Cathedral

An intimate and pensive evening of poetry with Scott Cairns, Kimberly Johnson, and Gina Franco presented by St. Mark’s Cathedral, Poetry Northwest, and Image. The reading is followed by a reception at 8:30.

FREE but donations are accepted. Sanctuary on our event calendar.

Friday, February 28

6:30PM: Sibling Rivalry Press Poetry Reading at The Nitelite

Arkansas-bases Sibling Rivalry Press presents a diverse bevy of poets reading at the Nitelite, one of those I can’t believe it’s still here” gems in downtown Seattle. The event is called Everyone & Their Mother and is about as diverse and eclectic as it sounds. Probably a little sexier, too.

FREE, but note that the Nitelite is cash only. More on our event calendar.

6:30PM: White Pine Press & New Rivers Press Party at SAM

Independent and international publishers White Pine Press, New Rivers Press and the Fairfield MFA Program host a reading and party featuring new work at the Seattle Art Museum.

FREE and offers a cash bar. Seattle Art Museum, 1300 1st Ave. Seattle, WA 98101

8:30PM: A Night at the Victrola, AWP 2014 Reading

The Cambridge Writers’ Workshop presents many poets from both coasts and several grads of UW’s MFA program. The lienup includes Peter Mountford, Rita Banerjee, Diana Norma Szokolyai, Pattabi Seshadri, Nancy Jooyoun Kim, Kevin Skiena, Jessica Day, Anca Szilágyi, Talia Shalev, Carrie Kahler, Dena Rush Guzman, Leah Umansky, Susan Parr and Johnny Horton.

FREE. A Night at the Victrola on our event calendar.

Collage from the Champagne Room event page

Collage from The Champagne Room event page

Saturday, March 1

4PM: The Other Queer Reading at the Lobby Bar

The name rather says it all: a cocktail party followed by readings by Kazim Ali, Mark Bibbins, Tamiko Beyer, Brian Blanchfield, R. Erica Doyle, HR Hegnauer, Dawn Lundy Martin, Kelly McQuain, Stephen Motika, Eileen Myles, Angelo Nikolopoulos, Suzanne Parker, Ely Shipley, Richard Siken, Rachel Simon, Brian Teare.

FREE. More info on the Facebook page.

7PM: Drawn To Marvel Book Launch and Reading Gala at Raygun Lounge

Local publisher Minor Arcana Press is launching an anthology with poetry readings inspired by and drawn from comic books. It’s a rather iconoclastic and potentially fun and hilarious way to close out the conference period.

FREE. Drawn to Marvel on our event calendar.

10PM: The Champagne Room at the Seattle Sheraton, Saturday

Going out with a bang, The Poetry Society of New York, Atlas, and Coldfront Magazine are hosting a farewell soiree, featuring readings from Amy Lawless, Danniel Schoonebeek, Joyelle McSweeney, Morgan Parker, Niina Polari, Rachel Burns, Sampson Starkweather and Valzhyna Mort. There will be a bathtub loaded with champagne, too.

FREE. More info on the Facebook invite.

 

[divider]OTHER EVENTS[/divider]

Thursday, February 27

2PM: Run of the Ancient Mariner from Fleet Street Sports

In association with the AWP conference, two untimed runs are being hosted with an aid station providing water, snacks, and “a little belletristic distraction (poets!).” Both runs will culminate in a gathering at Brouwer’s for an afterparty.

FREE. More info on the event blog.

Lastly, don’t miss Venus in Furs at the Seattle Rep, playing through March 9.

T.s. Flock is a writer and arts critic based in Seattle and co-founder of Vanguard Seattle.

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