Thank you for the Poetry & Posole fun!

On May 18, 2024, Cascadia Poetics Lab hosted a Poetry & Posole fundraiser with delicious posole, enchiladas and more made by Dr. Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs! Gabriella graciously hosted the event and cooked the delicious food for everyone, and we are deeply grateful to her for her hard work and hospitality!

The event was held in celebration of Cascadia Day and the anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, a day in which we honor the power and beauty of the natural world. Jason Wirth was our emcee for the night, and we opened the event with presentations by Paul Nelson regarding CPL and Dan Clarkson discussing the Cascadia bioregion.   

Zach Charles and Sally Hedges-Blanquez, members of the Poetry Postcard Fest project board, presented some of their own postcard poems. Following this, multiple speakers read their poetry, including Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Ursula Vaira, Adelia MacWilliam, Amalio Madueño and Paul Nelson. (Not all speakers are pictured below.)

We closed off the night with a book raffle where winners received books provided by Paul Nelson, Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Diana Elser and Watershed Press! Thank you deeply to all that attended and purchased raffle tickets. This fundraiser was incredibly important for CPL and Watershed Press operations!

Thank you to all of the speakers and readers, to Diana Elser for donating beverages, to the CPL board for assisting in the organization of this event and once again to Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs and her family for hosting and preparing the delicious homemade food. I am so appreciative of the ability to attend gatherings like this one, where our community can connect deeply and intimately. Thank you everyone!