To create greater awareness of the 20th year of the Poetry Postcard Fest AND greater awareness of parks in Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood AND greater awareness of (& proper use) the Personal Universe Deck created by Michael McClure, the Cascadia Poetics Lab is creating a series of Poetry Postcard “Activations.” We take the activation label from our friends at the Rainier Beach Action Coalition, a group working to improve the quality of life in this neighborhood where CPL has been based since July 2017.

Cascadia 2050 will guide the events, giving the proceedings a youth perspective. Each activation happens from 11a-1pm except for the event at yƏhaw’ Indigenous Creatives Collective, where it will be from 6-8pm.

At each activation, we’ll have postcard collage-making materials, postcards, pens, scissors and a grid for the words that will go into the creation of a Personal Universe Deck for each park where we plan events. We’ll also give you some postcard writing tips and collage support. The schedule:

March 21 – Chinook Beach Park, just south of 57th Av S on Rainier Avenue south, served by the Prentice 7 and a reasonable walk from the end of the regular Metro 7.
April 1 – yƏhaw’ Indigenous Creatives Collective, 9674 51st Ave S, Seattle.
April 18, Kubota Garden, 9817 55th Ave S, Seattle.
April 25, Be’er Sheva Park, 8650 55th Ave S, Seattle, where we will also do a blessing for Mapes Creek, or dxʷwuqʷəb.
May 2, Dead Horse Canyon, 10201 Holyoke Way S, Seattle, WA 98178.
June 6, Pritchard Reserve, 8400 55th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118.

We could use volunteers for these events, set-up, clean-up and general support. We have nifty bookmarks and posters and postcards for you to get an early start on your postcard writing chops.