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Cascadia Regional Poetry Slam, Sat. February 24
If you’re in the mood for some rowdy, competitive slam poetry sessions and you happen to be in Seattle, you’ll want to check out the Cascadia Regional Poetry Slam this weekend. Some of the top performance poets from cities throughout the Northwest will be battling it out, including teams from Seattle, Olympia, and Vancouver. Rain City Slam, a Seattle-based project sponsored by the good folks at CascadiaNow! will also be there competing for admission to the National Poetry Slam in Chicago this summer.
The event is Sat. February 24, 2018, 7-9 pm. Tickets are available for $5 at the door: 18th & Union Theater, 1406 18th Ave, Seattle. For more info check out the Cascadia Regional Poetry Slam’s Facebook page.
Gun control measures stall in WA legislature
Despite a Democratic majority and national attention after another US school shooting, a number of gun control measures seem to be languishing in the Washington legislature, the Olympian reports. Bills to ban bump stocks, increase age limits for assault weapons purchases, and to place limits on concealed pistol permits for those with protection orders all face uncertain futures thanks to opposition from both Republicans and some Democrats. High Country News has a round-up of various gun restrictions in western states.
Oregon may delay vote on part of carbon “cap & trade” bill
As legislators work to reconcile different versions of a carbon cap and trade bill that would require major emitters (companies, utilities, etc.) to reduce carbon emissions, it seems like the final measure will put off the “trade” provisions until next year’s legislative session. Meanwhile, in British Columbia, the legislature is considering the NDP’s budget, which includes a $1 billion program to reduce child care costs, $1.6 billion for a 3-year plan to construct affordable rental housing, and a 5 percent climb in the “foreign buyers tax” attempting to curb speculation in the real estate market.
BC wine makers challenge Alberta import ban
The trade war between British Columbia and Alberta over pipelines and wine took another turn as the BC Wine Institute announced it would sue to stop Alberta premier Rachel Notley’s ban on import of BC wine in retaliation for new pipeline restrictions–as a violation of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement. And the Calgary Herald reports that Alberta businesses are divided on the ban.
High-skilled immigrants in Seattle face hurdles
Seattle Weekly reports on increasing chaos and confusion in residency permit programs for high-skilled workers–many of whom are from India and China and who’ve recently been integral in Seattle’s tech boom. Thanks to Trump administration changes, many programs have seen precipitous drops, and some immigrants are now considering Canada instead.
An interview with Portland painter Elizabeth Malaska
In a wide-ranging interview with Oregon Arts Watch, Elizabeth Malaska, a Portland-based painter of intense, surrealist canvases, reflects on her influences, her approach to creation, and the need to break patriarchal traditions with a practice grounded in the female body. “…we’re not supposed to express sadness, that gets in the way of healing. You can’t move past something until you allow yourself to experience it. And that experience in terms of intense emotions, happens in and through the body.”
“Twin,” a poem by Mia Kang
Poetry Northwest has a poem from Oregon-born poet Mia Kang online entitled “Twin,” which unravels and entangles the myth of Romulus and Remus, “to become someone other than yourself…” Read the entire poem here.
That’s today’s culture and news from the Pacific Northwest. –Andrew Engelson
Photo credit: “Wake to Weep” by Elizabeth Malaska courtesy of Russo Lee Gallery.