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Comments
When are you coming to Oz, Megs, and more specifically, when to Adelaide?
hugs,
Kate
PS I'm glad you found my address.
POLAR BEAR POETRY CLUB UPDATE:
A group of 6 polar poets met last Saturday to determine the order of event, write poetry and make suits. It was a great help to all those who attended. I have sent online press releases to KIRO7, The Stranger and Evening Magazine. There's no guarantee the press will be there, but they were notified. If you have a press contact who should be notified or if you'd like to inform others, there is info is at the end of this email. Feel free to make those calls.
POLAR BEAR DIP / ORDER OF EVENTS:
At noon on Saturday 13 December, a crowd will assemble on the water side of the Bath House. They will have cameras and hot coca, and towels. At noon, the poets will assemble on the parking lot side of the Bath House, preparing themselves and meeting one another. At 12:15 the poets will parade around the Bath House together and present themselves to the waiting crowd. The # of swimmers will determine how
many feet away from the lake we will begin. We will line up in a horizontal line facing the water. Feel free to keep a towel or bathrobe around you at this point. An emcee will read the poem written on each poet. Time to reveal yourself! After each poem is read, the entire line of poets will take ONE STEP FORWARD. In this way we will INCH towards the water. Once the last poem is read, SPLASH!! It's time to take the plunge for poetry. There will be hot cocoa and warm dry towels nearby. It is advisable that you bring & wear WATER SHOES that you can wear during your polar dip, for safety. I don't want anyone getting hurt.
YOUR POLAR POEM: A poem you found or one you wrote, preferably related to cold water, polar bears, fast heartbeat etc. Your poem can be written on your suit or on your body. Someone will read your poem out loud when it is your turn. It would be helpful if you could come with your poem written legibly on paper, so it can be easily read.
HOW TO WRITE A POLAR POEM:
If you're looking to write a polar poem and need some structure, here is how we ran our writing exercise last Saturday which produced some wonderful poetry. You will need a piece of paper and a pen. Section your page into 3 columns. Spend one minute on each column. In column #1, write COLD WATER WORDS, words that come to mind when you think of cold water, these might be as random as "bucket" or "fruit," allow your mind to wander. Spend a minute writing as many words or phrases as you can. In column #2, write HEART-RELATED WORDS, they could be anatomical or they could have to do with the affectations of the heart or with heart-shaped things. Spend a minute recording the words and phrases that come to mind. In column #3, write FAST VERBS, verbs that sound or describe quick things, verbs that explain a quickening of pace, for instance the word "arrest" describes something that happens quickly. Spend a full minute recording the verbs & verb phrases that come to mind. When your lists are complete, go back and pair up the word(phrase)s, one from each column (you can do this in or out of order). Add whatever words you need to in order to make some sense. Here are some examples of my sentences: "The bucket falls, snapping the rope with lust." "Nova Scotia, a fat man running before the wind." You can then use these sentences to construct a poem. Use the ones you like. Leave out the ones you don't. Add whatever seems necessary. Voila!!
LOCATION: The BATH HOUSE is on the North Side of Green Lake (noT the swimming beach or the boat launch.. but the BATH HOUSE). There is a parking lot right near the BATH HOUSE along Greenlake Drive North (nearish PCC & the Shell Gas Station on Aurora). The bath house & lake are a very short walk from the parking lot. Signs will be posted. Bath House Theatre is located at 7312 W. Greenlake Dr. N. in Seattle, WA 98103. The bathhouse is home to the Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse. The bathhouse was built in 1927 next to an outdoor swimming area with concrete steps leading into the water. Here is a picture: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/_images/parks/greenlakeTheater.jpg
POETRY POLAR BEAR CONTACT:
If you get lost or have difficulties on Saturday, call me, Mimi, at: 617-460-6110
The Event Announcement
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POETRY POLAR BEAR CLUB
Noon, Saturday 13 December, Green Lake Bath House
A group of brave souls in POETRY BIKINIS are taking the plunge for poetry this Saturday, December 13th, at noon, behind the Green Lake Bath House in Seattle. BrrrRR... oh yes, that includes me (The Poetess at Green Lake)! Who said poetry couldn't be fun?! You're invited to join or witness this hardy group of poets reading their polar poems & taking the dip. A happy host of warm, noN-bikini-ed VOLUNTEERS will also be there bearing reading poem, witnessing, handing out towels & documenting the event. Wow, get a loaD of those PoeMs!
This will be a frequent-shopper, heart-stopper, one-of-a-kind event-- right here in sunny Seattle. If you're working up the nerve to join us, there's still time, contact me at: mimiallin@gmail.com
With love from the desk of guerilla poet & public instigator,
A. K. "Mimi" Allin
"Putting the O back in pOetry"
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Here is another Green Lake event that happens later on the same day: RING OF LUMINARIA. Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Green Lake Community Center Advisory Council once again present the Pathway of Lights, the ring of luminaria that light Green Lake for one magical evening each year. This year's event will take place from 5:30 to 8:30pm on Saturday, December 13, rain or shine. Mark the holidays by joining friends and neighbors in a walk along the path, and take in the warm glow of the luminaria that create the look of a beautiful necklace around the lake. Enjoy holiday music by local singers and groups at the Green Lake Community Center, the Green Lake Small Craft Center, the Aqua Theater, and the Bathhouse Theater (Seattle Public Theatre). Please bring two cans of food for donation to Northwest Harvest, and drop them off at the performance tents. performance tents. Parks is seeking volunteers to help place and light the thousands of luminaria and to clean up after the event. Individuals, businesses, community groups, and school groups are welcome to participate. Setup takes place from 3-5 p.m., and the lighting of the candles takes place at5p.m. Parks is also seeking choirs and musicians who play quiet instruments to provide music along the pathway during the event, and choirs for the performance tents.