A RIVER & SOUND REVIEW

RSR master of ceremonies Jay Bates and poet Casey Fuller.

Thursday evening saw the latest live production of A River & Sound Review at the Puyallup Public Library. This was the best production by far. The room was set up to be smaller, which pushed the audience into closer proximity to the various performers on stage, and made the space and event more intimate. The program was mostly scripted, rather than overly spontaneous, which helped to maintain a good pace. This is partly due to the fact that they also podcast the production once they edit it, but, in any case, RSR has become very good at simultaneously "playing" to both their live and podcast audiences.

Poet Casey Fuller read four "prose" poems that notice what others often overlook or wouldn't even bother to notice in the first place. Each of the poems was filled with a comical, humorous, quirky sense of the world, that also allowed the darkness and despair of the same world to show through. This rich palette of emotions and experience allowed me to relate to each of his poems in some way. I enjoyed his first three poems—"Postcards," "You're My Guy, Blue," and "The Fort from 12"—but was especially impressed by the final poem "After Which We Only Watch the Ground." He claims it is a new direction for his writing, and it is one that I hope he continues to pursue.


Singer-songwriter Wes Weddell.

Local musician Wes Weddell played three numbers throughout the evening, as well as helped out with sound effects for RSR's "continuing saga of writers in crisis" entitled "As the Publishing World Turns"—a soap opera of epic proportions. Wes is obviously in love with his guitar and with performing. When he played and sang, he was usually looking skyward or "through" the audience, as though peering into another realm. He seemed very confident in his music and stories, as well as being comfortable in just being who he is.

He was equally adept on the harmonica as on the guitar, and the narrative tales of his songs rival many written pieces because his storytelling is so vivid and detailed. He is definitely a singer-songwriter whose career and music I plan on keeping an eye and ear upon.

Novelist Karen Fisher.

Karen Fisher, the author of the novel A Sudden Country, was the guest writer for the evening. She read an excerpt from her novel. Her prose is infused with the cadence of poetry. The language of her writing is likewise rich and ambitious. She is as great a reader as she is a writer, with a soothing, solemn voice that entices one to continue to listen to her voice, her words.

All in all, a great evening of poems, reading, music, literary games, and short skits. It truly was a review in the sense of some of the old variety radio programs. I just wish that more members of the community would attend and show their appreciation for such a great offering to us.