IN TAHOMA'S SHADOW

Poet Tim Sherry reads his poem "At The Supermarket" to a packed house at King's Books, Tacoma

There are parts of your brain that are best nurtured and nuzzled by the written word. There are other parts so affected by the spoken word. Then there is the Venn diagram that comprises their overlap. Thursday night's reading of poems from In Tahoma's Shadow: Poems from the City of Destiny at King's Books worked all three areas—the two circles of influence and their shared common area.

I have never been to a reading where those reading their own work were so consistently strong. Oftentimes, there is a reason that the person reading is a writer—they have a great command of the language when it is on paper, but don't do so well when they open their mouth. That was definitely not the case at this reading. It was a group of strong writers who also happen to be strong readers.

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Each poet read one or two of their poems that were included in the anthology. The evening progressed as follows:

Tammy Robacker
"Once Around Wright Park"

Leah Coakely
"Maps, A Statement Against"
"Rainy Season"

Beverly Conner
"Single White Female 19 Years Old"

Terry Conner
"Adult Onset Asthma"

Brian Desmond
"The Scattering"

Sonya Hunt
"Commencement Bay"

Michelle Jones
"Psychic School"

Kali Kucera
"My Green Girls"

Lynn Martin
"April's Blue Doors"

Brendan McBreen
"Spiders" (not included in the collection)
"Will the Maker of All Things Step Forward"

Kevin Miller
"Misplaced"

Kay Mullen
"Man Flipping Sourdough Pancakes"
"Accordion Boy"

Carl Palmer
"Spout About the Roundabouts"

Morgan Perry
"Slice"
"Ten" (not included in the collection)

Mike Robinson
"On 509"
"Baby Dragons"

Beth Richardson
"Flags"

Emilie Rommel Shimkus
"Gulfport, Before the Mission Workers Arrive"

Erin Sanchez
"Ours"
"Demand"

Tim Sherry
"Dream Ballers" (not included in the collection)
"At the Supermarket"

Brittany E. Short
"Everyone Has a Poem About the Sea"
"Chrysalis"

Jessica Uhler
"Poem"
"Under the Skin"

William Kupinse
"Point Defiance"

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Even though each poet read well, some of them really stood out for me or took me to places that I didn't expect to go.

Beverly Conner's poem was so powerful and meditative in the face of death—her daughter's, and, by implication, that of each of us—that I was stunned. If I had been speaking, I would have been struck dumb.

Bryan Desmond was the strongest performer of the evening, in my opinion. He recited his poem, keeping eye contact with the audience. His reading was intense and sublime. His words and his gaze penetrated into deep places.

I can't quite explain what moved me about Michelle Jones's poem. I think it was the relationship with her mother, captured in all of its complexity in only a few lines. Here was joy and sorrow and a tinge of craziness, all perfectly measured and mixed.

Kali Kucera's reading voice was what I imagine comedian Dennis Miller would sound like reading poems. I loved the cadence of his delivery.

Brendan McBreen's two pieces were filled with humor that masked truths that we would rather not name aloud. But he did, and it worked well.

Carl Palmer's poem about roundabouts pushed the comfortableness of repetition to the breaking point without being too much. And his humor played perfectly against the seriousness of those he satirically skewered.

Emily Rommel Shimkus brought her roles of "actress and vocalist" to the stage. Her reading was invigorating and forceful. I could have listened to her read for quite some time.

Erin Sanchez read well. She also recited her second poem, "Demand," with a fervor that bordered on being a wee bit scary. I couldn't quite believe that she could recite her poem with that much passion, at the pace that she did, and not falter somewhere. (But then I have never personally liked to memorize verse, my own or others. That is partly because I am not very good at remembering the lines.)

I really liked Tim Sherry's reading, although this is another that I find difficult to explain why. I think it was because he didn't strike me as the kind of guy who would read, let alone write, poetry. (I realize this is completely unfair to him, as well as others who I would "stereotype" as not "being" poetry people.) Regardless, he had a wonderful presence that put me at ease and really made me believe in what he laid out before me.

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I now greatly look forward to reading the rest of the poems in the anthology.

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A second reading of poems from the anthology, with a different group of poets, takes place at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday 28 May 2009 in the Olympic Room of Tacoma Public Library's Main Branch.