This four-part reading series features acclaimed poets, writers, and comics artists who teach in SAL’s Writers in the Schools (WITS) program. In addition to cultivating the next generation of writers, WITS writers are their own creative forces. Tonight’s program will feature Monique Franklin, Rachel Kessler, David Lasky, Putsata Reang, and Acca Warren! These resident writers come together to read from their own work, inspiring the same craft and performance skills they teach in the classroom.
All are welcome to join these warm-hearted, fun community events. Murmurations is free to attend but RSVP is appreciated.
Monique Franklin (Verbal Oasis) is an multidisciplinary artist, scientist, healer and arts educator best known for her performance poetry. She has been referred to as “The Unofficial Poet Laureate of South Seattle,” “The Billie Holiday of Spoken Word,” and “The Verbal Manifestation of Nina Simone’s Soul”. Monique’s passion for equity and belonging is woven into everything that she does. Her poetry gives voice to social justice issues, Love, Self-discovery, Purpose, Healing, Liberation, Power, and Self-actualization. As a performer you can find her poetry commingling with the ancestors, musicians, vocalist and dancers. Locally she has performed in every manor of venue from Seattle Parks to Benaroya Hall. Monique is a 15+ year member of African American Writer’s Alliance and has self-published three volumes of poetry and has released three spoken word albums. She is also the Mother of the Mama’z Muezz Project which Includes Mama’z Muezz ( One woman play and book of Poetry), Mama’z Muezzic ( Live Show and Album), and The Mama’z Muezzeum. Monique has created, produced and .hosted poetry shows and open mics for artist expression and development for over a decade such as The Children’s Open Mic, Poetry & Jazz , Muezz Infuezzion, Acoustic Accolades, and Afrodisiac Erotic Poetry Show and the Verbal Oasis Spoken Word Festival. Monique is the Founder and Director of Inspired Child and the Founder and Board President of Inspired Child Community
Rachel Kessler is a creative connector and innovative collaborator. With her 25 years’ experience as a community artist, cartoonist, text-based visual artist and writer, multi-disciplinary collaborator and educator who explores landscape and community, she understands the power of art to connect and problem-solve. She co-founded the collective Wa Na Wari, a residential reclamation project centering Black art and media in Seattle’s Central District. As a mother of young children with limited resources she experimented with boundary-breaking performance art and video, co-founding interactive poetry collaborations Typing Explosion and Vis-à-Vis Society. Her work is deeply rooted in place: she lives and works on Yesler Way, the Seattle street her ancestors immigrated to, worked on, worshipped on and died on. She is working on a community cartography project called “Profanity Hill: A Tour of Yesler Way.” As Artist-In-Residence at public housing project Yesler Terrace, (where her great grandparents lived) she and community members activated a vacant apartment slated for demolition with live music, poetry and story-telling, potlucks, dancing, and collective murals. Her latest publication features her illustrations of the Pacific Northwest urban shore, Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry, which was released in March 2023. Currently, she is working on a children’s book about abortion.
David Lasky is the co-author of the Eisner-Award-winning graphic novel, Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song, but he is better known to children as the guy who colored Cece Bell’s awesome graphic novel, El Deafo, a Newbery Honor Book. He teaches comics at numerous venues in the Seattle area, including Hugo House and Coyote Central.
Putsata Reang is a journalist and author of the debut memoir, “Ma and Me,” (FSG/MCD May 2022). Her writing has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Politico,The Seattle-Times, the San Jose Mercury News, Ms., and the Guardian, as well as anthologized in essay collections highlighting women’s and Khmer voices. She has trained reporters across the globe in conflict and post-conflict nations such as Cambodia, Afghanistan, Thailand and Bangladesh, Putsata is an alum of writers residencies at Hedgebrook, Mineral School and Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, as well as the Jack Straw Writing Fellowship program. She has received grants from Washington State Artist Trust and the Alicia Patterson Journalism Fellowship foundation.
Acca Warren…imagine it written in cursive, a water-wave like palindrome- acca (they/them/y’all) is a trans poet, educator and practitioner of play. Poetry is a form of play that involves these vital alliterative parts: place, pause, poesis and pals. When we write, may it be creation in service of connecting us to where we are and each other, space when we need it, and friendship. Whether your poetry is written or spoken, a playground game or a favorite dish to cook, they are excited for your art to be in the world. Their favorite thing to yell is ‘That’s My Friend!’ so come meet them. Let’s be friends.