The Wild Honey Buzz: Keeping Hope Alive in 2025, April Edition: National Poetry Month, AWP Writing Conference Recap and the Resistance Movement

Sharing my poems as Featured Reader at the Everett Poetry Night, April 7, 2025, Everett, WA

Happy National Poetry Month! I kicked off the celebration as Featured Reader at the Everett Poetry Night in Everett, WA. This was a real honor and a delightful night! The evening began with a lineup of excellent readings during open mic, and I then read from my book, "In the Grip of Grace," along with two new poems that are part of another manuscript I'm working on. Everett Poetry Night is one of the most popular literary gatherings in the Pacific Northwest. It is hosted by Duane Kirby Jensen who has created a safe and welcoming space for writers to share their work. He shared that he is scheduling poets as much as a year in advance due to its popularity! In addition to writing poetry himself, Duane is also an accomplished painter and photographer. The photos at the end of this blog post are ones that he took. You can follow him on Instagram to see his stunning visual art.

It was a special treat to have a diverse audience at the reading and to have readers ranging from teens to those in their 80's and even a four-year-old in attendance! In these trying times, it is more important than ever for us to be in community and sharing with each other, and art is a refuge and form of resistance. I'm grateful to be a part of the poetry and arts community. I also experienced this sense of community at the AWP Conference (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) held in late March in Los Angeles. My friend who has a book coming out in the near future and I traveled together and had a great time! We took a break from the sessions to attend a couple of dance parties, an off-site reading and to meet a friend for dinner. The highlight for me was signing books at the Finishing Line Press booth at the Book Fair and meeting the other FLP authors. I came home with inspiration, new books to read and some fun conference "swag" (all of the free items that are available at the book fair booths which included some healthy offerings this year - bananas and tangerines!) along with ample candy!

I particularly enjoyed the reading and panel discussion by Arab Amercian poet Lena Khalaf Tuffaha and Mosab Abu Toha, a Palestinian poet, essayist and short story writer from Gaza who joined the discussion by video. Lena read from her book, "Something about Living" which won the 2024 National Book Award for Poetry.

I attended the Hands Off protest held on April 5 which has also left me with a strong sense of community and solidarity. According to the research done by Erica Chenoweth, only 3.5 percent of a population needs to engage in active dissent to topple a dictator. We will need about 11 million people to achieve this. An estimated 5.2 million people participated at over 1600 protests nationwide on April 5, so this is an outstanding beginning! Another national protest in the US is scheduled for Saturday, April 19. I appreciate those in other countries who are also protesting. As one international person warned in a note to Americans: "Whatever you wish more good people in Germany would have done in 1931, do it now." And as Senator Cory Booker said, "This is not a left or right moment. It is a right or wrong moment." The resistance movement is gaining strength. Deep in my heart, I choose to believe that "we shall overcome some day."

As part of my resistance, I've switched from using Goodreads to track the books I've read to Story Graph which is not associated with Meta. I was pleased that the transfer of all of my data was a very simple process! It is also important that all of us book lovers support small independent and locally owned bookstores as much as possible. We will have a shopping opportunity on the last Saturday of this month, April 26 which is Indie Bookstore Day. I want to especially shout out Open Books: A Poem Emporium in Seattle. In addition to ordering my book from Finishing Line Press, it is also available for ordering online through Open Books.

For those observing Passover and Easter, I'm wishing you many blessings, and for all of us a happy Earth Day and Arbor Day. The beauty of the natural world continues to be a source of immense joy and solace to me!

Yours in joy and hope for a better world ....may all beings be free from suffering and experience peace and justice and may we all fight tirelessly for these things,

Marianne (aka Wild Honey)

Singing some of the lines from my poem, "Scattering the Locks" from "In the Grip of Grace" at Everett Poetry Night

Everett Poetry Night, April 5, 2025

With my friend, Jean Kercheval, a writer and photographer, at the AWP Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center

With Leah Maines, Finishing Line Press Publisher, and author Lydia T. Liu

Lydia T. Liu and me showing off our books

Signing books with fellow FLP author, Kalpna Singh-Chitnis

It was a delight to meet Finishing Line Press author, Dr. Mack Curry IV

So much fun meeting poet Gabrielle Bates, a native of Alabama who now lives in Seattle. She and my daughter are both graduates of Auburn University, so I greeted her with "War Eagle" to which she replied "War Damn Eagle" lol....We discussed our mutual Southern roots and how they impact our writing.

Here I am with Ohio poet and recent college graduate, Hannah Ingrassia at an off site dance party...so much fun!

Free swag from the convention book fair booths....I confess I hoarded bananas and tangerines!

Cool buttons and stickers from the book fair vendors

A special surprise discovery at the intersection of Olympic Blvd and Flower Street in downtown Los Angeles...this lovely labyrinth in a parking lot!

Me with some friends at the April 5 Hands Off Protest in Shoreline, WA

Amen to the sentiments expressed on my friend, Anne's cool sign! I had fun playing my tambourine at the protest and leading chants! Whatever we do, we make it fun!