Cascadia Poetics LAB logo

PAUL E NELSON

One of the great delights of the Internet Age is that the local newspaper, now all but gone in our society, has been reimagined as the neighborhood blog. I envisioned this 20 years ago while living in Auburn, Washington, as a portal that would include micro-local news, low-power radio and internship opportunities. There is no LPFM directly connected to the South Seattle Emerald, but not only is it more than a neighborhood blog, it is a portal to our community that seems to spring directly from a “Left, Egalitarian” ethos.

Berta Cáceres

Berta Cáceres

One example of that is their recent series 31 DAYS OF REVOLUTIONARY WOMEN. One of the profiled women was Berta Cáceres, who was an indigenous activist in Honduras who was murdered this year for her opposition to the corporate effort to create a hydropower project that would decimate her ancestral land. When would one see something like this in the Seattle Times or Auburn Reporter?!?

South Seattle Emerald Logo

So when Editor Marcus Green invited me to read a poem at their 2nd Anniversary Party, I accepted immediately.  Dig:

The South Seattle Emerald is proud to celebrate two whole years of disseminating news,art, and diverse perspectives from the South Seattle community! Its Board of Directors and Staff are inviting you to join the rest of the community in relishing this milestone at our 2nd Anniversary Celebration taking place at 7:00 pm on April 28 at the Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Avenue.

Featuring music by Seattle’s Draze and Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons, Spoken word from Nikkita Oliver and Paul Nelson), and raffle prizes including a custom handmade baseball jersey by Ebbets Field Flannels.

This event is free, but registration is strongly encouraged. Please pick up your free Brown Paper Ticket and identify yourself at the door.

See you there!