100 Thousand Poets for Change in Vancouver and Portland

Niche/Angst poet laureate and Ghost Town Poetry founder Christopher Luna invites Vancouver and Portland writers and artists to participate in the largest poetry reading in history on Saturday, September 24. 100 Thousand Poets for Change, a global event uniting writers who believe in the power of language to create social and political positive change, is a grassroots effort in which anyone can participate. The intention is to find ways to bring your message to the larger community through outdoor events and readings in non-traditional places. This is why I did not plan an open mic at a bookstore or coffee shop. Each of you can create your own event or get together with a few friends. 

Starting at 1pm I will be reading and writing poems outside Niche Wine and Art Bar, interacting with passerby and providing help and advice to poets who would like to participate. However, in the spirit of the event, please feel free to initiate and execute your own activities. Then send all poems and photographs to me at christopherjluna@gmail.com or post them as a reply on our 100 Thousand Poets for Change blog: http://www.bigbridge.org/100thousandpoetsforchange/?cat=46

Niche is located at 1013 Main Street in Vancouver, WA, next door to the New Kiggins Theatre.

Please read the press release below for more information about this historic event.

Contact: Michael Rothenberg

100 Thousand Poets for Change

P.O. Box 870
Guerneville, Ca 95446
Phone: 305-753-4569
http://www.100TPC.org
walterblue@bigbridge.org

100 Thousand Poets for Change Organizes Largest Poetry Event in History

Number of Participants Worldwide Growing Daily

650 events in 450 cities and 95 countries will take place on September 24 to promote environmental, social, and political change. Poets, writers, artists will create, perform and demonstrate in their communities, and decide their own specific area of focus for change within the framework of peace and sustainability, which founder Michael
Rothenberg stated, “…is a major concern worldwide and the guiding principle for this global event.”

Bob Holman and Margery Snyder, in a recent article on About.com said, “the beauty of the concept of 100 Thousand Poets for Change is that it is completely decentralized and completely inclusive.” All those involved are hoping, through their actions and events, to seize and redirect the political and social dialogue of the day and turn the narrative of civilization towards peace and sustainability.

Poetry demonstrations are being organized in political hotspots such as Madison, Wisconsin and Cairo, Egypt. Poetry and peace gatherings are planned in strife-torn Kabul and Jalalabad.

In Mexico there are over 30 events, with 18 poetic actions in Mexico City, where poets as well as environmental and political activists are hoping to encourage reflection and creative responses against systemic violence through the written and the spoken word with day long street events, readings and workshops. More than a third
of these events are organized by collectives actively working towards a non-violent approach to solve the country's most pressing problems.

To date there are over 260 events in the United States. There are 20 events statewide in North Carolina where teacher/poets have mobilized to protest cuts in education funding. And along the Platte River near Omaha, Nebraska, poets will be demonstrating against TransCanada’s planned Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. More examples of events can be found at the 100 Thousand Poets for Change www.100TPC.org. Each event organizer has an Event Location blog page on the website for posting, poetry, artwork, photos, and video to document this global mega-event across national borders.

Immediately following September 24th all documentation on the 100TPC.org website will be preserved by Stanford University in California, which has recognized 100 Thousand Poets for Change as an historical event, the largest poetry reading in history. They will archive the complete contents of the website, 100TPC.org, as part
of their digital archiving program LOCKSS.

Founder Michael Rothenberg is a widely known poet, editor of the online literary magazine Bigbridge.org and an environmental activist based in Northern California.

For information contact: http://www.100TPC.org
Contact: walterblue@bigbridge.org
Phone: 305-753-4569