Experience the poetry of Shannon Laws, brought to life with stunning original artwork by Kathleen A. McKeever at Village Books.
Please join me and the illustrator, Kathleen A. McKeever, for my new book’s first local reading of 2026. This is a collection of new and favorite poems. I am excited to share them.
Date and time:
Saturday, January 17, 2026 · 2 – 3pm PST
Location:
Village Books and Paper Dreams
1200 11th Street, Bellingham, WA 98225
In Tongue in Ink, her fifth poetry collection, Shannon Laws explores themes of time, identity, and emotion through vivid imagery and thoughtful reflection. Paired with original collage art by Kathleen McKeever, this collection captures the fleeting beauty of nature while evoking transformation and quiet moments of revelation. Each poem resonates beyond the page.
Shannon Laws is a storytelling poet, performer, and advocate for the arts. She has been recognized with two Mayor’s Arts Awards and the Dr. Asha Bhargava Memorial Award — Community Champion. Her work has been featured in numerous journals and anthologies, and she has captivated audiences at esteemed literary events. Find more information about Shannon on her website: shannonplawswriter.com.
More information for tickets and book purchase here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/1680717654749
https://villagebooks.com/events/3601020260117
https://www.facebook.com/share/19qzMfW9Fy/
“Tongue in Ink pairs the poems of Shannon Laws with art by Kathleen McKeever. This collaboration produces a beautiful sequence of poignant meditations punctuated with vibrant and evocative collages. The result is a collection that is as much a delight to the eyes as it is to the spirit.”
— Rena Priest, Washington State Poet Laureate (2021-2023), author of
Patriarchy Blues, an American Book Award winner
“In her cherished collection of poems, Tongue in Ink, Shannon Laws captures the transformative powers of nature, themes of adaptability, and self-reflection in simple words with profound meaning. In this must-read chapbook, Shannon shows that life is beautiful but not always easy; it has its problems. Life would be joyful if we see it in its poetic format that is in us and around us. We must grasp it.”
— Ashok K. Bhargava, President,
Writers International Network, Vancouver, BC, Canada
“These poems will reward readers with the voice of an authentic romantic who seeks and discovers the mysteries and enchantment that inform the ostensibly ordinary.”
— Ron Leatherbarrow, professor of literature, ret.
“From a bed of messy covers to a stroll along Whatcom Creek, Shannon Laws’ Tongue in Ink immerses us in intimate and familiar spaces. Impermanence unites the collection, making Kathleen McKeever’s intriguing collages an inspired choice for the book’s illustrations. There is light, love, pain, gentle humor, and so much generous humanity within these pages. Tongue in Ink is a gift from a treasured and spectacularly talented Bellingham poet.”
— Mary Vermillion, community relations manager,
Whatcom County Library System
shannon p. laws 