Life In Writing…
Welcome to my writing website.
This is the place for thoughts, announcements,
and other writing-related adventures.
Have fun! Explore!
Photo: editing at the Lettered Streets Cafe
“We are the music-makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.”
~ Arthur William Edgar O’Shaughnessy
Can a life change in an instant? Yes. In 2008, after a traumatic event, I began to invest time and energy in poetry. At first, I was only trying to get constructed emotion onto the page, find my feet, rediscover what it was like to be happy, dance with the muse, and breathe! I started writing and haven’t stopped. Writing helped. Well, it did more than help; it saved me. Poetry saved me. From my first shaky reading at a Friday Harbor open mic, I was hooked! Poetry carried me over the Salish Sea into Bellingham. I am immensely thankful to meet and network with other creatives and talents around the Pacific Northwest and beyond!
(Above Photo: 2018 4th grade poetry presentation, Kendall Elementary)
Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat
“Fortunes Favors the Bold.”
This website was launched in 2008 with one purpose: to build a platform to promote
my first poetry book, Madrona Grove. It was a bit of an experiment and a personal challenge in support of my mental well-being. Websites require content, which is a pretty broad prompt for writing, I must say, but the content was indeed created. From 2012 to 2019, I released three poetry books and an audio album, promoting them all on shannonplawswriter. Over time, as my life in writing has developed, so has the site. I’ve promoted radio programs, poetry writing groups, poetry events, author book launches & interviews, posted first drafts, and flash fiction. So, in a nutshell, this website’s purpose is to sell my poetry books and introduce myself to whoever visits. My Fool’s Journey has taken me to interesting places, meeting fascinating, inspiring people along the way, and honestly, I simply want to share it with you.
RECENT COMMUNITY PROJECTS
During the pandemic (2020-22) the monthly in-person poetry discussion group Poetry Club (est. 2015) began to meet on Zoom. We started recording the programs in the fall of 2020. The podcast “Poetry Club Talks…” was born.
In the year following the pandemic, I published Corridor, a simple, staple-bound, ten-page found-art zine. Copies were left in local shops, bookstores, and libraries for people to discover as they gently returned to the outside world. The monthly, limited-edition zine ran from Poetry Month to Poetry Month—April 2022 through April 2023—before taking a break and resuming again in April 2024.
By January 2025, support for the zine had grown significantly. More people began helping with distribution, the number of contributors expanded to 52 artists and poets, and community members even started dropping off ink and paper at my door. The Corridor Collective has decided to keep printing the zine for as long as it remains joyful to create. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!
In Spring 2025, I released “Tongue in Ink,” an illustrated poetry book. Available anywhere you buy books, but I hope you will consider purchasing it at the local independent bookstore in Bellingham, Washington, Village Books.
(two drawings below: L-Frank, poet/artist, drew me at Village Books Poetry Group, with the signature Frazee nose, while I am reading a draft of a horrendously abandoned poem, R-Bob’s drawing of me at Village Books Open Mic while reading “Christopher Titus Save Me”. That year Bob, children’s book writer/poet, was new to the B’ham poetry scene and “broke the ice” by quick-drawing every reading poet at events. Bob, consider the ice broken)
PAST PROJECTS
Radio was a central part of my life for eight years, and I’m deeply grateful for that journey. I had the honor of producing programs for the SPARK Museum, KZAX 94.9 Make.Shift Radio, and KPNW-DB Radio. Each show—Boosie’s Playhouse Classic Blues, The New Americana Hour, and Bellingham Art Beat—was a true labor of love. Supporting and promoting local musical talent in Bellingham was especially meaningful, and I hope that passion came through the mic.
Archived programs are available under the RADIO drop-down menu. If you take a listen, feel free to leave a “like” or say hello—it means a lot. And if you’re looking for an interview I recorded, most episodes are online; if not, just reach out—I have the originals.
GOING FORWARD – THANK YOU
Currently, I am volunteering with the Salish Sea Poetry Festival, which is a part of the Whatcom Poetry Series non-profit. This group plans free public poetry-centered events throughout the year, with a key poetry weekend extravaganza in November.
I’d also like to express my sincere gratitude to the City of Bellingham for recognizing my work with two Mayor’s Arts Awards (2014, 2017) and to the Writers’ International Network of British Columbia for the Community Champion Award for my involvement with World Peace Poets. These acknowledgments mean a great deal to me and serve as a reminder of how much creativity and community go hand in hand. I’m truly thankful for the encouragement and support I’ve received along the way.
Thank you for visiting, listening, and being part of this journey. Your support helps keep these projects moving forward, the stories unfolding, and the poetry alive.
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Copyright ©Shannon P. Laws ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This blog contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author/publisher.
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