Life In Writing…
Welcome to my writing site, full of stories, fresh poetry,
and 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 whomever visits. My Fools 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. For the post-pandemic year, I published “Corridor”. This simple staple-bound, ten-page found-art zine was left at local shops, bookstores, and libraries for folks to find as they gently returned to the outside world. The monthly limited edition zine ran from Poetry Month to Poetry Month, April 2022 – April 2023. It’s been decided that the 13-month zine will be back for the 2024-25 season! A Corridor Collective consisting of 27 PNW poets donated thought-provoking poetry, art, time, and paper & ink money. Teamwork made the dream work!
(two drawings below: L-Frank 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 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)
I’m really fond of my eight years in radio, producing programs for the SPARK Museum, KZAX 94.9 Make.Shift Radio, and KPNW-DB Radio. “Boosie’s Playhouse Classic Blues”, “The New Americana Hour” and “Bellingham Art Beat” are like children to me. Archived programs are available under the “RADIO” drop-down menu and are ready to play. If it’s not too much to ask, please give them a listen and a “like”, let me know you came by. If I interviewed you and you’re looking for the show, most of the programs are still online, but please contact me. I have all the originals on hand. I’m slowly moving radio, podcasts, and new projects over to a YouTube channel, “Channel Chickadee”, located here: https://www.youtube.com/@chickadeeproductions.
Special thanks to the City of Bellingham for the two Mayor’s Arts Awards, (2014, 2017) acknowledging my notable contributions to the community. Also honored by the Writer’s International Network of British Columbia with the Community Champion Award in recognition of my work with World Peace Poets. Thank you for visiting.
Click the bee to see what the BUZZ is on my Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/coldslaws/
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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