I’m delighted to be part of a literary arts event Sunday, July 9 from 5-8pm. The Tunnel: A Literary and Arts Crawl is the mastermind of Greg Bem, who will be moving from Seattle to Spokane for a job this summer. We will miss his invention, his innovation literary events and his presence. Above see the poster for the event.

From Greg Bem’s website:

The following will be performing at the event:

Eric Acosta
Knoll Cannon
Bill Carty
Justine Chan
Ian Gwin / Unnamable Ensemble
Amy Hirayama
Emily Mundy
Paul Nelson
Doug Nufer
Jim O’Halloran
Jasmine Plaskon (and Crew)
Hannah Rice
Matt Trease

This event was inspired by the work being done by the Reflexive Assembly Crew (currently Amy Hirayama, Denny Stern, and Eric Acosta). The event will be centered around the Mt. Baker Ridge neighborhood and the Mt. Baker Tunnel in Seattle.

Once Greg moves to Spokane, my public readings will be reduced by 85%! I am grateful for his support of my work, interviews with me that he conducted and reviews. See:

Sept 26, 2021: https://gregbem.com/wordpress/2021/09/30/happy-60th-paul-e-nelson/

Feb 4, 2019: a review of American Prophets in the journal Yellow Rabbits

March 17, 2016, his review of my book American Sentences, which this quote:

Nelson’s crafted beauties come off as one liners. Single lines that exist onto themselves. For the most part they work—they achieve one of many of Nelson’s poetic strides and strives. There is a healthy blend of humor, intellectualism, cynicism, anger, remorse and sadness, and, of course, love that makes this collection almost like a single poem in its entirety. In its sprawl there is a sense of Song of Myself. There is a sense of Maximus. There is a sense of many beautiful artifacts of poetry present, but mostly there is a sense of Paul’s own world. His own living, breathing daily life that he has converted over into a digestible form for us readers, us audience, voyeurs, spectators.

Spring 2011, his Rain Taxi interview with me about A Time Before Slaughter.

There are many fine performers for this event. Come to hear them, to see the kind of event Greg Bem creates and to send him off to Spokane with as much love and appreciation that he deserves. We will miss his smile, his inventive performances and his remarkably inventive literary arts events.

Greg Bem Altar/Alter Cherry Pit Greg Bem Altar/Alter Cherry Pit