Upcoming Events

Orcas Island Lit Fest Lit Walk

ALT: The brick storefront of Watermark Book Co. emanates a warm and inviting light through the windows and glass door and makes you feel like you're in a charming film living your dream life.

The Orcas Island Lit Fest is hosting Lit Walks two nights in a row, September 13 & 14, in Anacortes and Eastsound, WA. View the full schedule here. Jill will read at Watermark Books on Friday, September 13 (Friday the Thirteenth!), with poets Tennison Black, Scott Cairns, and Kirsten Sundberg Lunstrum.
September 13, 2024, 6-6:45 pm
Watermark Books
812 Commercial Ave
Anacortes, WA

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Writing the Liminal - Workshop with Gail Folkins

ALT: Sun lights a bright green frond of Lady fern with a near black background of the forest's understory.

What happens in the in-betweens? Moments that, like dusk, mark the transition between one state of being and another? Day into night, innocence to knowing, inhale to exhale, loss to joy? In this workshop, we'll explore the natural setting of the famed Sitka Center campus to discover similar transitions in nature. In the act of writing about our observations—maybe autumn's first mushrooms, a migrating plover, or vine maple turned gold—we'll uncover metaphors for the transitions in our own lives. Exercises include nature observation, writing prompts, and writing using form. Facilitated by Jill and fellow author Gail Folkins. Open to poetry and prose.
UPDATE: Only one spot left!
Friday, September 20, 2024
Sitka Center for Art and Ecology
56605 Sitka Drive, Otis, OR

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Poetry and Author Talk - Lopez Library

ALT: Gazing across the roofline of the library, which appears to be a cross between a Swiss chalet and North American Schoolhouse with three steep gables, to the Salish Sea and other islands in the San Juan archipelago.

Jill will read from her new poetry book, Tangled in Vow & Beseech, followed by a conversation with Nikyta Palmisani at the Lopez Island Library.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Lopez Island Library
2225 Fisherman Bay Road, Lopez Island, WA

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Poetry at the Postmark

ALT: Photo shows the interior of the Postmark with beautiful wood floors and ceiling. Visitors explore an art exhibit.

Jill is the December featured reader for Poetry at the Postmark, the City of Auburn, Washington's monthly poetry series.
Wednesday, December 4, 2024, 6:00 pm
Postmark Center for the Arts
20 Auburn Avenue, Auburn, WA

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Hope Is the Thing with Feathers - Workshop & Reading with Jed Myers

ALT: The storefront of BookTree has a lit "OPEN" sign, and chalked on the sidewalk in front of the door are the words, "Look a Book." The O's in Look and Book suggest eyes looking toward the bookstore.

Join Jill and Jed for a generative workshop as we give voice to hope in its myriad, mysterious forms. The workshop will be followed by a reading and open mic, so bring your latest writing and step up to the mic!
Saturday, December 7, 2024
BookTree
609 Market Street, Kirkland, WA

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Madrona REading Series at Pelican Bay Books

ALT: A beautifully served latte in a turquoise, ceramic mug sits on a wooden table in front of bookshelves loaded with books. The empty chair appears to be waiting for you.

Jill will read with acclaimed poet Paul Hunter as part of the Madrona Series Poetry Readings in the charming Pelican Bay Books and Coffeehouse in Anacortes, WA.
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 7pm
Pelican Bay Books & Coffeehouse
520 Commercial Ave, Anacortes, WA

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Past Events

Lost & Found: A Hedgebrook Workshop on Finding Your Inner Compass

ALT: Hedgebrook logo shows a woman's head in profile, rising from roots and with a crown of thriving plants and blossoms.

From the Hedgebrook website: "What can we discover when we lose ourselves in the world, in our thoughts, and in our writing? Open to all genres, this offering will venture into the tradition of French Medieval poets and the chanson d’aventure, or song of adventure. We’ll explore ways in which getting lost can help us find our way. Join writer Jill McCabe Johnson for a generative workshop and path of discovery. Through a series of writing prompts, we’ll venture into what it means to be lost, ask ourselves what are we really afraid of, and look for ways to trust our inner compass. Writers of all backgrounds and experience levels are welcome!"
The online, pay-what-you-can workshop is available through August, 2024, and proceeds go to support Hedgebrook.
Register Here.

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NAWP (Not at AWP) Reading

ALT: A cartoon ostrich head with beak open wide squawks, "NAWP!"

Can't make it to the annual AWP conference this year? Jared Beloff and Mitch Nobis have an alternative. Login and listen to this lively reading of twenty poets sharing one to two poems each and recreating a virtual sense of the camaraderie, inspiration, and irreverence found at the best AWP events. Think of it as an AWP offsite offsite!
Friday, February 9, 2024
8-9:30 pm Eastern
Update: They hit the max number of attendees and aren't issuing any more registrations for the Zoom event. Sorry if you missed out!

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Let's Talk About Love - at the Orcas Center

ALT: The Orcas Center logo shows an artist's rendition of an orca in green, yellow, orange, and purple.

From the Orcas Center website: "There’s so much to consider right now about human beings and our capacity for love and the possibility of expanding that, isn’t there? Local artist / writer Debra Lee Babcock and beloved poet Jill McCabe Johnson are cooking up an evening to do just that — cozy in the Madrona Room on couches and chairs around the fireplace, listening to local readers reading what some of the great poets, writers, and thinkers have had to say on the subject."
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
7-10 pm Pacific
The Orcas Center
917 Mt. Baker Road, Eastsound, WA

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Griffin Bay Bookstore Reading with Tara Mesalik MacMahon

ALT: Photo depicts the Griffin Bay Bookstore sign with the name of the store in gold letters and "EST. 1929" below.

Jill teams up with San Juan Island poet Tara Mesalik MacMahon for a poetry reading at the charming, indie bookstore, Griffin Bay in Friday Harbor.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
3:00 pm
155 Spring Street
Friday Harbor, WA

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MoonPath Press Reading with Sarah Stockton

ALT: Side-by-side, black and white photos of Sarah Stockton and Jill McCabe Johnson.

Join Sarah Stockton and Jill McCabe Johnson, finalists for the Sally Albiso Poetry Award, via Zoom for this reading emceed by fellow poet and MoonPath Press publisher Lana Hechtmann Ayers. Sarah will read from her debut poetry book, The Scarecrow of My Former Self, and Jill will read from her newly released title, Tangled in Vow & Beseech. The online reading will feature an American Sign Language interpreter.
Hosted by MoonPath Press
Sunday, April 7, 2024
3:00 pm Pacific
https://moonpathpress.com/ReadingInvitation07Apr24.htm

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Tangled in Vow & Beseech Official Release Party

ALT: The cover of the poetry collection Tangled in Vow & Beseech depicts the eye of a barred owl. Some have said the picture also looks like a satellite image of a tornado with the owl's eye in the eye of the storm.

An evening of poetry, conversation, and artwork with Jill McCabe Johnson and guests Martha Farish and Kate Geddes. Jill will read from her newly released third poetry book, Tangled in Vow & Beseech, followed by a conversation with artists Martha Farish and Kate Geddes and moderated by Ayn Gailey, about the intersections of poetry, art, and the creative process. Booksigning and reception with light hors d'oeuvres after the reading.
Free event
Presented by the Orcas Island Library
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
6:00 pm Pacific
Orcas Island Performing Arts Center Black Box Theater
917 Mount Baker Road, Eastsound, WA

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Earth Day Orcas Island

ALT: San Juan Makers Guild artwork for the 2024 Earth Day celebration shows birds and marine life flying and swimming in a circle among kelp with a watercolor background in pale blues and greens.

Come kickoff a weekend of wild Earth Day wonders as poets Quinn Bailey, Jill McCabe Johnson, and Derek Sheffield read poetry inspired by the Cascadia region. Hosted by Debra Babcock, the evening also includes live music, and an illuminated labyrinth walk. The 2024 Earth Day festivities are sponsored by the San Juan Makers Guild and continue into the weekend. Learn more here.
Free event
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Main Street, Eastsound, WA
Friday, April 19, 2024
6:30-8:30 pm

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The Ecopoetry of Cascadia

ALT: Ecopoetics of Cascadia event poster features the cover of the Cascadia Field Guide.

Poets Derek Sheffield and Jill McCabe Johnson will discuss and share The Ecopoetry of Cascadia, including poems from the Cascadia Field Guide. The anthology brings together art, poetry, and stories holding scientific, sensory, and cultural knowledge to celebrate and illuminate Cascadia, the bioregion stretching from Alaska’s Prince William Sound to Northern California and from the Pacific Coast to the Continental Divide.
Both well-established and new writers are included, representing a rich spectrum of voices, with poems that range from comic to serious, colloquial to scientific, urban to off-the-grid, narrative to postmodern.
Orcas Island Library
500 Rose Street
Eastsound, WA
Saturday, April 20, 2024
5-6:00 pm

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Madrona Reading at Pelican Bay Books

A reading of contributors to the latest issue of Madrona, which features ekphrastic poetry in response to public art. Jill will read her poem, "Blue Heron Origin Story," in response to Todd Spalti's 14-foot sculpture, pictured at left.
Saturday, February 25, 2023, 7:00 pm, Pacific
Pelican Bay Books and Coffeehouse
Anacortes, WA

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Wandering Aengus Press Reading and Jazz Improvization at the Sorrento Hotel

Wandering Aengus Press authors and editors will be joined by jazz improv virtuoso Xitlalic in a spontaneous collaboration of music and spoken word at the historic Sorrento Hotel's sumptuous Fireside Room. Relax with a drink, nibble on hors d'oeuvres, and enjoy an impromptu evening of words and music in one of Seattle's best kept secrets.
901 Madison Ave, Seattle, WA
March 9, 2023, 5-7:00 pm Pacific

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AWP 2023 Conference Panel: Multimodal Practices in Teaching Creative Writing

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs' annual conference returns to Seattle. Jill will join Avee Chaudhuri, Gage Saylor, and Dave Whelan in the panel, "Frank Sets Sweet Dee on Fire: Multimodal Practice in Teaching Creative Writing." The four writers and teachers will discuss innovative and non-traditional methods for engaging and inspiring creative writing students.
Seattle Convention Center
705 Pike Street, Seattle WA
March 10, 2023

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Hear Me Roar-A Women's History Month Conversation

Jill joins Lucy Ferriss at the Orcas Island Public Library for a special Women's History Month event where the two writers will discuss current and historic issues of gender inequity in literature, including reproductive rights, gender violence, and portrayals of women's suffering from Greek mythology to the present.
5-6:00 pm Pacific, Monday, March 13, 2023
Orcas Island Library
500 Rose Street
Eastsound, WA

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Writing for a World in Eco-Crisis
-Sowell Conference Panel

As the world suffers from climate change and other eco-crises, writers face ethical dilemmas of how to write nature. What harms the environment harms all of us, and an overwhelming, culture-wide eco-despair can clog a writer’s inspiration and practice. Authors Gail Folkins, Ph.D., Adrienne Ross Scanlan, and Jill McCabe Johnson, Ph.D., offer examples for engaging with marine crises and other doomsday topics to explore literature that educates, inspires, and fosters effective action.
Thursday, April 6, 1:00 pm Central
Free, virtual event. To register, go to: https://texastech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEod--vrT8jGNfvTDu4c_7bOdlnlNcWzcJj

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Voice In America-A Poetry Month Discussion

What does it mean to have a voice in America? What does it mean to tell one's stories? Join poets Michael Schmeltzer and Tina Schumann with moderator Jill McCabe Johnson for a special National Poetry Month presentation as they discuss what it means to be able to share your experiences, heritage, history, and perspectives in this vast and diverse country.
3-4:00 pm Pacific, Sunday, April 16, 2023
Orcas Island Library
500 Rose Street
Eastsound, WA

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Earth Day Poetry Reading

Jill joins Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest and Jill to read poems as the capstone event for the Earth Day celebration hosted by the San Juan Islands Makers Guild on Orcas Island that includes visual arts, music, nature walks, labyrinth walks, and more. Rena and Jill will read from I Sing the Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State, edited by Rena, as well as other poems honoring the earth.
Saturday, April 22, 2023, 3-4:30 pm Pacific
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Eastsound, WA

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Online Reading with Jake the Mag

Jake the Anti-Literary Magazine kicks off its online reading series in May.
Friday, May 12, 2023
Via Zoom and coming to a YouTube channel near you

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Orcas Island Lit Fest-Friday Night Lit Walk

Gail Folkins, Jessica Gigot, Jill McCabe Johnson, and Paula MacKay, authors and editors from Wandering Aengus Press read during the annual Orcas Island Lit Fest Friday night Lit Walk featuring dozens of authors from across the U.S.
Orcas Island Lit Fest Lit Walk
Friday, June 2, 2023, 5:00-7:45 pm, Pacific
Darvill's Bookstore and other locations in Eastsound, WA

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Orcas Island Lit Fest-A Conversation with Ibi Zoboi

Join Jill and New York Times bestseller Ibi Zoboi at the Orcas Island Lit Fest mainstage as Jill interviews Ibi about her illustrious writing career, including her latest release, the Young Adult novel, Nigeria Jones. Zoboi is author of AMERICAN STREET, a National Book Award Finalist; PRIDE, a contemporary remix of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice; and MY LIFE AS AN ICE CREAM SANDWICH, her middle-grade debut. She is also the co-author of the Walter Award and L.A. Times Book Prize-winning PUNCHING THE AIR with prison reform activist Dr. Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five. She is the editor of BLACK ENOUGH: STORIES OF BEING YOUNG & BLACK IN AMERICA. Her debut picture book, THE PEOPLE REMEMBER, received a Coretta Scott King Book Honor Award. Her most recent books are STAR CHILD: A BIOGRAPHICAL CONSTELLATION OF OCTAVIA ESTELLE BUTLER, and OKOYE TO THE PEOPLE: A BLACK PANTHER NOVEL for Marvel.
Orcas Island Lit Fest
June 3, 2023, 9:10-9:35 am Pacific
Orcas Center for the Arts
Eastsound, WA

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Save Our Wild Salmon-An Evening of Art, Poetry & Story

Please join Patagonia Seattle, Empty Bowl Press, Wandering Aengus Press and Save Our wild Salmon Coalition for an evening of art, poetry, and story celebrating salmon and orca. The event will feature the newly released anthology I Sing The Salmon Home: Poems from Washington State, edited by Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest, and published by Empty Bowl Press, and For the Love of Orcas, edited by Andrew Shattuck McBride and Jill McCabe Johnson and published by Wandering Aengus Press. Creative contributors from both anthologies will recite poetry along with additional stories and poems. Seating is limited for this free event. Pre-register here.
June 22, 2023, 7-9:00 pm, Pacific
Patagonia Seattle
2100 First Avenue, Seattle, WA

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Write on the Sound

Established in 1985 by the City of Edmonds Arts Commission, Write on the Sound writers’ conference (WOTS), attracts presenters and participants from all over the Northwest, the U.S. and Canada. The conference is held in a historic 1920s-era school building converted in the 1970s to a multi-use recreation and cultural programs facility. The 2023 conference schedule is yet to be announced, but Jill will present with authors Gail Folkins and Adrienne Ross Scanlan on the topic of Writing for a World in Crisis. Details to come.
October 7-9, 2023
Frances Anderson Center
Edmonds, WA

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A Walk in the Woods-Online Reading

Authors Gail Folkins, Julie Riddle, and Jill McCabe Johnson will read works about or inspired by their many explorations of the mountains and woods of the western United States. The reading is part of a 24-hour marathon literary event to raise funds and awareness for the Reclaiming Mni Sota Indigenous Writers Grant. The grant is a literary diversity initiative to raise $10,000 for one Indigenous writer from Minnesota. The grant is an effort of author, historian, and publisher Colin Mustful who has been researching, writing, and publishing about the history of the U.S. - Dakota War and its tragic, complicated, and complex history since 2007. Mustful has launched the grant both as a community initiative to help empower and support Indigenous storytelling.
Saturday, November 4, 2023, 4-5:00 pm Central

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Vashon Island Artist Residency

What's better than winter on a remote, beautiful island to have uninterrupted time for your artistic craft? The cross-pollination of spending that time in residence with other artists and writers, especially at the Vashon Artist Residency.
December 2022
Vashon Island, WA

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Atelier de la Rose Writing Residency

Jill spent four glorious weeks in France, walking portions of the Campostelle and Grand Randonnée and culminating with a writing retreat in a centuries old stone home with terra cotta floors and oak-beamed ceilings for inspiration.
October-November, 2022

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Pelican Bay Books & Coffeehouse Poetry Reading Series

Jill and co-reader Bill Ransom kicked off of this year's Pelican Bay Books & Coffeehouse Poetry Reading Series. Singer-songwriter Steven Dolmatz performed his original folk and bluegrass music. The series is co-curated by Michael Daley and Georgia Johnson, who bring a specially selected mix of literary and musical arts together in the heart of Anacortes.
520 Commercial Ave, Anacortes, WA
Friday, September 30, 2022, 7:00 pm

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Anderson Island Writing Retreat

Jill and Gail Folkins co-facilitated the 2022 Anderson Island Writing Retreat. The theme for the three-day workshop was "A Change of Scenery: Renewing Your Creativity." With stimulating prompts, participants wrote new poetry and prose and shared newly drafted works.
August 26-28, 2022
Anderson Island, WA

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Flash Fiction Forum

The Flash Fiction Forum 2022 Winter Reading featured writers Jim Daniels, Jaqueline Hampton, Jill McCabe Johnson, Christine Kalife, Jessica Barksdale, Gail Folkins, Susannah Carlson, Tania Martin, and Gary Singh.
Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at 7pm PST, 10pm EST via Zoom

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Hedgebrook Webinar Series

Lost and Found: A Generative Writing Workshop on Trusting Your Inner Compass
What can we discover when we lose ourselves in the world, in our thoughts, and in our writing? Open to all genres, this webinar will venture in the tradition of French Medieval poets and the chanson d’aventure, or song of adventure. We’ll explore ways in which getting lost can help us find our way. Join writer Jill McCabe Johnson for a two-hour generative workshop and path of discovery. Through a series of writing prompts, we’ll venture into what it means to be lost, ask ourselves what are we really afraid of, and look for ways to trust our inner compass. Women-identifying writers of all backgrounds and experience levels are welcome!
Saturday, February 26, 2022, 11 am to 1 pm Pacific.

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AWP 2022 Conference Panel on "The Edited Voice"

Jill joined writers and editors Nancy Lord, Elizabeth Dodd, Holly J. Hughes, and Juan J. Morales in a conference panel to discuss "The Edited Voice: The Challenge of Maintaining a Writer's Distinct Voice" at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference in Philadelphia.
March 23-26, 2022
Philadelphia Convention Center

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Wandering Aengus Press 2022 Reading Series

The Wandering Aengus Press 2022 Reading Series consists of four fabulous readings with press authors and other special guests whose books have been released during the pandemic. The online series is timed to coincide with the Association of Writers and Writing Programs annual conference and Smol Fair.
March 24-26, 2022
Zoom

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Orcas Island Lit Fest

ORIGINS BY MARTHA FARISH, OIL ON CANVAS, 30 X 48 INCHES

Join Jill and other authors from the beautiful publication Ōde during the Orcas Island Lit Fest Friday night Lit Walk. Ōde is an ongoing visual and literary project exploring the world's irresistibly unique and compelling communities, cultures, and concepts.  The Orcas Island Lit Fest is an annual celebration of literature and community.
June 3-4, 2022
Orcas Island, WA

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Madrona Project Reading

Reading from The Madrona Project, vol.II, "voices from the heart of Cascadia," edited by Holly J. Hughes. Jill will read her essay, "Seasonal Round," comparing Indigenous and colonizing settler agricultural practices. Readers include Holly J. Hughes, Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest, Jessica Gigot, Carolyne Wright, Iris Graville, Ann Spiers, and Marie Eaton.
North Cascades Institute series with Village Books
Friday, October 15, 2021, 7pm PDT

Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/group-reading-from-the-madrona-project-vol-2-1-virtual-event-tickets-173787963477

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Fire Hydrant Reading Series Inaugural Reading

Reading with Hannah VanderHart Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 6:30-7pm Central for the first Fire Hydrant Reading Series via Zoom.

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ODE Release Party

Shroud by Kate Geddes

The release of Ōde Volume One will be celebrated at a special reception Wednesday, December 18, 2019, 4pm, at Darvill's Bookstore in Eastsound, WA. Produced by St. Ōde Press, Ōde is an ongoing visual, audio, and literary project exploring the world’s irresistibly unique and compelling communities, cultures, and concepts. The first volume is a glimpse of life, art and the power of place on remote Orcas Island as seen through the heart and eyes of Ōde, and features poems by Jill McCabe Johnson, including one the editors nominated for a Pushcart, plus writing, art, and photography by a talented cast of contributors from Orcas Island.

Sara Cunningham Farish and Ayn Gailey are the founders and creative directors of Ōde. Their production team includes Sarah Cooper, Samuel W. Gailey, and Paul Huber.
Darvill's Bookstore
296 Main Street, Eastsound, WA

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Writing Workshop & For Love of Orcas Reading at BookTree

Adrienne Ross Scanlon and Jill will co-facilitate "From Grief to Gratitude," a generative writing workshop followed by a reading from contributors to the anthology For Love of Orcas and an Open Mic. Anthology sales proceeds benefit The SeaDoc Society.
Friday, December 21, 2019, 4-6 pm Workshop, 6:15-7:15 pm Reading, 7:15-8 pm Open Mic
609 Market Street, Kirkland, WA

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No Guru Writing Retreat

The fourth annual No Guru invitation-only writing retreat takes place in January, 2019. Focused primarily on writing, the retreat also gives writers the chance to gather, share craft techniques, and an opportunity to be inspired by one another's works.

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For Love of Orcas Reading at Third Place Books

Join contributors Gail Folkins, Adrienne Ross Scanlon, and co-editor Jill, plus others yet to be announced, for a special reading of the anthology, For Love of Orcas, at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. Anthology sales proceeds benefit The SeaDoc Society.
November 22, 2019, 7 pm
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA

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For Love of Orcas Reading at Eagle Harbor Book CO.

Authors Holly J. Hughes, Jenifer Browne Lawrence, Paula MacKay, Stan Sanvel Rubin, and Jill will share works from the anthology For Love of Orcas at the iconic Eagle Harbor Book Co. Anthology sales proceeds benefit The SeaDoc Society.
Thursday, November 14, 2019, 7 pm
157 Winslow Way, Bainbridge Island, WA

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For Love of Orcas Panel & Reading at Hugo house

This panel of Scientists, Naturalists, and Writers will read works from the anthology For Love of Orcas, and discuss efforts to save the endangered Southern Resident Orcas, their endangered food source Chinook Salmon, and restore their shared ecosystems. Featuring Sarah DeWeerdt, Bob Friel, Paula MacKay, Brenda Miller, Adrienne Ross Scanlon, and Jill. Anthology sales proceeds benefit The SeaDoc Society.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019, 7 pm
1634 11th Avenue, Seattle, WA

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Whatcom Writers & Publishers-Guest Speaker

Jill is the October featured speaker for Whatcom Writers and Publishers' monthly lecture series. Jill will share her experiences working with various university presses and small presses, and now as the editor-in-chief of Wandering Aengus Press.
October 9, 2019, 7 pm
Nikki's Bella Marina 2615 S Harbor Loop Drive, Bellingham, WA

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For Love of Orcas Reading & Gallery Walk at San Juan Islands Museum of Art

Join authors Iris Graville, Tara MacMahon, Lynne Mercer, Rena Priest, Bill Weissinger, and Jill at a reading and gallery walk for a last chance to see the acclaimed exhibits Deep Dive and Waterline, all celebrating the beauty and wonder of the Salish Sea.
540 Spring Street, Friday Harbor, Washington
Thursday, September 12, 2019, 3:30-5 pm
Doors open at 3:15. Out of respect for the reading in progress, there will be no admission after 3:45. The reading will be followed by a book-signing and small reception. Proceeds from sales of the book benefit The SeaDoc Society.

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Open Books Reading with Tina Schumann and Kay Mullen

Celebrate the release of Tina Schumann's new poetry collection, Praising the Paradox, with special guests Kay Mullen and Jill at Open Books: A Poem Emporium (and one of the country's two poetry-only bookstores).
Saturday, September 20, 2019, 7 pm
2414 North 45th Street, Seattle, WA

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Poets in the Park

July 20, 2019
Redmond, WA
Poets from the anthology For Love of Orcas, co-edited with Andrew Shattuck McBride, will read at the annual Poets in the Park event founded by poet Michael Dylan Welsh, and hosted by the City of Redmond. A full day of poetry and fun, including a bookfair and plenty of places for a picnic while you listen to poetry.

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SpeakEasy 24 at The Mount Baker Theater

May 3, 2019, 6:30pm
Bellingham, WA
The SpeakEasy reading series will feature 25+ contributors to the anthology For Love of Orcas, co-edited with Andrew Shattuck McBride. Contributors include Luther Allen, James Bertolino, Anita K. Boyle, Nancy Canyon, Seren Fargo, Jessica Gigot, Mary Elizabeth Gillilan, Julie B. Hunter, J.I. Kleinberg, Rob Lewis, Carol Guess, David M. Laws, Carole MacRury, Christen Mattix, Cynthia Neely, Paul E. Nelson, Sheila Nickerson, Nancy Pagh, Dayna Patterson, Betty Scott, Carla Shafer, and Sheila Sondik. Works by the following authors will also be read: Ronda Piszk Broatch, Sam Hamill, Jim Milstead, and Alina Stefanescu.

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Orcas Island Lit Fest

April 5-7, 2019
Orcas Island, WA
The second, annual Orcas Island Lit Fest was a blast. I had the honor of moderating a panel on the anthology I co-edited with Andrew Shattuck McBride about the plight of the endangered Southern Resident orcas. Joe Gaydos, Paula MacKay, Jed Myers, and Bob Friel shared their works from the anthology as well as thoughts on writing on environmental issues. I also had the honor of interviewing Therese Marie Mailhot, author of the award-winning memoir, Heart Berries.

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Curating Dianne Kornberg Madonna Comix Exhibit

April 4-May 2, 2019
Opening April 4, 2019
Orcas Island, WA
In conjunction with the Orcas Island Lit Fest, the show features works by Dianne Kornberg in collaboration with poet Celia Bland. The images in Madonna Comix are based on poems in which the Madonna represents multiple experiences of being a woman. Madonna Comix was also published as a large format book in 2014 by Media f8. Kornberg, an island resident and Professor Emerita at Pacific Northwest College of Art, has had more than thirty solo exhibitions in the US and abroad. Her work is in multiple museum and public collections, and is the subject of four books. Bland is a Faculty Associate at the Writing and Thinking Institute at Bard College and is the author of three books.

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AWP 2019

March 27-30, 2019
Portland, OR
Wandering Aengus Press and Artsmith shared a table at AWP in Portland, Oregon, where authors signed books, and even some Artsmith alumni signed books, as well. The conference had 14,000 attendees, many of whom stopped by the table to say hello and sign up for info on residency application deadlines and press submission opportunities. Mostly, it was just a chance to hang out and catch up with old friends.

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Hedgebrook Artist Residency

March, 2019
Whidbey Island, WA
Three glorious weeks in creative retreat at the beautiful Hedgebrook artist residency for women writers. Hedgebrook's motto of radical hospitality shines through in everything they do, from lodging in adorable cottages to evening meals using seasonal produce from the garden. Residents gather around the farmhouse table and are nourished by food and conversation after a day of tending to their individual writing projects and needs. It's an amazing gift for which I feel immense gratitude. Thank you, Hedgebrook!

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National Endowment for the Humanities: Native American West Summer Scholar Institute

June 17-July 1, 2018
Walla Walla, WA
The two-week Institute, “The Native American West: A Case Study of the Columbia Plateau,” will explore a variety of perspectives on the Native American West, the Columbia Plateau, and U.S. history. Just as Plateau peoples’ religion, subsistence practices, politics, and aesthetics were inextricably intertwined, this NEH Summer Institute will emphasize an interdisciplinary approach required to fully comprehend Indigenous experiences and perspectives on American history. Framed by scholarly historical works about Native Americans, about the Lewis and Clark expedition, land, religion, conflict, and about ongoing tribal and personal self-determination, the Institute seeks to expand, complicate, and sometimes contradict accepted U.S. history narratives about the West.
Whitman College

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Skagit Valley College Commencement Address

June 13, 2018
Friday Harbor, WA
Guess who will give the faculty speech for Skagit Valley College's San Juan Campus graduation ceremony this year?
Go forth. Do good in the world. Love yourself and others.
(My work here is done.)

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Curating the art of the book-Art Exhibit

"Caliology" detail by Dianne Kornberg

April 2 to May 2, 2018
Orcas Island, WA
A visual arts exhibition featuring Artist Books and Book Arts. Opening on Friday, April 6, 2018, 5:30-7 pm.
Orcas Center for the Performing Arts
917 Mt. Baker Road

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Griffin Bay Books & San Juan Island Library Poetry Reading

April 27, 2018, 7 pm
Friday Harbor, WA
Joining Washington State Poet Laureate Claudia Castro Luna, Gary Thompson, Jennifer Boyden, Lisa Salisbury, and myself for a special reading commemorating April Poetry Month.
San Juan Island Public Library
1010 Guard Street

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Orcas Island Lit Fest

April 13-15, 2018
Orcas Island, WA
Join the inaugural Orcas Island Lit Fest in Washington State's San Juan Islands. A world-class literary festival for readers and writers, with writing workshops, author interviews, panel discussions, readings, and signings, plus a bookfair with publishers, agents, artist residencies, and more. Jill will participate in and/or moderate the following events:
1) Evolution, Ecology, and Eco-Lit: Regional award-winning authors, Thor Hanson (Feathers; Seeds) Jonathan White (Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean; Talking On The Water) and award-winning poet and founder of Artsmith, Jill McCabe Johnson, lead a lively discussion about the evolution of ecology and its intersection with our human culture, ancient and new.  Free. No ticket or reservations required.
April 13, 2018, 5-6 pm, Seaview Theater
2) Writing the Unspeakable: Award-winning poets Rick Barot, Kevin Clark, Jill McCabe Johnson, and Tina Schumann hold a moving discussion on the writer's dilemmas surrounding hot-button topics, such as Mental illness, Sexual Assault, Racism, Personal lives of friends and family, Authorial Appropriation, Balancing Compassion with honesty and transcending our own fears.  Moderated by Kevin Clark.
April 14, 2018, 2:45-3:45 pm, Orcas Center for the Performing Arts, Center Stage
3) The World of Lit Journals & Small Press Publishing: Editors and publishers discuss the joys and challenges of editing literary journals and small presses, including how they curate and tips on submitting.  Panelists include Christine Holbert from Lost Horse Press, Matt Muth from Pacifica Review, Derek Sheffield from Terrain.org, and Stephanie Barbé Hammer and Lorna Reese from Shark Reef. Moderated by Jill McCabe Johnson of Trail to Table Press.
April 14, 2018, 4:45-5:45 pm, Orcas Center for the Performing Arts, Black Box Theater

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Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Art Exhibit

April 3-6, 2018
Seattle, WA
The Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle will have an accompanying art exhibit. The group show includes works related to the Salish Sea. Three broadsides developed from the Diary of the One Swelling Sea collaboration with Jill and the visual artist Corinne Duchesne and composer Garrett Hope and with poems from Jill's book of the same title will be featured in the exhibit. The show's organizers will be selling Jill's poetry collection along with postcards featuring poems and artwork.
Washington State Convention Center

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Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts Artist Residency

January 29-February 12, 2018
Sheridan, Wyoming
Two glorious weeks nestled in the mountains at the base of the Medicine Bow National Forest and between the Sierra Madre and Snowy Mountain Ranges.
Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts

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Visiting Writer at Midwestern State University

January 23, 2018
Wichita Falls, Texas
Meeting with Creative Writing students to discuss poetry and creative nonfiction, followed by a public reading.

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No Guru Writing Retreat

November 9-13, 2017
An invitation-only writing retreat for writers to gather and share craft techniques and dedicated time to write. Instead of sitting at the feet of a guru, the invitees sit in a circle of accomplished writers to learn from and be inspired by one another's works.

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Visiting Writer at Simon Fraser University

November 6, 2017
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Joining acclaimed poet and creative writing teacher Jami Macarty's poetry class to discuss writing the poetic series.

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The Paper Hound Bookshop Poetry Reading with Jami Macarty

November 5, 2017, 4:30 pm
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Reading with the talented Jami Macarty at one of Vancouver's oldest and most iconic book stores. Reception with refreshments to follow the reading.
The Paper Hound Bookshop
344 West Pender, Vancouver

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Whiteley Center Artist Residency at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs

October 28-November 4, 2017
Friday Harbor, WA
I will be out of pocket while doing research and writing at an artist residency at the University of Washington's Marine Science Facility at the Whiteley Center in Friday Harbor.

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DEEP WATERS South Sound Poetry & Writers Venue

October 20, 2017, 6:00 pm
Steilacoom, WA
Poetry reading from Revolutions We'd Hoped We'd Outgrown, Followed by Q&A and open mic. Bring your latest words to share!
Steilacoom Public Library
2950 Steilacoom Boulevard

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Artists Up - Residency Roundtable

October 19, 2017, 5:30-8:00 pm
Seattle, WA
The Artists Up team would like to invite you to participate in a roundtable discussion about artist residency opportunities in the Pacific Northwest. Residencies allow time and space for artists to fully focus on their work without daily distractions. This career development opportunity provides artists a chance to build relationships with representatives from residency programs, so they can learn first-hand about applying, expectations, and any requirements. Local artists with residency experience will also impart their experiences. We will be directly reaching out to artists of color and artists often underserved by professional development programs to attend this event. Jill will be representing Artsmith. Other residencies at the event include Mineral School, Rockland Residency, Centrum Residencies, Bloedel Reserve, MadArt, Recology Cleanscapes, and the Laboratory Residency. Light refreshments provided.
Sponsored by Artists Up, a collaboration between the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture and 4Culture.
King Street Station
303 S Jackson St
Seattle, WA 98104

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RAINIER WRITING WORKSHOP MFA Reading at Pacific Lutheran University

July 28, 2017, 4:00 pm
Tacoma, WA
A reading with novelist Warren Read to kickoff PLU's 2017 Rainier Writing Workshop MFA residency.

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Unmasking Poetic Form--Skagit Valley College Class on Orcas Island

April 6-28, 2017
Orcas Island
Four-week, community-based class to examine and explore how meter, line-breaks, traditional, and non-traditional forms influence poetic works, including our perception of them. With optional writing exercises to try your hand at writing different forms.
Orcas Island Library, Eastsound, WA

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Poetry Reading at Lopez Bookshop

April 7, 2017, 7:00 pm
Lopez Island
Reading for the "Local Writers Read" series at the charming Lopez Bookshop. Seattle poet, Tina Schumann, author of As If and A Patrimony of Fugues will join me. The event is free to the public, but donations are welcomed to support the online literary journal SHARK REEF.
211 Lopez Road, Lopez Village, WA

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Revolutions We'd Hoped We'd Outgrown Book Release Party & Art Exhibit

March 2, 2017, 6-8:00 pm
Eastsound, WA
Join this collaborative art show and book release featuring the works of artists Norris and Peter Carlson and poetry from Jill's second full-length poetry collection, Revolutions We'd Hoped We'd Outgrown, which explores the personal and political upheavals we repeat over time, including our current political situation. The drop-in event at The Barnacle on Orcas island welcomes people of all political persuasions to gather in friendship and the common ground of improving our world and caring "for the people and countries we love." Vive La Revolution!

249 Prune Alley

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AWP 2017 Conference

February 8-11, 2017
Washington, DC
Returning to AWP for the 50th anniversary conference, this time in Washington, DC, and participating on the following panels:

Gender and Genre: How Do our Prejudices Affect our Preferences?

Inclusive Anthologies: The Challenge of Building Books that Reflect our World

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2017 Artsmith Artist Residencies

January 2-9, 20-27, 2017
Orcas Island, WA
Up to five artists, writers, scientists, and scholars at a time enjoy time and space to work on their respective disciplines as guests of Artsmith and the historic Kangaroo House Bed & Breakfast on Orcas Island.

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Playa Summer Lake Artist Residency

November 28-December 16, 2016
Summer Lake, OR
Three weeks of writing time at the amazing Playa Summer Lake artist residency. This incredible residency is two hours' drive south of Bend, in the Great Basin region of southern Oregon. Artist cabins perch at the rim of Summer Lake, overlooking the playa. Each cabin has its own kitchen, so artists can cook their own meals and work without distractions. The setting is serenely beautiful and inspirational. Truly a gift.

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No Guru Writing Workshop & Retreat

November 10-13, 2016
Hood Canal, WA
An invitation-only workshop and retreat for writers to gather and share craft techniques and time to write. Instead of sitting at the feet of a guru, the invitees sit in a circle of accomplished writers to learn from and be inspired by one another's works. This year's invited writers include Elizabeth Austen, Susan Kim Campbell, Kate Carroll de Gutes, Anne McDuffie, Tina Schumann, and Hilary Schaper, plus No Guru organizer, Jill McCabe Johnson.

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Walk, Sketch, Write Workshop for Sitka Center for Art and Ecology - Waitlist Only!

June 4-5, 2016
The Sitka Center on the Oregon Coast

UPDATE: Yay! People actually signed up! Actually, the Walk, Sketch, Write workshop sold out fairly quickly, and is now waitlist only. However, if you'd like a heads up for the next workshop, please let me know (jill @ jillmccabejohnson.com), and I'll be sure you get advance notice. Thanks!

Join me for a two-day workshop at the Sitka Center on Oregon's central coast where we will spend time immersed in nature doing contemplative walks, sketching as a form of close observation, and writing using details and insights discovered during the walking and sketching process. When we devote time to close observation, it feeds the imagination and infuses writing with deeper meaning and metaphor, particularly specific details of nature that can shed light on human experience and our understanding of the natural world. Sketching especially forces us to look more closely and teaches us to see.

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Reading with Marty Clark and Faith Van De Putte at Lopez Island Bookshop

May 6, 2016, 7:00 pm
Lopez Island Bookshop
What better way to spend a Friday evening than hanging out at a charming island bookstore? And the Lopez Island Bookshop is nothing if not charming! The event is free to the public, but donations to support the online literary journal SHARK REEF will be most welcome.
211 Lopez Road, Lopez Village, WA

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Reading with Gail Folkins at Darvill's Bookstore

April 14, 2016, 6-7:00 pm
Darvill's Bookstore in Eastsound, WA
Gail Folkins will read from her marvelous new memoir set in the Pacific Northwest, Light in the Trees, and I will read from my new lyric essay chapbook Borderlines, from Sweet Publications, plus new work written on a walking and writing trek in France at the time of the November, 2015 attacks. The reading will be followed by a Q&A and short reception.

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Borderlines Booksigning at Sweet Publications at AWP

April 2, 2016, 12:30-1:30 pm
Los Angeles, CA
Every two years, Sweet Publications selects one nonfiction essay from the previous two years' publications in their journal Sweet Lit, to publish as a handbound artist book. My essay, "Borderlines," was selected, and I will sign handstitched, limited edition copies (with cover art by Corinne Duchesne) at the Sweet Publications table at the AWP Bookfair in LA, early in the afternoon on Saturday, April 2nd. Come meet the publishers, Ira Sukrungruang and Katie Riegel, and learn more about their outstanding publications.

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Hack Your Muse with Artsmith at AWP

March 30-April 2, 2016
Los Angeles, CA
Drop by the Artsmith table at AWP's Bookfair for and submit to our "Hack Your Muse" call for wacky but wonderful creative prompts. Plus book-signings and opportunities to meet with guest writers, editors, and publishers.

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Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts Artist Residency

February 29-March 25, 2016
Saratoga, WY
A month-long multi-disciplinary artist residency on a historic ranch at the remote and beautiful Brush Creek Artist Residency, which their website describes as, "Imbued with the spirit of the American West, the ranch sits at the base of the Medicine Bow National Forest between the Sierra Madre and Snowy Mountain ranges just outside the town of Saratoga. From countless miles of trails to hike, bike, snowshoe or cross-country ski, our unique destination offers endless ways to enjoy this spectacular country. A diversity of wildlife call the ranch home, including antelope, deer, elk, moose, fox, badger, and marmots." While at Brush Creek, I worked on essays on the subject of borders.

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2016 Writer Island with Ana Maria Spagna and Melissa Hart

February 26-28, 2016
Orcas Island, WA
Ana Maria Spagna and Melissa Hart returned to Orcas Island, this time for the Writer Island workshop, which in 2016 turned its attention to compassion in one's writing. The workshop took place at the historic Kangaroo House Bed & Breakfast with participants sharing their impressive new works in the evening.

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Writers' Roundtable: Asian American Poetry

February 13, 2016, 1-3:00 pm
Orcas Island Library
Living along the Pacific Rim, we are lucky to have access to many aspects of Asian culture. In this two-hour class, we read the works of several outstanding Asian American poets, giving our attention to writers of various Eastern heritages, who live and write in America's melting pot.

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Writers' Roundtable: Finding Your Place: Ways to Suggest Place in Writing

January 9, 2016, 3-5:00 pm
Orcas Island Library
Jill and several of this year's Artsmith Artists in Residence including writers Yvonne Garrett, Jason Kirk, Jill Kolongowski, Nancy Lord, and Caitlin Scarano, plus local participants explored how "Place" can present itself in one's writing. Physical descriptions, dialogue, sensory details, and character names are just a few of the ways to imply a particular place in the world. Participants each brought a poem or paragraph of their own or someone else's writing to share as part of the conversation.

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2016 Artsmith Artist Residency

January 3-30, 2016
Orcas Island, WA
Up to five artists, writers, naturalists, and scholars at a time enjoy one to four weeks of lodging as guests of Artsmith and the historic Kangaroo House Bed & Breakfast on Orcas Island as they work on their respective projects.

Pictured: The 2015 Artsmith Artist Residency Fellows at Doe Bay Cafe pizza night.

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Travel and Culture Writing Residency in Laredo Texas

December 3-6, 2015
Laredo, TX
Leading Artsmith's writing residency for a behind-the-scenes look at Hispanic and other cultural heritage tourism offerings in the historic Spanish colonial city of Laredo, Texas. The chosen writers, photographers, and videographers experienced the vibrant art, music, history, architecture, and cuisine of this rich culture in a verdant riparian zone along the Rio Grande River.

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Parisian Writing Retreat

October-November, 2015
Paris, France
A walking and writing retreat in Paris and the Dordogne, during which the terrorist attacks in Paris occurred. A sad time for France and the world.

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Poetry Reading for "Light & Shadow" Art Exhibit

September 27, 2015
Orcas Island
Orcas Center Gallery
Jan Madill and Michael Yeaman's geology-inspired works in paint and stone were on display at the Orcas Center gallery September 4-27, with a closing event 3-5 pm on the 27th where I read poems from Diary of the One Swelling Sea. The exhibit also featured an ekphrastic collaboration between poet Connee Pike and artist Jan Madill and inspired by Carl Jung's concept of the shadow. A thought-provoking exhibit in a region where pressure builds between the North American and Juan de Fuca tectonic plates, threatening a catastrophic seismic event and tsunami at any time.

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Mount Vernon, Texas Heritage Tourism Rollout

June 25-26, 2015
Mount Vernon, Texas
DRIVE! is Mount Vernon’s new annual Bankhead Highway Film Competition and Festival.The multi-day event takes place in downtown venues along the historic Bankhead Highway corridor, the country's first all-weather coast-to-coast highway. The festival accepts short film submissions from filmmakers around the world that highlight the importance of transportation for the exchange of people, goods, services, and ideas. Other events include a Classic Car Rally surrounding the Franklin County Courthouse Square, a longhorn cattle drive along the Bankhead Highway during the festival, activities for kids and families, and downtown shopping and dining during the festival. Concurrent with the festival each year will be new interactive "History Mystery" photo panels, and video memoirs highlighting the lives of local residents. The video memoirs will screen during the festival, and be made available online.

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Weatherford, Texas Heritage Tourism Rollout

June 5-6, 2015
Weatherford, TX
In an effort to sustain the heritage and culture of Weatherford, Texas, we've revived the original "Stray Days" by creating an annual festival based on their original open-air farmers' market at the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth centuries. Each quadrant of the Parker County Courthouse square will represent a different decade in the history of the Bankhead Highway, which runs coast-to-coast and smack dab in the middle of Weatherford, parting around their beautiful courthouse. The festival will include food and craft vendors, performances by Theater on the Square related to Bankhead Highway history, period music, a classic car show and cruise, horse-drawn carriage rides, antique bicycles, the national Championship Bull-Riding association’s Billy the Bull, watermelon seed spitting contest, plus businesses such as Sweet Spring Winery converting into Speakeasies for the period event. Over time it may grow to include: live bands, dance performances, outdoor films, games, cutting horse demonstrations, pony rides, and other heritage events and offerings.

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Friends of Orcas Island Library Annual Workshop - Tsunami: Shake Up Your Writing

May 31, 2015
Orcas Island, WA
Thank you to the Friends of the Orcas Island Library for sponsoring this annual all-day writing workshop. This year Jill guided participants to identify the tics, ruts, and tired patterns that can plague one's writing, and to try new techniques and expand into original territory.

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Big Spring, Texas Heritage Tourism Rollout

May 15-16, 2015
Big Spring, TX
Commemorating the history of Big Spring, Texas as the entertainment capitol of West Texas, the fine people of Big Spring (with help from the Texas Historical Commission, Toxey McMillan Design Associates, and moi) introduced several new heritage tourism offerings. Intended to educate visitors and sustain the historic legacy of Big Spring, the new offerings include "History Mystery" panels throughout the downtown core, new exhibits at the Big Spring Heritage Museum, Summers on the Green movies and activities, and screenings of new heritage films developed by Tumbleweed Smith.

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Auburn Station Bistro Poetry Reading

May 4, 2015, 7-9:00 pm
Auburn, WA
Auburn Station Bistro
How can one not love reading (and dining) at a place where the motto is "May all who enter to dine here as guests leave as friends." Reading with the charming Carol Levin.

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DEEP WATERS South Sound Poetry & Writers Venue

April 17, 2015, 6:00 pm
Anderson Island, WA
Riviera Country Club (Martha Smith Room)
Celebrating Poetry Month at the South Sound Writers' April reading with Seattle poet Tina Schumann. Followed by open mic.
andersonislandwrites.com
1019 Country Club Drive

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AWP 2015 Panel: The Role of Tenderness in Men's Narratives

April 9, 2015, 4:30-5:45 pm
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Convention Center, Room 211 C&D, Level 2
Facilitating a panel conversation with contributors to the men's anthology, Being: What Makes a Man, about the role tenderness plays, if any, in men's narratives. With brilliant writers Allen Braden, Kevin Clark, James Engelhardt, and Dinty Moore.

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Hispanic Heritage Tourism Rollout in Laredo and Rio Grande City

March 6-7, 2015
Laredo and Rio Grande City, Texas
After six months in the Texas Historical Commission's Heritage Tourism Program with consultants Patrick McMillan, Anne Toxey, and Jil McCabe Johnson, the cities of Laredo and Rio Grande City, Texas have developed and are rolling out their new, sustainable heritage tourism offerings. We are also providing a workshop for neighboring cities to learn how to develop their own sustainable tourism programs. The two-day event introduces Frontera Fusion cooking classes, Teatro Tejano de la Calle historical street theater, CaminArte monthly art walk, and the Streets of Laredo quarterly artisan bazaar in Laredo. In Rio Grande City, participants will learn to make rope from agave, cattle roping skills, and tamale-making, along with a courtyard tour to learn about life in a Spanish-Colonial town, and including demonstrations of the firearms of the day.

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Presenting Your Writing to Publishers and Artist Residencies

February 7, 2015
Daedalus Books
Portland, OR
Working with the amazing agent and publicist John Sibley Williams to present this two-part, hands-on workshop about finding and pitching your work to the book publishers and artist residencies that most closely align with your vision and aesthetics.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Daedalus-Books/230588172191
2074 NW Flanders St
503-274-7742

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2015 Artsmith Artist Residency

January 4-11, 2015
Orcas Island, WA
Hosting and participating in the ninth year of the Artsmith Artist Residency at Kangaroo House Bed & Breakfast on Orcas Island in Washington State's San Juan Islands.

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SoulFood Poetry Night

December 18, 2014 7pm
Redmond, WA
Festive winter poetry reading at the SoulFood Poetry Night reading series founded by Michael Dylan Welch and curated by Welch and Tanya McDonald. Delicious food, art gallery, vibrant company, and open mic poetry to warm and feed the soul. What could be better?
SoulFood Coffee House
15748 Redmond Way

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KGB Bar

December 10, 2014, 7pm
New York, NY
Reading from the anthologies Becoming: What Makes a Woman and Being: What Makes a Man with Gregory Fletcher, SJ Sindu, Maria Terrone, and Bibi Wein. KGB Bar has been named the best literary venue in New York City by New York Magazine, the Village Voice, and others. Contemporary literature in a speakeasy setting. Beret optional.
KGB Bar
85 E Fourth Street, New York, NY 10003

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Playa Summer Lake

December 1-12, 2014
Playa Summer Lake, OR
Twelve glorious days in residence at the Playa Summer Lake Artist Residency where I bundled up and spent time in close observation of nature, sketchbook in hand, to notice the fine details of life in near stasis, shifting down into the late fall / early winter hibernal state of dormancy and renewal. The observations and sketches informed poems written during the residency and, I hope, in the months to follow.

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Writer Island with Peggy Shumaker

October 24-26, 2014
Orcas Island, WA
Hosting Artsmith's Fall 2014 Writer Island with the amazing poet and essayist Peggy Shumaker where Peggy promises we'll spend three wonderful days happily immersed in words--writing, talking, laughing. Plus, fireside desserts sharing work and fine company each evening. There might be wine involved. Just sayin'.
Kangaroo House Bed & Breakfast
1459 North Beach Road Eastsound, WA

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Cascadia Artist in Residence Network

July 18-19, 2014
Portland
Cascadia Artist in Residence Network Summit
Meeting with the Cascadia Artist in Residence Network Summit for directors and residency coordinators from residencies throughout the Cascadia region of the western states--think Caldera, Fishtrap, Hedgebrook, Sitka, and more--to collaborate on getting the word out to writers and artists about artist residency opportunities in this beautiful part of the world. Oh, and did someone say "Portland food trucks?" I'm in!

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Beacon Bards Reading Series

July 9, 2014
Seattle, WA
Beacon Bards reading with Seattle poet Tina Schumann
Excited to read with the talented poet (and my longtime friend) Tina Schumann at the lively and hopping Beacon Bards reading series at The Station coffee shop on Beacon Hill. Curated by poet Martha Silano, Beacon Bards features the Pacific Northwest's top writers sharing their latest works, with an audience filled with yet more amazing writers. Think 1920's Paris, 1960's San Francisco, and now 2010's Seattle. (The weather was so nice, we turned the evening into a Midsummer Night's Dream, or at least a sweet summer soiree on the back patio!)

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Friends of the Orcas Island Library Annual Workshop - Making Metaphor

June 14, 2014, 9 am to 3 pm
Eastsound, WA
Every year the Friends of the Orcas Island Library underwrite a writing workshop that is free and open to the public for the first people who register. Past teachers have included Linda Bierds, Alice Derry, and Carolyne Wright. I'm delighted to join their ranks.
500 Rose Street Eastsound, WA 98245

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Doctor, doctor, give me the news

May 9, 2014
Lincoln, NE
Graduation Day
Five years of intense study has come to a close. Can't wait to dive into the books I choose to read!

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Indigo Bridge Books

May 8, 2014, 7 pm
Lincoln, NE
Indigo Bridge Bookstore
Writers Nima Kian, Adrian Gibbons Koesters, Jack Hill, Margaret Lukas, and Marjorie Saiser celebrate the release of the second anthology in the Being: What Makes You series from the University of Nebraska Gender Programs with readings from the Becoming: What Makes a Woman and Being: What Makes a Man. With hors d'oeuvres and much merry-making. Introductions by series editor Jill McCabe Johnson.

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Diary of the One Swelling Sea: An Ekphrastic Collaboration in Art, Music and Poetry

March 21 to May 16, 2014 -- Update: Due to popular demand, now extended one month into mid-June!
Opening Reception, March 20, 2014, 4-7 pm
Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College
Collegeville, PA
"In this interdisciplinary exhibit, visual artist Corinne Dushesne,  composer Garrett Hope, and poet Jill McCabe Johnson respond to one another’s work through insight, interpretation, and the inspiration of new works to create a multi-layered experience of image, language and music."

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American Men's Studies Association Conference

March 29, 2014, 1:30pm
Tacoma, WA
American Men's Studies Association Conference
Reading from the anthology Being: What Makes a Man with Allen Braden, James Allen Gill, Jack Hill, and Jason Skipper. Introduction from Janice Deeds, Ph.D.
This year's conference theme is: “Considering Culture: Masculinities in International and Regional Contexts.”

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AWP 2014 Book-Signing

February 26 - March 1, 2014
Seattle, WA
Book-signing of Diary of the One Swelling Sea at the MoonPath Press / Concrete Wolf table at the AWP Bookfair (table G-1), Friday, February 28, 1:30 pm.
Book-signing of Becoming: What Makes a Woman with Tina Schumann, author of the poetry collection As If, at the Rainier Writing Workshop booth, Saturday, March 1, 11:00 am.

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Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Guest Faculty

January 11-12, 2014
Whidbey Island, WA
Facilitating sessions on...
The Writer as Curator: Editing an Anthology
Dedicated Time and Space: Making the Most of an Artist Residency.
Reading Saturday, January 11, 7:00 pm.

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Indigo Bridge Books Reading

December 12, 2013, 7 pm
Lincoln, NE
Indigo Bridge Bookstore
Reading with poet Michelle Menting at Indigo Bridge Books in Lincoln's Historic Haymarket District.
Hor d'oeuvres and libations aplenty!

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University of Nebraska "no name" Reading Series

November 15, 2013, 4 pm
Lincoln, NE
Reading with poet Arden Eli Hill at Zen's Lounge.
122 N 11th Street
As a preview, check out this conversation between Arden and Jill about questions of personae, immersion, and writer displacement.

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Poets on Parade at the Auburn Avenue Theater

August 11, 2013
Auburn, WA
Auburn Avenue Theater
Reading at the annual Auburn Days along with featured MoonPath Press poets Marci Ameluxen, Jennifer Bullis, Laura LeHew, plus poets Elizabeth Colen and Malorie Spreen. Followed by an Open Mic Poetry Contest.

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Gray Skies Reading Series and Open Mic

April 18, 2013
Olympia, WA
Oly RockFish Grill
April is Poetry Month, and Gray Skies Reading Series has invited Jill to read from her poetry collection, Diary of the One Swelling Sea. Bring your own poetry and prose for one of the best open mics around. Some amazing talent in this fun and lively group.

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Writer Island weekend writing retreat on Orcas Island - Sorry, sold out!

April 5-7, 2013
Orcas Island, WA
Kangaroo House Bed & Breakfast on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands
Rejuvenate yourself and your writing with a weekend immersed in nature on beautiful Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. Explore the seaside and mountain trails with poets Martha Silano and Jill McCabe Johnson while you write likepleine-aire artists under a canopy of trees or along the shore. The weekend retreat is designed to generate new work inspired by nature and drawn from your deeper psyche as you relax into the rhythms of nature. Learn more here.

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AWP 2013 Reading from Becoming: What Makes a Woman

Friday, March 8, 2013, 3 PM
Boston, MA
2013 AWP Conference & Bookfair
Hynes Convention Center
International Women's Day Reading from Becoming: What Makes a Woman

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Diary of the One Swelling Sea Book-Signing hosted by Terrain.org at AWP 2013

March 7, 2013
Boston, MA
2013 AWP Conference & Bookfair
Hynes Convention Center
Editor Simmons Buntin and Terrain.org will host a book signing of Diary of the One Swelling Sea at the AWP bookfair.

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Poetry Reading and Marine Science Lecture at Darvill's Bookstore

March 2, 2013
Eastsound, WA
Darvill's Bookstore
Darvill's Bookstore is hosting this special event combining poetry and science as Jill reads from her new poetry collection, Diary of the One Swelling Sea, followed by a talk from Joe Gaydos, SeaDoc Society's Chief Scientist, with an overview of what's happening with ocean conservation in our own backyard, and why loving the sea is the foundation for sea conservation.

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Gray Skies Reading Series reading from Becoming: What Makes a Woman

October, 2012
Olympia, WA
Gray Skies Reading Series
Join authors Jennifer Brennock, Kay Mullen, and Jenelle Tabor, and editor Jill McCabe Johnson as they share essays and poems from the anthology, Becoming: What Makes a Woman.

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UW Bookstore Floating Bridge Review Reading with Alice Derry & Michael Spence

Monday, November 19, 2012, 7pm
Seattle, WA
University of Washington Bookstore
Jill joins poets Alice Derry and Michael Spence for a special reading hosted by Floating Bridge Review.
4326 University Way Seattle, WA

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