It all starts with one thing: words.
Your favorite songwriters are all, well, writers in some way, shape, or form: whether they pick up pens and pencils, scribble furiously in notebooks, tap away at keyboards or typewriters, borrow phrases that they repurpose, or speak into a tape recorder — they're wordsmiths. All (well, most) of them. And therefore, we find it fitting that we help get the word out about two benefits going on this weekend to help the next generation of writers and songster-ers of the Bent Writing Institute here in Seattle. There's two events you can choose from, depending on your speed — a night of spoken word at the Fremont Abbey on Friday, and a full-force Big Gay Dance Party at Chop Suey on Saturday. Here's some more details on both:
Friday night, the Fremont Abbey will be host to a night of true performance, with acclaimed poet and activist Andrea Gibson {along with Tara Hardy and members of Youth Speaks Seattle}. Hold on to your sighs, folks: this isn't just some kind of wannabe coffeshop redux full of mediocre poets with exaggerated inflection. Andrea Gibson is the Real Deal: she's touring behind her fifth album and second book, her work has been featured on the BBC, Air America, C-SPAN, and Free Speech TV; and in 2010 a piece of her work was read by a state representative in lieu of morning prayer at the Utah State Legislature. Short version: if you're going to hitch your wagon to a spoken word artist in your lifetime, she's the one. Tickets here, Facebook event page here.
Then, we've got Saturday's event, which'll be much less heavy on the heartstrings but just as fun to attend: LICK!, a monthly-ish dance party at Chop Suey, will be hosting a benefit for BENT, with real-live DJs, dancing, a holigay photobooth, and all kinds of fun stuff! Dress to impress, and don't forget some ca$h money for the tip jar! Proceeds from the night will be going right to the BENT folks. (And ps, if you get there while they last, a rad new 'zine is being released too.) More info at the Facebook event page here.
PS: It's five dollars, y'all. Come party for a good cause!
{You can get more info about BENT at their website here. Photo of Andrea Gibson courtesy of Maria Del Naja Photography.}