The Poetry Box LIVE – October Edition!

Saturday, Oct 8, 2022 @ 4:00 PM (Pacific) / 3:00 Pm (Alaskan) / 7:00 PM (Eastern)

Featured Poets:

• Lauri Cruver Cherian (Washington/Texas), author of POEMS OF THE POINT
• Peter Kaufmann (Alaska), author of THE ROUND WHISPER OF NO MOON
• Leanne Grabel (Oregon), author of MY HUSBAND’S EYEBROWS

Enjoy a Video from the Show:

ABOUT THE POETS 

Lauri Cruver Cherian is a Washington State native raised in Gig Harbor on a beautiful piece of beachfront property. She awoke each morning to the cry of the seagulls and the view of the bay in her front yard, which was glorious in rain or shine. Her childhood memories are rich with singing around the bonfire, boat trips with her dad, fishing and clam digging, paddle boarding in Wollochet Bay, and watching for sea lions and orcas that would often swim past her house.

Lauri has lived on the South Texas Coast for three decades. She holds a Master’s degree in Language Acquisition Education from the University of Houston and a Bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Education from Washington State University. Lauri has taught English as a Second Language for children and adults for twenty-five years and is a teacher trainer, consultant, and a workshop leader in adult ESL. She is the recipient of several teacher of the year awards including District Bilingual Teacher of the Year in Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston. (You can visit her website at https://lessonswithlauri.com for more information.)

Besides returning to the beach when she gets the chance, Lauri enjoys acting in community theater, singing, and playing the piano, traveling, and writing short stories and poetry. Her poem “Courage” dedicated to healthcare workers during the pandemic, won honorable mention in the Texas Mental Health Creative Arts Contest in 2021. Lauri and her husband have three adventuresome adult children.

You can order Lauri’s new book HERE

In 1973 Peter Kaufmann left California with his girlfriend to go to Alaska for the summer. Fifty years later they are still there. In Alaska he has worn the hats of a biologist, builder, salmon fisherman and improv teacher and performer. In 1997, in need of change, he volunteered to teach in Viet Nam for one year. That year grew into 20 years. Spending summers in Alaska and three seasons living and working in Asia, he helped communities voice their stories through drama, film, radio, television, and museum exhibitions. He was blessed to work with widely varied populations, including people living with HIV/Aids, sex workers, disabled youth, government officials, museum and television professionals and Buddhist monks. Peter’s poetry draws from both wild Alaska and urban Asia.  His poems have placed in a statewide contest in Alaska, appeared in Cirque magazine, and twice been chosen for National Poetry Month. Peter’s work has been used to introduce non-profit meetings and scored with original music.

You can order Peter’s new book HERE

Leanne Grabel is a writer, illustrator, and performer in love with mixing genres. Her first collaboration was with a bongo player and sax player in the mid-70s and her most recent collaborations were with filmmaker Penny Allen and dancer/choreographer Gregg Bielemeier. She has written & produced numerous multi-media shows, including “The Lighter Side of Chronic Depression” and “Anger: The Musical.” Grabel’s graphic novel, Brontosaurus Illustrated, recently serialized in The Opiate, was published by The Opiate Books in 2022. Grabel is the 2020 recipient of the Bread & Roses Award for contributions to women’s literature in the Pacific Northwest. She and her husband started and ran Cafe Lena, a poetry hub and restaurant, throughout the 90s. Grabel is a retired special education teacher, the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of two nubbins, Ophelia and Elliot.

You can order Leanne’s new book HERE

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