Reading Local Seattle

Local Poet and Bus Driver Michael Spence reads at King’s Books Friday, January 8th.

{ Michael Spence, 01/8, King's Books }

Nationally acclaimed for his profound poetry and locally appreciated as a King County Metro Transit bus driver, Michael Spence will be reading his work at King’s Bookstore (218 St. Helens Ave, Tacoma) on Friday, January 8 at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. There is an open mic to follow Spence, so poets are encouraged to come read a poem or two.

Michael Spence earned his B.A. in English from the University of Washington. Upon graduation he served for four years as a naval officer aboard the USS John F. Kennedy. Shortly afterward Michael began working locally as a Metro bus driver. He has been driving public-transit buses in the Seattle area for the past twenty-five years.

When asked how a Pacific Northwest poet can ‘Keep Clam’ as they endure Seattle’s driving rain by bus or navigate tons of transit steel and sets of wheels through ever-present urban gridlock, Spence offers his riders Zen-like patience and clever metaphor:

As for having nerves of steel to drive a bus, it seems in my case at least that rhinoceros hide is more of a prerequisite—I try to ignore a fair amount of malarkey in order to concentrate on driving safely”,  said Spence. “One arguably good thing about the job is that it gives me material for writing poems. In fact, I’ve had several bus-driving poems published, and I had another one accepted at the beginning of this month by The New Criterion.

You can find his new bus poem, “Home for the Holidays”, at The New Criterion.

Spence’s poems have appeared recently in The Hopkins Review, The North American Review, Shenandoah, and The Southern Review. New work is forthcoming in The Chariton Review, The Sewanee Review, and Tar River Poetry. In 1990, he was awarded a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Currently Spence resides in the wilds of Tukwila with his wife, writer, and teacher, Sharon Hashimoto. Invited by the Puget Sound Poetry Connection (PSPC) to appear as a featured poet for their monthly Distinguished Writer Series for January, Spence will be sharing new poems from his latest book entitled: Crush Depth, published by Truman State University Press.

The Puget Sound Poetry Connection provides information about readings, workshops, lit events, and publication opportunites in the South Sound.

Author: Tammy Robacker

Tammy Robacker is a poet, freelance writer, and volunteer actively involved in Washington State's South Sound writing community. She studied Creative Writing and Poetry at The Evergreen State College in Olympia and graduated with a B.A. degree. In 2009, she published her first book of poetry, titled: The Vicissitudes. Also, she co-edited a Tacoma poetry anthology, with former Urban Grace Poet Laureate of Tacoma, Bill Kupinse, titled: In Tahoma's Shadow: Poems from the City of Destiny. Her poetry has appeared in Plazm, Floating Bridge Review: Pontoon, Wild Goose Poetry Review, Word Salad, Pens on Fire, and the Allegheny Review. Tammy Robacker's poetry manuscript, We Ate Our Mothers, Girls, was selected as a finalist in the 2009 Floating Bridge Press chapbook contest in Seattle, WA.

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