State poet laureate to visit Soap Lake, Ephrata

SOAP LAKE — Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall will present readings of his works Thursday at the Soap Lake and Ephrata public libraries. Marshall will be reading his poems at 2 p.m. in Soap Lake and 7 p.m. in Ephrata.

The Soap Lake library is at 32 East Main St.; the Ephrata library is at 45 Northwest Alder St. Admission is free.

The poetry readings are among the cultural events sponsored by the North Central Regional Library in December. The Book-it Repertory Theatre will visit Ephrata and Moses Lake Dec. 19.

Marshall is a humanities professor at Gonzaga University and was appointed state poet laureate for 2016-18. The poet laureate works “to build awareness and appreciation of poetry, including the state’s heritage of poetry, through public readings, workshops, lectures and presentations in communities throughout the state,” according to the poet laureate’s website.

On the website, Marshall said he is a first-generation college student, and was skeptical of the arts at first. Over time he came to appreciate the power of the arts to impact lives, he said.

Marshall has a master’s degree from Eastern Washington University and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. His 2014 collection “Bugle” won the 2015 Washington State Book Award. He’s the author of two previous poetry collections and a collection of interviews with contemporary poets.

The theater company will present a dramatization of the book “Last Stop on Market Street” at 2 p.m. in Ephrata and at 6:30 p.m. in Moses Lake, both on Dec. 19. Admission is free.

The book, by Mark de la Pena, won the Newbery and Caldecott medals, the first for children’s literature, the second for illustration.

The company appeared throughout the NCRL system last summer, including appearances in Moses Lake and Ephrata. For its educational series, the company adapts children’s books into plays. It’s a regular play, just like the company would perform on stage, but adapted for unusual spaces like libraries and classrooms. The company provides scenery and costumes.

The company’s touring performances are stripped down to essential theater. At the April performance in Moses Lake, costume changes were in front of the backdrop, all props were in boxes used as scenery and actors did their own sound effects.

“Last Stop on Market Street” tells the story of a boy and his travels with his grandmother. At first JC resents riding on the bus, instead of a car like other families. But over time his grandmother leads him to see the good things in his life.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.