NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Jan. 1.
Four free poetry writing workshops, including two for youngsters, are set this month at the Port Angeles and Sequim libraries.
Now is the time to reserve a spot because space is limited in these sessions, which are designed to prepare people of all ages for the Rainshadow Poetry Competition.
The contest, open to Clallam and Jefferson county residents, has a deadline of 5 p.m. Jan. 22 for entries, so potential contestants are invited to visit rainshadowpoetry.com for guidelines.
To sign up for a workshop, contact organizer Ruth Marcus at 360-681-2205 or rmarcus@olypen.com.
Here’s the schedule for the free classes, which start next week.
■ Wednesday: Poet and Peninsula College professor Kate Reavey and professor emerita Alice Derry will give a generative poetry class for adults from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
This session is limited to 15.
■ Friday, Jan. 8: Sequim poet Carlyn Syvanen will host “How to Eat a Poem,” a writing workshop, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
“Don’t be polite,” Syvanen says. “Bite in.”
■ Saturday, Jan. 9: Retired teacher Donna Downes will give a poetry workshop for fifth- through eighth-grade students at the Port Angeles Library from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
■ Sunday, Jan. 10: Author and poet Gene Bradbury will host “Poetry Soccer: Play with Words,” another session for fifth- through eighth-graders.
In this workshop from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., he’ll guide young writers as they turn poetry into a game.
Participants in any of these workshops should bring paper and pencils — but no laptops or other electronic devices.
The Rainshadow Poetry Competition will culminate in a free, public poetry reading at 2 p.m. May 1 at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave. in Sequim, and the publication of the Rainshadow Poetry anthology of winning works.
‘Jane,’ opera in PT
PORT TOWNSEND — The National Theatre of London’s production of “Jane Eyre” will be beamed onto the screen at the Rose Theatre, 235 Taylor St., this month, along with performances by New York City’s Metropolitan Opera and the Bolshoi Ballet.
Tickets to these showings are available at rosetheatre.com, while more information can be had by phoning 360-385-1039.
“Jane Eyre” comes first, with showings at 11 a.m this Sunday and next Saturday, Jan. 9.
Tickets to this Charlotte Bronte classic about a woman’s fight for freedom and fulfillment are $20 general, $18 for seniors and $16 for children and students.
The production runs 210 minutes.
Then comes Bizet’s tale of lust and longing, “Les Pecheurs de Perles” (“The Pearl Fishers”) from the Metropolitan Opera at
9:55 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16.
Tickets are priced at $24 general, $22 for seniors and $16 for students and children.
This 175-minute production stars soprano Diana Damrau as Leila, the Hindu priestess pursued by rival pearl divers competing for her hand.
The Bolshoi Ballet’s “The Taming of the Shrew” follows at 1 p.m. Jan. 24.
Tickets go from $15 general and $14 for seniors to $12 for students and children.
The ballet is 135 minutes long.
Cha cha for all
PORT ANGELES — The Latin partner dance known as the cha-cha is the next style to be taught at the Sons of Norway hall, 131 W. Fifth St., starting this Tuesday.
Darlene and Michael Clemens will lead classes for beginners at 7 p.m. and advanced dancers at 8 p.m. each Tuesday through
Jan. 26.
The cost is $8 per person per class, while more information is available by phoning 360-457-2001 or emailing luvndancin14@yahoo.com.
‘Tech-Know-Logy’
PORT ANGELES — Free, one-on-one technology tutoring — for downloading free library books onto digital devices — is available at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., during two Wednesday evenings in January.
Expert library staff people are available for these “Tech-Know-Logy” sessions, each 30 minutes long, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. this coming Wednesday as well as Wednesday, Jan. 20.
Other appointment times are available by request, too.
Participants will learn how to keep their e-readers, smartphones or tablets full of library books downloaded at home or on vacation.
Numerous titles are available, from the Washington Anytime Library, 3M Cloud Library, Hoopla! and OneClickDigital, for Kindles, Nooks, Android tablets or smartphones, Apple devices, laptops and MP3 players.
If you’re considering whether to purchase an eReader or similar gadget, the technology tutors can also help figure out which one best suits your needs.
For more information about the program or to book a Tech-Know-Logy appointment, email ehelp@nols.org, phone 360-417-8500 or visit the North Olympic Library System at www.nols.org.
