The forecast says the sun will be shining, so catch us outside with our CC Book Bike. Our mobile little free library will have free books for all ages, with loads of genres to select from.

Literary Info Fair, Featured Poetry Reading & Open Mic! (open to EVERYONE! UWT community, Tacoma community, South Sound community; come one, come all!)

- Poetry fair featuring the musical stylings of DJ Yaya-Sol and Tacoma Literary Community partners such as Blue Cactus Press, King's Books, Creative Colloquy, and more!

- Featured reading & Q&A with amazing Washington State Poets Paul Hlava Ceballos & Laura Da'

- Ending with a community Open Mic

Creative Colloquy lures readers and writers out of hiding to connect and conspire. Bring your own short stories, novel excerpts, essays and poems to share or come for adult story time.

This month festivities are taking place at The New Frontier Lounge (301 E. 25th St) Please note this venue is 21+.

Featured Readers Include:
Celeste Schueler,
Tim Haywood,
Robert Lashley,
& more to be announced...

Come early to sign up for our open mic and please keep in mind open mic allows writers 5 minutes of stage time when choosing your piece. This time limit is firm to allow everyone an opportunity.Poetry, Essays, Short Stories. All are welcome.

This month we’re celebrating a momentous milestone — 10 years of CC!

Join us for a celebratory evening with readings, drinks, music and a raffle for rad swag and prizes at McMenamin’s Elks Temple Spanish Ballroom!

Raffle tickets will be $1 a piece or 25 for $20 with proceeds benefitting future programming at Creative Colloquy.

Our featured readers include:Jonny EberleCat MelaunieMiel MacRae&Christian Carvajal

PLUS Special Guest Performances by Tacoma Poet Laureate Christian Paige & Sparkle Stunts from Cheer TacomaAND special musical guest Kim Archer!

Dive into an ocean of inspiration, as we come together to celebrate our shared mission of protecting and restoring our precious natural resources. The Ground to Sound Film Fest is a call to arms by the City of Tacoma for the health of our neighborhoods, our marine ecosystems, and Tacoma’s future.

We believe everything we do supports healthy neighborhoods and a thriving Puget Sound, leaving a better Tacoma for all. 

We invite you to a family-friendly evening of oceanic art and inspiration! March 1st 6pm - 9pm 
Hear from keynote speaker Dean Burke, CEO of Travel Tacoma 
View award-winning film submissions 
Enjoy curated poetry readings by Creative Colloquy 
Peruse themed photography by the Tacoma Photo Center/Club Partake in hands-on art activities with The Anxious Tomato and Foss Waterway Seaport+ MORE!

💜 Sponsored by UWT Sustainability Committee

Experience the South Sound's Vibrant Literary Arts Community!

Writing Epistolary Poems Workshop with Christina Vega 10 - 11:30 am

Artist Talk with Erik Fremstad 11:30 am - 12 pm

Erik Fremstad will offer a talk about his exhibit, Unnatural Selection, on view in the Wagner House Gallery

2024 Poetry Contest Winners Reading 1:30 - 4 pm

Selected poets will share their work, followed by a Q&A session.

Plus, an open mic session for all attendees will round out the day!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Please note: The Living tapRoom is 21+ and is a self serve taproom offering a variety of beer, wine, kombucha and NA beverages. There is no food in house but you can bring outside food!

Featured Readers:
Nick Stokes
Peter Pendras
& More to Be Announced

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Kick off a new year of writing and sharing stories with us!

Creative Colloquy lures readers and writers out of hiding to connect and conspire. Bring your own short stories, novel excerpts, essays and poems to share or come for adult story time.

This month we're gathering at The Living tapRoom (2101 S. C Street), Tacoma's newest self-serve taproom for craft beer, wine, ciders and kombucha! (Outside drink is not allowed but outside food IS allowed -- hot tip, Camp Colvos is RIGHT around the corner!) Please note this venue is 21+. Apologies for any of our younger readers.

Featured Readers Include:
Dawn Ellis & Steve Tarry
& more to be announced!

Fill your heart with warmth and your soul with peace at Lakewold Gardens’ Winter Solstice Festival!

The Winter Solstice (or Midwinter) marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, bringing with it the promise of increased sunlight in the days ahead. It is a time to embrace the darkness, connect with nature and honor the changing of the seasons as a reminder that every ending is also a new beginning.

Create a luminary and take a walk through the darkened winter garden; view quilts inspired by the theme of light in the Coming to Light exhibit; listen to dramatic readings of solstice-themed poems and short stories by Creative Colloquy and enjoy warm beverages, snacks and wine.

Creative Colloquy lures readers and writers out of hiding, to connect and conspire.

Our 9th annual print publication features short stories and poems penned by South Sound wordsmiths, paired with art crafted by Tacoma artists inspired by the story!

Please note, there will be no open mic this month. It will be an evening to celebrate the anthology and connect. You can anticipate to hear a sampling of the stories within, writerly banter and live music!

Featured Readers Include:

Shaun A. McMichael
Jonny Eberle
Emilie Rommel Shimkus
& MORE!

Copies will be available for purchase for $20 a piece. Come celebrate these amazing storytellers with us!

Fill your heart with warmth and your soul with peace at Lakewold Gardens’ Winter Solstice Festival!

The Winter Solstice (or Midwinter) marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, bringing with it the promise of increased sunlight in the days ahead. It is a time to embrace the darkness, connect with nature and honor the changing of the seasons as a reminder that every ending is also a new beginning.

Create a luminary and take a walk through the darkened winter garden; view quilts inspired by the theme of light in the Coming to Light exhibit; listen to dramatic readings of solstice-themed poems and short stories by Creative Colloquy and enjoy warm beverages, snacks and wine.

The following is a community event and not sponsored or facilitated by CC.

What: A NaNoWriMo study hall that focuses on the details. Bring a single sentence from your current work that vividly describes a character, setting or situation. We'll spend 15-30 minutes talking about how to choose the right details for your purposes and what it is we're trying to describe, and then we'll write silently, with occasional check-ins for motivation.

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Details to follow…

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Details to follow…

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

The following event is a community hosted event and not sponsored or facilitated by CC.

What: A NaNoWriMo study hall all about the main character of your current project. Who are you writing about? How are you introducing them to your readers? Why this character? We’ll spend 15-30 minutes talking about our characters and what we’re putting them through, and then we’ll write silently, with occasional check-ins for motivation.

Join Japanese American authors Susan Ito and Tamiko Nimura as they read from their books and talk about the rewards and challenges of writing about family. We’ll be celebrating the November 4 publication of Susan’s memoir I WOULD MEET YOU ANYWHERE (Ohio State University Press). Tamiko will be reading from her family memoir in progress. Hosted by King’s Books and sponsored by Creative Colloquy. Join us for conversation, light refreshments, and special giveaways.

Sponsor: University of Washington Tacoma Library

Bookseller partners: King's Books, Parable

Tacoma Reads 2023 invites the community to explore the theme of Home: Housing Insecurity in our Community through reading common titles and attending themed events for all ages.

Join Tacoma Public Library and host City of Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards for a conversation with child welfare advocate and author David Ambroz. Ambroz’s book, A Place Called Home: A Memoir was chosen as the main Tacoma Reads title.

Please register to attend: https://tacoma.bibliocommons.com/.../64c82269c0db8d2800c9...

Learn more about Tacoma Reads: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/tacomareads

Join City, County, community leaders, and your neighbors for a half-day community discussion about our those experiencing homelessness. Conversations on how we address homelessness can be difficult and polarizing, and we have yet to see a clear path forward to eliminate homelessness in our Country. However, engaging conversations with diverse viewpoints is vital to solving the issue together and ensure we are treating our neighbors as individuals and not getting lost in the data and rhetoric.

This event will include a resource fair highlighting the organizations and leaders working every day to address homelessness, and a panel discussion focused on how we focus on compassionate solutions that balance the many needs of our community. Following the panel discussion attendees will have the opportunity to have intimate conversations with residents of diverse viewpoints in small gatherings, and jointly create a call to action for our community.

Learn more about Tacoma Reads: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/tacomareads

Come one, come all, for something truly haunting. Join Creative Colloquy as we get into the mood this spooky season and present Creepy Colloquy at Lakewold Gardens for their All Hallow's Eve Celebration. We’ll have scary stories for all!

Event partner: Tacoma Arts Live

Tacoma Reads: Little Literary Fest returns for a day of art, performance, workshops, and more!

In 2023, we'll explore the theme of Home: Housing Insecurity in our Community.

Look forward to:

A special welcome from Mayor WoodardsA Family Storytime with Tonya Lippert, author of HOME, and Tacoma Arts Live Teaching Artist Sabian PleasantAll-ages activities from Tacoma Art Museum, local artist Stephanie Wood, and Write253Performances by Vision Step Team and Tacoma Refugee Choir

Learn more about Tacoma Reads: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/tacomareads

An open mic hosted in partnership with Write253, Tacoma Reads... Aloud! is an opportunity for teens and young adults to share their work and help us celebrate Tacoma Reads. Teens and young adults are welcome to come share their work. You can sign up the at the event. Hosted by Devin Williams from Write253.

We’ll be focusing on the themes of home and belonging inspired by Tacoma Reads title “Genesis Begins Again” by Alicia D. Williams. Bring a short poem to read or just come to enjoy and be inspired.

Learn more about Tacoma Reads: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/tacomareads

We’re coming back to the Crawl in person! Check out details as they form on our Creative Colloquy Crawl Page!

A huge thank you to our community collaborators and venues: Tacoma Venues & Events, King’s Books, Doyle’s Public House, Blue Rose Bar, The Mill by J + A, Union Club, Collateral Journal, A Gathering of Poets and MORE tba!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Featured Readers Include:
Mateo Acuña
Trevor White
Helen Rowe

Bring your own short stories, novel excerpts, essays and poems to share. Please keep in mind open mic allows for up to 5 minutes of sharing — this time limit is firm to allow an opportunity for all.

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

In conjunction with the Tacoma Reads book A Place Called Home: a memoir by David Ambroz, Building Bridges will facilitate a panel and community conversation about homelessness in Tacoma. The panel will feature local advocates Richard Dorsett, Theresa Power-Drutis and Jay Worley who will share their experiences working with Tacoma's unhoused community.

Following the panel, the speakers will take questions from the audience. Join us at Parable and be part of the conversation!

Learn more about Tacoma Reads: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/tacomareads

Join Tacoma Art Museum as we explore artwork centered around the Tacoma Reads children's title, Home by Tonya Lippert and the theme of housing insecurity. Afterwards we will create collages of a tiny village using foam stickers, repurposed metallic paper, tissue papers, and multicolored construction papers.

Learn more about Tacoma Reads: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/tacomareads

Event partner: Tacoma Arts Live

Tacoma Reads: Little Literary Fest returns for a day of art, performance, workshops, and more!

In 2023, we'll explore the theme of Home: Housing Insecurity in our Community.

Look forward to:

A special welcome from Mayor Woodards

A Family Storytime with Tonya Lippert, author of HOME, and Tacoma Arts Live Teaching Artist Sabian Pleasant

All-ages activities from Tacoma Art Museum, local artist Stephanie Wood, and Write253

Performances by Vision Step Team and Tacoma Refugee Choir

Learn more about Tacoma Reads: https://www.tacomalibrary.org/tacomareads

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Details to follow…

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Details to follow…

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Join us every third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. for our regular literary reading and open mic gathering.

Details to follow…

Poetry, Essays, Short Stories- all are welcome!

Stories matter. The act of sharing a story at its core is how we as a species connect. There’s an alchemy that results from what happens when we listen to other’s share a life experience and in this case, hearing tales from our friends and neighbors who have served is beneficial for all, it allows us a glimpse into what serving your country can mean and unveil the unique and compelling journey experienced by our service members. In turn, the process of telling stories can be therapeutic and cathartic.

We invite, veterans, active duty military members and families to share space and stories. This is a ticketed event with proceeds benefitting NA2EVS.