In Memory of Crysta Casey, 1952-2008

The Sane and the Insane

My thoughts are more exciting
when I'm not on meds.
On medication, I think
of vacuuming the carpet
to get rid of any bugs
Bonnie may have left
when she curled into a fetal position
on the rug last Sunday.

At three a.m. she lit
three cigarettes at the same time,
put them in the ashtray
and watched them burn.
Said, "Kaw, globble,"
so I called 911. The medics were nice
when they took her to the hospital.
She put on her boots
without socks, did not lace them--
I had to give a poetry reading
the next night. "Don't rock,"
I reminded myself, "that's a dead giveaway."
I think it was Robert Graves who wrote
in The White Godess, "The difference
between the insane and poets
is that poets write it down."

Crysta Casey
Pontoon 10

Crysta, we will miss you.

Two Readings in June

To celebrate the publication of Floating Bridge Review, we are hosting an inaugural reading on Tuesday, June 24, 7:00 pm at Richard Hugo House, 1634 Eleventh Ave., Seattle, Wash. 98122

The reading will include contributors:
Timothy Kelly
Molly Tenenbaum
Nancy Pagh
Cody Walker
Marjorie Manwaring
Allen Braden

Please join us for an evening of poetry, refreshments, and conversation. It promises to be an excellent celebration.


Then, Wednesday, June 25 at 7:00, join us for a gala reading to celebrate Pontoon 10 at Jack Straw Studios, 4261 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle, WA 98105
with contributors:
Felicia Gonzalez
Rosanne Olson
David Rea
Anita Feng
Erin Malone
Meremy Halinen
Marjorie Manwaring
Gabrielle Dean
Laurie Blauner
Holly Hughes
Cora Goss-Grubbs
Bethany Reid
Natasha Moni
Holly Thomas
Ann Spiers
Jeremy Voigt
John Sangster
Patrick Forgette
Elizabeth Myhr


We hope you can come--this will be an excellent sampling of Washington State poetry.

Both readings are free.

Our New Literary Annual--Floating Bridge Review

Floating Bridge Press is delighted to announce publication of the inaugural issue of a new annual magazine, Floating Bridge Review.

Floating Bridge Review will include Pontoon, our annual review of Washington State poets, as well as a new and changing feature section. This year, we are presenting work by six important Washington State poets with books recently published or forthcoming: Allen Braden, Timothy Kelly, Marjorie Manwaring, Molly Tenenbaum, Nance Van Winckel, and Cody Walker. All six poets are former winners or finalists of the Floating Bridge Press Chapbook Award. All six are presented in depth.

Part Two includes poems by a variety of new and emerging poets who were part of our chapbook competition this year. Contributors include winner Nancy Pagh, Mark Halperin, Joan Fiset, Katharine Whitcomb, and many others.