Through any period of ideological upheaval, works of art abound across all mediums to protest and cry out against oppression, ignorance and bigotry. We’re living through one of those times, and a new poetry collection by Spokane poet Maya Jewell Zeller, titled Alchemy for Cells & Other Beasts, with stunning art by Seattle artist Carrie DeBacker, takes a powerful look into one of the most polarizing topics of our time: the politicization of women’s bodies. For the collection’s Spokane launch party, Zeller teams up with local musician and writer Liz Rognes to creatively express pieces from the collection. Its poems, many of which are titled with the thematic phrase structure a “spell for,” are neatly summarized for curious readers on its back cover: “This book sets out to discover meaning in this terrible, beautiful time — and suggests wonder is where we’ll find it: “the diagnosis is strong / for the wild & wind mills.”
Fri, Oct. 20 at 8 pm • Free • All-ages • The Bartlett • 228 W. Sprague • mayajewellzeller.com
— Chey Scott