Arts Briefs for July 17, 2017

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Writers’ Workshoppe and Imprint Books sold

The Writers’ Workshoppe and Imprint Books, located at 820 Water Street, is changing hands. Anna and Peter Quinn announced the sale of the business on July 11. Samantha Ladwig and Thom Neinow will officially take ownership on October 1, 2019. Ladwig is a writer and teacher at the Writers’ Workshoppe and bookseller at Imprint Books.

Coyle Concerts

Jaspar and her husband Kale Lepak will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 20 during the “Concerts in the Woods,” series at the Laurel B. Johnson Community Center, 923 Hazel Point Road, in Coyle.

Jaspar Lepak is a folk/Americana songwriter and poet. A child of the Sonoran Desert, her songs are deeply influenced by the many places she has called home including Tucson, Minneapolis, Durban and Seattle, according to a news release.

“This will be the fourth appearance of Jaspar and her husband Kale Lepak in Coyle,” said Norm Johnson, series founder and organizer. “Every time I hear her music I am reminded why I keep inviting her back for more. Jaspar has a beautiful voice and writes lyrics that contain equally beautiful storytelling. Her concerts leave you with a warm, comfortable feeling of music done right.”

Entry to the all-ages show is by donation.

Complimentary cookies and coffee will be served at intermission.

For more, call 360-765-3449.

Olympic Peninsula in Bloom

Finnriver Cider Garden, Cidery Taproom & Orchard, 124 Center Road, Chimacum, will host the inaugural Olympic Peninsula in Bloom at both the cidery and Wilderbee Farm, 223 Cook Ave. in Port Townsend on July 20 and 21.

With the annual lavender festival underway in neighboring Sequim, the Peninsula in Bloom event offers another stop on the journey to the blossoming fields of this region. Meet the farmers who brighten the Peninsula with the beauty they cultivate through flowers including Lexi Koch of Flourish and Lacey Allred of Sweet Seed Flowers, who will be talking about flower farming and the healing properties of flowers.

There will be flower crown and boutonniere creation for flower lovers and walking tours of Essential Bloom’s sweet pea field at Finnriver Farm and the lavender fields at Wilderbee Farm. Organic Seed Alliance is participating in a talk on seed saving and pollinators, and professor Wes Cecil will give a talk called “Cultivating Beauty, the Other Agricultural Revolution” which will cover the origins, purpose and ongoing significance of flowers and the quest for natural beauty as a key component of the history of civilization.

The event at Wilderbee Farm is 10 a.m.-5 p.m. July 20, with the event at Finnriver from noon-5 p.m. July 21.

Centrum announces new writing program

George Marie, of Port Townsend, has been selected as the next program manager for writing at Centrum, effective this month, according to a news release.

Marie has served as a development associate at Centrum since 2017.

According to Centrum Executive Director Robert Birman, outgoing manager Jordan Hartt has led Centrum’s writing programs skillfully since 2006 and is settling in Olympia to raise his family. Marie will work with Hartt in support of this year’s Port Townsend Writers’ Conference, July 14-21 at Centrum.

“Following a national search for our new program manager, all of us at Centrum are excited to welcome George Marie into this new role,” Birman said. “Our panel of interviewers was uniformly impressed by her vision and creativity in articulating ways to build upon the legacy of our writing programs in a way that ensures they will remain true to our culture, at the forefront of the writing scene in the Northwest, and responsive to our changing times.”

Marie moved to Port Townsend in 2014, having worked on the design and development staff for Bedouin Books in Portland, Oregon, and as a program consultant for the Write Now Poetry Society, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing poetry to the mainstream.

“I feel I am being entrusted with something ... remarkable and deeply important,” Marie said. “Centrum is a place where writers explore their craft with bravery and daring, a place where the spirit of each writer can be nurtured and thrive. I’m grateful to Jordan for his leadership of the program, his support and his enthusiasm for the community we serve, and for making it possible for me to carry it on.”