THOM CARAWAY – Poet Extraordinaire –
© Marshall E. Peterson Jr.
Bio: Thom Caraway was named Spokane’s first poet laureate in October 2013, and is now closing out his term. Since then, he’s created Verbatim, a collaborative event featuring writers and visual artists, edited Railtown Almanac, a Spokane poetry anthology, and read poems anywhere people wanted him to read poems (and probably even in places that people didn’t want him to read poems). He’s honored to have had the chance to serve Spokane as its laureate. He teaches English, editing, and book design at Whitworth University, and lives in West Central.
Talk to us a bit about community, about yourself as an artist, and about PorchFest, please…
Marshall asked me about it last year, and it sounded like an interesting, new kind of reading, that gets art out in public, right on people’s porches! It remains an awesome idea and a fun event. Any time you can get people out of their houses and into each other’s yards to experience art, good things can happen.
2-What is “community”? How do we build it?
Community is when people come together, despite potential ideological differences, to accomplish things that benefit the larger population. Sometimes community develops around commonalities (poetry, music, ice cream). It doesn’t always happen naturally though, in fact, it rarely does. We are a self-interested people. We come together to eat sometimes (Pig Out) or to see things (Interstate Fair, concerts, sporting events) but in those instances, people still keep to themselves. Sometimes interactions have to be initiated, even artificially, to get people to really listen to each other, find common ground, and act toward greater purpose.
3-What do you hope to accomplish at PorchFest? What do you want to help PorchFest accomplish?
What I hope at every reading I’m in: That someone hears something they didn’t expect that changes the way they think about poetry. That someone who wasn’t sure about coming to a reading is glad they came.
4-What have you done to build community? What else would you like to do?
I’ve tried to create opportunities for people to interact. A show like Verbatim randomly pairs artists and writers, and results are so much bigger than something the individuals might have done on their own. Most of my community-building has been in literary circles, as that’s where I might have the most to offer, either by editing a magazine or publishing books, teaching others to do those things, hosting readings, or helping create community spaces where people can come together to make things.
5-Why should people come to PorchFest?
It’s on people’s porches! There’s nothing better than a good porch. Meet neighbors, meet new people, hear really good work you didn’t know about before. Also: Porches!