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Burl E.

Battersby

Welcome to Be! Eugene Be! Creative 

Life long artist & author of poetry collections, including Wild Rose: & Other Poems Sung by the Window.

For my entire life I have known that I was an artist and a writer; I could never deny the truth to myself or to others, but I lived a dual life.  It took many years for my passion & my skill to be brought together -  for me to decide that I had to follow my dream no matter what & no matter where it would lead me. 

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The breakthrough in my life started with sobriety. Although I had been involved in the literary arts scene since first moving here, it was during the pandemic when I began thinking of ways that I could help nurture the already vibrant community of writers in Tacoma.

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Thus began the journey which eventually led to the Voices of Tacoma: A Gathering of Poets.

Burl Battersby at Lakewold Gardens reading his poetry

Photo by Jackie Casella

Upcoming Events

Voices of Tacoma: A Gathering of Poets hosts community events supporting literary arts. See the calendar or click the button to see more.

A stylized image of a Chinese lamp taken in Tacoma's International District
  • Tacoma Wayzgoose - Sweet & Salty
    Fri, May 03
    Moore Library
    May 03, 2024, 11:00 AM – May 04, 2024, 4:00 PM
    Moore Library, 215 S 56th St, Tacoma, WA 98408, USA
    May 03, 2024, 11:00 AM – May 04, 2024, 4:00 PM
    Moore Library, 215 S 56th St, Tacoma, WA 98408, USA
    Tacoma Wayzgoose, the annual celebration of printmaking and book arts, returns to Moore Library!
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  • Multiple Dates
    Creative Colloquy Open Mic and Literary Reading
    Mon, May 20
    Tacoma
    May 20, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Tacoma, Tacoma, WA, USA
    May 20, 2024, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
    Tacoma, Tacoma, WA, USA
    Brought to you by Creative Colloquy
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Christina Vega, Poet | Publisher

“Wild Rose is truly a lovely ode - beautifully done. I really like how B. Eugene B. let himself create multiple iterations of the poem, focusing on different aspects of his mother's life and memory.”  
Mt. Rainier, photo taken from Sounder Train, between Sumner and Puyallup

Land acknowledgment

ʔuk’ʷədiitəb ʔuhigʷətəb čəɫ txʷəl tiiɫ ʔa čəɫ ʔal tə swatxʷixʷtxʷəd ʔə tiiɫ puyaləpabš dxʷəsɫaɫlils gʷəl ʔutxʷəlšucidəbs həlgʷəʔ.
 

We gratefully acknowledge that we rest on the traditional lands of the Puyallup People where they make their home and speak the Lushootseed language.

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