Poetry in motion

After years dominated by virtual events, Manzanita’s Hoffman Center for the Arts is creating some verse-tual entertainment for July with a town-wide poetry walk. The event will see 15 poems by local poets celebrating summer at the coast placed along nine blocks of Laneda Avenue, between the Visitor’s Center and the architecturally beautiful Columbia Bank building.

The Hoffman Center has set a goal to retire the final debt on the building that is the site of the gallery, writing workshops, art and ceramics classes and the Wonder Garden. All of the poems, on artfully framed, 18x24 water-resistant posters, will be raffled for $10 per ticket to help the center get closer to making its goal a reality.

Winners will be selected Aug. 1.

Poets include Connie Soper, author of “Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail,” and whose first book of poetry, “A Story Interrupted” will be released in September, and Carey Taylor, author of “The Lure of Impermanence” and winner of the 2022 Neahkahnie Mountain Poetry Prize.

A printed walking map of locations will be available at the Visitor’s Center and at the Hoffman Center.

Raffle tickets can be purchased at the Hoffman Center Art Gallery.

The Hoffman Center is located at 594 Laneda Avenue in Manzanita and is open Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 5 pm. For more information go to hoffmanarts.org or call 503-368-3846.

Poetry Reading Circuit

Saturday, July 9.

Seven of the featured poets will read their poems, along with a short selection of other work, at their poem locations.

Readings will occur every 30 minutes from 10:30 am to 2 pm.