Poetry Polar Bear Plunge, 2009

POETRY POLAR BEAR PLUNGE, 2nd Annual
Date: Saturday 12 December, 2009
Location: Green Lake (Seattle, WA)
Temperature: 29F
Organizer: The Poetess at Green Lake
Polar Bear Poets: Julie Jane, Noah Star Weaver, A. K. Allin, Clinton Bliss, Vanessa DeWolf, Dave Kuhns and Carissa Quisenberry
Not a Poet/Not a Polar Bear: Lydia Swartz
Friends: Mylinda Sneed, Beckett Arnold, Kate Freeman, Bond Aster
Photos & Media: John Cornicello, CityArts, MyGreenLake, Komo News

MORE GREAT IMAGES HERE
Noah and Julie Jane emerging from the lake
John Cornicello's Flickr page
Blue's Flickr page
MyGreenLake

Thanks to polar-poet Dave Kuhns for videotaping!


The Weather
It may look sunny, but it was cold, cold cold. There was a week-long arctic blast hitting the region. The low on Saturday was 23F and Green Lake was frozen at the edges. I couldn't feel my feet after the dip. Next year, booties for sure, and more poems, poems, poemS!!

Congratulations!
Congratulations to all the polar bears, poets, helper cubs and fans (you too Mr. Bear) who made this event spectacular! Thanks for being so bold and brave and high-spirited and for coming together to make a proud, loud statement for pOetry. I'm honored to be part of this community.

Oh yes, we DID!
On Saturday 12 December, seven brave pioneers ambled to Green Lake and stripped down to their poetry. Seven brave poets made a splaSh heard round the globe. What did it say? It said, "poetry matters."

Brave Poets
Twice as many poets were signed up to plunge this year, but then it grew cold, very veRy cold. Then came the frost. Puddles froze. Some poets fell sick. Others were smart and stayed in their dens. A few were held back by family members. Alas, when the day of reckoning arrived, the arctic air stayed on though it was predicted to go. Sun shone on the thin crust covering the lake. And the hair stood up on our skin. The we who were left gave our poetry up and broke the prose that day. WhooOO!!

Polar Poetry
I wrote a poem called "You Came out of the Twinkling Sky." Julie Jane and Noah each read part of an adorable rhyming poem. Clinton read a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. Vanessa wrote one called "Take Back My Alaska." Carissa sang "The Garden" by Shel Silverstein. Dave Kuhns read a poem he authored that morning, which ended with a raised fist and a, "Go, go go!!" And so we did. We counted to three and we went, went wenT!!

Ice on the Lake
Witnesses commented on the curious sounds the ice made as we plunged. The ice swelled ever so gently and, as it did, it crinkled and cracked and broken in a wave.

P.S. Thanks to Kate, not one pair of eyeglasses were lost this year.

2nd Annual POETRY POLAR BEAR PLUNGE

Poetry Polar Bear Club
Noon, Saturday 12 December 2009
Green Lake Bath House Theatre | Seattle

Jump into the lake with a poem & a bikini. Don’t worry, your POETRY will PROTECT you. Yet again, the poets show Seattle how to be one. This is year #2. Last year we made headline news & had a ton of fun. See pix from last year.

So.... join us this year?

CALLING ALL ARTISTS, poets, Alaska-natives and crazies. Looking for 50 hardy individuals to jump into Green Lake this December. It’s simple. Write a poem, put it on a bikini, put your bikini on & come to Green Lake at NOON on Saturday 12 December. We’ll be working up our courage behind the Bath House. Then, at 12:30pm, we’ll drop our fuzzy layers, line up on the water’s edge, read our poems to the massed and staring crowds and plunge on in! This is a quick event. If you’re late, you’ll miss it. Plan to be parked and ready to go at noon. Questions? Contact Mimi mimiallin@gmail.com / 617.460.6110.

Not willing to freeze your pants off? This is still a spectacle worth attending. Come enjoy the poetry, sip some cocoa, have a laugh. The POETRY POLAR BEAR swim is the same day as the Pathway of Lights. Go Green Lake!

ARTISTS
Willing to take a DIP in Green Lake? SHOW UP behind the Bath House at Green Lake, at NOON on Saturday 12 December, in a bathing suit (preferably a bikini, but the rules are lax), with a POEM written somewhere on your suit or body (doesn’t have to be one you wrote, but we’d like it if it were & if it related to the event).

DONATE A POLAR POEM
Don’t want to swim, but want to contribute a poem? That’s cool. Post your poem on a picket & bring it to the lake or e-mail it to mimiallin@gmail.com. See you on 12 December!

WARM A POET FOR THE HOLIDAYS
We need HELPERS on the sidelines to bear witness, hold towels & eyeglasses, hand out coca & take pictures. To lend support, simply arrive at noon and say, “I’m a helper,” or call Mimi at (617) 460.6110.

“Putting the O back in poetry”