Red Sky Poetry Theatre
A Seattle nonprofit poetry and performance-art organization known for its long-running weekly readings, open mics, publications, broadcasts, and collaborative arts events.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Red Sky Poetry Theatre was a Seattle-based nonprofit arts organization and performance forum devoted to live poetry, open mics, performance art, visual art, music, and related literary activity. Its first reading took place on May 24, 1981, after a group of poets and arts organizers developed the idea around Don Wilsun, Joe Keppler, Tom Parsons, and Judith Roche. Wilsun had previously organized informal events under the name Poetry Theatre and adopted the Red Sky name after seeing a striking sunset while posting flyers at Pike Place Market and writing a poem titled “Red Sky.” The organization became known for presenting what is described as Seattle’s longest-running live weekly poetry series and open mic. Rather than operating solely as a conventional literary institution, it provided an open, interdisciplinary stage where established writers, emerging poets, visual artists, musicians, and performance artists could work together. Its programming was intentionally accessible and often outside academic literary circles. The organization’s environment allowed performers to address social and political subjects directly, experiment with form, and combine spoken word with music, images, theater, and audience interaction. Red Sky’s early readings took place in the Soames Dunn Building at Pike Place Market, followed by a period in a Pike Development Authority meeting room. In December 1983, the series moved to the Soup and Salad Cafe, where passersby could encounter the readings more easily. In December 1984 it moved to the Five-O Tavern on Capitol Hill, later known as the Hopvine Pub. The group also presented work at venues including Pioneer Square Theater, the Ditto Tavern, the Comet Tavern, and other Seattle arts spaces. Its ability to move between literary, theatrical, musical, and community venues was central to its identity. The organization incorporated as a nonprofit in the early 1980s. Its stated purpose was to promote and encourage poetry performance, performance art, and other arts. Don Wilsun served as its initial president and acting agent, while a board involving Bill Shively, Joseph Keppler, Judith Roche, Matt Lennon, and Tom Parsons appeared in the original incorporation materials. Other board members and collaborators over time included Elliott Bronstein, Marion Kimes, Trudy Mercer, Michael Hureaux, Phoebe Bosché, Roberto Valenza, Alan and Martina Goodin, Paul Hunter, and margareta waterman. Board composition changed repeatedly as participants pursued other creative work. Red Sky also supported literary publishing. Red Sky Press issued works including Red Sky Morning and anthologies connected with Bumbershoot’s literary competitions. The organization’s periodicals included Open Sky, later renamed Open Sound, and SkyViews, which subsequently became Parallel Discourse and eventually separated from Red Sky. These publications often combined poetry, visual art, and experimental presentation, reflecting the organization’s belief that collaborative work could produce more than isolated individual contributions. The group maintained important connections with Bumbershoot’s Writers in Performance competitions and helped judge contests used to select performers for the Seattle festival. It also participated in radio and public-access television. Red Sky Radio and Art Talk were associated with KRAB-FM from 1981 to 1983. Later projects included Paramount Poets, Cactus Poets, Red Sky Poetry Theatre Live, and Manifest Arts, which brought poetry and performance art to TCI Cable audiences during the 1980s and early 1990s. Red Sky members were involved in An Alternative To Loud Boats, a performance-art event created in opposition to the spectacle surrounding Seattle’s Seafair hydroplane races. Beginning in 1985, the event adopted changing themes such as censorship and sanctuary and continued for approximately a decade. The organization also collaborated with musicians, including saxophonists and improvisers, and supported spoken-word recordings and hybrid performances. The incorporated organization presented a continuous live poetry series for more than 25 years, according to the reference material. Although its regular institutional activity later declined, occasional Red Sky Redux events continued at venues such as the Hopvine Pub and Richard Hugo House. Red Sky’s broader legacy lies in its role as an inclusive Seattle performance platform that connected poetry, independent publishing, music, visual art, public-access media, and activist performance.
History
Red Sky Poetry Theatre emerged from Seattle’s independent poetry and performance scene in the early 1980s. Don Wilsun had previously arranged informal readings under the simpler name Poetry Theatre. While posting promotional flyers at Pike Place Market, he saw a vivid red sunset and later wrote a poem called “Red Sky”; the image and poem supplied the name for the new organization. Wilsun, Joe Keppler, Tom Parsons, and Judith Roche formed the core of the initiative, with other poets, artists, and organizers contributing to its early development. The first Red Sky reading was held on May 24, 1981. Initial programs were staged at the Soames Dunn Building in Pike Place Market, then at a Pike Development Authority meeting room. In December 1983, the series moved to the Soup and Salad Cafe, a more public-facing location overlooking Puget Sound. A further move in December 1984 took the readings to the Five-O Tavern on Capitol Hill, later the Hopvine Pub. The organization’s venue changes reflected its flexible approach and helped place poetry in cafes, taverns, theaters, galleries, and neighborhood spaces rather than confining it to formal literary institutions. Red Sky incorporated as a nonprofit whose purpose was to promote poetry performance, performance art, and other arts. Early incorporation materials identified Don Wilsun as president and acting agent and listed a board that included Bill Shively, Joseph Keppler, Judith Roche, Matt Lennon, and Tom Parsons. Elliott Bronstein, Marion Kimes, Trudy Mercer, Michael Hureaux, Phoebe Bosché, Roberto Valenza, Paul Hunter, the Goodins, margareta waterman, and others later became involved in board or organizational work. Many additional writers read at or collaborated with the series without holding formal board positions. Its central activity was the recurring live poetry series and open mic. Red Sky encouraged performers without requiring conventional academic credentials and became a meeting point for poets, actors, musicians, visual artists, and experimental performers. The organization’s events could include improvisational music, spoken word, theatrical presentation, audience participation, and political or socially challenging material. Its “poet’s gymnasium” character emphasized repeated public performance as a way to develop writing and stagecraft. The organization’s influence extended into Seattle’s festival and arts infrastructure. It collaborated with Charlie Burks on Bumbershoot Writers in Performance competitions, helping judge entries and select performers from a large applicant pool. Red Sky participants also worked with On the Boards on a 1982 poetry marathon benefiting Amnesty International, contributed to other local readings, and helped create An Alternative To Loud Boats, a performance-art event launched in 1985 alongside the Seafair hydroplane races. That event continued for about ten years and used changing themes, including censorship and sanctuary. Publishing was another major part of Red Sky’s activity. Bill Shively created Open Sky as a broad compilation for writers and visual artists; it later became a quarterly publication and was renamed Open Sound in 1989. Shively also developed SkyViews, initially a newsletter and later a poetry magazine. Trudy Mercer assumed its compilation in 1984. In 1989 SkyViews became Parallel Discourse under Phoebe Bosché and James Maloney, eventually separating from Red Sky. Red Sky Press published collections such as Red Sky Morning and Bumbershoot-related anthologies in 1984 and 1985. Images and design by affiliated artists frequently appeared alongside poetry. Red Sky also entered broadcasting. Red Sky Radio, hosted by Matt Lennon, and Art Talk, hosted by Don Wilsun, were associated with KRAB-FM from 1981 through 1983. Public-access television projects followed, including Paramount Poets, Cactus Poets, and Red Sky Poetry Theatre Live. These programs aired on TCI Cable during the 1980s and into the early 1990s. margareta waterman later brought the nine muses publishing project and Manifest Arts broadcasts into the organization’s orbit. Music remained intertwined with the poetry series. Wally Shoup and Michael Monhart provided saxophone improvisation, Pete Leinonen recorded poets and related performances, and the Bill Shively Band was a recurring presence. Don Wilsun sometimes accompanied recitations with congas. This mixture of music, poetry, and visual art helped distinguish Red Sky from more competitive poetry formats that later became prominent in Seattle. The group continued its incorporated live series for more than 25 years. Its regular institutional presence diminished as board members departed and new projects developed, but occasional Red Sky Redux events were later held at places including the Hopvine Pub and Richard Hugo House. Red Sky Poetry Theatre is remembered as a durable and influential grassroots literary organization in Seattle, particularly for making performance poetry a broad, interdisciplinary, and publicly accessible practice.
- 1994
End of An Alternative To Loud Boats
[1]The performance-art event continued for roughly ten years before ending around 1994.
- 1992
End of several television series
[1]Red Sky-related public-access poetry programs continued frequently until approximately 1992.
- 1989
Open Sky became Open Sound
[1]The organization’s collaborative periodical changed its name to Open Sound and continued with a substantial poetry-and-art format.
- 1989
SkyViews became Parallel Discourse
[1]SkyViews was renamed Parallel Discourse under new editors and later developed independently of Red Sky.
- 1985
Launch of An Alternative To Loud Boats
[1]Red Sky members helped establish a performance-art event held alongside Seattle’s Seafair hydroplane races.
- 1985
Public-access television expansion
[1]Paramount Poets began production for TCI Cable, extending Red Sky-related poetry activity into television.
- 1984
Move to the Five-O Tavern
[1]Red Sky moved to the Five-O Tavern on Capitol Hill, a venue later known as the Hopvine Pub.
- 1984
Bumbershoot anthologies
[1]Red Sky Press published anthologies connected with Bumbershoot literary contest performers in 1984 and 1985.
- 1983
Move to the Soup and Salad Cafe
[1]The series moved to the Soup and Salad Cafe in Pike Place Market, making the readings more visible to general visitors.
- 1982
Nonprofit board and incorporation activity
[1]Original incorporation materials listed an early board and Don Wilsun as president and acting agent.
Products and positioning
An independent, interdisciplinary, and accessible Seattle poetry platform that treated live poetry as a collaborative performance practice rather than only an academic literary form.
Live literary events · 1981
Weekly poetry readings and open mic
Red Sky’s core offering was a recurring live poetry series in Seattle. It combined featured readers with open-mic participation and provided a low-barrier setting for established and emerging poets. The series moved through several cafes, taverns, theaters, and other venues while retaining its emphasis on public performance, experimentation, and interaction.
Literary publication
Open Sky / Open Sound
Open Sky was a collaborative publication created for writers and visual artists. It was compiled rather than tightly edited and eventually became a quarterly. In 1989 it was renamed Open Sound, retaining Red Sky’s interest in combining poetry, visual art, and collective production.
Poetry magazine
SkyViews / Parallel Discourse
SkyViews began as a newsletter and developed into a full poetry magazine. Trudy Mercer later took over its compilation. In 1989 the publication became Parallel Discourse under Phoebe Bosché and James Maloney and subsequently separated from Red Sky Poetry Theatre.
Independent publishing imprint
Red Sky Press
Red Sky Press published collections associated with the organization and its community, including Red Sky Morning and anthologies of performers connected with Bumbershoot literary contests. Its publications often reflected the organization’s combination of poetry and visual art.
Public-access television · 1988
Red Sky Poetry Theatre Live
Red Sky Poetry Theatre Live was one of several television projects associated with the organization. Broadcast through TCI Cable, it brought live and recorded poetry performance to a wider Seattle audience during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Occasional live event
Red Sky Redux
Red Sky Redux refers to later occasional events that revived the organization’s poetry and performance tradition at venues including the Hopvine Pub and Richard Hugo House after the regular weekly series had declined.
Marketing campaigns
- 1985An Alternative To Loud Boats
Seattle
Red Sky members helped create a performance-art event held during Seattle’s Seafair hydroplane-race period. The program offered an alternative cultural gathering and adopted changing annual themes, including censorship and sanctuary.
Outcome. The event continued for approximately ten years, with grant support reported during 1988–1991, before ending around 1994.
- 1981Bumbershoot Writers in Performance
Seattle
Red Sky collaborated with the Bumbershoot Writers in Performance competitions by helping judge submissions and select poets from a large pool of applicants for festival appearances.
Outcome. The competitions continued, although Red Sky later ceased participating directly.
Brand decisions
1989
Rename Open Sky as Open SoundOtherBackground
Red Sky’s collaborative publication had developed from a visual-art and poetry compilation into a substantial periodical.
Action taken
The publication was renamed Open Sound and continued under a new editor.
Aftermath
The renamed periodical retained the organization’s interdisciplinary publishing approach.
1984
Move to the Five-O TavernStrategyBackground
The Soup and Salad venue changed its identity to the Soundview Cafe, and organizer Michael Hureaux viewed the Five-O Tavern as a suitable performance setting.
Action taken
Red Sky relocated its regular readings to the Five-O Tavern on Capitol Hill.
Aftermath
The move changed the atmosphere of the series and placed it in a venue associated with Seattle’s emerging music and performance culture.
1983
Move to a more publicly accessible venueStrategyBackground
The early readings had been held in institutional rooms at Pike Place Market, limiting incidental public discovery.
Action taken
Red Sky moved its readings to the Soup and Salad Cafe in December 1983.
Aftermath
The new location allowed people who were not specifically seeking a poetry event to encounter and attend the series.
Sources1 sources
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