Art Chowder November | December, Issue 24 | Page 30

Man of Many Talents
Chris Cook
“T
he person who most shaped my image of
poetry, and who made it a regular part of my life, was
my grandfather, Don Grant. A multifaceted and self-
described “work in progress,” he was a lawyer, sailor,
astronomer, and poet. In addition to frequently sending
me photocopies of others’ poetry, he sent handwritten
copies of his own. Though I always treasured opening
his envelopes, my favorite way of experiencing poetry
was by having him read to me in person. To hear his
voice expressing his own words, with unique stresses and
inflections, accelerandos, rallentandos, arched eyebrows,
rapt intensity, and sometimes unbridled laughter at the
end — this was the beginning of my love of live poetry.
For me, hearing original poems proclaimed by their
creators remains a privilege and a thrill; it’s one of
the reasons why I do all I can to nourish and care for
Spokane’s live poetry scene. Twenty years ago, it was
people like Dick Bresgal (aka Slatsz), Stephen Pitters,
Connie Grove, John Whalen, and Eric Bergloff who
hosted events that gave me my first opportunities.
Decades earlier, Stoddard King and Vachel Lindsay
helped put Spokane poetry on the map; I’m honored and
proud to help carry on that tradition,” says Cook.  
Cook says, “My favorite poets include William S.
Gilbert, Lewis Carroll, Robert Frost, Edward Gorey,
Michael Flanders, James Decay, Tom I. Davis, and Laura
Read. My favorite publications include Spokane poetry
anthologies like “Spokane Shorties,” “Lilac City Fairy
Tales,” and “Railtown Almanac.”
“My favorite poetry events include Get Lit! for its quality
and magnitude — it’s like Hoopfest or Volume — so
many great things happening simultaneously on multiple
stages. I’m also partial to National Poetry Slam and the
Individual World Poetry Slam; I’ve been involved with
both of them as a competitor and organizer. I’m proud
that we successfully hosted IWPS twice here in Spokane
(much of the credit for the work and the success goes to
my friend Isaac Grambo).
“I try to still support Spokane Poetry Slam, which holds
events every first Sunday at 7:30 pm at Boots Vegan
Bakery and Lounge (24 W. Main Ave.) and every third
Monday at 8:00 pm at The Bartlett (228 W. Sprague
Ave.).
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
THE MAYFLY
At 6:00 one warm September morn,
Before the day had fully stretched and yawned,
A wide-eyed little mayfly babe was born
Upon an unassuming little pond.
Before he tried his legs, he flapped his wings,
And soon explored the world from up above.
He got to see the most amazing things;
By afternoon, he’d met his one true love.
By evening, though, he’d grown quite short of breath,
And mayflies know that life is never fair;
So, rather than bemoan his early death,
He closed his eyes and said a little prayer:
Lord, thank you for the wonders of this day.
He smiled and then he softly passed away.
Chris Cook
Feb. 02, 2016
“My career is in music — I’m a trumpeter with
the Spokane Symphony and trumpet soloist
at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes. I
also teach music at Gonzaga University, and
I maintain a small private teaching studio.
Most would say that it inspires my work as a
poet, as much of my poetry features rhythm,
form, structure, themes, and hopefully passion.
And since I’m so active in live poetry events,
it’s also true that both my music and poetry
are performed in front of audiences. I have
also used background music on occasion in
combination with my poetry. In fact, I was
recently approached about using my poetry for
a new Spokane Symphony concert series next
season, so stay tuned.”
Plan to attend a reading with Cook or a
symphony event; here’s the upcoming schedule
of events for the Spokane Symphony.
https://spokanesymphony.org/core/files/
spokanesymphony/uploads/files/2019-2020%20
Concert%20Guide-final.pdf