The two featured writers at this month’s WordsWest Literary Series event, 7 pm Wednesday (April 18th) at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), include one of the series’s co-curators. Here’s the preview of who you’ll see and hear:

Poets Aimee Nezhukumatathil (above left) and Susan Rich (above right) celebrate National Poetry Month with poems that revel in the world’s mysteries, from the vast to the minute, from nature to art, from curiosities to companionship.

Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s newest collection of poems is Oceanic from Copper Canyon Press. She is also the author of the forthcoming book of illustrated nature essays, World of Wonder, and three previous poetry collections. Her most recent chapbook is Lace & Pyrite, a collaboration of nature poems with the poet Ross Gay. Aimee is the poetry editor of Orion magazine and a professor of English in the University of Mississippi’s MFA program.

Susan Rich is the author of four poetry collections: Cloud Pharmacy, The Alchemist’s Kitchen, named a finalist for the Foreword Prize and the Washington State Book Award, Cures Include Travel, and The Cartographer’s Tongue, winner of the PEN USA Award for Poetry and the Peace Corps Writers Award. Susan teaches at Highline College, where she runs the reading series, Highline Listens: Writers Read Their Work.

The Favorite Poem Project, a vital part of WordsWest’s monthly literary events, invites a community member to share a favorite poem and information about his or her organization. On April 18th, we welcome a favorite poem from Billie Swift, owner of Open Books: A Poem Emporium.

WordsWest is curated by West Seattle writers Katy E. Ellis, Susan Rich, and Harold Taw, and this season’s intern/co-curator is Joannie Stangeland. Grant funding from Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and Poets & Writers, Inc. allows WordsWest to pay featured writers for their time and talent.

We spotlighted the series curators last September, before the current season of presentations began.