This year’s annual Sue C. Boynton Poetry contest submissions are open during March 2025. Submissions must be 27 lines or fewer, and lines must have 55 or fewer characters. Poems may be submitted via email, mail, or drop-off to the following:
Email: BoyntonPoetryContest@hotmail.com
Mail: Whatcom Poetry Series PO Box 621, Bellingham, WA 98227
Drop Off: Allied Arts 1213 Cornwall Avenue Bellingham, WA 98225 11am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday
From Whatcom County Library System:
No Two Persons by Port Townsend, Wash.-based author Erica Bauermeister is the Whatcom READS 2025 book selection. Sasha taqʷšəblu Lapointe, author of the 2024 featured title, Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk, made the announcement at the close of the March 15 Whatcom READS author event at the Mount Baker Theatre.
Liane Moriarty, bestselling author of Big Little Lies, said of No Two Persons, “If you’re passionate about reading, I know you’ll be passionate about this book.”
Erica Bauermeister is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including The Scent Keeper, The School of Essential Ingredients, and her latest, No Two Persons. She also has written a memoir, House Lessons: Renovating a Life, and is the co-author of two readers’ guides, 500 Great Books by Women and Let’s Hear It for the Girls. Her books have been Reese’s Book Club and Indie Next Picks and have been published in over two dozen countries. Learn more about the author at her website, ericabauermeister.com.
Newsweek selected No Two Persons for its Best Books of 2023 list. The magazine’s Senior Editor Meredith Wolf called it: “A breathtaking novel about the power a book can have. It takes you inside the hearts of a complex web of broken personalities, empowered and made whole by the same book. The characters brought to life are delicately interwoven throughout, forming a seamless, beautiful fabric.” The audiobook of No Two Persons won an Audie Award for multi-voiced performance.
Community members may borrow No Two Persons as a book, eBook or eAudiobook from local libraries or purchase it from Village Books, which donates a percentage of each sale to Whatcom READS.
Leading up to the author events in March 2025, the librarians, library staff and booksellers on the Whatcom READS planning committee will offer free community programs that explore themes from No Two Persons. Inspired by the book, the 2025 Whatcom WRITES prompt is “The Book That Changed My Life.” Visit Whatcom READS website, whatcomreads.org, and social media pages for updates and to get involved.
About Whatcom READS: Northwest Washington’s premier annual literary event, Whatcom READS celebrates reading, readers and strong communities through the shared experience of one book. Now in its 16th year, Whatcom READS is presented by all the public and academic libraries in Bellingham and Whatcom County – Bellingham Public Library, Bellingham Technical College, Northwest Indian College, Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College and Whatcom County Library System. Village Books is Whatcom READS’ community partner. Learn more at whatcomreads.org.