<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div dir="auto" style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;">You are cordially invited to join us for a virtual reading featuring Shawna Swetech<div><br><div>Saturday, August 10 from 10:00 to 10:30 AM PDT</div><div><br></div><div>You will not need to pre-register; just click this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86550447307?pwd=dzYwMXI3Q085Tk12VncxTDJOekJlUT09</div><div><br></div><div>Shawna L. Swetech, RN—a hospital medical/surgical nurse, retired after 35 years, is a poet, visual artist and Integrative Wellness practitioner. Her poems and art range from the personal to the political, drawing inspiration from the deep wells of human nature and the natural world. Her poetry appears or is forthcoming in The Permanente Journal, Rattle, The Healing Muse, Marin Poetry Anthology, California Quarterly, Ars Medica, Pulse, American Journal of Nursing, and Nursing2023, among other journals and anthologies. Shawna has recently completed a full-length collection of medical narrative poetry based primarily on her nursing career, entitled “Standing in Their Fire”. Co-host for the monthly poetry reading series, Rivertown Poets, Shawna believes poetry and art are important healing medicines for the ills of our modern world.<br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><font size="5"><br></font></div><div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 72px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><b><font size="5"> In Their Fire</font></b></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14px;"><font size="5"><b></b><br></font></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal; min-height: 14px;"><font size="5"><b></b><br></font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 160.8px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">8 am rounds,</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 160.8px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">stethoscope in hand.</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 157.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">The endless rooms of patients,</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 160.8px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">broken-boned or cancer-filled,</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 149.6px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">their fear and pain a bleeding river I can never staunch.</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 187px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">To be a nurse</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 187px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">is to be </font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 187px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">in their fire:</font></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.9px 0.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> the diseased, incised, dying.</font></p><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 173.3px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">I didn’t know</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 173.3px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">what I was signing up for thirty-five years ago,</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 173.3px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">the shift after shift</font></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 0.1px 168.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">familiar scent of sorrow, theirs and mine.</font></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 191.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">I didn’t know</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 191.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">how willingly</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 175.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5"> I’d share the burden. </font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 175.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5"> I didn’t know</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 139.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5"> how willing</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 139.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5"> I’d burn.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 139.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5"><br></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 139.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5">- Shawna Swetech</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 139.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5"><br></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 139.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><font size="5"><br></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 2.5px 139.5px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; font-size-adjust: none; font-kerning: auto; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-feature-settings: normal; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-variation-settings: normal;"><img alt="IMG_5178.jpeg" src="cid:B9AAAEDB-5252-491F-93E6-0207E44E8941"></p></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></div></div></body></html>