PORT ANGELES — The North Olympic Peninsula and Russia will meet, in art and prose, tonight in a free program called “Two Moons, Two Strings.”
James Manteith, a writer born and raised in Port Angeles, and Tatyana Apraksina, a Russian artist, will step up at 7 p.m. to offer songs, poems and their “California Psalms” — odes to the Pacific coast — in the Raymond Carver Room at the Port Angeles Library, 2210 S. Peabody St.
Local connections
Manteith is the son of Robbie and Jim Mantooth, who for many years hosted StreamFest, a fundraiser for the North Olympic Land Trust, on their Ennis Arbor Farm east of town.
He changed the spelling of his name because, he said, it “translates better” in his work.
Manteith, who now lives in Monterey, Calif., is in fact a translator of Russian songs and will offer some of those from the 1920s during Friday’s event.
The program, subtitled “Cross-Cultural Poetry, Song and Art from Eastern Europe and Western America,” also will feature a selection of Apraksina’s paintings and drawings.
The St. Petersburg native noted that these works were inspired by partnerships with classical and rock musicians and by her life in both the city and the country.
Port Angeles poet Tess Gallagher served as a mentor to Manteith.
“He puts on quite a show” when sharing his work, she said.
For details about Manteith and Apraksina’s presentation, phone coordinator Mary-Alice Boulter at 360-457-6410.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.