The Skanner News - Seattle News and Events for Mar. 12

The Northwest African American Museum celebrated seven years in operation on Sunday, March 8. The party featured cake and champagne. Yasmeen, 2, and her sister Talia, 4, share a piece at the party. Find out more about the museum at www.naamnw.org. Susan Fried photo.

Volunteer Drivers Needed for Seniors

Since 1975, Senior Services’ Volunteer Transportation drivers have accumulated “miles and miles” of positive impact throughout King County. Using their own vehicles, volunteers pick seniors up, take them to their doctors and drive them home again—offering valuable transportation with a personal touch. Clients of the program often refer to them as their “heroes,” “guardian angels” or “life-savers.” In a very tangible way, volunteer drivers make a difference in the lives of vulnerable members of our community.

Volunteer Transportation currently faces the grim reality that it cannot serve all seniors in need of rides to important medical care. More volunteer drivers are needed! If you have a reliable vehicle, a clean driving record and some weekday availability, this is the role for you. Visit the program’s blog to read more of its stories; contact Hilary at 206-748-7588 or [email protected] to find out more; or fill out an online volunteer driver application to sign-up.

Great Seattle Seed Swap at The West Seattle Branch

Gardeners of all abilities are invited to bring seeds to share and discover new varieties to grow from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 15 at The Seattle Public Library, West Seattle Branch, 2306 42nd Ave. S.W., 206-684-7444.

Library events are free and everyone is welcome to the seed swap—young and old, new or experienced gardeners. Registration is not required.

Gardeners who are sharing seeds should arrive by 2 p.m. to set them out, and can expect to exchange about as many seed packs as they bring. Seeds should be accompanied by as much information as possible, such as variety, growth habit and days to maturity. Participants are asked not to bring hybrid seeds, GMO seeds or old seeds (aged four years or more). The Seattle Farm School will have seed packs available for beginning gardeners, and the Library will have a variety of gardening books available for check-out. For more details, go to www.seattlefarmschool.com/great-seattle-seed-swap.

Application Help for Section 8 Housing March 23

Low-income residents of the city of Seattle can receive help with their Section 8 housing applications from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 23 at The Seattle Public Library, Central Library, Level 4, Boeing Technology Training Center Room 4.

Library events and programs are free and everyone is welcome. No registration is required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage at the regular rates.

Staff from the Seattle Housing Authority's Section 8 voucher program will be at the Central Library to answer questions and help with Section 8 applications. Applications for the Section 8 voucher program will be accepted from 8 a.m. on Monday, March 23 through 5 p.m. on Friday, April 10. During this period, the application process will only be available online through www.seattlehousing.org.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or Ask A Librarian.

Echoes Of A Lifetime': A Live Portrait Sitting

Artist Savvy Dani will paint a portrait of a live model from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 22 at the Wallingford Branch, 1501 N. 45th St., 206-684-4088.

The program is free and open to the public. No registration is required. A limited amount of parking is reserved for library users in the adjacent parking lot. Street parking is free and available near the branch.

At 1 p.m., Dani will kick off the event with a talk about portrait painting that will include tips and tricks for beginning artists. Once the portraiture begins, attendees are invited to drop in and talk to Dani and the model, bring their sketchbooks to sketch a portrait alongside the artist, or just watch the painting develop from start to finish. A local senior from the Wallingford Community Center will be modeling for the portrait. Additional artwork by Dani will be on display around the library branch. When the portrait is finished, Dani will open up the floor for a Q&A session.

In July, the Wallingford Community Senior Center will host an exhibit of Dani’s work that will include the portrait painted at this program.

For more information, call the branch at 206-684-4088 or go to www.spl.org.

Free help with Tax Forms at the Rainier Beach Library

The Seattle Public Library and AARP have consolidated the free tax preparation service available in southeast Seattle. Tax help is no longer offered at the NewHolly Branch, but remains available at the Rainier Beach Branch.

Drop-in tax help at the Rainier Beach Branch, 9125 Rainier Ave. S., 206-386-1906 is offered on a first-come, first-served basis from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays through April 11.

Due to federal budget cuts, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is unable to provide the Library with certain tax forms and instruction booklets. Most IRS forms are available online at www.irs.gov. Black-and-white prints of the forms may be printed from Library computers for 15 cents per page. To request forms by mail, order online at IRS.gov/orderforms or call 1-800-829-3676.

Tax help at the Rainier Beach Branch is provided by AARP.

For more information, call the Rainier Beach Branch at 206-386-1906, visit spl.org/taxhelp, or www.spl.org.

Exercises to Free the Tongue:’ Vaudeville in Art and Poetry

Poet Molly Tenenbaum and artist Ellen Ziegler will present the world of vaudeville and ventriloquists through poetry, a slide presentation and video clips from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26 at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium.

Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Parking is available in the Central Library garage for $6 after 5 p.m.

At the event, Tenenbaum and Ziegler will use their book "Exercises to Free the Tongue" to touch on the subjects of poetry, family history, the magic worlds of vaudeville and ventriloquism, and times past and present. "Exercises to Free the Tongue" is an artist's book with poems and text that illuminate historic images from Tenenbaum's grandparents, who were ventriloquists on the vaudeville circuit in the early 1900s.

Ziegler is a local artist whose craft includes drawing, sculpture, assemblage and artist’s books. She has collaborated with poet/musician Patti Smith and poet Frances McCue, as well as poet Molly Tenenbaum. Her award-winning work is in the collections of Harvard, Yale, Mills College, University of Washington and other university and private collections.

For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636 or go to www.spl.org.

For more Seattle and Portland area events, visit the Community Calendar.