Humanities Washington and ArtsWA\/The Washington State Arts Commission is excited to announce that poet Rena Priest has been appointed the sixth Washington State Poet Laureate by Governor Jay Inslee.<\/p>\n
Priest\u2019s literary debut, Patriarchy Blues, <\/em>was honored with the 2018 American Book Award, and her most recent work is Sublime Subliminal<\/em>. A member of the Lhaq\u2019temish (Lummi) Nation, she will be the first Indigenous poet to assume the role.<\/p>\n \u201cI am incredibly excited and honored to take on this role,\u201d said Priest. \u201cI’m fascinated by the way people come together around poetry. I am always delighted by how they gather in quiet rooms and let themselves be drawn in, lit up, and transformed by the words of other people. It’s a powerful way of connecting.\u201d<\/p>\n Priest\u2019s term will run from April 14, 2021, to March 31, 2023. She will succeed Claudia Castro Luna, the current poet laureate. Prior to Castro Luna, Tod Marshall (2016-2018), Elizabeth Austen (2014\u20132016), Kathleen Flenniken (2012\u20132014), and Sam Green (2007\u20132009) held the position.<\/p>\n The Washington State Poet Laureate program is jointly sponsored by Humanities Washington and the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA). Poets laureate work to build awareness and appreciation of poetry\u2014including the state\u2019s legacy of poetry\u2014through public readings, workshops, lectures, and presentations in communities throughout the state. Laureates are selected through an application and panel review process that evaluates candidates\u2019 writing acumen, commitment to reaching diverse communities, and experience promoting poetry.<\/p>\n \u201cThe position of Poet Laureate in our state is so much more than ceremonial,\u201d said Humanities Washington CEO Julie Ziegler. \u201cIt\u2019s a dedicated outreach position where you meet with thousands of people each year, using poetry and language as a starting point for connection.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe panel was impressed by Rena\u2019s skill and compelling nature of her poetry and work,\u201d said ArtsWA Executive Director Karen Hanan. \u201cShe was also chosen for the depth and breadth of her connections to communities and her capacity to further extend those connections through her role as State Poet Laureate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPoetry is a gift. This is my approach to it and my belief about it: I\u2019m very lucky to have it. We all are.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Each laureate puts their own unique focus on the position, and Priest will focus on two primary goals during her term: celebrating poetry in Washington\u2019s tribal communities, and using poetry to increase appreciation of the natural world and the threats facing it.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington, composed of 140,714 tribal citizens,\u201d said Priest. \u201cI’m sad to say that in the hundreds of poetry readings I’ve attended over the years, I’ve only met a handful of Native poets. I know that this is not because we don’t exist, but because we don’t have the same access to writing communities as people living in cities and towns.\u201d<\/p>\n For the environmental piece, she \u201chopes to use poetry and story to invite readers to engage in contemplation of how they can help protect the natural world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in an important historical moment when science has given us a deadline to make significant changes to heal our planet,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to use poetry as a tool to offer new perspectives and generate enthusiasm for the idea that we can slow and reverse the effects of ecological destruction simply by loving the Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n Priest was drawn to poetry from an early age. Her grandmother published a small chapbook of poetry, and she cites that and Shel Silverstein\u2019s book Where the Sidewalk Ends <\/em>as \u201camong the finest gifts I\u2019ve ever been given.\u201d And as a child, Priest would lie in bed at night and \u201cwhisper pleasing word combinations. It was the best thing I knew how to do. It\u2019s still the best thing I know how to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Her term will officially begin on April 14 with the \u201cPassing of the Laurel\u201d event at 6:00 p.m., an event that will feature former poets laureate. A complete list of Poet Laureate events is below.<\/p>\n In addition to winning the American Book Award, Priest received the Allied Arts Foundation 2020 Professional Poets Award, a 2020 Vadon Foundation Fellowship, and residency fellowships from Hawthornden Castle, Hedgebrook, and Mineral School. She is a National Geographic Explorer and a 2019 Jack Straw Writer. Priest\u2019s work can be found in Poetry Northwest<\/em>, Pontoon Poetry, Verse Daily, Poem-a-Day at Poets.org,<\/em> and elsewhere. She has taught Comparative Cultural Studies and Contemporary American Issues at Western Washington University and Native American Literature at Northwest Indian College. Priest holds a BA in English from Western Washington University and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in Bellingham, Washington.<\/p>\n \u201cPoetry is a gift,\u201d said Priest. \u201cThis is my approach to it and my belief about it: I’m very lucky to have it. We all are.\u201d<\/p>\nAttend one of Rena’s online events in April<\/h4>\n