The Poet Laureate of Washington is a
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
designated by the government of the US
state of Washington
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
to promote poetry generally, and Washington poetry specifically, within the state. The office of Poet Laureate of Washington was established by an act of the
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senat ...
in 2007.
History
In 1931,
Ella Higginson
Ella Rhoads Higginson ( – December 27, 1940) was an American author of award-winning fiction, poetry, and essays characteristically set in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. She was the author of 2 collections of short stories, ...
was named "Poet Laureate of Washington" by the Washington State Federation of Women's Clubs, however, the position was an unofficial, privately recognized post. The office of Poet Laureate of Washington was not officially established until 2007 when the Washington legislature enacted a bill introduced by state senator
Ken Jacobsen
Ken Jacobsen (born May 2, 1945) is an American former politician who served as a Democratic member of the Washington State Senate. He was first elected to the Washington State Legislature in 1982 and he served through 2010.
Political history
...
to create the office. Jacobsen's original proposal called for the poet laureate to be paid with a
firkin of
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
annually, however, the act as finally adopted simply specifies that the poet laureate "shall receive compensation at a level determined by the
ashington Artscommission".
From 2009 to 2011 the office of poet laureate was vacant due to a paucity of state funds.
In 2016
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...
professor Tod Marshall was appointed the fourth Poet Laureate of Washington. Marshall's major initiative during his term was Washington 129, an anthology of 129 poems gathered from Washingtonians meant to represent the 129 years (as of 2018) since Washington was admitted into the United States.
Office
The role of the Poet Laureate of Washington is to "build awareness and appreciation of poetry — including the state’s legacy of poetry — through public readings, workshops, lectures and presentations in communities, schools, colleges, universities, and other public settings in geographically diverse areas of the state". Poets Laureate of Washington are appointed for a two-year term by the
Governor of Washington
The governor of Washington is the head of government of Washington and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.WA Const. art. III, § 2. The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws,WA Const. art. III, § 5. the power to either a ...
acting on the recommendation of the Washington Arts Commission, an independent agency of the Washington state government, from a list of self-nominated candidates. The incumbent is eligible for reappointment one time. The office's only statutory qualifications are that the candidate be a resident of Washington and a published poet, though the commission is empowered to establish additional criteria.
The Poet Laureate of Washington receives an annual stipend of $10,000, which is funded by the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and Humanities WA.
Poets laureate of Washington
*
Samuel Green (2007—2009)
*
Kathleen Flenniken
Kathleen Flenniken (born October 30, 1960) is an American writer, poet, editor, and educator. In 2012, she was named the Poet Laureate of Washington. She has been honored with a 2012 Pushcart Prize, as well as fellowships with the Artist Trust ...
(2012—2014)
*Elizabeth Austen (2014—2016)
*Tod Marshall (2016—2018)
*Claudia Castro Luna (2019—2021)
*Rena Priest (2021—2023)
See also
*
Poet laureate
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...
*
List of U.S. states' poets laureate
Many of the states in the United States have established the post of poet laureate to which a prominent poet residing in the respective state is appointed. The responsibilities of the state poets laureate are similar to those of the Poet Laureat ...
*
United States Poet Laureate
The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national cons ...
References
{{Global Poets Laureate, state=autocollapse
Government of Washington (state)
*
2007 establishments in Washington (state)
American Poets Laureate