Originally published by Washington State Arts Commission
In conjunction with National Poetry Month, poet Rena Priest has been appointed Washington State Poet Laureate by Gov. Jay Inslee.
A member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation, Priest will be the first Indigenous poet to assume the role. Priest’s literary debut, Patriarchy Blues, was honored with the 2018 American Book Award, and her most recent work is Sublime Subliminal.
The two-year term officially begins on April 15, 2021. She will succeed Claudia Castro Luna, the current poet laureate. Prior to Castro Luna, the position was held by Tod Marshall 2016-2018; Elizabeth Austen 2014–2016; Kathleen Flenniken 2012–2014; and Sam Green, 2007–2009.
“I am incredibly excited and honored to take on this role,” said Priest. “I’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.”
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 — including the state’s legacy of poetry — through public readings, workshops, lectures, and presentations in communities throughout the state.
“The position of Poet Laureate in our state is so much more than ceremonial,” Humanities Washington CEO Julie Ziegler said. “It’s a dedicated outreach position where you meet with thousands of people each year, using poetry and language as a starting point for connection.”
Laureates are selected through an application and panel review process that evaluates candidates’ writing acumen, commitment to reaching diverse communities, and experience promoting poetry.
“The panel was impressed by Priest’s skill and compelling nature of her poetry and work,” said ArtsWA Executive Director Karen Hanan. “She 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.”
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’s tribal communities; and using poetry to increase appreciation of the natural world and the threats facing it.
“There are 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington, composed of 140,714 tribal citizens,” said Priest. “I’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.”
For the environmental piece, she “hopes to use poetry and story to invite readers to engage in
contemplation of how they can help protect the natural world.”
“We are in an important historical moment when science has given us a deadline to make significant changes to heal our planet,” she said. “I 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.”
Priest was drawn to poetry from an early age. Her grandmother published a small chapbook of poetry, and she cites that and Shel Silverstein’s book Where the Sidewalk Ends as “among the finest gifts I’ve ever been given.” And as a child, Priest would lie in bed at night and “whisper pleasing word combinations. It was the best thing I knew how to do. It’s still the best thing I know how to do.”
In addition to winning the American Book Award for Patriarchy Blues, Priest’s latest book is Sublime Subliminal. She has received the Allied Arts Foundation 2020 Professional Poets Award, and residency fellowships from Hawthornden Castle, Hedgebrook, and Mineral School. She is also the recipient of the 2020 Vadon Foundation Fellowship. She is a National Geographic Explorer and a 2019 Jack Straw Writer. Priest’s work can be found in Poetry Northwest, Pontoon Poetry, Verse Daily, Poem-a-Day at Poets.org, 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.
“Poetry is a gift,” said Priest. “This is my approach to it and my belief about it: I’m very lucky to have it. We all are.”
APRIL POET LAUREATE EVENTS
• Passing of the Laurel, April 14, 6 – 7 p.m.
The public is invited to a virtual celebration of Rena Priest’s appointment as Washington State’s 6th Poet Laureate. This very special event is organized and hosted by the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation, Humanities Washington, ArtsWA (the WA State Arts Commission), and the Washington Center for the Book. Past Laureates Claudia Castro Luna, Tod Marshall, Elizabeth Austen, Kathleen Flenniken, and Sam Green (in absentia) will be honored guests as we gather to pass the laurel in an evening of poetry, speech, and song. Produced by Children of the Setting Sun Productions. Register to attend the event at eventbrite.com/e/washington-state-poet-laureate-passing-of-the-laurel-registration-148665395199.
• 2021 Artsmith / Darvill’s Bookstore Salon Series, April 15, 5 – 6:30 p.m. (This event is locally hosted on Orcas)
Featuring: Keetje Kuipers, Rena Priest, Jasmine An, Quinn Bailey, and Jory Mickelson.
Zoom link: us02web.zoom.us/j/86292004171?pwd=TUhsSStGY2NLR0lqa01qR3pIRUxRUT09
Meeting ID: 862 9200 4171
Passcode: 707979
• Hugo House: Find Your Feet: The Metrical Foot in Poetry, April 17, 1:10 – 4:10 p.m.
All Levels | “Meter has been called the heartbeat of poetry,” Paul Kiparsky wrote. “But like language itself, and music and dance, it pulsates more intricately than anything in the biological or physical world.” Controlling meter allows you to build tension to ecstatic release, deep dive into sober solemnity, or gently lay an epiphany on the brow of your reader. In this class, we’ll examine stress, pitch, length, and other features of speech to see how they affect the feel and sound of particular works. This is a limited registration for just 15 people and the cost is $90. To register, visit hugohouse.org/store/class/find-your-feet-the-metrical-foot-in-poetry-rena-priest/.
• SpeakEasy Poetry Series, 7–8 p.m., April 24
SpeakEasy poetry reading series has been invited to locally showcase the new Washington State Poet Laureate in a Zoom. For more information, visit othermindpress.wordpress.com/speakeasy/.
• Skagit River Poetry Foundation Virtual Reading, 3 – 4:45 p.m., April 25
Skagit River Poetry Foundation will host a virtual reading on April 25, 3-4:45 p.m. Poets Gail Davern, Jessica Gigot, Priest Priest and Nikki Wallschlaeger will each read for 20 minutes with some time for Q&A from the host and the audience. For more information, visit skagitriverpoetry.org/events/.
