SEATTLE — Applications are now being accepted for Washington state’s next poet laureate.
The poet laureate is intended to build awareness and appreciation of poetry through public readings, workshops and presentations in communities throughout the state.
The new laureate will serve from Feb. 1, 2018, to Jan. 31, 2020.
To be considered, applicants must meet all eligibility requirements as listed on the Humanities Washington website at www.humanities.org and submit an application online there by 5 p.m. July 31.
The poet laureate will receive $10,000 per year for professional services, up to $1,500 per year for travel and services, and up to an additional $2,000 per year for related program costs.
Washington joined several other states in appointing an official state poet laureate in 2007.
The position is sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and Humanities Washington, with the support of Gov. Jay Inslee.
Current laureate Tod Marshall has held hundreds of poetry workshops and readings across the state since February 2016.
Marshall, a Washington State Book Award-winning poet and Gonzaga professor, is in the second year of his two-year term.
A list of his upcoming events is available via Humanities Washington’s website and the state poet laureate’s blog at wapoetlaureate.org.
“Tod has brought an incredible passion, knowledge and intensity to the position, yet he is immensely approachable,” said Julie Ziegler, Humanities Washington executive director.
“It doesn’t matter if he is speaking to a group of retirees at a senior center, students in a school classroom or inmates at a penitentiary; he can convey poetry’s power to people from all walks of life.”
Said Marshall: “Serving as poet laureate has reinforced my beliefs about the power of poetry and the importance of finding words that matter.
“It’s a life-changing experience to share poems with Washington’s citizens and hear from them about the many ways words dwell in their hearts and minds.”
Selection of the state poet laureate is governed by state regulation and coordinated by ArtsWA and Humanities Washington.
“The current and past state poets laureate have taken this job very seriously,” said Karen Hanan, executive director of ArtsWA.
“Each in their own distinct way has helped Washingtonians of all ages appreciate the power of language.”
For more information about ArtsWA, visit www.arts.wa.gov.
