PORT ANGELES — Elizabeth Austen is on the latest leg of that walkabout called life.
In the past year, Austen, poet laureate of Washington state, has traveled to 22 of the state’s 39 counties — and this week, she’ll add another.
In the first of two appearances, Austen will join Poetic Blood Quantum, the local Native American writing group, for a reading at the Elwha Klallam Heritage Center, 401 E. First St., on Wednesday.
The 7 p.m. event is free to the public.
Next Austen, who’s taking a little time away from her job at Seattle Children’s Hospital, will join in a “Poets in Conversation” program at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the Little Theater at Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
This one’s free and open to the public, too.
The poet laureate also will lead a free writing workshop Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at the Port Angeles Library.
All 30 spaces in it were quickly taken and a waiting list begun. To be added to the list, phone the library at 360-417-8500 or email staffer Cheryl Martin at cmartin@NOLS.org.
First year as laureate
Austen is poet laureate for 2014 through 2016. She succeeds Kathleen Flenniken and Sam Green, who was the first in 2007.
Humanities Washington and the National Endowment for the Arts sponsor the program, which promotes the value of poetry to Washington’s heritage and culture.
Austen grew up in Southern California, but when she visited Seattle in 1989 — following a boyfriend — she had the immediate sense of “I’m home.”
So though the boyfriend didn’t last, Seattle has.
But in 1997, Austen hit a turning point. She was in her early 30s and “going through a midlife crisis early,” she said.
A job ended. So did a relationship. Austen decided to take off for a while.
She set up a volunteer job in South America — but “that was just the pretext for getting there.
“I knew,” she recalled, “I needed to upend my life.”
Austen spent six months hiking in the Andes, solo.
She wrote poetry and kept a journal, and when she was ready, she came back to Seattle.
Later, she got a job as a temp at Children’s Hospital.
That evolved into her position today.
Content strategist
Austen is a “content strategist,” meaning she works on the website’s material for patients and their families.
She also conducts reflective writing sessions for the hospital staff.
Austen has been at Children’s for 17 years now and works a part-time schedule that allows her to keep up her poet laureate’s itinerary.
Meeting other writers, such as the members of Poetic Blood Quantum, is “an incredible privilege,” Austen said.
When she gets to read, she offers not only her work but also that of other Washington state poets she finds are writing about things “directly relevant to [our] lives.”
To find the joy in poetry, Austen added, “you don’t need a fancy degree.”
As she enters her second year as poet laureate, Austen is reveling in her visits to Rotary Club meetings, libraries, colleges and children’s groups.
“I want to let people know I have a website, WApoetlaureate.org, where they can read blog posts,” she said, “and find out how to bring me to their communities.”
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
