This photograph was taken on September 21st in Olympia where thanks to the wonderful effort of the Olympia Poetry Network all five of us who have served/are serving as Washington State Poet Laureate were gathered. It was the first time all of us  had come together in this fashion, and oh, how wonderful and special it was.

We began the event with a round table. The writer and poet, Patrick Dixon had prepared a series of questions for us to share insights gleaned on the job as well as memorable experiences we’ve had on the road. It was fun to hear echoes of my own encounters in the other’s telling, and heartening to hear how, even though we are all different individuals, our work as Laureates has been rooted in service and love of poetry.

The second part of the event was a reading, and what a reading it was. The poems were masterfully delivered, pitch, tone, content in concert. Each poem read with honesty and vulnerability, breath and word in unison, leaving traces long after the reader stepped down from the podium. I am still thinking about the poems I heard that evening.

What an honor to be one of the five, to be in attendance, indeed to have spent the day in Olympia, with other poets and poetry lovers some of whom travelled from well outside the area to attend.

Thank you St. Martin’s University for hosting us. Thank you Olympia Poetry Network for bringing us together. Thank you Sam Greene, Kathleen Flenniken, Elizabeth Austen and Tod Marshall for your words, wisdom and service.

To see more photographs visit Olympia Poetry Network’s website: https://www.olympiapoetrynetwork.org/laureatefest.html