The Washington State Poet Laureate serves to build awareness and appreciation of poetry — including Washington’s legacy of poetry — through public readings, workshops, and presentations in communities throughout the state. The position was established in April 2007 when the Washington State Legislature passed a bill that recognized the value of poetry to the culture and heritage of the state. Washington joined several other states in appointing an official state poet laureate position.

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.

Each laureate puts their own unique focus on the position, and Priest focuses 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.

The Washington State Poet Laureate is appointed by the Governor. The program is jointly sponsored by Humanities Washington and the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA). The position is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, ArtsWA, and Humanities Washington.

Additional support for the Poet Laureate program provided by:

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Previous Washington Poets Laureate

Claudia Castro Luna (2018-2021)

Tod Marshall (2016-2018)

Elizabeth Austen (2014 – 2016)

Kathleen Flenniken (2012 – 2014)

Samuel Green (2007 – 2009)

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