All events listed here are free, unless otherwise noted. (See the Events archive here.)
August
Aug 4: Reading at Methow Chamber Music Festival
Aug 18: Reading commissioned poem for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine White Coat Ceremony, Washington State University, Fox Theater, Spokane, 3p
September
Sep 8: Shelton
Sept 9: Centralia
Sept 15: Cathlamet
Sept 16: Cathlamet
Sept 17: Oysterville
Sept 18: Mercer Island
Sept 20: Freeland
Sept 21: Oak Harbor
Sept 22-24: Litfuse! (Tieton)
Sept 27: Port Hadlock
Sept 28: Port Angeles
October
Oct 5: Open Books, Seattle
Oct 6: Seattle Bedtime Stories
Oct 10: Pierce College
Oct 12: Ghost Town Poetry Series, Vancouver
Oct 13-15: Cascadia Poetry Festival
Oct 18: Ellensburg
Oct 19: Wenatchee
Oct 20: Bellingham
Oct 21: Poetry Corner, Seatac
November
Nov 2: Port Townsend
Nov 3: Gala at Fox, Spokane
Nov 15: Puyallup
Nov 16: Redmond
Nov 18: La Conner
December
Older Events
2016
Feb 9: Reading for Washington State Legislature, Olympia, 10 a.
Feb 9: Passing the Laurel: Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall, Elizabeth Austen and Friends, Hugo House, Seattle. 7:30 p.Outgoing Washington State Poet Laureate Elizabeth Austen “passes the laurel” to 2016-18 Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall. The celebration includes brief readings by Marshall and Austen, and Pacific Northwest poets Rick Barot, Karen Finneyfrock, Jourdan Keith, Jane Wong and a surprise guest or two. Join us starting at 6:30 for an informal reception in the Cabaret.
Feb 18: Guest on KYRS Art Hour, 88.1/92.3 FM, 3p
Feb 18: “Laureate Reading” at Aunties Bookstore with Laura Read (Spokane Poet Laureate), Thom Caraway (former Spokane Laureate), and special guests, Spokane, 7 p.
Feb 24: Reading at Spokane Falls Community College with Laura Read Bldg 24, room 110, Spokane, 11:30 a.
Mar 2: Reading at Spokane Community College, Spokane, TBA
Mar 5: Poetry Out Loud State Final, Judge, Tacoma, 1 p.
Theatre on the Square in the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, located at 901 Broadway, Tacoma, WA. Event is free and open to the public. Will get to listen to wonderful high school students recite poems!
Mar 10: Team Child Poetry Reading Fundraiser at St. John’s Church with Laura Read, Thom Caraway, and others, 5:30-7p. Open to the public.
Please join me with Thom and Laura and talented young poets as we try to help raise money and awareness for a good cause.
Mar 13: Workshop and Reading in Metaline Falls, Cutter Theater, 302 Park Street, 2 to 4p with workshop, reading and live music by Donivan Johnson
March 18: Pioneer School visit, Spokane, WA, 10:30a
Mar 30-Apr 3: Associated Writing Programs Conference, Los Angeles, various events
Apr 8: Crossing the Border! Reading @ Public Library, Coeur d’Alene, ID, with other poets, doors open at 6 pm!
Apr 9: Poetry Prowl, all day festival in Ellensburg, details TBA
Apr 10: African American Writers’ Alliance, Columbia City Library, 2p
Apr 12: Periodic Table Reading, GETLIT,
Apr 13: Class visits at North Central High School, Spokane, 8a
Apr 14: “Readers Are Leaders,” Olympia, 7-9a, Keynote speaker
Apr 14: Class visits at Olympia High School, 9:30-noon
Apr 14: “Olympia People’s Mic,” Ben Moore’s, 112 4th Ave. W, 6:30p
Apr 16: Ritzville Public Library, reading and workshop, 10a to noon
Apr 16: Reading and workshop, GETLIT, Spokane Convention Center, 3:30-5p
Apr 17: Lost Horse Press Poetry Reading, emcee, featured readers include former poet laureate Kathleen Flenniken, and Washington Poets Katrina Roberts, Rob Carney, and others, Davenport Hotel Peacock Room, 12-2p
Apr 18: Class visits at University High School, Spokane, 9a
Apr 21: Gig Harbor Poetry Series, Gig Harbor Library, 7:30p
Apr 22: Whidbey Island Center for the Arts , guest of Elizabeth Austen,
Apr 24: Book Launch for Noisy Water anthology! Going to listen to the poets read and check out the art. Special Exhibit and Reading in celebration of National Poetry Month. At the Firehouse Café, Firehouse Performing Arts Center, Bellingham, WA, 6:30p
Apr 25: Poetry Night, Mount Baker Theater’s Encore Room, 104 North Commercial Street, Bellingham, WA, 8p
Apr 26: Gonzaga Guild Speaker, Herak Club, Gonzaga University, noon
Apr 27: Poetry Month celebration! Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Richland, with Urban Poets Society founder Jordan Chaney, young poets, and others, 6 to 8p
Apr 28: Chuckanut Radio Hour, Whatcom Community College, Bellingham, 6:30p
Apr 29: Downtown Seattle Public Library writing workshop, 12-2.
Apr 29: Reading at Folio, Seattle, with Heather McHugh and Lucia Perillo, 7:30p
Apr 30: Workshop at Pacific Bonsai Museum, 2-4 p
Apr 30: Louder Than a Bomb, Tacoma Community College Auditorium, 3:30p (I’ll get there by 4:30)
May 2: Taproot Lecture, SPARK, Spokane, WA, 7p
May 11: Clark College English Department Awards, Speaker, Vancouver, WA, 5:30p
May 12: Free workshop with Christopher Luna, Angst Gallery 3-5p
May 12: Ghost Town Open Mic, Angst Gallery, 1015 Main, Vancouver, WA, 7 p
May 16: Class Visits, Rogers High School, Spokane, WA, 9a-noon
May 16: Verde Que Te Quiero Verde: Poems after Federico Garcia Lorca, SPARK, Spokane, 7p
May 18: Curtis Senior High School, Tacoma, class visits, 9a to noon
May 18: Talk on Poetry, Creativity, and Careers in the Arts, University of Washington, Tacoma, MDS 202, 1-2:30p
May 18: Reading and Conversation at Rainier Arts Center with Oliver de la Paz and Claudia Castro Luna, Rainier Arts Center, 3515 S Alaska St, Seattle, 7:30p
May 19-22: Skagit River Poetry Festival, La Conner, WA, May 19-22 (ticket information on SRPF website)
May 26: Liberty Bell High School, class visits during the day; in the evening, a public reading at The Merc with Dennis Held and students, Winthrop, WA, 6p
May 27: Willow Springs Books Fundraiser. Spokane, Bartlett, 6 p.
June 2: Mercer Island Arts Council Events:
Morning: school visits on Mercer Island.
1-2:30PM – Poetry workshop. Mercer Island Community and Events Center.
3-4:30PM – Question and Answer session with poetry groups. Island Books.
7PM – Public reading at Mercer Island Community and Events Center
Sept 8, Olympia Senior Center, 222 Columbia Street NW, Olympia, 2-4p.
Sept 9, KYRS Member Drive, Paulsen Building Penthouse, 421 W. Riverside, $25 per person. $25 suggested donation to KYRS. Appetizers & cash bar, 6-9p.
Sept 14-17, Twisp, Winthrop, Omak, and other locations.
Sept 19, Royal City Public Library, Royal City, WA, public reading and discussion, 5:30p.
Sept 21, Poetry Corner Workshop, Brookdale Foundation House, 32290 1st Ave S, Federal Way, WA, 10:30 to noon.
Sept 21, Words West Reading Series, C & P Coffee Co, 5612 California Avenue, SW, with wonderful writers: Kathleen Flenniken, Claudia Castro Luna, Lena Khalif Tuffaha, and Lyanda Hynn Haupt, 7p.
Sept 22, Open Books Re-launch, Wallingford, WA,
Sept 23, Benton City Juvenile Correctional Facility, Benton City, WA, w/Jordan Chaney
Sept 23, Reading with Lenora Rain-Lee Good at Barnes and Noble, 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd, Kennewick, WA, 7p.
Sept 24, Litfuse, Tieton, WA
Sept 28-30: Events in Bellingham at Western Washington University
Sept 28, WWU, Fraser Hall 201: a poetry writing workshop entitled “Writing Poems That Speak of Home: Washington 129,” 4:00p
Sept 29, WWU, Communications 110, a public reading, 6:30p.
Sept 30, Public Reading, Edmonds Library, 5-5:45p
Sept 30-Oct 2, Write on the Sound Conference, Edmonds, WA
Oct 1, Poetry Camp in Bellingham
Oct 3, North Spokane Library, “A Terrible Beauty: William Butler Yeats and Paula Meehan,” 6:30p
Oct 6, Lake Chelan Library
Oct 7, Bedtime Stories, Seattle
Oct 8, Fall Family Weekend, Gonzaga University, Spokane
Oct 9, Sammamish Arts Festival, Public Library, Sammamish, WA, 2:45-4p
Oct 12, Otis Orchards Library, “Does it Explode: Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen,” 6:30p
Oct 12, Arts NW, Keynote, Davenport Hotel, Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, Spokane, WA, 1-2p
Oct 13, Gunnar’s Bistro–Poetry Pole Reading and Celebration, Cle Elum, WA, 4p.
Oct 19, Skagit Valley Poetry Festival Dinner
Oct 20, Onalaska School District, class visits
Oct 20, Centralia College, Centralia (Washington Hall, #103), 600 Centralia College Blvd, Kirk Library, 6:30 reception, 7:30p reading. Presented by Our Literacy Council of Lewis County and Centralia College
Oct 21, Eatonville High School class visits
Oct 22, Poetry Talk, Timberland Library, Salkum Branch, 2480 US-12, Salkum, WA, 2p.
Oct 22, Mineral School presents an evening with poet laureate Tod Marshall, 114 Mineral Rd. South, Mineral, WA 98355, (www.mineral-school.org). Snacks and mingling, wine by donation. 6:30pm Diane Mapes plays original music inspired by Mineral. 7:00pm Tod Marshall reads, and a Q&A with poet Nicole Hardy and audience follows.
Oct 24, Newport School Visits
Oct 26, Broken Mic, Spokane, 6p.
Oct 27, Newport School Visits and Create Place, Newport, WA, 7p
Oct 28, Bedtime Stories, Spokane
Oct 29, Workshop and reading at the Ritzville Library, Ritzville, WA, 10a.
Nov 1, “Great Poems That Tell Tales,” South Hill Library, Spokane, 3324 S. Perry Street, 6p.
Nov 2, Duvall Reading Series, Duvall Library Meeting Room, 15508 Main Street NE, 7p.
Nov 3, Tulalip Reading Series, Tulip Tribes Hibulb Cultural Center, 6p
Nov 7, “Great Poems That Tell Tales” Shadle Library, Spokane, 2111 W. Wellesley, 6p.
Nov 9, YCC Pizza Poetry Party, Yakima, 11:30a
Nov 9, Hosting Yakima Coffeehouse Poets Open Mic Night, The Seasons, 101 N. Naches Ave., 7p.
Nov 10, Workshop and Reading at The Seasons, 101 N. Naches Ave. in Yakima. The hourlong workshop will be followed by a poetry reading. It’s sponsored by Yakima Coffeehouse PoetsYakima, Workshop and Reading, The Seasons, 6p
Nov 15, Governor’s Arts and Heritage Awards
Nov 16, PoetsWest @ The Creekside Reading Series, 18200 Woodinville-Snohomish Rd NE, Woodinville, 7p.
Nov 17, Lake City Rotary Club, Lake City, WA
Nov 18, RASP reading, Redmond, WA
Nov 21, Moran Prairie Library, Spokane, “My Life Had Stood: Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman,” 6:30p
Nov 28, Spokane Valley Library, “The Book of Myths: Adrienne Rich and June Jordan,” 6:30p
Nov 30, Republic School Visits
Nov 30, Republic Library workshop, 4 p
Dec 1, Curlew School Visits
Dec 1, Curlew Public Library, Reception 5p, Reading 6p
Dec 5, Lacey 50th Anniversary Celebration, The HUB at Woodland Square, 676 Woodland Square Loop S.E. 5p
Dec 7, Pulitzer’s in Person, Seattle
Dec 8, Soap Lake School, Soap Lake, WA, 2p
Dec 8, Ephrata Library, Ephrata, WA, 7 p
Dec 10, Puget Sound Poetry Connection Workshop, THE FEAST BUILDING 1402 s 11th, Tacoma, 10 am
Dec 14, Reading at Chewelah library, 5:30p
Happy 2017!
Jan 7, Hugo House Workshop, Seattle, 10a
Jan 8, Roslyn Reading & Workshop, Reading @ 1:30, Roslyn Public Library; workshop @ 3p
Jan 9, Ask the Oracle, with Storme Webber at Hotel Sorrento, Seattle, 7:30p
Jan 11, Mead High School, Spokane
Jan 12, Nisqually School and Library Events. School visit during the day. Youth Center event in the evening: Gather’s Rain: A Salmon’s Journey, 5:30p
Jan 13, Puget Sound Poetry Distinguished Writer Series, Kings Bookstore, Tacoma, 7p
Jan 14, Shoalwater Bay Tribal Library, workshop and poetry talk, 10a
Jan 14, Westport Timberland Library, workshop and poetry talk, 2p
Jan 15, Vancouver Poetry Moves, Vancouver Community Library (901 C. St.), 1p
Jan 15, Writers Resist! Town Hall Seattle, 7:30p
Jan 16, “Live the Change We Seek,” Snoqualmie Methodist Church, with Rebekah Demirel and Sinan Demirel, 2p
Jan 18-20, Writer in the Schools, Oak Harbor High School
Jan 19, Reading and discussion, Oak Harbor Library, 3p
Jan 21, Workshop and Reading in Wenatchee with Claudia Castro Luna. Workshops at 1p (Tod, in English) and 3p (Claudia, in Spanish); readings start at 6:30p
Jan 25, Northwest Voices. Workshop 3:30-5 p, Main Bldg 145. Reading @ Longview Public Library, Longview, 7p
Jan 26, Cathlamet Public Library, reading 4p
Jan 28, Workshop at the MAC in Spokane, 10:30a
Jan 29, Olympia Poetry Network, reading with Emily Van Kley at Traditions Fair Trade Cafe, 5th and Water, 6-7:30p
Feb 1 & 2, Writers in the School events in Seattle
Feb 11, Bard of Sherman Avenue Booklaunch at Blogfest in Couer d’Alene, Fort Ground Grill, 1p.
Feb 15-16, Seattle University class visits and reading, Wycoff Auditorium, 4:30 p
Feb 21, Palouse Library Reading
Feb 22, Wallingford Retirement Community
Feb 23, with Peter Ludwin, White River Valley Museum, 918 H Street SE, Auburn, 6p
March 1-3, Return to Mineral School and surrounding communities
March 1, Eatonville School
March 1, Salkum/Timberland Library, 3p
March 1, Toledo Library, 6:30p
March 2, Morton, evening reading at Roxy Theater with Dawn Pichon Barron, 6:30p
March 3, Ashford School
March 4, Poetry Out Loud State Finals, Olympia, 1p
March 5, Words from the Cafe Reading, Elliot Bay Bookstore, 3p.
March 6, Gray’s Harbor College, Poetry Workshop at 3p and Public Reading at 6p.
March 8 & 9, Events in Tri-Cities
March 11, Litfuse reading at Aunties bookstore
March 14, Moran Prairie Library, “Poetry and Social Justice: Voices that Announced Black Lives Matter (long before the movement), 6:30p
March 15, Endicott School visit and evening reading at Endicott Public Library, 324 E St., Endicott, WA, 7p
March 16, Spokane Valley Library, “Never Too Much of the Green: Irish Poetry,” 6:30p
March 18, Booktree Bookstore, Workshop at 4, reading at 6:15, Kirkland
March 19, Federal Way Library, Reading with Pat Dixon, 2p
March 20, Creative Colloquy, B Sharp Coffee House, 706 Opera Alley Tacoma, WA, 7p
March 21, Airway Heights Correctional Facility
March 23, Deer Park Library, Northern Slam! 6:30p
March 25, Kettle Falls Friends of the Public Library
March 29, Cheney Library “Slam and the Spoken Word: The Future of Poetry?” Cheney Library, 6:30p
March 30, WALApalooza, Washington Middle School, 6p
March 31, Lopez Island Library, public reading, 7p
April 1, San Juan Island Library Meeting Room, poetry workshop, 2-5p
April 1, San Juan Island Library Main Salon, poetry reading, 7p
April 2, Mount Grant Preserve, poetry walk, 1p
April 3, Workshop, Orcas Island, 11-3p, details TBA
April 3, Orcas Island Art Center, public reading 7:30p
April 4, Shadle Library, Reading at 6:30p
April 6, Moses Lake Art Museum, Civic Center Auditorium, 7p
April 8, Edna’s Second April, many events, Ellensburg, noon to 9p
April 9, Barnes and Noble, Kennewick, 1p
April 10, Airway Heights Correctional Facility, Open Mic!
April 12, Pierce College, Reception, 10:30a
April 12, Pierce College, lecture on poetry, noon
April 12, Reading at Puyallup Library, 7p
April 13, Reading to open Senate, Olympia, 8a
April 13, Book Launch of WA 129, The State Reception Room, Olympia, 5-7p
April 13, Olympia Poetry Grand Slam, Woman’s Club Of Olympia, 1002 Washington Street, 7p
April 19, Bellevue School, all day
April 20, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, reading with Linda Bierds, 7:30
April 21, Forks Library, reading, 6p
April 22, Poetry Hike & Workshop with Washington State Poet Laureate, 11a
April 24, Poetry Night in Bellingham, 8p
April 26, Clark College Cannell Library, reading, noon
April 26, Washougal Community Library and Washougal High School, reading 7p
April 27, Vancouver School of Academics and the Arts, class visits
April 27, Vancouver Community Library – Poetry workshop, 4p
April 28, A Celebration of Poetry, White Center Library, 1p
April 28, Reading with Elizabeth Austen and Sam Green, Auburn, Auburn Theater, 7p
April 29, Louder than a Bomb, Tacoma, 9am and onward
April 30, Anacortes Library, reading with WA 129 poets, 2p
May
May 1, Mt. Vernon Schools and public libary
May 4, Goldendale, WA
May 5, White Salmon, WA
May 9-11, school residency in Concrete, WA
May 9, reading in Concrete, WA
May 12-13, Vashon Poetry Festival, Vashon Island
May 17, Odessa school visits, Odessa, WA
May 18, Wenatchee Valley Community College, class visits and reading
May 19-20, Write on the River Conference, Wenatchee, WA
May 21, Screening of LTAB, Bitters Studio, La Conner, WA
May 25, Peninsula College Reading, Port Angeles, WA
June
Jn 22-24, Chuckanut Writers Conference, various events in Bellingham, June 22-24
July
Jl, Poets in the Park, Anderson Park, Redmond, 12-6p.
Pingback: Just getting started | Washington State Poet Laureate
Hello Elizabeth-
At St. Joseph Residence, a home in West Seattle for retired Catholic sisters, we have been enjoying a Poet’s Corner every month. We select a poet and carve out some time one afternoon to read her/his poetry and discuss it. Imagine our joy to have selected Washington’s Poet Laureate for yesterday’s Poet’s Corner! We are all captivated by your work. We especially loved On Punctuation, and also This Morning. The sisters are wondering if you would consider coming to St. Joseph Residence and/or Providence Mount St. Vincent, which is right next door? We’d love to host a real, live poet, especially one whose work just lit up our discussion! We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
-Vicky Smith, Recreation Therapist, 206-937-4600.
Hi Elizabeth-
The sisters were so excited when I read your reply! (And so was I) Thank you for your very prompt response!
Typically we meet at 3pm, and usually on a Thursday whenever possible. I’m wondering about a Thursday in January? Second choice would be Tuesday, the 27th, and after that, perhaps a Friday other than the 9th.
I am also wondering what sort of format you might have in mind?
We look forward to hearing again from you.
-Vicky
I am the assistant principal of a seattle innercity high school. Many budding poets at our school in need of outlet and encouragement, yet i noticed that no poetry workshops via the poet laureate office, for the Central district or Rainer Valley or South Park neighborhoods of Seattle. These are our poorest communities, yet even the desert welcomes a flower.
Hi,Eddie.Thanks for your message. I’ll email you directly to follow up.
Pingback: Late February/early March readings and workshops | Washington State Poet Laureate
Pingback: WA Poet Laureate Year Two | Elizabeth Austen
Pingback: Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine | Washington State Poet Laureate
11-09-15 Richland, WA
An Afternoon with Elizabeth Austen
The time passed much too fast
hours became only minutes
and though sated, I wanted more
needed more: more forgiveness, more
kindness, more absolution
You were all these things,
opening up misplaced treasures
understaning, banishing old guilt
Thank you, Margaret – I particularly appreciated our conversation afterward.
Pingback: Time to Say Thank You and Farewell | Washington State Poet Laureate
I’d hoped for a listing of upcoming workshops and readings.
Thank you
Clark, thanks for the reminder to update this page. I hadn’t realized how dusty it was. I’ve ramped down my readings/events in order to refocus on writing new poems, but will be doing a couple of readings in November.