Join our State Poet Laureate in celebrating
April as National Poetry Month
Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall has announced a series of upcoming appearances and activities celebrating National Poetry Month in April. Engagements include writing workshops, poetry readings, and keynote addresses throughout the state. Marshall will visit Vancouver, Richmond, Ellensburg, Seattle, Bellingham, Tacoma, Federal Way, Gig Harbor, Whidbey Island, Ritzville, and several other locations. Most activities are free and all are open to the public.
State Poet Laureate schedule of events

Ellensburg, April 9
Reading and craft talk at Ellensburg Poetry Prowl, 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at various venues around downtown Ellensburg

Seattle, April 10
Reading and Craft Talk at African American Writers' Alliance, 2:00 p.m. at the Columbia City Library

Spokane, April 11
Classroom visits at Rogers High School, 8:00 a.m.

Spokane, April 12
Reading as part of the Periodic Table of Poetry event at the GetLit! Festival, 6:30 p.m. at Spark Center

Spokane, April 13
Class visits at North Central High School, 8:00 a.m.

Olympia, April 14
Keynote speaker at " Readers Are Leaders " event, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at West Bay Marina
 
Olympia, April 14
Reading at " Olympia People's Mic ," 6:00-8:30 p.m. at Ben Moore's
 
Ritzville, April 16
Reading and workshop, 10:00 a.m to noon at the Ritzville Public Library
 
Spokane, April 16
Reading and workshop at GetLit! Festival, 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Spokane Convention Center
 
Spokane, April 17
Emcee at Lost Horse Press Poetry Reading featuring former poet laureate Kathleen Flenniken, and Washington Poets Katrina Roberts, Rob Carney, and others,  12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at The Peacock Room, The Davenport Hotel
 
Spokane, April 18
Classroom visits at University High School, 9:00 a.m.
 
Gig Harbor, April 21
Reading at Gig Harbor Poetry Series, 7:00 p.m. at Gig Harbor Library
 
Langley, April 22
Interview and reading with former State Poet Laureate Elizabeth Austen, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at  Whidbey Island Center for the Arts

Bellingham, April 25
Reading at Poetry Night , 8:00 p.m. at Mount Baker Theater's Encore Room
 
Spokane, April 26
Gonzaga Guild Speaker, 12:00 p.m. at Herak Club, Gonzaga University
 
Richland, April 27
Reading at Poetry Month celebration, Richland, with Urban Poets Society founder Jordan Chaney and others, 6:00 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Bookstore
 
Bellingham, April 28
Guest on the Chuckanut Radio Hour , 6:30 p.m. at Whatcom Community College
 
Seattle, April 29
Workshop, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Seattle Public Library
 
Seattle, April 29
Reading with poets Lucia Perillo and Heather McHugh, 7:00 p.m. at Folio
 
Federal Way, Apr 30
Workshop, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at  Pacific Bonsai Museum
 
Tacoma, April 30
Reading at Louder than a Bomb , a youth poetry slam, 3:30 p.m. (Marshall will be there by 4:30 p.m.) at Tacoma Community College Auditorium
 

More details at wapoetlaureate.org
Dr. Tod Marshall
ABOUT TOD MARSHALL
State Poet Laureate 2016-2018

Marshall is the author of three poetry collections:  Dare Say (2002),  The Tangled Lin  (2009), and  Bugle (2014), the latter of which won the Washington State Book Award in 2015.  Marshall also published a collection of interviews with contemporary poets, Range of the Possible (2003), and an accompanying anthology of the interviewed poets' work, Range of Voices (2005). His is also the recipient of the 2015 Humanities Washington Award for Scholarship and Service. Tod Marshall earned an MFA degree from Eastern Washington University and a PhD from the University of Kansas. He succeeds previous poets laureate Elizabeth Austen (2014-2016), Kathleen Flenniken (2012-2014), and Sam Green (2007-2009). He currently lives in Spokane, where he is a professor of English at Gonzaga University.

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON STATE POET LAUREATE
The Washington State Poet Laureate 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. The poet laureate is sponsored by Humanities Washington and ArtsWA, with the support of Gov. Jay Inslee. The position is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and Humanities Washington.
 
ABOUT HUMANITIES WASHINGTON
Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state. For more about Humanities Washington, visit humanities.org .
 
ABOUT ARTSWA
ArtsWA, the Washington State Arts Commission, was established by the legislature in 1961. Its mission is to collaborate with artists and arts organizations statewide to conserve, promote, and develop artistic resources. For more information about ArtsWA, visit arts.wa.gov .
Glenda Carino | ArtsWA Communications Manager | 360.586.8093
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