Last night at Hugo House in Seattle, outgoing Washington State Poet Laureate Elizabeth Austen “passed the laurel” to 2016-18 Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall (Bugle). The celebration included readings by Marshall and Austen, as well as Pacific Northwest poets Rick Barot, Karen Finneyfrock, Jourdan Keith, Jane Wong, and more. Former Washington State Poet Laureate Kathleen Flenniken emceed.
The Washington State Poet Laureate is a joint program of the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and Humanities Washington, and is appointed by the Governor. The position is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, ArtsWA, and Humanities Washington.