The Washington State Poet Laureate builds awareness and appreciation of poetry through public readings, workshops, lectures, and presentations. Laureates perform this work in culturally and geographically diverse communities throughout the state. The Washington State Poet Laureate program is jointly sponsored by the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and Humanities Washington.
Meet Derek Sheffield
Celebrated poet and professor Derek Sheffield is Washington’s eighth State Poet Laureate. Sheffield lives in the Wenatchee Valley and serves as a professor of English at Wenatchee Valley College. He has published several poetry collections and edits poetry for Terrian.org, and has also received fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, Artist Trust, the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, and the Spring Creek Foundation for his poetry. He took over the role from previous Laureate Arianne True.
Interested in hosting Derek Sheffield for a reading, workshop, or other event?
📅 Upcoming Events
September 9: Creatives Get Real
Creatives Get Real will host a night of no-fluff conversations with panelists to dish on the highs, the lows, and the in-betweens of running a creative business in Washington State.
📅 Tuesday, September 9, 2025
⏰ 6—8 p.m.
Doors open at 6 PM, program begins 6:30 PM
September 14: Wenatchee Valley Community Celebration.
Join Artist Trust for a celebration honoring artists, arts supporters, and Artist Trust community members based in the Wenatchee Valley! This event will feature a reading by Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield beginning at 5:45 PM. Light refreshments from Todo Rico will be provided. Presented in partnership with ArtsWA and Humanities Washington.
🌎 Snowy Owl Theater at Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, Leavenworth
📆 Sunday, September 14, 2025
⏰ 5 – 7 p.m.
September 19: Storytime Bookshop
Celebrate local arts and poetry with Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield at the SoCo Downtown Arts Festival!
🌎 Storytime Bookshop, Kennewick
📅 Friday, September 19, 2025
⏰7 – 8 p.m. PDT
September 20: SOCO Creative Arts Festival
Join the SOCO Creative Arts Festival in Downtown Kennewick on Saturday, September 20 from 10 AM–4 PM! Kennewick Ave will transform into a lively pedestrian zone featuring local art, live music, craft vendors, outdoor dining, the SEW Inspired Quilt Festival, and a woodworking street sale.
🌎 Kennewick Avenue, Kennewick, WA
📅 Saturday, September 20, 2025
⏰ 10 a.m.—4 p.m.
- The Washington State Legislature passed a bill in 2007 to establish the Washington State Poet Laureate program. The bill recognized the value of poetry to the state’s culture and heritage.
- The Governor appoints the Laureate based on recommendations from a geographically and culturally diverse panel of representatives from Washington’s arts, humanities, and literary communities.
- Once appointed, ArtsWA and Humanities Washington provide funding for the honorarium ($40,000 annually), travel and project expenses, and administrative support for the Laureate.
- The Laureate serves a two-year term. The 2023-2025 Laureate’s term begins May 1, 2023.
Poet Laureate nominations are submitted using an online portal (Submittable).
A geographically and culturally diverse panel of representatives from Washington’s arts, humanities and literary communities score each nomination. The panel identifies finalists (generally up to three) to be interviewed by the panel. These interviews will happen via video conferencing/or in person depending on circumstances at that time. After the interviews, the panel makes a recommendation to Governor Inslee, who appoints at his discretion.
ArtsWA and Humanities Washington staff do not score nominations or make recommendations on candidates during the selection process but do help facilitate the process and answer technical questions.
Rena Priest
Claudia Castro Luna
Tod Marshall
Elizabeth Austen
Kathleen Flenniken
Samuel Green