Poet Laureate

Poet Laureate builds awareness and appreciation of poetry

The Washington State Poet Laureate was established by the 2007 Legislature as a cooperative program of WSAC and Humanities Washington. Samuel Green was named Washington’s first poet laureate, serving a two-year term from 2007 to 2009. The program was suspended in 2009, at the governor’s request, due to budget constraints. In 2011, the governor agreed to resume the program, provided that no state funds would be used. The program is moving forward with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and private contributions.

The Washington State Poet Laureate serves to build awareness and appreciation of poetry — including the state’s legacy of poetry — through public readings, workshops, lectures and presentations in communities, schools, colleges, universities and other public settings in geographically diverse areas of the state. The Poet Laureate serves a two-year term and receives a stipend of $10,000 per year. The stipend helps cover the cost of providing poetry programs and activities statewide. Visit the Washington State Poet Laureate website to learn more.

Kathleen Flenniken Named Washington State Poet Laureate for 2012-14

In February 2012, Gov. Gregoire approved the appointment of poet Kathleen Flenniken as the 2012-14 Washington State Poet Laureate. Kathleen grew up in Richland, Wash., and currently lives in Seattle. She is president of Floating Bridge Press, a nonprofit organization dedicated to publishing Washington poets, and teaches poetry writing to students of all ages with the support of arts organizations including WSAC, Seattle Arts & Lectures’ Writers in the Schools program and Jack Straw Productions.

“This is a dream job — speaking in support of the arts and humanities, and of poetry in particular, getting the cance to organize poetry events around the state, visit schools, reach kids and teachers and remote communities,” said Kathleen of her new appointment.

Kathleen holds engineering degrees from Washington State University and the University of Washington, as well as a Masters in Fine Arts degree from Pacific Lutheran University. Her first book, Famous (University of Nebraska Press, 2006), won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry, and was a finalist for a Washington State Book Award. Her second collection, Plume (University of Washington Press, 2012), about the Hanford nuclear site, was recently chosen for the Pacific Northwest Poetry Series.

First Washington State Poet Laureate

Samuel Green served for two-year years as Washington's Poet Laureate after being named to the position in December 2007 by Governor Chris Gregoire.

Sam is a distinguished poet and author of ten poetry collections, including The Grace of Necessity, which recently won the Washington State Book Award for Poetry. For nearly 30 years he has served as editor of

Brooding Heron Press. Sam has been visiting poet and poetry teacher at Seattle University for several years and is active with the Skagit River Poetry Festival.