Support the movement: Washington State Poet Laureate

Recent Poetry News...

TO:       WA Poets Association Members, Friends, and Subscribers
SUBJECT:  Poet Laureate bill clears first hurdle!
 
Following much planning and energy by the partnering bill pushers, Substitute
House Bill 1279, establishing a poet larueate position for Washington State,
has passed out of the House State Government and Tribal Affairs committee
with 8 ayes.   
 
The House committee heard testimony from three state Representatives: prime 
sponsor Mary Skinner, Lynn Kessler, and Pat Lantz.  Representing the partnership 
was Kris Tucker (WA State Arts Commission), Karen Bonaudi and Ed Stover (WA
Poets Association), and Ted Lord (Humanities Washington).  Additional testimony
was heard from Michael Weigers (Copper Canyon Press), Jeffrey Youde (Quilcene
HS) and Paul Nelson (WPA).
 
This is as far as a poet laureate bill has gotten (in the last 10 years at least), and
our eyes now turn to the Senate, where the companion bill SB 5649 was dropped
(i.e. birthed) Jan. 26.  That bill needs to pass out of its committee of origin,
Government Operations and Elections, by Feb. 28 to stay alive. We are hoping it
will happen a lot sooner than that.  Passing legislation is a huge, timed
steeplechase, where you have to clear certain hurdles within certain times or the
bill dies.  Companion bills give you two horses in the race in case one stumbles.
 
We are hoping the poet laureate effort will present a do-good opportunity for the
legislature, where they can do something positive with bi-partisan accord--and do it
quickly before the pressures of heavy issues start to pile up.  The $30,000 we are
asking in start-up funds will not break the budget.

Below are the Representatives and Senators who sponsored the respective bills. 
If any of them are from your district or you know them personally, shoot them an
email thanking them for their support. We'll keep you posted.

Representatives Skinner, Kessler, Lantz, Hasegawa, Dickerson, Haler, McIntire,
Conway, Newhouse, Kenney

Senators Tom, Honeyford, Kohl-Welles, Hatfield, Pridemore, Clements, 
Jacobsen, Kline

--by Karen Bonaudi