washington state poets rejoice

the WPA announcement letter...

Dear Washington Poets Association Members, Friends, and Subscribers:

It’s official!

Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed Substitute House Bill 1279, the long-awaited
legislation that creates the position of Washington State Poet Laureate.
The signing makes Washington the 41st state to have such a post.

“It’s about time,” exclaimed Karen Bonaudi, who, with WPA secretary Ed
Stover, co-chaired the WPA committee that has worked for months with
the state Arts Commission and Humanities Washington, a nonprofit, to
steer the bill through the legislative process.

Bonaudi, a former WPA president, has seen that process falter at least
four times in the past 10 years. “We could never get it passed out of
commmittee before--the interest just wasn’t there.”

Not so this year, and certainly not on Thursday, April 19, at about 1:30 p.m.
when Bonaudi, Stover, Kris Tucker of the Arts Commission, Karen Munro of
Humanities Washington, and a host of others were ushered into the
Governor’s Conference Room for the big moment.

“Everybody who comes in has to have a poem for me,”  joked Gregoire as
the group filed in.

Stover actually had a poem. State Rep. Mary Skinner, R-Yakima, the prime
sponsor of SHB 1279, had asked Stover, who is from Yakima, if he would
prepare a poem for the occasion. Stover wrote a short poem, “Waiting
for the Poets” (see below), which Skinner had framed for the governor.

And Roosevelt High School senior Nick David, Seattle, who is poet laureate
of his school, read a poem, “Strung Out,” which metaphorically explores
the strands of life we cling to at the expense of other things that might
seem small but turn out to be important.

The idea seemed appropriate, said David, a grand-nephew of House
Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam. “It might seem like small
legislation, but I think it will have a big impact,” he said.

Gregoire agreed: “Creating a poet laureate for Washington honors the role
played by poetry and poets in the creative culture of our state,” she said
as she signed the bill.

That role will be a proactive one, said Skinner following the ceremony: “The
poet laureate will be the state’s official spokesperson in verse,” she said.
“This person will be asked to share poetry and write it for special occasions.
This individual will go into communities and work with groups, organizations
and schools to expand the use of poetry.”

Stover said the partnership of the WPA, Arts Commission and Humanities
Washington will work together to develop the program, which will be
administered by the Arts Commission.

Under the law, the commission gets a start-up appropriation of $30,000 for
the 2007-09 biennium to cover expenses such as travel and a stipend for the
poet. Future funding will come from other sources: gifts, grants and
endowments. The WPA will spearhead that effort, said Stover, adding the
partnership is lucky because Humanities Washington director Ted Lord has
extensive fund-raising experience.

“Ted will be a great resource,” said Stover. “Humanities Washington
also has people in place to provide the administrative support we
need to conduct a fund-raising campaign.”

Obviously, poetry lovers throughout the state will be asked to contribute
whatever they can. “We hope people will be generous, give what they can
afford,” he said, adding the goal is to create a $300,000 endowment fund
that will generate enough interest to fund annual program expenses.

Bonaudi said the immediate task at hand is deciding who will be the poet
laureate. The law calls for the Arts Commission to appoint a selection
committee. Kris Tucker says that committee will represent education, the
publishing industry, the state library, Humanities Washington and the WPA.

Under the law, the poet laureate will “promote and encourage poetry within
the state, including but not limited to readings, workshops, lectures ...
in geographically diverse areas over a two-year term.” The selection
committee will establish final critieria, but candidates must be state
residents who are published, who are active as poets, and who are
willing to serve a two-year term.

“We hope to have someone named in 2008--between now and then we will be
working on the process,” Bonaudi.

Tucker, who likes to call poetry “the people’s art,” said the signing
of the bill after so many years, is cause for poetry lovers throughout
the state to rejoice.

“And it couldn’t have happened at a better time because April is National
Poetry Month.”

* * *

--For Gov. Chris Gregoire on the signing of SHB 1279
establishing the position of Washington State Poet Laureate
   —April 19, 2007

Waiting for the Poets

They will come bearing words
and I will be here with my yearnings,
this aching need to speak from my heart
about what I wish for this world.
Together, we will weave a poem,
a constellation of sounds
that will fall like cooling rain
along the parched margins of the way.
I have waited so long,
I have been patient,
but now the poets are coming.
They will help me say what it is that I need to say.

 —Ed Stover