In her poem “Daffodils,” Bellingham resident Rena Priest tackles heady topics such as genocide, oppression and the complexity of being an Indigenous poet who is expected to write about Indigenous subject matter. In the same work, the first Native American to be appointed as Washington State Poet Laureate makes a case for being able to describe the simplicity of spring blooms.
“The Indigenous poet says/‘Stang tse temxwilia!’/and writes about daffodils/and the untouchable beauty/of living a poet’s life,” the poem concludes. Translated as “what the hail,” Priest said the saying in the previous sentence is the closest you’ll get to a swear word in Xwlemi Chosen (the Lummi Nation language).
When Gov. Jay Inslee named her Poet Laureate this time last year — in conjunction with National Poetry Month, which takes place every April — Priest had an agenda. The primary goals during her two-year term were to celebrate poetry in the state’s tribal communities and to use her skills to increase appreciation of the natural world and the threats facing it.
“There are 29 federally recognized tribes in Washington, composed of 140,714 tribal citizens,” Priest said at the time. “I’m sad to say that in the hundreds of poetry readings I’ve attended over the years, I’ve only met a handful of Native poets. I know that this is not because we don’t exist, but because we don’t have the same access to writing communities as people living in cities and towns.”
For the environmental faction of her tenure, she said she hoped to use poetry as a tool to offer new perspectives and generate enthusiasm for the idea that ecological destruction isn’t a given.
As the author of the poetry collections “Patriarchy Blues” — which garnered her an American Book Award in 2018 — and “Sublime Subliminal,” Priest has long used her voice to draw attention to issues that deserve further contemplation. And when she joins fellow poets Saturday, April 2 for a reading and discussion on “Poetry and Civic Life,” it will be with the shared goal of highlighting the vibrant poetry community in Washington state while exploring the power of poetry to enact social change.
The free event will take place at Hugo House in Seattle, but will also be available to live stream through ArtsWA, and will be recorded for broadcasting purposes by Seattle Channel. Emceed by former KUOW arts reporter Marcie Sillman, Priest will be joined by former Washington State Poet Laureate Tod Marshall; Seattle’s 2019-2021 Civic Poet, Jourdan Keith; and Zinnia Hansen, the 2021-2022 Seattle Youth Poet Laureate.
The talented scribes will respond to written questions from the audience that will address the intersection of poetry and politics, and it’s likely Priest and her creative cohorts will have interesting comments — and poems — that will contribute to the conversation.
“Over the last two years, we’ve turned to art and artists to help us make sense of the powerful forces changing our world,” said Karen Hanan, executive director of ArtsWA. “Art, and poetry in particular, can help us find the language to communicate and shape our responses to the world around us.”
“Poetry and Civic Life” takes place from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 2. Register in advance at hugohouse.org
