Lenfest Outreach & Engagement Series: Washington State's First Indigenous Poet Laureate, Rena Priest

Lenfest Outreach & Engagement Series
Washington State's First Indigenous Poet Laureate, Rena Priest

Kamen Gallery/Lenfest Center
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 at 5:30 pm
No tickets required

Join Rena Priest, an American Book Award-winning poet and member of Lhaq'temish (Lummi) Nation, in an evening of poetry readings.

Priest is the first indigenous poet to be appointed Washington State Poet Laureate.
She is the author of "Northwest Know-How: Beaches;" "Sublime Subliminal;" and "Patriarchy Blues" which received an American Book Award.

Poetry has the power to change- Priest says it can also be used to raise awareness for issues, such as the need for environmental protection in the face of climate change. "I mean, poetry is so versatile, and maybe it's even the best medium to use," she says. "It allows for associative leaps and it allows-it kind of opens a person's willingness to accept something that maybe they really wouldn't want to look at previously. It's almost like it can trick you through song and imagery."

She is the recipient of an Allied Arts Foundation Professional Poets Award, and fellowships from Indigenous Nations Poets and the Vadon Foundation.