Donate Now
Make checks payable to:
The Skagit River Poetry Foundation
PO Box 238
La Conner, WA 98257
We Need Your Help: A Call for Volunteers
Volunteers are the heartbeat of our project. Without the hours of work our volunteers give, the Skagit River Poetry Project and Festival would not be possible. Click on the green volunteer icon below to see the volunteer calendar. We will begin our volunteer recruitment in mid-February 2014, so save the date.
If you have questions, please email to linda.talman@gmail.com.
News
‘We Flunked’
April 13, 2013Tony Hoagland, wise and witty and always provocative, raises some important questions about education and poetry in this article from Harper’s magazine. The Foundation’s Poets in Schools program takes on this challenge. Read on…. Twenty Little Poems That Could … Continue reading
Irish Magic
April 12, 2013We are bringing beloved Dublin poet Tony Curtis at The Conway Muse May 3, from 7-8:30 p.m. The lyrical poet and guitar-carrying songwriter is the author of six warmly received collections of poetry, including his recent “The Well in the … Continue reading
Save the Date: Celebration of National Poetry Month at MONA April 21
April 4, 2013We are bringing three fine poets to the podium at the Museum of Northwest Art (MONA) on April 21 in celebration of National Poetry Month. Paul Hansen, recently returned from China, is a painter, poet, and renowned translator of … Continue reading
POETRY CONTEST
March 11, 2013The Skagit River Poetry Foundation has announced the Phyllis L. Ennes Poetry Contest open to all Pacific Northwest poets, from Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, Canada. Renowned national poet Ellen Bass will serve as judge of … Continue reading
SLAM MAN
December 3, 2012Our newest Poet in the Schools is Matt Gano, three-time member of the National Poetry Slam team for Seattle, and 2008 Seattle Poetry Grand Slam Champion. In January, he’ll be bringing his performance and poetic skills to the Anacortes School … Continue reading
THE POET AS STORYTELLER: ‘LIVING LEGEND’ NIKKI GIOVANNI REFLECTS ON LOVE, GRIEF, AND MUSIC
April 27, 2012(Interviewed by Jessica Gigot) Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the most widely read contemporary American poets and one of Oprah’s 25 “Living Legends,” she prides herself on being “a Black American, a … Continue reading
Alurista: “A warrior who bears poetry as a weapon”
April 23, 2012Poet and activist Alberto Baltazar Urista Heredia, known simply as Alurista, visited Austin Community College on October 14, 2010. In this interview, he describes the passion and politics behind his work and describes himself as “a warrior who bears poetry … Continue reading
Our young poets
April 8, 2012It’s magic to watch our poets-in-residence work a classroom, and magic to see what comes from their efforts. Here are some poems from fifth- and sixth-graders, inspired by resident poets, that get deep into the business of trees. To The … Continue reading
Writing workshops
March 28, 2012For the first time, the festival is devoting an entire day, Sunday, May 20, to writing workshops with our renowned poets and storytellers. These three-hour sessions, $60 each, will fill up fast, so if you’re interested, sign up now. – … Continue reading
2010 Festival On Air
February 28, 2012Rip Robbins, general manager for radio services at Skagit Valley College’s KSVR (91.7 FM) and KSVU (90.1 FM), has put together a series of six shows featuring recordings from the 2010 Skagit River Poetry Festival. You can listen to the poets … Continue reading
Poet-In-School appointed Poet Laureate of Washington State
February 9, 2012We are pleased that a dedicated participant to the Skagit River Poetry Project, Kathleen Flenniken, is now Washington State’s Poet Laureate for 2012-2014. More information about this role can be found on the Humanities Washington website. Read more about Kathleen … Continue reading
Nikki Giovanni Added to Lineup
February 2, 2012We just welcomed Nikki Giovanni, once dubbed the “Princess of Black Poetry,” to the lineup of the 2012 Skagit River Poetry Festival. She is one of the most widely read poets in America, as well as one of the most … Continue reading
Breaking poetic ground
January 30, 2012Recently added to our lineup is the exciting young poet Sherwin Bitsui, a Diné (Navajo) who is a member of the Bitter Water clan, actively participates in the ceremonial life of his tribe, and writes muscled, surrealistic poetry that breaks … Continue reading
Stirring Up Magic
January 16, 2012The lineup of poets for the 2012 festival is finally complete, and you can already imagine the magic these international, national, and Northwest artists are going to stir up when they come together in La Conner this May. We have … Continue reading
“Weird Village”
January 16, 2012The historic little town of La Conner transforms into Planet Poet during the festival, with poets and poetry lovers jamming sidewalks and cafes. Last festival, Seattle poet/novelist/comic Sherman Alexie, after seeing a sign in a restaurant advertising “poet food,” declared: … Continue reading
In Other Words
January 16, 2012This year’s festival has some of the world’s top translators, including Chinese scholar Red Pine (“Poems of the Masters,” “Collective Songs of Cold Mountain”) and Latin scholar Mark Schafter (“Before Saying Any of the Great Words: Selected Poetry of David … Continue reading
Golden Apple Award
January 15, 2010Well, we are taking a school bus down to Intiman Theater in Seattle for the 18th Annual Golden Apple Award Ceremony today. It seems like an appropriate mode of transportation for an award that honors teachers and exceptional school programs! … Continue reading
Poetry is Alive and Well
January 1, 2010With the holidays passed and 2010 upon us, the Skagit River Poetry Project is fast-forwarding into Festival mode! We have a plethora of poetry events every month for us to savor: Here are some to look forward to: Village Books … Continue reading
The Holidays
December 7, 2009The Holidays always makes me think about family, those living and those lost. I am fortunate to have a sister with whom I am close and a husband who sometimes knows me better than I know myself. Both of my … Continue reading
Winter Walk
December 7, 2009I was reading a quote from Stanley Kunitz yesterday where he said, “Poetry is the medium of choice for giving our most hidden self a voice–the voice behind the mask that all of us wear.” And I was thinking about … Continue reading
The Skagit River Poetry Project
December 6, 2009The Skagit River Poetry Project began years ago so that our area students could learn from working, real life poet professionals. Students at the heart has always been our main focus and the Festival was the natural extension. Since 1998 … Continue reading
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