STUDENTS AT THE HEART
Our Mission
The Skagit River Poetry Project brings students
and poets together to promote literacy, appreciate
language, and participate in a culturally diverse
community.
1998-today
The History:
Skagit River Poetry Project
The Skagit River Poetry Project began in 1998, the result of a conversation between leaders from seven rural school districts in Skagit County, Washington. These leaders hoped to create a project that would support our high literacy standards with the arts. Poetry was a natural vehicle.
From 1998 to the present, more than 50 Skagit and Whatcom County teachers annually have hosted resident poets. More than 10,000 local students have had the experience of playing with words while reading and writing poetry one-on-one with experts. These professional poets have modeled instructional strategies to teachers and prepared a bank of poetry lessons.
The culminating event for this in-class work is the biennial Skagit River Poetry Festival. From 2000 to the present, the Festival Board has invited a combination of Northwest, national and international poets to participate in readings, workshops, and panels for a three-day event in the historic town of La Conner, Washington
Numbers are Poetry
498 poets,
1,000 days, 3,000 classrooms, 4,000 hours
And 300,000 students.
Thatʼs a lot of poetry since 1998.
– From acceptance speech, 2009 KCTS Golden Apple
Awards
STUDENT POEMS
Flowers
Daffodils celebrate
And leave winter abandoned
Blossoming
Into springʼs suspicious
Air, feeling nervous
And awkward
– 4th Grader, Skagit River Poetry Project
Things to Do at the Skagit River
Slide down the sand bank and let your
mind go blank
Assemble your fishing pole
and let it tug with the soothing
water
Carve a fish out of a log
Return each fish you catch
Crawl up a tree like a silent snake
ready to catch its prey
Promise not to hurt nature
Survive like youʼre an animal
Write a poem to express your feelings
Advertise them for your readers
– 3rd grader, Skagit River Poetry Project
