If you're in the Port Townsend area on Wednesday, April 28, Samuel Green, Washington's poet laureate from 2007-2009, will be reading at the Jefferson County Library.
The free reading starts at 6:30 pm; seating is limited and is available on a first-come first-served basis.
For the very few of you who don't know: Samuel Green is a native of Washington and resides on Waldron Island, a 4 1/2-square-mile island in the San Juans with no public electricity or running water. There, he and his wife, Sally, live in a self-built log cabin and publish Washington poets using a letterpress. Sally does the printing, Sam the binding.
The author of ten collections of poetry, including The Grace of Necessity, Green has appeared in numerous publications; served as a visiting poet in a wide range of settings, including universities, public schools, libraries, mental health centers, correctional facilities and poetry festivals; and been visiting poet and poetry teacher at Seattle University for several years.
In 2007, Green was named the state’s first Poet Laureate, a position established by the Legislature to build awareness and appreciation of poetry across the state. The two-year appointment took him all over the state, helping students of all ages learn to craft poetry.
"I think poetry can be a voice for the voiceless," Green says. "Poetry enables us to speak to ourselves and others and can enable us to speak with greater clarification.”
