For the past thirty-seven years, aspiring writers, readers, translators, and editors have come to Centrum literary programs to immerse themselves in the writing life and make breakthroughs in their personal work.
In this inspiring and supportive atmosphere, such literary figures as William Stafford, Alice Walker, Margaret Atwood, Ken Kesey, Richard Hugo, James Welch, Raymond Carver, Rebecca Brown, and many, many others found community and made breakthroughs in their creative development through workshops and residences.
Through readings, craft lectures, writing workshops, and residencies in many languages, literary styles, and locations in Washington state, Centrum's literary programming facilitates the literary development and dialogue of nascent, emerging, and established writers, readers, editors, translators, and audience members.
Literary programming at Centrum began in 1974 with the founding of the Port Townsend Writers' Conference by novelist Bill Ransom. He created an egalitarian, non-hierarchical writers' conference where the emphasis was on the craft of literary writing and the development of a year-round literary community that nurtured and challenged writers.
In 1975, feeling that no literary program would be worth its salt without an in-house printer, Ransom invited Sam Hamill to set up Copper Canyon Press on the Fort Worden State Park campus.
Here, the literary life is based on cultural conversation through the literary expression and dialogue of writers, readers, editors, thinkers, and translators of high school age and above, working in a wide variety of styles and abilities.
Whether you’re seeking to create or revise new work, find writing community, or simply desire a writing retreat in an inspirational location, Centrum is at the heart of the thriving Pacific Northwest literary scene, a community for writers, editors, thinkers, translators, and ardent readers.
We do what we do because reading and writing connect us as humans across languages and cultures, leading to greater mutual understanding and a more sustainable future.
Centrum's flagship program is the Port Townsend Writers' Conference. The list of Conference faculty members who have taught at Centrum is long and distinguished. We are missing some years in our records, so if you are able to fill in these gaps, please do let us know!
1974
Thomas Withridge, Jack Hicks, Herbert Gold, Frank Herbert, Jack Cady, James Crumley, William Penn, Diane Wakoski, Richard Hugo, James Welch, Leonard Randolph, Primus St. John, Glenna Luschei, RP Jones, Cheryl Van Dyke, Paul Brase.
1975
Richard Hugo, Leonard Randolph, Kelly Cherry, James Welch, Len Fulton, Alice Walker, Jack Cady, Primus St. John, Robert Hedin, David Wagoner, Jessamyn West , Sam Hamill and Tree Swenson, James Mitsui,
1978
Tree Swenson, Len Fulton, Sandy Lopez, William Stafford, Stankey Kunitz, Dianie Wakowski, Tess Gallagher, Bill Ransom, Sam Hamill, Laura Jensen, Olga Broumas, Kathleen West, Tim McNulty, Ken Greene, Carolyn Forche, Barry Lopez.
1979
Robert Stone, Denise Levertov, Maxine Kumin, Robert Bly, Mark Halperin, Thomas McGrath, Robert Haas, William Pitt Root, Sam Hamill, Tree Swenson, Ken Kesey.
1980
Galway Kinnell, Meridel LeSueur, Richard Shelton, Ann Standork, James Bertolino, Madeline DeFrees, Donald Hall, Sam Hamill, Bill Ransom, Lisel Mueller, Bill Knott.
1981
Margaret Atwood, Robert Haas, William Matthews, Sam Hamill, Tree Swenson, Leslie Silko, William Stafford, Jack Cady, Jane Yolen
1982
Olga Broumas, Henry Carlile, Sandra McPherson, Carolyn Forche,, Tess Gallagher, Sam Hamill, Paul Hansen, Jim Heynen, Thomas McGrath, Richard Shelton, James Laughlin, Raymond Carver, Gordon Lish.
1983
Howard Nemerov, Marvin Bell, Tree Swenson,. Michael McClure, Linda Gregg, Diane Di Prima
Jim Heynen, William Kittridge, Kay Boyle
1985
Carolyn Kizer, William Stafford, Charles Wright, Ishmael Reed, Margaret Atwood, Tree Swenson, Barry Lopez, David Quammen
1986
William Stafford, Margaret Randall, Jonathan Holden, Carolyn Kizer, Leonard Michaels, Charles Johnson, Carol Bly, Belle Randall, Craig Lesley, Geoffrey Wolff, Etheridge Knight, Jane Hirschfield, Marvin Bell, Scott Walker,
1987
William Stafford, Margaret Randall, Jonathan Holden, Carolyn Kizer, Leonard Michaels, Charles Johnson, Carol Bly, Craig Lesley, Belle Randall, Geoffrey Wolff, Etheridge Knight, Jane Hirshfield, Marvin Bell, Scott Walker.
1990
William Stafford, Carolyn Kizer, Olga Broumas, Alan Cheuse, James Houston, Nahid Rachlin, Jane Yolen, Brcue Brown, Craig Lesley, Belle Randall
1991
Jane Hirshfield, Marvin Bell, David Bradley, Jane Yolen, Robert Pyle, Mark Halperin, David Sheilds, Christianne Balk, Garrett Hongo, Maggie Anderson, Robert Butler, Alex Kuo, Valerie Miner, David Bradley, Stanley Greenthal, Maxine Scates, David Guterson
1992
Brenda Hillman, Savid St. John, David Wojahn, Craig Lesley, Kent Nelson, Joyce Thompson, Terry Tempest Williams, Bruce Colville
1993
Christianne Balk, Marvin Bell, Tess Gallagher, Linda Gregg, Theresa Pappa, Peggy Schumaker, William Stafford, Alan Cheuse, David Guterson, Michael Martone, Bruce Brown, Bruce Colville
1994
Garrett Hongo, Jane Hirschfield, Pattiann Rogers, Sharon Bryan, Ron Carlson, Valerie Miner, David Long
Robert Michael Pyle, Jane Yolen.
1995
Carolyn Kizer, Agha Shahid Ali, Richard Kenney, David Rigsbee, David Wagoner, Janice Eidus, Craig Lesley, Pam Houston, Omar Castaneda, Christopher Merrill, Jane Yolen, Bruce Colville, Kay Morgan
1996
Percival Everett, Ursula Hegi, Joyce Thompson, Carol Muske, Marvin Bell, Cornelius Eady, Kay Morgan, Sue Halperin, Anna Grossnickle Hines, Josip Novakovich, David Rigsbee
1997
John Balaban, Linda Bierds, Marilyn Chin, Billy Collins, Alfred Corn, Stanley Crawford, Sam Hamill, Robin Hemley, John Keeble, Denise Levertov, Brett Lott, Valerie Miner, Jane Yolen.
2000
Terry Tempest Williams, Rikki Ducornet, Nance Van Winckel, John Haines, Carolyn Kizer, David Lee, Carol Muske, Primus St. John
2001
Rebecca Seiferle, Marvin Bell, Colette Inez, Carolyn Kizer, Alberto Rios, Judith Barrington, Patricia Henley, David Long, Greg Orr
2002
Reetika Vazirani, Yusef Komunyakaa, Chase Twichell, Dorianne Laux, Arthur Sze
Judith Kitchen Jim Heynen , Doug Unger, Stephen Kuusisto
2003
Olga Broumas, Jane Brox, Brett Lott, Michael Martone, Thisbee Nissen, David St. John, Eleanor Wilner, Erin Belieu, Primus St. John, Joseph Stroud,
2004
Martin Espada, Joseph Stroud, Emily Warn, Erin Belieu, Linda Bierds, Valerie Miner, Bill Ransom, Craig Lesley
2005
Kim Addonizio, Bhanu Kapil, Peter Periera, Alberto Rios, Michelle Cliff, Michael Collins, Debra Magpie Earling, Lesley Hazelton, Paisley Rekdal
2006
Ilya Kaminsky, Lynn Emanuel, Reginald Gibbons, Chris Abani, Breena Clark, Nahid Rachlin, Rafael Campo, Anne Finger, John Yau
2007
Camille Dungy, Arthur Sze, Rikki Ducornet, Brian Evenson, Thomas Glave, Barbara Sjoholm
2008
Kim Addonizio, Gary Lilley, Kathleen Alcala, Chris Abani, Lesley Hazleton, Selah Saterstrom, Brian Evenson, Sam Ligon, Peter Pereira, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Brenda Miller, Deb Lund, Ellie Mathews, Brandon Schrand, Barbara Bloom, Stephanie Lenox, Heather Hummel, Wendy Call.
2009
Mark Doty, Robert Wrigley, Adrian Castro, Chris Abani, Peter Orner, Denise Chavez, Kim Barnes, Tony Cohan, Sam Ligon, Barbara Sjoholm, Lana Ayers, Sheila Bender, Deborah Poe, Kitty Hoffman, Wendy Call, Jeremy Voigt, Sam Ligon, Paul Lisicky, Sayantani Dasgupta.
2010
Active!
