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Derek Sheffield named 2023-2025 Washington State Poet Laureate
OLYMPIA, WA - Celebrated poet and professor Derek Sheffield will soon become Washington’s eighth State Poet Laureate. Sheffield lives in the Wenatchee Valley and serves as a professor of English at Wenatchee Valley College. He has published several poetry collections and edits poetry for Terrian.org, and has also received fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, Artist Trust, the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, and the Spring Creek Foundation for his poetry. He will take over the role from current Laureate Arianne True.
Sheffield is particularly passionate about the mental health crisis affecting young people. “As laureate, I want to engage more of our teenagers with poetry. Whether we are writing them or reading them, poems make for good medicine,” he wrote. “Poetry helps us slow down and dwell more consciously in place and time. When we give our attention to poetry, we tend to choose sky time over screen time. Like no other pursuit I know of, poetry honors the individual life as it offers glimpses of the scintillant interiority living inside each of us."
In addition to language, Sheffield is deeply connected to the natural world. Since 2005, with noted ornithologist Dan Stephens, he has been able to teach Northwest Nature Writing, a learning community that blends the study of ecology and writing. This special course at Wenatchee Valley College helped Sheffield co-write and edit Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry, which won the 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Award.
“I am as much a naturalist as I am a poet, and so I am able to build awareness and connection for the natural world, just as I do for poetry,” said Sheffield. “People won’t protect what they don’t know. More of us need to understand exactly what it is we lose from our culture when we lose poetry and wildness.”
Governor Bob Ferguson officially named Sheffield to the role in late March, capping off a nomination process that began last year.
“I’ve known Derek since our days at the University of Washington, and I’ve admired his poetry for many years,” said Governor Ferguson. “Derek has a real gift for capturing in poetry the natural beauty that makes Washington one of the best places to live.”
The Washington State Poet Laureate program is co-managed by the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and Humanities Washington. Together, they have shepherded the program since its founding in 2007 with inaugural State Poet Laureate Samuel Green.
Far more than a ceremonial position, the Washington State Poet Laureate travels the state building awareness and appreciation of poetry through readings, events, and projects. The laureate visits schools, museums, carceral institutions, and other community spaces, and nearly all events are free and open to the public.
“Washington is fortunate to be home to compassionate, courageous artists like Derek,” said Karen Hanan, ArtsWA’s Executive Director. “We are confident that his message of community and connection to nature will improve the lives of Washingtonians across the state—especially our youth, who need this support more than ever. The torch carried by the visionary Arianne True for the last two years will continue to light a bold, welcoming path forward in his hands.”
“The vision and range of interests that Derek brings to this role showcases the best of the Arts and Humanities and will help people across Washington explore poetry or engage with it in new ways,” added Julie Ziegler, Executive Director of Humanities Washington. “We are thrilled to have someone of his caliber and experience taking on the mantle of Poet Laureate for the next two years.”
Passing of the Laurel
Washington State will celebrate the start of Sheffield’s term with a free “Passing of the Laurel” event on Wednesday, April 30, in Wenatchee. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. and is open to the public.
Date: April 30, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: The Grove Recital Hall at Wenatchee Valley College
Register to attend here >
About the Washington State Poet Laureate
In April 2007, after Governor Christine Gregoire signed House Bill 1279 into law, Washington joined several other states in appointing an official state poet laureate position. The State Poet Laureate is appointed by the governor to serve a two-year term. The program is coordinated jointly by the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA) and Humanities Washington. and is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, ArtsWA, and Humanities Washington. Learn more here.
About ArtsWA
ArtsWA is the Washington State Arts Commission, a state government agency established in 1961. ArtsWA works to be a catalyst for the arts, advancing the role of the arts in the lives of individuals and communities throughout the state. Programs include Art in Public Places, Arts in Education, Grants to Organizations, and other special projects. For more information visit arts.wa.gov.
About Humanities Washington
Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across our state. For more about Humanities Washington, visit humanities.org.
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