An Evening of Art and Poetry on March 26th
Traditions | 300 5th Ave SW, Olympia

5:30 - 6:30 pm - Reception with light refreshments
6:30 - 7:45 pm - Program

Join us to hear poetry and prose from...

• Rachel Clark, author of "The Blackfish Prophecy," endorsed by Jane Goodall. A writer, biologist, and mother, she lives on the Olympic Peninsula; unceded homelands of the Coast Salish peoples and a key watershed of the Southern Resident Killer Whales. Her work also appears in Newsweek, Business Insider, Psychology Today, and Salon.
• Kathleen Byrd, MFA. She is poet and writing teacher who resides in Olympia, Washington, within the territory and lands of the Coast Salish People. Her book of poems, Last Resort, was published by Last Word Press in spring of 2024. She is the fourth poet laureate of Olympia, where she engages the community with the literary arts connecting to themes of climate change and place.
• Jessica Gigot, PhD, MFA. She is a poet, farmer, and writing coach. She lives on a little sheep farm in the Skagit Valley. Her second book of poems, Feeding Hour (Wandering Aengus Press, 2020) was a finalist for the 2021 Washington State Book Award. Jessica’s writing and reviews appear in several publications, such as the New York Times, Seattle Times, Orion, Ecotone, Terrain.org, and Poetry Northwest.
• August Sterud Miller, lives on the homelands of their people, the Puyallup Nation. A busy high school student, they spend their free time writing poetry and stories, acting in plays, and singing.
• Allen Braden, MFA. His poetry is published in The New Republic, Prairie Schooner, Virginia Quarterly Review, Shenandoah, Southern Review, and Georgia Review. He was poet-in-residence for the Poetry Center and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and now teaches at Tacoma Community College.
• Rabbi Seth Goldstein, serves Temple Beth Hatfiloh and the Jewish community of Olympia, Washington. He is both committed to creating vibrant Jewish community and using a spiritual voice and poetry to speak to issues of social justice and common concern.

About the Featured Artist

Gabriel Newton is an artist and Orca advocate. He grew up on the rim of Rock Creek Canyon, a tributary of the Snake River in Idaho and has now lived by the Salish Sea, home of the Southern Resident Orcas, for over 20 years. Leading up to this evening event, Gabriel will kayak over three days from Seattle to Olympia to deliver hundreds of postcards from Washington citizens and gift an original piece of his 46-piece collection of ‘orca artwork’ to the Governor.