Saturday Speaker Series - Currents of Time and Place: Poetry that Engages with History and Image in Cascadia

Poet and teacher Laura Da’ will discuss the practice of writing about place and history in the Cascadia bioregion. Da’ will read from her collections of poetry and provide context into her research and creative process. Additionally, Da’ will discuss her engagements with the waterways and lands of Redmond during her tenure as poet laureate including her poetic maps of the Lake Sammamish and Sammamish River ecosystems. Lake Sammamish is an important lacustrine environment that has supported communities since time immemorial. It is a significant urban refuge site that provides sustenance and shelter for all lifeforms of the Salish Sea lowland forests and river systems. Da’ will speak to the process of engaging poetically with land and history both as a writer and as a teacher.

Speaker bio:

Laura Da’ (pronounced “Day”) is a poet and teacher. A lifetime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Da’ studied creative writing at the University of Washington and The Institute of American Indian Arts. Da’ is Eastern Shawnee. She is a recipient of the Native American Arts and Cultures Fellowship, an Artist Trust Fellowship, and fellowships from Hugo House and the Jack Straw Writers Program. Da’ is the current Poet Laureate of Redmond, Washington. Her first book, Tributaries, won the 2016 American Book Award. Her latest book, Instruments of the True Measure, won the Washington State Book Award. Recently Da’ was named one of 23 recipients nationwide to be awarded a fellowship from the Academy of American Poets Laureate. This award grants each recipient $50,000 and is given to honor poets of literary merit who are appointed to serve in civic positions. The award aims to support poets in their continued creation of meaningful, impactful, and innovative projects that engage their fellow residents, including youth, with poetry.

Social Media Info:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lauralouiseda/

Twitter @Laura_L_Da

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lauralda

Books of poetry:

Instruments of the True Measure

https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/instruments-of-the-true-measure

Tributaries

https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/tributaries

Select Anthologies Include:

When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry

https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393356809

Shapes of Native Non Fiction

https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9780295745756/shapes-of-native-nonfiction/

New Poets of Native Nations

https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/new-poets-native-nations#:~:text=New%20Poets%20of%20Native%20Nations%20gathers%20poets%20of%20diverse%20ages,Editor%20Heid%20E.

Native Voices

https://www.tupelopress.org/product/native-voices-indigenous-american-poetry-craft-and-conversations/