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>> Tom Layson: Washington State has an official fruit, bird, and flower.

But did you know we also have a state poet as well?

Meet Rena Priest, Washington's poet laureate, tasked with building the awareness and appreciation of poetry throughout the Evergreen State.

Tonight, we sit down with Priest to talk about her work, her mission, and the importance of the humanities.

Washington's poet laureate.

Tonight on Northwest Now.

[ Intro Music ] Rena Priest grew up on the Lummi Reservation in Bellingham.

She is the state's first Indigenous poet laureate.

She has a master of fine arts in writing from Sarah Lawrence College in New York and did a term as a National Geographic Explorer.

Rena, thanks so much for coming to Northwest Now.

Great to have a discussion with the official poet laureate here in the State of Washington.

Start me out a little bit with your biography.

Where do you come from?

What was your childhood like?

Tell me a little information about that.

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

So I'm a member of the Lummi Nation and I grew up on the reservation up at Lummi.

Lots of fun days at the beaches in the summertime.

And, you know, I guess, long rainy winters, as you know.

So, yeah, born and raised Washingtonian.

That's it.

>> Tom Layson: Yeah, that's great.

I love that country up there on the Sound.

You know, that part of the Puget Sound I think is so beautiful.

And I'm sure it's also -- we'll get into this in a minute, but influenced your poetry a great deal because of the beauty up there.

One of the things you talk about that I think is really interesting is your parents reading to you.

That is something -- that early education piece, and early literacy, and being read to, is something that KBTC is heavily involved in out in the community.

The people who work outside of Northwest Now, that's a big part of their jobs.

Talk a little bit about the importance of that and how that early experience informed your later education in this endeavor as a poet.

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

So reading and writing has been a big part of my life; a big treasured part of my life all the way along.

I remember being very young and sitting with my mom and her -- you know, I really loved One Fish, Red Fish -- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

>> Tom Layson: Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: That was, like, my favorite when I was a little kid.

The rhymes.

I really liked the rhymes in Dr. Seuss and the sound of language.

And it was just a nice way to be together and to have my mom's attention.

And same with my grandma who is also -- well, she was a poet.

She liked to write poetry.

But I recently found a book that she gave to me several years ago by Linda Hogan, and it's inscribed to my grandma.

But my grandma and I have the same name, so it's also inscribed to me.

But my grandma passed it down, and so I can see her little notes on some of the poems and, you know, her thoughts as she's reading them.

And it's just a nice way to keep her with me.

But, you know, to have literature as an activity that brings families together and, you know, can be an intergenerational activity is really special.

>> Tom Layson: And having those caring adults in your life that are feeding you that.

>> Rena Priest: Definitely, yes.

Yeah, for sure.

>> Tom Layson: Yeah, the grandparent with the timely book or the parent taking the time to read with you.

I always like to ask this story -- this question in the story of artists as well.

When did you go from, hey, this is fun and interesting, I write little poems, my mom and dad put them on the refrigerator, to seriously having a conversation with yourself?

I think I can do this, I'm going to be serious here, I'm actually going to get an education in college on this, I'm going to pursue it.

Was that a sharp turn?

Was it a slow bend?

Tell me that story.

>> Rena Priest: I think I was sort of on this road unconsciously for a while.

And then, you know, as an undergrad I was studying theatre.

I'm not sure exactly -- I mean, I always loved to do theatre, but I'm not sure exactly what I thought I would do when I was finished with my undergrad.

But I switched majors partway through and started in the English Department.

And so that was -- that was like being clicked in.

As soon as I got into that department, and so did, you know, all of the reading assignments and writing assignments, it just kind of felt, like, very natural in a way that the theatre didn't.

And so when undergrad was done, I started writing grants for my tribe.

And I just really, really missed my own voice, you know?

I mean, I think if you spend eight hours a day engrossed in federal grants you really kind of miss the creative side of your writing and of your voice.

And so I started looking around at MFA programs.

And I think that was really, ultimately, when it became, like, oh, this is my path, you know?

>> Tom Layson: Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: When I got admitted to Sarah Lawrence and -- or, accepted to Sarah -- admitted.

It sounds like a mental hospital.

[laughs] When I got accepted to Sarah Lawrence, it was just this big celebration of, okay, this feels right and this is the way I'm going now.

And so I think that was really when I knew.

Yeah.

>> Tom Layson: I want to set up your first reading here in just a moment.

But I want to set it up with the discussion about how you use your poetry specifically in talking about the natural world.

We hear about where you grew up.

We're all Washingtonians and know what the role the natural world plays here.

What are you -- what are your thoughts about the natural world and how it relates to poetry?

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

So I feel like just there's -- there's so much solace that can be found in the natural world, but there's also just a lot of lessons that we can take from nature.

It's just sitting quietly with your surroundings and observing.

There's just so much richness and abundance in that.

It's rich with metaphor and image and sensory information, and so it's kind of perfect for poetry.

I never really wrote much about the natural world until I started on this new collection I'm working on.

And it seems that my work has kind of gone project by project.

When I wrote Patriarchy Blues, I was living in New York and doing, you know, this MFA with a lot of other -- a lot of other women who were experiencing, you know, this feeling of -- the way that New York can make a woman feel.

Just, like, ugh, it's such a man's world, you know?

So that was kind of the motivation for that project.

And then Sublime Subliminal, my second book which is out on Floating Bridge Press, that one was wanting to celebrate language and, like, reconnect with sounds and textures and all of the richness of our language.

And foreign language, too; there's a foreign language phrase in every one of those poems.

But, yeah, that was a fun project for me.

And being home, back in, you know, my native territory, it feels like I've spent a lot more time connecting to nature.

And so, as a result, I write about it a lot.

>> Tom Layson: Let's take a listen to a poem called Songs on the Salmon Scale.

>> Rena Priest: A salmon is a song sung in rounds.

A series of concentric circles.

Like a raindrop in the sea, rippling out and returning.

A series of concentric circles.

A chorus and a verse rippling out and returning in a shining body of treasure.

A chorus and a verse.

A hero home from adventure in a shining body of treasure, bearing gifts from the deep.

A hero home from adventure, like a raindrop on the sea, bearing gifts from the deep.

A Salmon is a song sung in rounds.

>> Tom Layson: So that was fantastic.

And I really enjoy your -- your discussion of the natural world and the role poetry has, and you expressing your thoughts about it.

I wanted to hook that into the time you spent as a National Geographic explorer.

A lot of people think, well, yeah, there's a magazine.

But, no, there's a large program that's quite involved.

Talk to us a little bit about what you experienced in that program as an explorer.

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

So that was a really amazing opportunity.

And it was great for me to be able to connect to the work that the Lummi Nation was doing, trying to repatriate a southern resident killer whale back to our territory, together with the Whale Sanctuary Project.

And that effort, I believe, is ongoing.

It's just been -- I think they had expected it to be much easier.

Like, almost a -- almost a silver bullet, you know, but it -- >> Tom Layson: Yeah, a slam-dunk.

Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: Kind of a slam-dunk.

Exactly.

But there was a Supreme Court ruling, and then there was an election that didn't go the way that I think they had hoped.

And so, anyways, it ended up -- it ended up not happening yet.

But we're still hopeful, anyway.

So that was the first time that I was funded by the National Geographic Society.

And then they, in 2020, funded me to work together with a collaborative -- on a collaboration grant with other explorers.

And there are four of us; there's another Indigenous fishery scientist on our team, there's a documentary photographer, and a conservation scientist.

Andrea Reid, Amy Romer, and Lauren Eckert.

And we're working on a project to raise awareness and look at the history of criminalization of Indigenous fishers, so that's been really interesting.

And, yeah, hopefully, there will be some good materials coming from that.

>> Tom Layson: Oh, there will be.

The salmon wars from the seventies, a lot down here in the South Sound.

As you dive into that, you're going to find a lot of storytelling.

Billy Frank and -- >> Rena Priest: Yeah, for sure.

>> Tom Layson: -- and all those folks.

Poetry in the Parks.

You had an experience in the North Cascades I read about.

And how -- what was that experience, and how is it going to inform your mission going forward in terms of almost kind of a way your poetry is distributed?

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

So I was coming through on Highway 20 one time.

And there was a little sign for a, you know, scenic pullout.

So I was, like, oh, well, I want to go see what's up there.

So, you know, we did.

And there was the switchbacks and we went up and up.

And then at the top, there was this gorgeous view and there was a poem that was by William Stafford.

And I read it, and it just kind of, like, enriched that whole experience for me.

And so as part of my tenure as poet laureate, I really want to try to work with the Park Service or the Washington Trail Association to see about where there are places that a poem could be complementary to -- you know, whether it's like a landscape or a scenic lookout or, you know, a shoreline.

Anything at all that I feel like could be enhanced by poetry.

>> Tom Layson: You said a shoreline.

I was going to say or a beach.

We have beach parks here in Washington State.

>> Rena Priest: Lots.

>> Tom Layson: Do set up the next reading from you, which is a poem called Beach Fire.

What is -- what is its message?

>> Rena Priest: Oh, yeah.

So I had a really awesome opportunity over the winter to work with a local publisher to put together a book about beaches.

And so on -- as part of the assignment, I was to visit 29 beaches between Semiahmoo at the Canadian border, all the way down to Coos Bay and Sunset Bay State Park in Oregon -- Southern Oregon.

And that was a really, really wonderful project for me, and I wrote a series of poems to be included in that book.

And they're all done in the pantoum structure, which you'll notice has kind of rolling lines, like, repeating lines.

And that was inspired by the sound of waves.

You know, at every stop, there's the sound of waves and it's just repetitive and it's very soothing.

And so I wrote Beach Fire just to kind of celebrate how wonderful it is to be at the beach.

Measure wealth by how well you enjoy the hours fluttering by in praise of sunshine in the ocean breeze.

Whispering love songs across waves that kiss the beach.

This wealth takes work and absolutely no work at all.

Fluttering by in praise of sunshine and the ocean breeze.

Don't mistake leisure for laziness.

This gratitude is rigorous.

This wealth takes work and absolutely no work at all.

This gift of a moment, to be alive, to feel at peace.

Don't mistake leisure for laziness.

This gratitude is rigorous.

To be filled up and satisfied by a day at the beach.

This gift of a moment, to be alive, to feel at peace.

It means your heart fire flames a lovely heat.

To be filled up and satisfied by a day at the beach.

You could toast marshmallows by that warmth.

It means your heart fire flames a lovely heat.

The glowing embers, a boundless source of power.

You could toast marshmallows by that warmth.

Whispering love songs across waves that kiss the beach.

The glowing embers abound with source of power.

Measure wealth by how well you enjoy the hours.

>> Tom Layson: In our last segment here, I wanted to talk to you about the role of the humanities in education in general.

You know, the big emphasis right now is on STEM.

And I understand that; there's an economy out there in a modern world we need to address.

But I also think it's very interesting, too, that the humanities are one of the first things on the chopping block when cuts have to be made.

And the folks with big resources do not let their kids do without the humanities.

They don't let them do without music and the enrichments.

So why are the humanities important and what are your thoughts about that?

The role of the humanities in education?

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

So, I think that the humanities -- well, you used the word "enrichment."

And that is what it does, right?

It enriches our lives.

It is just this beautiful way to tap into the reservoir of what it is that makes us human beings and to find ways to connect to one another and to our deeper selves.

And I think that in not valuing that, we really do ourselves a disservice.

And it does a disservice to the STEM field, as well.

Because, you know, when you're -- when you're thinking about problem-solving or, you know, finding solutions to difficult situations or -- you know, you need to tap into some sort of creativity.

And people that have a background in the humanities, as well, you know, have a fully well-rounded education and a balanced education, can meet things -- challenges in a way that I think people, you know, who have never had music, for example, maybe they don't have -- they don't have that to tap into.

And so -- >> Tom Layson: Yeah, it helps math, as it turns out.

>> Rena Priest: Exactly.

>> Tom Layson: Piano playing.

Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: Exactly.

>> Tom Layson: Yeah.

They're related.

Continuing on education here, what do you tell young people who come up to you -- or do young people even come up and say, hey, I want to be a poet, too.

What do you tell them?

And do you think things like social media and YouTube have helped or hurt the written and spoken word?

>> Rena Priest: I think that they've helped the spoken word.

The written word?

I visited a college recently, and one of the students said, you know, nobody reads poetry anymore.

And I was, like, [inaudible].

>> Tom Layson: Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: But, you know, I had to kind of look at him and say it's true, a lot of people go to, like, social media and find poetry there to read.

But, you know, they're reading and it's on social media and that, you know, there are all of these spoken word poets now.

Everyone is still just kind of in awe and raving still about Amanda Gorman's poem and the beautiful spoken word delivery of that.

It was truly amazing and gorgeous.

And so that has, I think, really sparked a lot of interest in poetry and also poetry among young people, her being the poet laureate.

>> Tom Layson: Mm-hmm.

>> Rena Priest: So I think that it -- >> Tom Layson: I mean, she was a -- she was a media sensation.

>> Rena Priest: Right.

>> Tom Layson: Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: Yeah, exactly.

>> Tom Layson: As a poet.

>> Rena Priest: It's exciting to see -- >> Tom Layson: Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: -- you know, just kind of from the sidelines and going, like, wow.

>> Tom Layson: You -- obviously, you have a background as a Native American.

Talk a little bit about what your work with not just your tribe but other tribes -- how the poet laureate and Indigenous peoples are going to interface.

And what your plan is for that going forward in working with those groups, specifically.

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

So I've been able to visit a few tribal schools.

Hopefully, more now that school has started back up.

I got to meet with the -- there's -- there's a group, I can't think of what they're called right now, of tribal school leadership that I got to meet with at the end of the school year last year.

As kind of -- you know, as I was taking on the responsibilities of poet laureate, and they were getting ready to transition to the summer vacation.

And so we had a nice discussion and said, you know, let's put a pin in this, and I'll see you in the fall.

And so, hopefully, you know, we'll revisit that and can work out a plan to be able to make it so that I can go do tribal school visits, whether remotely or in person.

I have one coming up in Kalispel -- or, actually, it's in the northeast corner of the state, but I think I'm going to get to visit the Kalispel school.

And then the Longhouse at Evergreen is coming right up pretty quick here.

I'm excited for that.

>> Tom Layson: Yeah.

And what do you think the impact of seeing the state's poet laureate being an Indigenous person might have on young people in those situations?

>> Rena Priest: Oh, hopefully, they'll just, you know, see writing as a potential career path because I feel like the -- our stories, they need to be told.

And nothing about us without us, and the young people coming up are -- >> Tom Layson: And preservation of native languages.

Does that have a role in some of your thinking and some of your work?

How important is that?

>> Rena Priest: Oh, it's very important.

So this has sort of been a personal journey of mine.

I've been trying to learn my language, and it's really hard, you know, as an adult.

Old dog learning new tricks.

But it's been very enriching for me so far, what I have been able to internalize and to learn.

And the gift of the teaching -- you know, our language teachers, their time is so precious and so valuable, and I just feel very lucky to have been able to have some of that.

>> Tom Layson: You can inform me here, is Lummi [foreign language]?

Is that the language?

No.

>> Rena Priest: No, it's our own dialect.

>> Tom Layson: Okay.

>> Rena Priest: It's called [foreign language].

>> Tom Layson: And so some very difficult sounds, I would imagine.

Like you said, trying to teach that old dog some new tricks about just how to use the mouth and the embouchure has got to be difficult.

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

Yeah, for sure.

>> Tom Layson: Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: I think I still -- you know, there's a lot -- I will make a lot of mistakes.

But I'm reassured that that's all just part of learning, so -- >> Tom Layson: Yeah.

>> Rena Priest: -- you know, coming it at it bravely, I guess.

>> Tom Layson: Yeah.

Well, good for you.

Let's set up the last reading here.

It's a nice transition talking about the Native language piece and some of the influence that has in your work.

A Poem is a Naming Ceremony.

Talk a little bit here in our last 60 seconds or so a little bit about what that poem is, and I'll let you set us up and take us out with it.

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

So one of the beautiful things about the language is that it contains a way of relating to the natural world that English just does not.

And there are a few words in this poem that kind of refer to that.

Like, the cottonwood tree is the [foreign language].

And that translates to the dancing tree because, you know, it sways in the wind and also the little shimmies of the leaves, silver on the bottom and green on the top.

And it's just really beautiful to watch in the breeze.

And so, you know, just the name of the tree itself has all of this imagery enclosed in that one little -- the [foreign language] and the [foreign language] our relatives under the sea.

That's the word for the -- >> Tom Layson: There's a lot of onomatopeia in the language, it sounds like to me, too, isn't there?

>> Rena Priest: Yeah.

And a lot of really beautiful breathy sounds, too, and it's -- like, when I listen to it, it feels cheerful.

It feels like -- it feels like somebody is imparting a happy little secret to you sometimes.

>> Tom Layson: Rena, thanks so much for coming to Northwest Now.

Great conversation.

This is a Poem is a Naming Ceremony.

Thank you.

>> Rena Priest: Thank you.

What has grown out of what has gone away?

The clear-cut patch has grown larger on the mountain.

The rivers have grown murky with timber trash, and there's enough runoff manure to grow corn out there on the tide flats.

I don't want to think about what has gone away.

I want to meander and play and forget myself until I can grow a new me in place of all this grief.

Learn the language to see the cottonwood as [foreign language], the dancing tree.

The killer whale as [foreign language], our relatives under the sea.

The whole glorious landscape filled with meaning to end our grieving.

When I was young, I was invited to learn [foreign language], the People's language.

But I said, no.

I didn't understand.

I thought I wanted to learn to be rich.

I didn't know the way to possess all the wealth of the world is by naming it.

Here is birdsong, here is the kiss of a lover.

Here is the feel of cold water at the peak of summer.

I have spent my life with words, trying to name a hint of what I lost by not learning my language [foreign language].

>> Tom Layson: It is very easy not to see the beauty these days, because if you focus on finding the ugly, there is certainly no shortage of it.

The bottom line, I hope you can make the time to do a little recreational reading, take a walk, go fishing, or listen to some poetry.

Sometimes those are the only things that can truly help us make sense of it all.

I hope this program got you thinking and talking.

To watch this program again or to share it with others, Northwest Now can be found on the web at kbtc.org.

And be sure to follow us on Twitter @NorthwestNow.

Thanks for taking a closer look on this edition of Northwest Now.

Until next time, I'm Tom Layson.

Thanks for watching.

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