If you are a poet currently living in Washington State, and you have not yet been included in The Far Field online, I want to invite you to submit work. This invitation includes students (though I will publish poets under age 18 without a last name).

Send three to five poems in a single attachment, along with a short bio that includes your city, to poet@humanities.org. Previously published poems are preferred, but not required.  In fact, a growing list of poets count The Far Field as their first publication.  I’m very proud of that.  I can’t guarantee publication, but I would like to read your work.

Teachers, if you encounter a particularly excellent student poem, please encourage your student to submit it to The Far Field. I’ve received some wonderful poems that way.

My goal is to represent our state’s poetry communities in a very broad sense–so I am especially interested in voices that are un- or under-represented here.  I look forward to  showcasing unconventional poetry, spoken-word videos, poetry that verges on other genres (including visual art). And I’m hoping to hear from all corners of the state, and the big middle.

I am also interested in brief essays that relate to poetry in Washington State. For example, see Rebecca Frevert’s piece on her poetry kiosk in Everett, Jim Freeman’s shout out for Whidbey Island’s Poetry Slams, and Jim Deatherage’s description of an inspired collaboration between the Creative Writing and Photography classes at Richland High School.  Write to me first to inquire.

Thank you to all who have trusted me with your work already. I am privileged to read and publish poems that represent this thriving community of writers. I look forward to more poems and no repeats.  When my appointment concludes in February 2014, this site will remain as a resource, and let’s face it, a kind of brag. Look what our state’s got.