Olympia’s Poet Laureate Kathleen Byrd's new book, 'Last Resort'

Amy Lewis portrait

Photo by Kevin England

I’m not sure how many cities or counties in Washington State have Poet laureates.  Sometimes, the position is called Civic Poet. A Poet Laureate is usually officially appointed by a government institution to educate and/or teach poetry and is expected to compose poems for special events and occasions.

It was a traditional post with the British Monarchy, usually an eminent poet appointed for life by the royal household. Sometimes they represent a particular group, such as a youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman, when she read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the 2021 inauguration.

Olympia has had four poets serve as Poet Laureate so far, Ashley McBunch, Sady Sparks, Amy Solomon-Minarchi, and the current Poet Laureate, Kathleen Byrd. Kathleen Byrd holds an MFA from Western Washington University. She teaches English and creative writing at South Puget Sound Community College.

Byrd has been an active Poet Laureate, offering readings and classes regularly during her term. I was lucky to attend a few and found her engaging, thoughtful, and an excellent facilitator, so if you have a chance to attend a reading or take a class from her, I’d recommend it.

She has co-authored two chapbooks of postcard poems in correspondence with Dan Leahy and is currently working on a collaborative book-length project with Olympia author, Jennifer Berney. Her poems have appeared in Subjectiv: Visual and Literary Arts of the Pacific Northwest; UnspokenNW; Pontoon; Crosscurrents; Works in Progress; and Godiva Speaks.

The City of Olympia poet Laureate site has this to say about her: “Kathleen Byrd’s poetry is grounded in eco-poetics and her creative inspiration is fueled by collaboration. She is committed to work that empowers people to reflect on the reality of climate change while imagining and envisioning connection, resilience, and renewal in the face of climate change.

Kathleen brings twenty years of experience at the intersection of literature, the environment, and arts activism as a working poet and community college teacher, and in participation with various community organizations and events.”

Her new book, Last Resort, published by Last Word Press, is deeply connected to nature, and asks what we expect will happen as our earth continues to endure climate change. Who will survive this and how?

From her title poem, “Last Resort” --           

‘It seems the lowly though are surest to survive—the scavengers and/foragers, parasites and Fireweed, Clover, Bed Bugs, Sugar Ants/and Ferns, Deer, Raccoons, Rats, Possums, gleaners and fixers.”  Somehow it tickles me to think that sugar ants, those pesky things, will keep on after all is said and done.

She goes on to say she’ll chose to say here instead of departing to another planet with “The Shadow Kings with their shiny things.” Maybe the only way to save our planet is to boot those off it that are obsessed with having more, being more, being shiny and pretty all the time. I don't know the answers to this, but I know I am starting to fear what the world will look like when I am old and just want to sit on the porch.

Although the book is focused on those things we don’t like to think about, the effects of human life on the earth, and our inability to give up things like Jet Skis and AC, there are hopeful moments in it as well.

From the poem “I don’t know”

“how tenderly you can fall into grass/and hope, despite all signs otherwise, that the world will turn.” 

We continue to hope and grow, order new books to read, plant native plants, and feed the birds. We pick up litter and recycle and we hope it will make a difference. That it will be enough, and maybe it will be. Hope is what keeps us moving forward.

Byrds poems are full of love and praise for all the joyous plants and pleasure in what we see around us. Her beautiful lists and descriptions of our natural world gave me such pleasure. Try reading “Praise Flowers” aloud. Poems are meant to be spoken, to hear the sounds, rhythms they are creating, to find their way into your ear and stay there. It’s a beautiful hymn to flowers, and I find myself rereading it again and again.

These poems are trying not to be eulogies for this place we know and love, but underneath the beauty runs the current of love what you have as it may be too late to save it.  It’s a slim volume, so if you’re new to poetry this might be a good one to try out.

Amy Lewis focuses her column on the literary world of Thurston County, spotlighting writers, small presses, book artists, poets, and storytellers of all types. Contact her – amy@thejoltnews.com – if you have a literary event, book, or reading.