Words’ Worth is the Seattle City Council poetry program I began in 1998. I do believe it’s the only program of its kind in the nation, if not the world.
Rather than selecting poets myself, I recruit a notable local literary artist or two to curate a number of poets who will read at the start of my committee meetings during the course of the year. To date, the program has presented approximately 194 poets reading 216 poems.
This year, I’m pleased to announce two remarkable Words’ Worth curators for 2013.
For the first half of the year, Jourdan Keith will curate. The second half will be curated by Judith Roche.
Jourdan is a Seattle Poet Populist Emerita and the Seattle Public Library’s first Naturalist-in-Residence. She is a storyteller, naturalist and educator. A student of Sonia Sanchez, her work blends the textures of political, personal and natural landscapes to offer voices from the margins of American lives.
Judith is the author of three poetry collections, most recently, Wisdom of the Body, an American Book Award winner.
She has published widely in various journals and magazines, has poems installed on several Seattle area public art projects and has taught at various universities and teaches poetry workshops throughout the country.
I encourage you to visit the Words’ Worth website where you can read every poem read so far as well as watch a video of many of them.
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