Poetry can be seen as an esoteric field, and yet it is an accessible creative tradition that spans the entire range of communication, from the playful rhymes of Shel Silverstein and Judith Viorst to the intellectual rigor of National Poet Laureates like Joy Harjo and Tracy K. Smith. In truth, anyone can write poetry and be transformed by it. Inland NW Poetry Salon set the goal to welcome everyone and anyone to explore this creative form in a safe and encouraging space. This was an opportunity to bring more creativity into the lives of Spokane County residents, an opportunity to show how language can connect us rather than divide us. We challenged ourselves to make sure there was great representation in the day’s presenters, both in backgrounds and in types of writing careers (some of them fledgling, some more established).

Spokane Public Library programming staff wanted this to be a community event, so they sourced the community for the day’s workshops and panels. A general call was made to Inland Northwest residents at any stage of their poetry careers to submit their original ideas for workshops/panels through an online form. Staff designed this form to include the following (and more): a short biography; whether the applicant identified as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or as someone with chronic illness and/or visible or invisible disability; presentation title and description; a summary of why this presentation/panel/workshop is meaningful for the local writing community; and relevant teaching/programming experience.

This format resulted in almost twenty applications from presenters around the region, and we culled our choices from their responses. After this, the key to success was organization. You can view the day’s schedule at the link listed below.

Almost all ten of the workshops filled up entirely (some were capped at 10 people, some at 20, depending on the room being used at the Liberty Park Library, and we did allow overflow in several of the workshops). The response in the community was exuberant. In total there were 146 participants throughout the day. Attendees told us repeatedly how much they were enjoying themselves and how inspired they were to create poetry of their own. We received emails following thanking us for our efforts. Presenter Holly Thorpe wrote us to say, “As a queer, disabled person, it’s exciting to see institutions considering how I fit into their programming. [The staff] was extremely communicative, accommodating, supportive, and encouraging…I was overjoyed to spend the day among other writers.” Presenters were also delighted that we paid them ($100 per 50 minute session). We are excited to organize the 2025 Inland Northwest Poetry Salon after such a successful first year.