Two Poet Laureates from Washington State win national fellowships from Academy of American Poets
UW alumni and renowned poets Derek Sheffield and Erin Malone have been recognized for their work in poetry.
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- Erin Malone was named the second-ever Poet Laureate of Bainbridge Island in December. Photo by Rosanne Olson.
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- Derek Sheffield incorporates nature and environment in his award-winning books.
Bainbridge Island Poet Laureate Erin Malone, ’96, and Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield, ’90, ’99, have each received a $50,000 poet laureates fellowships from the Academy of American Poets for their work with public poetry. The Academy’s Poet Laureate Fellowships recognize laureates’ literary excellence while enabling them to undertake meaningful and innovative projects that enrich the lives of community members, including youth, through responsive and interactive poetry activities.
In partnership with the Bainbridge Island School District, Malone will create and lead workshops for fourth graders using Pablo Neruda’s “Book of Questions” to inspire students in making short poems composed of questions about animals, weather and seasons. She will also collaborate with local artists and businesses to create a permanent outdoor installation of the children’s questions, where they will be seen by neighbors as well as visitors to the island.
Sheffield will travel across Washington State to work with young people to help them write poems that engage with the natural world to support their mental health. He plans to collaborate with Terrain.org, an online journal dedicated to the art of place, to create and publish “Words, Woods, and Wellness: Poetry by Washington State Youth.” And in cooperation with Mountaineers Books, he’ll publish a book of poems that engage with the natural world in a way that sparks wonder and offers writers and readers a sense of peace and belonging.
Malone and Sheffield represent two of 22 poet laureates who were selected from around the country for the honor. Past recipients include University of Washington Bothell faculty member Ching-In Chen; Laura Da’, ’01; Susan Landgraf, ’85, ’87; and Mateo Quispe, ’26.