April 6, 2022 

Media Contacts:  
Livia Millard, multicultural coordinator and academic advisor, (509) 422-7814, lmillard@wvc.edu 
Dr. Kestrel Smith, American Indian Indigenous Studies faculty, (509) 422-7841, ksmith@wvc.edu 
Libby Siebens, community relations executive director, (509) 682-6436, lsiebens@wvc.edu (Mon-Thurs) 

In recognition of National Poetry Month, the Associated Students of Wenatchee Valley College at Omak (ASWVCO) Red Road Association is hosting a reading and webinar with Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest. 

The event is Wednesday, April 20, from 4-5 p.m. in room 401/402 of Hazel Allen Burnett Hall on the WVC at Omak campus. There will also be a Zoom option.  Attendees can sign up using this registration link. Both options are free and open to the public. 

Rena Priest is a poet and member of the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation. She is Washington State Poet Laureate until April 2023. She is a Maxine Cushing Gray Distinguished Writing Fellow and the recipient of an Allied Arts Foundation Professional Poets Award. Her debut collection, Patriarchy Blues was published by MoonPath Press and received an American Book Award. Her nonfiction has appeared in “High Country News,” “YES! Magazine,” “Seattle Met” and elsewhere. She is a National Geographic Explorer (2018-2020) and a Jack Straw Writer (2019). She holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. 

The Washington State Poet Laureate serves to build awareness and appreciation of poetry, including the state’s legacy of poetry. Learn more at arts.wa.gov. 

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion for all students and employees and provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. 

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses: 

To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu. 

To request disability accommodations: Director of Student Access, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.