GHC Welcomes Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield on November 14
Posted on: Oct, 20, 2025
Grays Harbor College is honored to host Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield for a special evening of poetry and conversation on Thursday, November 14, at 6:00 p.m. in the A.J. Hillier Events Center (Room 3342, tulalW Student Center). This event is free and open to the public, and all community members are invited to attend.
Sheffield, appointed as the eighth Washington State Poet Laureate (2025–2027), is an acclaimed poet, editor, and educator. His celebrated works include Not for Luck, selected by Mark Doty for the Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize, and Through the Second Skin, a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and runner-up for the Emily Dickinson First Book Award. He is the co-editor, with Simmons Buntin and Elizabeth Dodd, of Dear America: Letters of Hope, Habitat, Defiance, and Democracy and, with Elizabeth Bradfield and CMarie Fuhrman, Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry.
His literary achievements have earned him numerous honors, including the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, Foreword Reviews Indies Book of the Year in Nature Writing, and the James Hearst Poetry Prize, judged by Li-Young Lee. Sheffield currently serves as the poetry editor for Terrain.org and resides on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains.
In addition to the evening reading, Sheffield’s visit will include a generative poetry workshop for GHC students at Stafford Creek Corrections Center and visits to local schools, offering students and community members a unique opportunity to engage with poetry and the creative process.
“It is a true honor to welcome Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield to Grays Harbor College,” said GHC President Dr. Carli Schiffner. “His work beautifully reflects the natural and cultural richness of our region, and we are thrilled to offer our community the opportunity to engage with such a distinguished literary voice. I encourage everyone to join us for this inspiring evening.”
Celebrate the Arts at GHC this November
Sheffield’s visit is part of GHC’s “Art-Fall Fridays” series, a month-long celebration of the arts held on the first three Fridays in November. Each event is free and open to the public, offering opportunities to engage with local and regional artists across a variety of disciplines.
November 7 – Fall Gala
Celebrate local creativity at the annual Fall Gala in the Spellman Library Art Gallery, featuring works by local artists and light refreshments.
November 14 – An Evening with Derek Sheffield
Experience an inspiring evening with Washington State Poet Laureate Derek Sheffield, featuring a public reading and discussion of his writing process and poetic themes.
November 21 – Art Talk with Carrie L. Larson and Earl Davis
Tour the GHC art studio in the Shermer Building with instructor Nathan Barnes, then meet artists Carrie L. Larson and Earl Davis to explore their work on display in the tulalW Student Center and hear about the inspirations behind their art.