Ching-In Chen, the poet laureate of Redmond for 2024, has been named a recipient of the prestigious Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship, joining the ranks of 21 others across the nation honored with this $50,000 award.
The fellowship recognizes appointed civic poets of notable literary merit, tasked with the development and execution of community-centered poetry programs. Chen's current initiative, Read Local Eat Local, intertwines poetry with local gastronomy, unfolding throughout the fall starting with an inaugural reading at the Buoyant Pavilion in Downtown Park this coming September.
Redmond Mayor Angela Birney highlighted the program's aim to enhance the visibility of poetry and embrace the essence of Redmond's culture; Birney expressed her enthusiasm about Chen's recognition and involvement in the forthcoming project which focuses on bringing poetic inspiration into the folds of everyday community life.
Participating local businesses will be inviting patrons to savor poem postcards alongside their services, immersing them in themes of food, harvest, lineage, and of course, Redmond spirit; these postcards feature the creative works submitted by residents over the summer, in an effort fostered by a grant from 4Culture. Chen plans to leverage the fellowship to broaden the scope of this project by including international perspectives in collaboration with global networks, and also to orchestrate a community youth poetry event with an emphasis on supporting transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive voices, "I am excited to collaborate with the City of Redmond and Redmond community members to share ways that poetry can support understanding and dialogue, as well as to bring back ideas from attending the National Book Festival and meeting the other poet laureates," said Chen, as reported by the City of Redmond's official announcement.
