Ellensburg Poet Laureate Program

2026 POET LAUREATE UPCOMING EVENTS

Join City of Ellensburg Poet Laureate at the following events:

Bilingual Poetry

March 2nd, 9th, 16th and 23rd

Hal Holmes Center

6:00-6:30 pm   |   Free   |   Open to the public

The Bilingual Club along with Poet Laureate, Sarita Dasgupta, will host a half an hour poetry exercise in Spanish and English. Free event/open to the public. 

Emerging Ekphrastic Expressions: Art Inspired Poetry

and Passing of the Laurel

National Poetry Month Celebration

Saturday, April 18, 2026

Gallery One 

5:00-6:30 pm   |   Free   |    Open to the public

Don't miss this incredible celebration of National Poetry Month, in partnership with Gallery One. 

What is ekphrastic poetry?  It is poetry that takes its inspiration from art. In this event, current Poet Laureate, Sarita Dasgupta, has invited 10 emerging local artists to team up with 10 emerging local poets to create and showcase art inspired poetry. The art and poems will be showcased in a slide/live presentation at Gallery One. In the spirit of collaboration through art, we will also be honoring the outgoing Poet Laureate, Marie Marchand, as she welcomes Sarita Dasgupta, current Poet Laureate in the traditional "Passing of the Laurel" celebration. 

Come explore and celebrate emerging artists in a community collaboration. You will have an opportunity to purchase both the art and the inspired poem at Gallery One during the month of May, as all work will be featured at the County-Wide Open Show.

Poetry with the Grammies   |   Read Along with Grammie

Ellensburg Community Radio

Thursday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 25, 2026

Live and Rebroadcast

11:45 am to 12:15 pm    |    Free    |    Online listening 

Join Ellensburg's famous "Grammies" as they read original children's poetry, composed by Ellensburg's Poet Laureate, Sarita Dasgupta, (one of the Grammies) as part of National Poetry Month. Catch the live broadcast on Thursday, April 23rd, and/or catch it again on Saturday, April 25th. A delight for all ages--the Grammies are a hoot!

Pastoral Poetry at Irene Rinehart Park 

Saturday, May 30, 2026 

11:00 am to 1:00 pm    |    Free    |    Registration Required

Register for Pastoral Poetry Walk

Join Sarita Dasgupta for an afternoon of natural reflection and creativity on this poetry walk through the park and be inspired to create a pastoral poem. The group will gather together in the beginning and discuss pastoral poetry, then do individual work, and then come back together to share each individual poem. Bring water, a snack or brown bag lunch, a folding chair, writing supplies, and dress for the weather and walking. While a free event, sign up will be required and space will be limited to the first 20 people. 

Announcing the 2026-2028 City of Ellensburg Poet Laureate:  Sarita Dasgupta! 

The City of Ellensburg and the Ellensburg Arts Commission are pleased to announce the selection of Sarita Dasgupta as the City’s Poet Laureate for the 2026–2028 term. The Poet Laureate program advances literary arts in the community and offers a platform for a local poet to inspire and engage residents through the power of poetry. The selection committee conducted interviews and reviewed a body of work from each of the four highly qualified finalists, and unanimously selected Ms. Dasgupta for this honor.

A poet, author, and educator whose work bridges community storytelling and literary craft, Sarita Dasgupta, is the perfect choice for this role. A library assistant at the Ellensburg Public Library, she has published several chapbooks of poetry, alongside widely used language textbooks and children’s literature. She regularly composes and performs at local poetry events, co-founded the Midweek Musings literary series in 2023, and contributes writing to regional and international outlets. Her background spans classroom teaching, literary editing, and arts programming and she channels this experience into accessible, intergenerational poetry and civic engagement across Kittitas County.

“We look forward to Sarita bringing her unique voice to the role of the Poet Laureate and using her talents to elevate literary arts in the community,” stated Alex Eyre, Chair of the Ellensburg Arts Commission.

This esteemed role, designed to promote the literary arts within our community, provides a unique opportunity for a local poet to inspire and engage residents through the power of poetry.

The City of Ellensburg Poet Laureate is a two-year position that builds awareness and appreciation of poetry through public readings, workshops, lectures, and presentations. Laureates perform this work often in partnership with other organizations throughout the region, fostering a sense of community collaboration and belonging through the power of poetry. 

Ellensburg Arts Commission Serenity Haiku Contest

The Poet Laureate Program was proud to host the haiku contest in honor of National Poetry Month for April 2025. We invited members of the community to submit haiku(s) on the theme: Serenity. We received 65 haiku entries that ranged from the humorous to the poignant, to the hauntingly beautiful, as all shared their thoughts on serenity through the haiku format of poetry. 

Explore the beautiful work here: Serenity Haiku Book