By Jane Valencia
On Summer Solstice Eve, poets and poetry lovers gathered from the Island and across the water to celebrate our new poets laureate, Iris Spring and C. Hunter Davis.
The event took place at the Open Space for the Arts & Community, which now shepherds Vashon’s Poet Laureate program. Initiated in 2011, with Ann Spiers as our first poet laureate, the O Space explains that “the program honors a local poet who serves as a creative ambassador for Vashon, using language to illuminate, connect, and inspire.”
This term, we have two such poets!
The glass overhead door was rolled open to the evening, the wooded area beyond, and an occasional light rain. Margaret Roncone, poet laureate from 2023-2025, passed on a “magic” wand to Iris (who was there with her six-week-old baby) and a shawl to Hunter – items that had been given to her when she became poet laureate. Margaret, Iris, and Hunter shared poetry, followed by a few other poets in this fully attended event. Poetry is alive and well on Vashon!
Margaret Roncone wrote to me later about her term. “My ceremony was held in Dig Deep’s greenhouse and was quite lovely. Hunter baked four beautiful cakes! At that point in time, previous poet laureates came up with a list and chose the next laureate.”
Laureates determined for themselves how they wished to encourage the love of poetry and the writing of it on the Island. “I established the current open mic at the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum, previously held at the Coop, and also the ‘Little Library for poetry’ in front of the Vashon Presbyterian Church.” She also established and facilitates two poetry-related activities, “Wordplay” at the Vashon Senior Center and “Parchment and Pen” at Women Hold the Key. Thank you, Margaret, for contributing so much to a vibrant love of words and poetry on Vashon.
We look forward to getting to know Iris and Hunter, and what their poets-laureateship inspire, and to sharing their work in The Loop.
Enjoy some summer poetry: a poem by one of our new poets laureate, and two poems read that evening.
“Before the Great Yawn of July” by C. Hunter Davis, Poet Laureate
“Grass and Stars” by Margaret Roncone, Past-Poet Laureate, 2023-25
“Song of the Summer Solstice” by Lynn Carrigan
“Before the Great Yawn of July” by C. Hunter Davis, Poet Laureate
