State poet laureate presents ‘My Hanford’ at WSU Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. – Former Hanford engineer-turned-poet Kathleen Flenniken will provide her inside view of the Hanford nuclear site culture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, in the West Building Atrium, 2710 Crimson Way, Washington State University Tri-Cities, Richland. Admission is free to the public.

 

In telling her personal history, Flenniken breaks through the numbers — nuclear waste that will last for tens of thousands of years and billions of dollars spent — to get to the people and culture of Hanford, including the difficulties she faced when her friend’s father died of a radiation illness.

 

Flenniken is the 2012-2014 Washington poet laureate. She began her career as a civil engineer at Hanford, discovering poetry in her early 30s. Her latest poetry collection, “Plume,” is a meditation on Hanford and her hometown. Flenniken’s first book, “Famous,” won the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry, was named a Notable Book by the American Library Association and was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award.

 

The WSU College of Arts and Sciences and Humanities Washington are teaming up to sponsor the event.

Humanities Washington is a flagship nonprofit for promoting and providing programs based in the humanities. Humanities Washington sparks conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across the state. For more information, visit http://www.humanities.org.
 
WSU Tri-Cities is located along the scenic Columbia River in Richland, Wash. Established in 1989 with upper division and graduate programs, WSU Tri-Cities expanded in 2007 to a four-year undergraduate campus offering 18 bachelor’s, 10 master’s and six doctoral degrees. Learn about the most diverse campus in the WSU system at http://www.tricity.wsu.edu.