Current Poet Populist
Cody Walker was elected Poet Populist for the 2007-2008 term. He received the most votes in an election that saw record participation: 16 total nominees and 48 write-in candidates, with 1845 votes cast. Cody, nominated by Seattle Arts & Lectures, will serve as Poet Populist for 2007-2008, representing as the poetic "voice of the people" on numerous occasions in person and on the page.
About Cody Walker
Cody Walker teaches English at the University of Washington and poetry through Seattle Arts and Lectures' Writers in the Schools program. He also serves as a writer-in-residence at the Richard Hugo House. Cody received the 2003 James Boatwright III Prize for Poetry from Shenandoah and the 2005 Distinguished Teaching Award from the UW English Department. His work appears on buses and bookmarks, as well as in Best American Poetry, Best New Poets, Parnassus, Slate, Prairie Schooner, Subtropics, and Light. This September he'll be directing the UW's two-week poetry seminar in Friday Harbor.