Celebrate Poetry With Ching-In Chens Read Local Eat Local Project

Ching-In Chen, Redmond’s Poet Laureate, announces the launch of Read Local Eat Local, starting on Sept. 18 during the Downtown Redmond Art Walk. The initiative connects local businesses with poetry, celebrating the city's cultural diversity through the written word. Nine participating locations in Downtown Redmond will display poems on postcards, focusing on themes of food, harvest, and intercultural exchange. More than 35 poets contributed their work over the summer, showcasing a variety of languages and perspectives.

Mayor Angela Birney praised the project for its role in highlighting Redmond's creativity and community spirit. This initiative is funded by an Arts Sustained Support grant from 4Culture. Chen, an accomplished poet and educator, is also the recipient of the 2024 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship. For details, visit redmond. gov/ReadLocalEatLocal.