Priest, Rena: I Sing the Salmon Home

Empty Bowl, paperback

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Finalist for the Washington State Book Award!

Publisher Marketing: This anthology sings of salmon--lamented and praised, hooked, and netted, spawned out and dammed from home; of their magnificence and generosity, of how the fish continue to give and of what they gave.

For this unique collection celebrating salmon, Washington State Poet Laureate and Lummi tribal member Rena Priest gathered poems from more than 150 Washington poets ranging from first graders to tribal elders, all inspired by the Northwest's beloved, iconic salmon. A diverse chorus of voices, they join together in poems that praise salmon's heroic journey, beauty, courage, and generosity and witness the threats salmon face from pollution, dams and warming oceans. As Priest writes in her preface: "It is my hope that the poems in this collection will carry into the hearts of readers a wish to preserve and protect the gifts of salmon bestowed by a beautiful living earth; that they will provide the spark of life to carry us into a new cycle. May their good work continue to sing the salmon home."

"At long last salmon--the soul of the Pacific Northwest--have been given words to match the ongoing miracle of their existence. With this anthology, some of the better poets from our corner of the world show us dimensions of life, legacy, and culture that we might otherwise overlook in our rushed tumble through the years. It's a book to grow old with--and a book to share with those just learning the power of verse to change hearts and minds."--Timothy Egan, author of The Good Rain

"It is difficult to explain the sacredness of salmon. Salmon center our lifeways, our sovereignty, and our ceremonies. Our salmon ancestors have always shared their stories with us, and this beautiful collection, with its diverse voices and layered experiences, gives us visions and glimpses of this profound, and yet very practical fish."--Danica Sterud Miller (Puyallup), Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Washington-Tacoma