Overview:
Dujie Tahat was formally inaugurated as the fifth Civic Poet of Seattle, marking the first time the city held a formal inauguration ceremony for the role. The event also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Civic Poet program, which was established by the Office of Arts & Culture to weave poetry and civic dialogue together through public service. Tahat, a highly respected poet and literary critic, emphasized his goal to bring poetry into the day-to-day workings of city government. The Civic Poet role is a two-year literary residency in which the poet serves as a public arts ambassador, fostering engagement between the arts community, the general public, and local government.
For the first time since the creation of the Seattle Civic Poet program in 2015, the city held a formal inauguration ceremony to mark the beginning of a new poet’s tenure—honoring both the role’s evolution and its deepening presence in Seattle’s civic identity.
The event, hosted on March 25, 2025, in the Seattle City Council Chambers, celebrated the appointment of Dujie Tahat as the city’s fifth Civic Poet. It also marked the 10th anniversary of the Civic Poet program, which was established by the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) to weave poetry and civic dialogue together through public service.
The inauguration was held in partnership with the Seattle Public Library and Seattle City of Literature, and included remarks from Mayor Bruce Harrell, outgoing Civic Poet Shin Yu Pai, ARTS Director Gülgün Kayim, Chief Librarian Tom Fay, and Seattle City of Literature Board President José Luis Montero.
“Seattle is home to some of the best poets in our nation, and in Seattle we honor our artists who inspire, challenge, and uplift our spirits,” said Mayor Harrell. “The poets that have held the Civic Poet role—and the Poet Populist role before that—have done incredible work to make poetry more accessible throughout every community in our city.”
Tahat, a highly respected poet and literary critic, emphasized his goal to bring poetry into the day-to-day workings of city government.
“I’m honored to serve as Civic Poet for the city that raised me, the Town that stoked in me a love for language,” Tahat said. “During my tenure, I plan to bring poems into City Hall and the everyday machinery of policy making. Through conversations about poems with City electeds, citizen boards and commissions, and other civic leaders, it’s my hope to bring us into a shared language. From there—and only there—may we begin to find the grace, mercy, and, dare I say, love needed to get us through these next few years.”
The Civic Poet role is a two-year literary residency in which the poet serves as a public arts ambassador—fostering engagement between the arts community, the general public, and local government. Each Civic Poet is selected through a competitive, open application process reviewed by ARTS staff and local poets.
Tahat joins a lineage of poets who have used the platform to amplify underrepresented voices and create public dialogue through poetry. Previous Civic Poets include Shin Yu Pai (2023–24), Jordan Imani Keith (2019–22), Anastacia-Renee Tolbert (2017–19), and Claudia Castro Luna (2015–17).
“Seattle has a strong tradition of literature and poetry braided with civic engagement and activism,” said Montero. “Dujie Tahat’s appointment reminds us that poetry is not just an art form but a force for civic dialogue and transformation.”
Montero also praised past Civic Poets for blending activism with artistry—from Castro Luna’s “lyrical maps” of displacement to Anastacia-Renee’s fearless explorations of identity, and Keith’s eco-poetic meditations on heritage. Their voices, he noted, have challenged the public to protect the integrity of literature and the truths it carries.
The Civic Poet program builds on the legacy of the Poet Populist program, introduced in 1999 by then-Councilmember Nick Licata. Though the Poet Populist program ended in 2008, its spirit lives on through the Civic Poet initiative, which emphasizes public engagement and artist-driven civic leadership.
Tom Fay, Chief Librarian of the Seattle Public Library, echoed the importance of institutional support for poets in civic roles.
“Poetry is essential to a rich civic life, and Seattle’s Civic Poet role institutionalizes the importance of our shared humanity,” Fay said. “Dujie’s attention to language can only help make better policy that deepens enrichment throughout our city.”
Tahat brings a powerful resume to the role. A former Seattle Youth Speaks Grand Slam Champion, they are the author of three chapbooks—Here I Am O My God, Salat, and Balikbayan—and have been honored by the Poetry Society of America, Tupelo Press, and PEN America. They’ve held fellowships from National Book Critics Circle, Jack Straw, Hugo House, and others, and serve as Critic-at-Large for Poetry Northwest and poetry editor for Moss. Tahat also cohosts the Poet Salon podcast.
The ceremony also included a heartfelt farewell to outgoing Civic Poet Shin Yu Pai, whose Public Poetry campaign brought verse into neighborhoods across Seattle. Fay expressed gratitude for Pai’s tenure and noted how her work elevated poetry, joy, and connection citywide.
As Tahat steps into the role, city leaders, cultural organizations, and residents alike are looking forward to how poetry will continue to be a tool for reflection, dialogue, and civic progress.
