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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Humanities Washington honors poet Marshall

Spokane poet Tod Marshall has won the Humanities Washington Prize.

The prize, according to an announcement from Humanities Washington, each year honors two individuals or organizations whose efforts “reflect the spirit and programs of Humanities Washington.”

Marshall, who teaches at Gonzaga University, has released four poetry collections – “Dare Say” (2002), “Range of the Possible” (2002), “Tangled Line” (2009), and “Bugle” (2014) – and edited a collection of interviews with poets, “Range of Voices” (2005). He was born in New York and raised in Wichita, Kansas. His work has appeared in the Southern Review, the Columbia Poetry Review, Poetry Northwest, Willow Springs, the Kenyon Review among others.

He also coordinates GU’s annual Visiting Writers Series and is a scholar for Humanities Washington’s Prime Time Family Reading program, which encourages at-risk children and their families to read together and use the library.

In a news release, Humanities Washington executive director called Marshall a “beloved professor and community member whose many contributions to the literary and artistic life of Spokane have left a lasting impact on its residents and countless students.”

Marshall, the first person in his family to attend college – he holds a doctorate from the University of Kansas – told Humanities Washington that it was his own experience that encouraged him to bring the humanities to underserved populations.

“As a first generation college graduate, I never forget how empowering exposure to culture can be, and I know that it’s very important to build cultural bridges between academia, where I work, and larger communities, where I live,” Marshall said in a news release. “I am deeply honored by this award, but I am also humbled because I know that there is still so much more that I could be doing.”

Marshall will be presented with the award on Oct. 23 during Humanities Washington’s fourth annual Bedtime Stories fundraiser in Spokane.

Also honored this year is Ellen Ferguson, a West Side philanthropist and museum activist. She’ll be honored during the Seattle Bedtime Stories on Oct. 2.

If you want to hear Marshall read before October, you’re in luck. He’s one the speakers scheduled to read on Monday for the Get Lit edition of the Beacon Hill Reading Series. He’ll be joined by S.M. Hulse (“Black River”) and Jeremy Pataky (“Overwinter”) from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hagan Center for the Humanities, in the library at Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene St. Admission is free.

Hval in CdA

The author reading series at Coeur d’Alene’s Well-Read Moose bookstore will continue on Friday with Cindy Hval and her “War Bonds” book.

Hval, a longtime correspondent for The Spokesman-Review, will be at the Riverstone store from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to read from and sign copies of “War Bonds,” which tells the real-life stories of falling in love during World War II.

The book, released earlier this year by Casemate publishing, has sold out of it first printing, Hval said. The new run is now in stores nationwide.

The Well-Read Moose is located at 2048 N. Main St., call (208) 215-2265 for more information.