Pacific Northwest poet Richard Hugo, whose name is attached to the Hugo House on Capitol Hill, wrote in his poem “Letter to Kizer from Seattle,” “I’m back at the primal source of poems: wind, sea/and rain, the market and the salmon.”

Seattle and its distinct surrounding scenery often seemed to be the “primal source” of Hugo’s work, as they seem to be in the work of many writers today. Almost 40 years after Hugo’s poem was published, Seattle is about to bolster its literary community with its new Civic Poet program. The program, according to the Office of Arts & Culture “celebrates our history and commitment to the written and spoken word and the people who have given it such a place of honor in our city.”

The soon-to-be-appointed Civic Poet will perform at various community events, including the Mayor’s Arts Awards in 2015 and in 2016 and “will serve as a cultural ambassador for Seattle’s rich, multi-hued literary landscape.”

Whether you draw your writing inspiration from the Seattle landscape or from somewhere else entirely, you can get involved in Seattle’s literary scene by attending one of the many open mic nights and poetry slams in and around the city. (Most of these events also feature musicians and other kinds of performers as well as poets and writers.) There’s probably one in your neighborhood!

Bainbridge Island
Green Muse at Pegasus Coffee House – Saturdays, 8 p.m.

Ballard
Conor Byrne Pub – Sundays, 7 p.m.
Grumpy D’s Coffee House – Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.

Capitol Hill
Hopvine Pub – Wednesdays, 8 p.m.
Rain City Poetry Slam at Jai Thai – Wednesdays, 7 p.m.

Columbia City
Columbia City Theater – Every other Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.

Everett
Poetry Nite at Café Zippy – Thursday, 7 p.m.

Fremont
Stone Way Café – Thurdays, 7 p.m.

Greenwood
Couth Buzzard Books – Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.
Tim’s Tavern – Tuesdays, 8 p.m.

Interbay
Q Café – Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m.

Kirkland
Balls & Whistles – Tuesdays, 7:30 p.m.

Phinney Ridge
Woodland Park Presbyterian Church – Second Friday of the month, 7 p.m.

Ravenna
Bai Pai Restaurant – First and third Mondays of the month, 7 p.m.

Redmond
SoulFood Coffee House – First Saturday of the month, 6 p.m.

West Seattle
Poetry & Storytelling at C & P Coffee – Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7 p.m.
Skylark Café – Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.