Rebroadcast: Hanford-area native and former Washington Poet Laureate on how the ‘Atomic City’ shaped her life
About this episode
Kathleen Flenniken discusses how her upbringing in the Hanford area influenced her poetry and life experiences.
Seattle poet Kathleen Flenniken grew up in Richland and worked as a civil engineer at Hanford in the 1980s. She served as Washington State Poet Laureate from 2012-2014. In her first year as poet laureate, she published a collection called Plume, which deals directly with how her Hanford area upbringing influenced her. The book explores the history of the site, the death of her best friend's father from a radiation illness, and her childhood in "Atomic City.” Flenniken sits down with us from the campus of Washington State University Tri-Cities.
People in this episode
Guest: Kathleen Flenniken
Topics covered
- poetry
- Hanford
- Washington State Poet Laureate
- childhood
- radiation illness
Keywords
- Kathleen Flenniken
- Hanford
- poet laureate
- Plume
- radiation illness
- Richland
- Atomic City
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Washington State University Tri-Cities
Places: Richland, Hanford, Atomic City
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