Cascadia Poetics Lab and founder Paul E. Nelson won a Humanities Washington Award! Thanks to a nomination by Katie Sarah Zale and magnificent letters of recommendation by Jason Wirth, Katie Sarah Zale and Zach Charles, Paul Nelson and the Cascadia Poetics Lab received a 2025 Central Puget Sound Humanities Washington Award in the small organization category. We have the deepest gratitude for these colleagues and friends that believe in CPL and know the unending dedication that Paul puts into fostering a community rooted in deepened connections to place.
From the Humanities Washington Team:
In honor of Humanities Washington’s 50th anniversary, we wanted to honor the MANY people who have contributed to our work and the cultural fabric of our state, setting the stage for our next 50 years.The Humanities Washington Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the public humanities—people and organizations who bring new stories to light, connect their communities, and encourage us all to think, reflect, and learn. Two awards are typically presented each year, but this year—to celebrate a half-century of enhancing human connections—we decided to go big…In presenting these awards, we aim to not only honor previous work, but recognize the strong foundation that will carry us forward for the next 50 years.
You can read more about the award and other awardees on the Humanities Washington website. Awardees will be celebrated via Zoom on Dec. 10. More information to come! Thank you again to Katie for nominating Paul and the organization. Anyone that has met Paul knows his passion and dedication to the organization he’s built and to every person he encounters. His ability to connect individuals from various backgrounds and encourage his community to think and write from a deeper, more mythic place is truly one of a kind. We’re so proud of you, Paul!
Congratulations, Paul!!! Totally well deserved for all your work and inspiration, community-building, and large scale circulation of ideas and creativity. Thank you to Katie and the others who nominated Paul and SPLAB for this award.
Exactly what Sharon said, above. Much deserved, and well done, all!
Congratulations Paul! I am so happy your efforts have been recognized. Bravo!!!
Congratulations,Paul. So well deserved. Wonderful news.
Congratulations Paul. You are an inspiration and thanks for your work.
Yay, Paul! Such a richly deserved honor.
Wonderful news…
Congratulations Paul: The Bioregion Poetics community you have helped create through the Lab is amazing. Enjoy the recognition and continue the good work.