January 2 & 3, 2026, Cascadia Poetics Lab hosted a retreat for the CPL board and key volunteers at the home of board member Dr. Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs. On January 2, we hosted a potluck gathering for for the board, volunteers, friends and family in celebration of the Gregorian New Year and honoring Matt Trease’s 8 year tenure as a CPL board member. The gathering included live music and a poetry reading. Cascadia 2050 member Ankober Yewondwossen said this about the January 2 gathering:

The board retreat kick-off party was a moment for me to introduce my mother to my literary community. What makes Cascadia Poetics Lab so unique to the PNW literary scene is the culture of humility and genuine love of the craft of writing. My parents are who I dedicate my writing—my life—to. I was so grateful to see my mother being honored around elders her own age, in the same city that raised me, among community I adore. I am deeply indebted to Cascadia Poetics Lab for being kind to my Mama, and to me, and for always keeping the main thing—the main thing. Connection. Joy. Reading. Writing. And of course the constant presence of divine love that knits us all together. In the end, I’ve learned, it’s never been about just the craft; but can you love my family? CPL answers with its whole heart: yes!

The following day on January 3, 2026, the board convened for an extended board meeting to discuss strategic planning, metrics, marketing and budget. The board was joined by key volunteer and PPF committee member Sally Hedges-Blanquez, along with metrics intern Sofia Pedrosa, digital marketing specialist Megan Durham and myself (Veronica Martinez, administrative assistant). We discussed successes from 2025 and plans for making sure we begin 2026 with a sustainable and strong foundation. Board member, audio assistant and CPL volunteer extraordinaire Zach Charles had this to say about the board retreat:

In my first year participating in the CPL Board Retreat as a Board Member, it was the most dialed in I have ever experienced. Needless to say, there are always improvements to be made, but looking back on the past 3 years of my involvement with the Cascadia Poetics Lab, I am incredibly grateful to have gotten involved when I did. After this Retreat, is clear that the Lab is poised to grow in a really powerful way as it roots itself deeper into Rainier Beach and the dxʷwuqʷəb (Mape’s Creek) watershed. Metrics such as significant increases in total revenues over the past 3 years back that up, but to me the most revealing information is qualitative: the strength of community that it provides, as evidenced by Gabriella Gutierrez y Muhs’s speech at the party Friday night, and the experiences of newcomers reveling in the bounty of communal energy.

As we look more strategically at our operations, we are looking forward to a big year of new and improved programming at Cascadia Poetics Lab, always aiming to keep writing, gratitude and presence at the center of everything we do. Stay tuned for more.