LONGVIEW — Poet Ian Ramsey is staying at the Coldwater Lake visitor center for nearly a week as part of the Mount St. Helens Institute’s first poet in residence.
Ramsey, who is typically based in Maine, will write and read poems and participate in summer programs from through Tuesday.
Ramsey’s work, including his 2023 poetry book “Hackable Animal,” looks at man’s connection to Earth.
Youth Education & Rental Programs Coordinator Rae Hutchinson said Ramsey reached out to the institute about the possible residency last year and the partnership between a creative environmental writer and an innovative youth educational program made sense.
The roughly 40,000-year-old volcano is known to stir wonder in artists and scientists alike, she added.
“His work speaks to connection with nature,” Hutchinson said. “We are excited to see his perspective of the mountain that we find fascination in every day.”
Some poems he writes during his residency will be displayed at the Science and Learning Center, formerly called the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center, and shared on social media.
Ramsey is writing in exchange for room and board and meals, Hutchinson said, but won’t be paid.
She said a more formal application process would be included in future residencies.
Poet, center’s plans
Ramsey earned an Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Pacific Lutheran University’s Rainier Writing Workshop in Tacoma, and his work has appeared in literary journals such as “High Desert,” which features writers of the North American West since 2004.
His biography states he has taught for 25 years at Maine’s North Yarmouth Academy, where he is the founding director of the Kauffmann Program for Environmental Writing and Wilderness Exploration.
The Science and Learning Center at Coldwater is operated by the U.S. Forest Service as a visitor center while the road to Johnston Ridge Observatory remains closed due to last year’s debris slide.
How to read the poems
Check in with the Mount St. Helens Institute online to read the poet in residence’s work.
- www.mshinstitute.org
- www.facebook.com/mshinstitute
- www.instagram.com/mshinstitute
The center was built in 1993 and closed to the public in 2007. The Mount St. Helens Institute partnered with the U.S. Forest Service and began offering some youth education programs and public events at the site in 2011.
The institute offers hikes near Mount St. Helens’ 1980 blast zone, as well as guided summit climbs and camps for all ages with nearby access to fishing and kayaking at Coldwater Lake. The institute offers a Volcano Outdoor School for youth day or overnight programs, where kids stay at the Science and Learning Center.
The nonprofit is also planning a $35 million redesign of the center to include timber lodges, more educational classes and an expanded trail system.
