Marie Marchand

Marie Marchand has been writing poetry for 35 years to discover healing for herself and the world. In April 2022, she was named the first Poet Laureate of Ellensburg, WA. During her two-year tenure, she gave readings and workshops to diverse audiences, including youth, elders, and people in recovery. Currently, she serves as a member of the Ellensburg Arts Commission, lifting up the importance of poetry and the literary arts in her community and beyond. Marie's poetry has been published in Crannóg Magazine, Catamaran Literary Reader, California Quarterly, Paterson Literary Review, Tiny Seed Journal, Anti-Heroin Chic, and The Awakenings Review. She is the author of three poetry collections, most recently Gifts to the Attentive (Winter Goose Publishing, 2022) and the forthcoming Mostly Sweet, Lovely, Human Things (MoonPath Press, 2025). Her poetry has been recognized by the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards, Wyoming Writers, and Sue C. Boynton Poetry Contest.

She is a graduate of Naropa University and The Iliff School of Theology where she studied psychology, religion, and peacemaking. As a community leader and mental health advocate with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Marie strives to change the narrative around mental health by sharing her story to inspire hope and healing. She believes that poetry is an affirmation of resilience and a testament to the triumph of hope over despair.