Artists Statement

Cole Grennan is a poet and writer from the Pacific Northwest. His work pulls from the nature native to the Pacific Northwest, such as the Ho Rainforest, the Cascade Mountain Range, and the Puget Sound. Oftentimes, his work speaks to nebulous concepts such as death, grief, and the self. His most recently published work, Tell the Bees that I am Gone (2024), is a conversation with his deceased grandfather, who was a Coast Guard Captain and a Lighthouse Keeper.

At Central Washington University, he is working on several publications in fiction, poetry, and critical theory.  His work often focuses on queer theory and the lived queer experience. As a queer author, he strives to put words to the way his queerness has impacted his life. From growing up in a Conservative Christian household to a near brush with U-Hauling, he has found that his queerness informs every decision he makes. Taking inspiration from authors such as Judith Butler, Callum Angus, and Juliet Patterson, he plants his truth at the center of everything he writes.

​Currently, Cole is working on a novel-length work of queer fantasy. Writing about the "othering" that comes from growing up queer in a Conservative Christian environment has been an exercise in reflection and meditation. While the work is not a romance, Cole has found it difficult to separate romance from the queer themes of the book.

Curriculum Vitae

  •       Teaching Assistant at Central Washington University

                      From September 2023 to June 2025

    • Instructs English 101 – Introduction to Composition I

    • Organizes curriculum and assignments

    • Communicates constructive feedback to students in a timely manner

     

    Accommodations Assistant at Central Washington University

    From June 2024 to September 2024

    • ​Provided and organized accommodations for a disabled professor

    • Set up Canvas pages and instructional material

    • Provided daily support for any and all accommodation needs

     

          Administrative Assistant at Seattle Pacific University

                      From December 2022 to June 2023

    • Ensured daily administrative needs were met in a timely manner

    • Handled admission fees and Departmental transactions in the hundreds of dollars

    • Organized University sanctioned events for faculty, students, and outreach 

     

          Summer Camp Counselor at Associated Recreation Council 

                      From June 2019 to August 2019

    • Taught kids new hobbies and skills to broaden their appreciation of arts and sciences 

    • Worked with a team of counselors to make the day run smoothly

    • Counseled kids through behavioral and social issues

     

          Tutor at Team Read

                      From October 2015 to October 2018

    • Tutored individual second and third graders in reading and grammar 

    • Connected with them to as they matured as students and people

    • Helped raise their grade and chance of graduating from high school

  •       Master of Arts Degree in Creative and Professional Writing – In Progress

                      From Central Washington University

                      In Progress – June 2025

    Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing 

    From Western Washington University

          Associates Degree in English

                      From South Seattle College

    • Queering the Classroom. 20th International Conference for the Arts in Society, forthcoming.

    • A Smear of the Quotidian. SOURCE Journal, forthcoming.

    • Narrating the Other. SOURCE Journal, forthcoming.

    • Looking Out the Window of my Dressing Room on my Wedding Day to See a Roman Catholic Funeral Procession. Manastash Student Literary Journal, Vo. 35, 2025, pp. 36.

    • Kicked Dog with Rabies. Manastash Student Literary Journal, Vo. 35, 2025, pp. 37.

    • A Grief Obscured. Manastash Student Literary Journal, Vo. 35, 2025, pp. 44-48.

    • Silence of Translation. Manastash Student Literary Journal, Vo. 35, 2025, pp. 110-119.

    • From Eden. Manastash Student Literary Journal, 2025, pp. 136-143.

    • Tell the Bees that I am Gone. Ellensburg Walking Chapbook Poetry Project, 2024.

    • Moira: A Star Wars Story. Western Washington University’s CEDAR Archives, 2020.

  • ·        A Close Reading of Anne Carson’s The Beauty of the Husband. Presentation to ENG 455, CWU, 2024.

    ·        Base Violence: American Propaganda in the Palestinian Genocide. Presentation to ENG 466, CWU, 2024.

    ·        Where the Stolen Roses Grow. Presentation to ENG 464, CWU, 2024.

    ·        Introduction to Callum Angus. Presentation at Lion Rock Visiting Writers Series, CWU, 2024.

    ·        A Grief Obscured. Presentation at Lion Rock Student Reading, CWU, 2024.

    ·        A Cultural History of Altars. Presentation to ENG 454, CWU, 2024.

  • ENG 101 – Intro to Composition/Critical Read and Response at Central Washington University

  • ·        Graduate Student Association, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA. Secretary.

    ·        Working Wildcats Democratic Student Union, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA. Graduate Student Coordinator.

    ·        Manastash Literary Magazine CiHS Senior Contest, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA. Coordinator.