It’s been a while since I provided an update on current state poets laureate. As of this writing, forty-two states have an official position of state poet laureate, while two states, Alaska and Idaho, have a position for “State Writer Laureate” and “Writer-in-Residence,” respectively. The position of state poet laureate or state writer is occupied in forty-two of these forty-four states. Florida, one of the two states with a vacancy, is close to having its position revamped by Florida lawmakers through Senate Bill 290, which would change the post from a lifetime to a four-year appointment.
Since the beginning of the year six states* have seen new poets laureate take office: Arizona (Alberto Ríos); Indiana (George Kalamaras); New Hampshire (Alice B. Fogel); Oregon (Peter Sears); Texas (Dean Young), and Washington (Elizabeth Austen).
A complete list of current state poets laureate follows. Poets who began their appointments in 2014 are highlighted in red.
| State | Laureate |
| Alabama | Andrew Glaze |
| Alaska | Nora Marks Dauenhauer |
| Arizona | Alberto Ríos |
| Arkansas | Peggy Vining |
| California | Juan Felipe Herrera |
| Colorado | David Mason |
| Connecticut | Dick Allen |
| Delaware | JoAnn Balingit |
| District of Columbia | Dolores Kendrick |
| Florida | Vacant |
| Georgia | Judson Mitcham |
| Hawaii | Kealoha (Steven Kealohapau’ole Hong-Ming Wong) |
| Idaho | Diane Raptosh |
| Illinois | Kevin Stein |
| Indiana | Unofficial: Cecil Tresslar Official: George Kalamaras |
| Iowa | Mary Swander |
| Kansas |
Wyatt Townley |
| Kentucky | Frank X Walker |
| Louisiana | Ava Leavell Haymon |
| Maine | Wesley McNair |
| Maryland | Stanley Plumly |
| Massachusetts | No position |
| Michigan | No position |
| Minnesota | Joyce Sutphen |
| Mississippi | Natasha Trethewey |
| Missouri | William Trowbridge |
| Montana | Tami Haaland |
| Nebraska | Twyla Hansen |
| Nevada | Vacant |
| New Hampshire | Alice B. Fogel |
| New Jersey | No position |
| New Mexico | No position |
| New York | Marie Howe |
| North Carolina | Joseph Bathanti |
| North Dakota |
Larry Woiwode |
| Ohio | No position |
| Oklahoma | Nathan Brown |
| Oregon | Peter Sears |
| Pennsylvania |
No Position |
| Rhode Island | Rick Benjamin |
| South Carolina | Marjory Heath Wentworth |
| South Dakota | David Allan Evans |
| Tennessee | Margaret Britton Vaughn |
| Texas | Dean Young |
| Utah | Lance Larsen |
| Vermont | Sydney Lea |
| Virginia | Sofia Starnes |
| Washington | Elizabeth Austen |
| West Virginia | Marc Harshman |
| Wisconsin | Max Garland |
| Wyoming | Echo Roy Klaproth |
One of my resolutions for National Poetry Month is to provide regular updates on the blog about new state poet appointments Please feel free to help me keep the list of state poets laureate current by contacting me with any changes you discover in the above positions.
*Update: Astute reader Ed Stover has pointed out that Washington state recently appointed Elizabeth Austen its new poet laureate. I have updated the blog post to reflect this.
Comments (7)
In Washington state, Seattle-based poet Elizabeth Austen was recently named the state’s new poet laureate for the next two years. She succeeds Kathleen Flenniken. Go to the Humanities Washington website for more information.
Thanks, Ed Stover
Dear Ed,
Thanks so much for this information. I will update the blog post to note that Ms. Austen is Washington’s current poet laureate.
Peter
Thanks for providing this list and all the updates and information. I am happy to know that Florida will (hopefully) fill its vacant seat and revamp the necessary legislation for four-year terms. Without your post, I would not have known this. Thank you! Seeing the full list of poets/writers is so inspirational. It is wonderful to see so many accomplished writers and creative minds and I will be on the look out for their work, even more so now that I know their names. It is also inspiring that the vast majority of states recognize the importance of the literary arts although I was shocked and surprised at the states that have no post. I can only hope that this will change in the near future. Again, thank you, Library of Congress for this post and all the wonderful things you consistently do!
As a person familiar with many amazing and involved poets in Pennsylvania, I am wondering what the “No Position” means exactly… and to whom to direct a request to create a State Laureate? Any guidance you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for this wonderful resource!
Kimberly, great questions! “No Position” simply means that Pennsylvania does not have a State Poet Laureate position. Rather than provide a long response in the comments about how to lobby for a position of State Poet Laureate, I think I’ll blog about it. Look for a post on Friday!
–Peter
@ Kimberly Crafton
The Pennsylvania Center for the Book, housed at Penn State Libraries, is a good place to start in PA. They sponsor wonderful poetry outreach already, with the Public Poetry Project, and will likely be able to give you details about any initiatives in PA to establish a state PL.
Sharon Shaloo/Massachusetts Center for the Book
Any guidance you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for this wonderful resource!