Since my last state poets update in July, one new state poet laureate was appointed and has begun his term, a second was appointed and will assume his role in the fall, and a third announced he is resigning from his position due to an impending move to a new state. Here are the facts:
- On August 14, 2015, Gov. Bobby Jindal appointed Peter Cooley Louisiana State Poet Laureate. Cooley will serve a two-year term a Poet Laureate.
- On August 10, 2015, Chard deNiord received a letter from Gov. Peter Shumlin appointing him Vermont Poet Laureate. DeNiord will officially take up his duties on November 2, 2015.
- Rhode Island’s current Poet Laureate, Rick Benjamin, will be stepping down from the position on January 15, 2016, in order move to California, where he will teach at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
To find a complete list of U.S. state poets, and to learn more about each state’s laureateship, you can explore our state poets map. Click on the image of the map to be brought to an interactive version; you can use its drop-down menu to browse the list of current laureates.
