Poet Laureate

[flyguy69]

The Governor of Wisconsin has named Denise Sweet, White Earth Ojibwe, as state poet laureate. Denise is a wonderful writer, teacher and woman, and teaches at the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay. Her poem "Constellations" adorns the airport in Milwaukee in case you ever fly through Mitchell Field, and includes verse in both english and anishinaabe. One of my favorites is Stillborn, in which she emphasizes that a stillborn child is still born.

 

[Tathagata]

Wow


I'm going to look her up..
Thank you

 

[tungtied2u]

RE:Stillborn

That's a beautiful, powerful poem flyguy. Thanks for the link and the info.

 

[Liar]

Interresting, thanks for the info.

But...what is a 'state poet laureate'? What do they do?

#L

 

[BooMerengue]

They spout Poems of State from within their State, no matter what state they are in!

 

[BooMerengue]

Alabama:
Helen Blackshear

Alaska:
Tom Sexton

Arizona:
none

Arkansas:
Verna Lee Hinegardner

California:
Charles B. Garrigus

Colorado:
Mary Crow

Connecticut:
Leo Connellan

Delaware:
position vacant

Florida:
Edmund Skellings

Georgia:
John Ransom Lewis, Jr.

Hawaii:
none

Idaho:
William Johnson

Illinois:
Gwendolyn Brooks

Indiana:
Esther Towns

Iowa:
vacant

Kansas:
none

Kentucky:
Richard Taylor

Louisiana:
Jean Boese

Maine:
Kate Barnes

Maryland:
Roland Flint

Massachusetts:
none

Michigan:
none

Minnesota:
Laurene Tibbetts

Mississippi:
Winifred Hamrick Farrar

Missouri:
none

Montana:
none

Nebraska:
William Kloefkorn

Nevada:
Norman Kaye

New Hampshire:
Donald Hall

New Jersey:
none

New Mexico:
none

New York:
Sharon Olds

North Carolina:
Fred Chappell

North Dakota:
none

Ohio:
none

Oklahoma:
Joe Kreger

Oregon:
position vacant

Pennsylvania:
position vacant

Rhode Island:
C. D. Wright

South Carolina:
Bennie Lee Sinclair

South Dakota:
Audrae Visser

Tennessee:
Margaret Britton Vaughn

Texas:
position vacant

Utah:
David Lee

Vermont:
Ellen Bryant Voigt

Virginia:
Joseph Awad

Washington:
none

West Virginia:
Irene McKinney

Wisconsin:
none

Wyoming:
Robert Roripaugh

This list is as of 1999, I think...

 

[flyguy69]

Ummm.... I don't know

Interresting, thanks for the info.

But...what is a 'state poet laureate'? What do they do?

#L

Here is what the article in the Green Bay Press Gazette said:

As Wisconsin's poet laureate, Sweet is expected to choose and lead one large-scale project that contributes to the growth of Wisconsin poetry. The post also includes responsibility for planning and attending at least four statewide literary events each year, as well as performing in at least four state and civil events as requested by the governor's office, school systems and literary organizations.

It also adds that the position is unpaid!