Poet Laureate of Virginia
Encyclopedia
The position of Poet Laureate of Virginia was established December 18, 1936 by the General Assembly
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Originally the Poet Laureate of Virginia was appointed without outside consultation by the General Assembly, usually for one year. The procedure was later changed and most recently codified in 1998 in Virginia Code, Sec. 7.1-43. The text of the law follows:
The Virginia General Assembly confirms the governor's appointment.
Former Poets Laureate:
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
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Originally the Poet Laureate of Virginia was appointed without outside consultation by the General Assembly, usually for one year. The procedure was later changed and most recently codified in 1998 in Virginia Code, Sec. 7.1-43. The text of the law follows:
- 7.1-43. Poet laureate.
- The honorary position of Poet Laureate of Virginia is hereby created. Beginning in 1998, the Governor may appoint a poet laureate from a list of nominees submitted by the Poetry Society of Virginia. Each poet laureate shall serve a term of two years with no restrictions on reappointment.
- (1997, c. 299.)
The Virginia General Assembly confirms the governor's appointment.
List of Poets Laureate of Virginia
Current Poet Laureate:- Kelly CherryKelly CherryKelly Cherry is an author, poet, and the Poet Laureate of Virginia,. A resident of Halifax, Virginia, she was named the state's Poet Laureate by Governor Bob McDonnell in July 2010...
(July 1, 2010 – June 31, 2012)
Former Poets Laureate:
- Claudia EmersonClaudia EmersonClaudia Emerson is an American poet who won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her collection Late Wife.-Background:...
(August 26, 2008 – June 31, 2010) - Carolyn Kreiter-ForondaCarolyn Kreiter-ForondaCarolyn Kreiter-Foronda was named Poet Laureate of Virginia by the Governor, Tim Kaine, on June 26, 2006. She succeeded Rita Dove and served in this position from June 2006 - July 2008...
(June 26, 2006 – June 30, 2008) - Rita DoveRita DoveRita Frances Dove is an American poet and author. From 1993-1995 she served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now popularly known as "U.S. Poet Laureate"...
(September 20, 2004 – June 25, 2006) - George GarrettGeorge Garrett (poet)George Palmer Garrett. was an American poet and novelist. He was the Poet Laureate of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. His novels include The Finished Man, Double Vision, and the Elizabethan Trilogy, composed of Death of the Fox, The Succession, and Entered from the Sun...
(July 9, 2002 – June 31, 2004) - Grace Simpson (2000–2002)
- Joseph AwadJoseph AwadJoseph Frederick Awad was a poet, painter, public relations and executive. He was appointed national president of the Public Relations Society of America in 1982 and Poet Laureate of Virginia in 1998. Awad was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame in 1992...
(1998–2000) - Margaret Ward Morland (1996–1998)
- Kathryn Forrester Thro (July 1, 1994 – June 30, 1996)
- Guy Carleton Drewry (term ended 1991)
- Carter Warner Wormeley
External links
- Poet Laureate of Virginia from the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
- Poets Laureate for the Commonwealth (state) of VIRGINIA, United States of America, nominated by The Poetry Society of Virginia
- The Poetry Society of Virginia website